Hear plenty of bands at Birdfest, take part in Crawdaddy Dash 5K and celebrate spring with Festival of Roses this weekend
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SUMTER COUNTY
Sumter Farmers Market is up and running from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays through Nov. 22 at USC Sumter, 200 Miller Road. Grab some lunch at one of the many food trucks and purchase quality, farm-fresh products and unique hand-crafted items all at the market. SFMNP-Senior and WIC vouchers are accepted.
The 20th-annual Birdfest Music Festival will be held Friday-Saturday, May 3-4, at the South Carolina Waterfowl Association Education Center at 8444 Old River Road in Pinewood. The musical lineup will include Steep Canyon Rangers, Chatham County Line, Jon Stickley Trio, The Big Daddy Bluegrass Trio and much more. Visit birdfestmusic.com for more details and to purchase tickets.
Get ready for Sumter Microbrew’s Hippie Fest on Friday, May 10. Palmetto Optimist Club will bring you peace, love and brews throughout downtown Sumter from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Visit 10 locations, sample two microbrew or craft beers at each location, enjoy food, music and fun as you support the youth of Sumter. Get tickets at https://www.palmettooptimistclub.com/general-7. Military and senior discount of $5. Use coupon code “military” or “Senior” as applicable.
Love history? See costumed interpreters demonstrate skills like blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, as well as children's crafts and games circa 1800, at the Sumter Museum's Carolina Backcountry Springtime from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 122 N. Washington St. For additional information, visit SumterCountyMuseum.org.
Sumter Elks Lodge 855 will hold a barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sumter Community Family Carnival at the VFW at 1925 Gion St. in Sumter. The public is invited to this event which is a joint effort of VFW Post 3034, Marine Corps League Detachment 1202 and Sumter Elks Lodge 855. Tickets for the meal are $10 per plate and must be purchased in advance by May 7 indicating your choice of pulled pork or chicken on the ticket. Dinners include meat, beans, slaw and a roll. Dine under the pavilion or take out. Tickets may be purchased at the VFW canteen which opens at 2 p.m. daily or by calling Bud Butler at (405) 210-7848 or Brian Davis at (803) 491-5339.
Want to support a good cause and help local law enforcement solve crimes in the area? The 2024 National Police Week Golf Tournament benefiting Sumter Crime Stoppers will be Thursday, May 16, as a four-man captain's choice event at The Links at Lakewood. In case of rain, it will be Friday, May 17. The registration fee is $250 per team, but there is a special registration fee of $200 if you pay by May 1. The event is limited to 20 teams, and trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place. Mulligan packages are available, and the fee includes a meal after the tournament. Drinks will be available to buy. On the day of the event, registration will be at 8 a.m. with shotgun start at 9 a.m. All proceeds will go to Sumter Crime Stoppers in honor of law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, and it is sponsored by Sumter Police Department. For more on the event or to preregister, email bhite@sumtersc.gov.
The famous three-day Iris Festival surrounding the blooming of the irises at Swan Lake Iris Gardens will include concerts, arts and crafts, plants and flowers, antique and classic car shows, various contests and many children's activities. The festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, May 23-26, at Swan Lake Iris Gardens, 822 W. Liberty St.
The legacy of African American cowboys and frontiersmen will be celebrated at the annual Black Cowboy Festival and Rodeo. Education, recreation and cultural appreciation can be expected throughout the three-day affair. The festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, May 23-26, at Greenfield Farms, 4585 Spencer Road in Rembert.
CLARENDON COUNTY
Get those taste buds ready. The annual Taste of Clarendon, hosted by Clarendon County Junior Chamber in partnership with Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, returns from 6 to 8:30 p.m.Thursday, May 16, at John C. Land III Landing at 4404 Greenall Road, Summerton. Tickets are $35 per person and $60 per couple and can be purchased at Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce or from any Junior Chamber member. Residents can enjoy finger sandwiches and heavy hors d'oeuvres such as dips, meatballs, marinated vegetables, spreads, seafood and a variety of desserts.
Palmetto Pickle Music Festival will kick off on Saturday, May 18, at 7301 Salem Road in New Zion. Featured artists will include Charlie Floyd performing at 6 p.m. and Sawyer Brown performing at 8 p.m. Concert gates open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $30 online and can be purchased at ticketleap.com/picklefest.
LEE COUNTY
Come out for a day of family fun at the Town of Lynchburg's Magnolia Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 4, on Main Street, Lynchburg. Enjoy good food and fun at this free event. For additional information, contact Charles Nelson at (803) 459-2155.
If you're a bluegrass fan, put the weekend-long Pickin' in the Park on your calendar. The fourth-annual music-themed event starts Friday, May 24, at 5 p.m. and runs through Monday, May 27, at noon at Lee State Park in Bishopville. The weekend will be full of food, fun, fellowship, crafts and bluegrass music, and there will be a church service presented by BlueFaith, a bluegrass and gospel band, to close the event. Camp at the park to have easy access to all the events, or just stop by the park for the day. The park is at 487 Loop Road, Bishopville.
