City Manager
Among the things which really set Hartsville apart is the ongoing schedule of community events made by its many organizations. This week, the City of Hartsville and the Hartsville Downtown Development Association contributed more events of our own as we kicked off another round of the Thursdays on College concert series.
This first event of this downtown street concert series featured Terence Lonon and the Untouchables, the same Beach Music and R& B musicians who were the first performers in our initial series last year. They made such an impression that we wanted to bring them back, and Duke Energy returned as the sponsor for them as well.
The series runs every two weeks on East Carolina Avenue, always taking place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Food and drinks are available for purchase, as is childcare from Nana’s Play Zone. Next up, Chris Wilson and Planet Earth will appear on Sept. 19 in a concert sponsored by Sonoco. Making their fourth national tour this year, the group offers an alternative rock/soul style of acoustic guitar by front man Chris Wilson with saxophone player Joe Cardillo.
October’s Thursdays on College concerts begin on Oct. 3 with a concert from the Reggie Sullivan Band. Arriving as it does at the beginning of Coker College’s Homecoming weekend, the concert is sponsored by the college’s Campus Activities Board. Reggie Sullivan, a Jazz Studies graduate of USC, has made a name as a popular performer in Columbia in recent years, putting together a widely-requested group including guitarist Zach Bingham and drummer Brendan Bull.
The series will end on Oct. 17 with a concert sponsored by First Citizens Bank and Nucor Corporation, with the phenomenal singer/songwriter Erica Lynn Berg and the five-piece Greenville-based band Wine Down. This group plays a wide repertoire including jazz, blues, rock and more, as well as covers ranging from John Meyer to Adele.
I’m very excited for this round of the concert series, which has been developing since its debut a year ago, and which still has plenty of potential for more growth and improvement. In recent years, cities all around the state have been building programs for downtown events and festivals. A downtown is a natural gathering point and a great way to see what a community is all about. Our downtown is the perfect location for these types of events, showcasing why Hartsville can be such a great place to live.
Downtown, by the way, will also be the location for Halloween events on Friday, October 25. The Hartsville Downtown Development Association will get things going with Treats in the Streets, the annual trick-or-treating event among local businesses. Scream on the Green, the Halloween version of our free outdoor movie showings, will follow, beginning at dusk in Burry Park, with a showing of the comedy classic “Ghostbusters.”