KERSHAW COUNTY
Enjoy a tea tasting and learn about tea in colonial America, including Martha Washington's favorite tea flavor, at the Colonial Tea Tasting with Oliver Pluff and Co. of Charleston on May 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. The free event will be held at the Revolutionary War Visitors Center, 212 Broad St., Camden. Those who want to come are encouraged to register at https://tinyurl.com/mvtdaa5e. While you're there, explore the center and learn how South Carolina played an important role during the war and the history of the Southern Campaign. The center is open on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.
Shop more than 125 vendors in Camden at Spring Fling Antique Open House on Friday-Sunday, May 10-12. The following are the hours and locations: AAA Pickers, 2206 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m..-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; Broad Street Treasures, 1017 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Camden Antiques Market, 830 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; Heritage Antique Mall, 113 E. Dekalb St., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Menagerie Antiques, 1028 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; Rutledge Exchange, 411 Rutledge St., Friday, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sterling Fox Antiques, 1031 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Vintage Collections, 938 Broad St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Join the Blankets and Bands free concert with Flat Out Strangers on Thursday, May 16, at Camden Town Green, 1015 Market St., Camden. This vocal gypsy swing and jazz band will have you on your feet in no time. Bring your blanket or lawn chair and a picnic dinner or grab some takeout from your favorite local restaurant. Opening act begins at 6 p.m., with Flat Out Strangers at 6:30 p.m. The Blankets & Bands free concert series is a partnership between the Cultural District and the Arts Center of Kershaw County.
COLUMBIA
The 2024 Rosewood Crawfish Festival will feature food, music, arts and crafts, a kids’ zone and a Crawdaddy Dash 5K. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, at S.C. State Fairgrounds, 1200 Rosewood Drive, Columbia. For more information and tickets, visit rosewoodcrawfishfest.com.
Repticon Columbia: A Walk Among the Wild Things! will be held Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, at the Jamil Temple, 206 Jamil Road, Columbia. This family oriented event offers guests the opportunity to learn about animals not normally seen in local pet stores. Breeder-vendors are always willing to teach in their field of herpetology. Guests can also shop for a family pet among the hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, arachnids and small exotic animals. Show hours are: Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information about the show, visit https://repticon.com/south-carolina/columbia/.
Black Expo Columbia is meant to promote economic development for minority-owned businesses by showcasing their products and services. The event will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the S.C. State Fairgrounds, 1200 Rosewood Drive, Columbia. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6-12 and can be purchased at eventpasshero.com/event/blackexpocola.
FLORENCE COUNTY
Join Florence County Museum for Family Days on the second Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. On Saturday, May 11, visit the museum to create a monoprint using different art mediums to take home for a family member or yourself. Design your monoprint with paint and create bubble print hydrangeas. The Saturday Family Days events are free, and no registration is required. The museum is at 111 W. Cheves St. Learn more about the museum at www.flocomuseum.org.
The 13th-annual Grateful Dog Festival returns to raise money for Darlington, Florence and Marlboro counties’ humane societies. There will be a kids’ zone, silent auction, food and beverage trucks, music and more. The family friendly event also welcomes dogs. The event will be held Friday-Sunday, May 17-19, at Sugar Magnolia Ranch, 889 Tara Dive, Timmonsville, beginning at 3 p.m.
Love jazz music? Don't miss the Main Street Jazz Fest by ColaJazz from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 11, on the 1700 Block of Main Street in Columbia. Bring your foldable chair and pull up a seat to hear the sounds of Don Braden's Earth, Wind and Wonder, Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom, Patrick Bartley, Lolivone de la Rosa featuring Jamile and the Capital City Big Band. Admission is free to this family friendly event. Arrive as early as 1 p.m. Bands begin at 2 p.m. Food vendors will be on site, as well as arts and crafts vendors.
Join the City of West Columbia for its 8th-annual Art on State on Friday, May 10, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., 100-200 blocks of State Street, West Columbia. The event features live music, food and drinks, and artists painting live in the street. Businesses on State Street will have specials for the event. Bring the children. There will be sidewalk chalk for them to express their creativity. To learn more, visit https://westcolumbiasc.gov/wecoevents/8th-annual-art-on-state/.
ORANGEBURG COUNTY
Orangeburg’s annual Festival of Roses returns, marking the arrival of spring. The event will take place Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, at Edisto Memorial Gardens, 200 Riverside Drive, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This free event features vendors from across the Southeast, food trucks and family friendly events of all kinds — from musical performances to bingo. For additional information, visit https://tinyurl.com/2vrkwjb9.
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Foundation's 18th Home and Garden Symposium will be held Wednesday, May 8, on campus in the OCtech Math and Science Center. Enjoy a brunch by Buck Ridge Plantation and browse the silent auction before the formal presentation begins in Roquemore Auditorium. Three-time Emmy award-winning host and producer Bryce Lane of the UNC TV show “In the Garden with Bryce Lane” will share his tips and tricks for “Growing Year-round Container Gardens: Maintaining, Managing and Replacing Plants” and “The Nuts and Bolts of Pruning: Theory, Tools, Technique and Timing.” Lane is a semi-retired professor at North Carolina State University with 34 years of teaching experience in horticultural science. Tickets to the Home and Garden Symposium are $50 per person. Funds raised during this event will provide support and emergency aid to students. Additionally, proceeds will support academic program development and curricular innovations to meet community and workforce needs. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Anna Padgett at (803) 535-1246 or padgettam@octech.edu.