Spartanburg City News

It was easily one of the most popular attractions in town last year, and on November 15 Skating on the Square returns to Morgan Square in Downtown Spartanburg. Today on the podcast, we sit down with City Special Events Manager Mandy Merck to get details about what to expect this year when you head downtown to hit the ice.

After getting the "nuts and bolts" perspective of Assistant City Manager Chris Story on the recently approved  we thought it might be helpful to take a look at things from a different angle. How does this collection of eight streetscaping projects look to someone who spends more time than most seeing our city on two wheels and two feet? Today on the podcast, we sit down with the chair of our Bicycing and Pedestrian Committee, and avid local cyclist, Randy Cooksey to find out.

What's going on with our friends at Hub-Bub in November? Today on the podcast, we sit down with Executive Director Cate Ryba and Showroom Director Stephen Long to find out.   On November 15, there might be a little "Sympathy for the Devil" at The Showroom, or maybe even a "Street Fighting Man" and a "Honky Tonk Woman" riding around on a pair of "Wild Horses." We can't say for sure, because the set list for the , featuring local musicians covering songs by The Rolling Stones, is top secret. What we can say for sure is that this is the best chance you'll have all month to see some of Spartanburg's greatest musicians all in one place.     Later in the month, Hub-Bub is hosting the 14th edition of one of Spartanburg's best recurring events, . Always one the most illuminating night's in town, Talk20 features 10 presenters distilling their ideas and passions down to 20 slides...with just 20 seconds to talk about each one. The results being often hilarious, often heartwarming, and always illuminating. Throw in  at t

  Big changes are in the works for some of Downtown Spartanburg's most important streets. At their most recent meeting, City Council  that eight projects to be completed over the next two years. Among the plans highlights are extending the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail into Downtown, providing a curb-protected bike lane for Converse Street, and a adding pedestrian-only traffic signal and crosswalk across St. John Street in front of the Chapman Cultural Center and USC-Upstate George Dean Johnson Jr. School of business. The plan also calls for the chicanes along E. Main Street downtown to be straightened, and for sidewalk and other improvements along portions of N. Church Street and Daniel Morgan Ave.   Today on the podcast, we sit down with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to talk get the details on the new plan, both the nuts and bolts and the larger view of its importance to the future of Downtown Spartanburg.

Next month is a busy one for our friends over at the , with multiple great events to add to your literary event calendar every week. Though a 10-minute podcast isn't nearly enough time to get to all of that, we sat down with HCWP Executive Director, Betsy Tetor to talk about the biggest events coming next month, including the release and signing for a new book of Christmas stories by Spartanburg writers called  to be held at the Chapman Cultural Center on November 3, from 2-4 p.m, and a chance later in the month to meet Spartanburg's on canine celebrity, Chaser, a Border Collie who's remarkable ability to distinguish over 1,000 different objects has gotten her on, , and the front page of . Listen and enjoy!

No matter what time of year it is, there's always something going on at the . Today we're sitting down with Chapman's President and CEO, Jennifer Evins to talk about some of the great offerings coming up this month. From a Cultural Arts Festival on October 26, to a performance of Dial "M" for Murder by the Spartanburg Little Theatre running from November 8-17, to a wonderful exhibit of work by artists from Switzerland, the schedule at Chapman is truly packed.    So check out the podcast below, and for more details about their upcoming events, visit the .

You may have never heard of the , but you've almost certainly heard of their work. Dedicated to preserving natural habitat and greenspace throughout Spartanburg County, the organization owns and maintains , a 115-acre urban preserve and trail system on our city's east side, as well as other preserves in Spartanburg County such as the Chinquapin Greenway and Glendale Shoals Preserve. Since its founding in 1989, SPACE has protected thousands of acres in our area through private land conservation efforts.   Today on the podcast, we sit down with SPACE Executive Director Andrew Waters to talk about the organization's work in Spartanburg. Along the way we get a better understanding of what terms like "conservation easement" mean, and talk for a bit about the organization's annual fundraiser,  which is being held at Hub-Bub's Showroom on November 7. 

As you , at their meeting on Monday, City Council gave approval to a plan that calls for $2.58 million in new parks and recreation investment throughout the city. Plans include improving and up to a number of City facilities such as an overflow parking lot and athletic field for the CC Woodson Community Center, a new activity center for Stewart Park, and a new neighborhood park on the westside. Other items include $750,000 for bicycle and pedestrian trails, and a slew of neighborhood park improvements.   Today on the podcast, we have part two of our conversation with Council member Sterling Anderson, and we're talking more about this exciting new parks and recreation plan, discussing the $750,000 in the plan allocated for bicycle and pedestrian trails, and touching a bit on the City's overall vision for these kinds of amenities in our community. Listen below and enjoy.

As you , last night's City Council meeting was an importantant one, as Council gave approval to a plan that calls for $2.58 million in new parks and recreation investment throughout the city. Plans include improving and up to a number of City facilities such as an overflow parking lot and athletic field for the CC Woodson Community Center, a new activity center for Stewart Park, and a new neighborhood park on the westside. Other items include $750,000 for bicycle and pedestrian trails, and a slew of neighborhood park improvements.   Today on the podcast, we have the first of a two-part conversation with Council member Sterling Anderson to talk about this historic quality of life investment by the City, focusing on the first ever neighborhood park to be built in his westside district, and some of the tough, fiscally responsible decisions that allowed Council to move forward with this bold new step in improving our community's parks and recreation facilities. So give a listen, and be sure to look for part two o

It has been a while since we had Assistant City Manager Chris Story on the podcast, and this week we rectify that situation. On the agenda is news that Spartanburg Community College recently opened their downtown campus and has already exceeded its expected enrollment with around 750 new students taking classes in their freshly renovated historic location. What does it mean to have hundreds of new college students in Downtown Spartanburg? How does that expand on Spartanburg's position as a "college town," with institutions of higher learning seeminly around every corner of our city?  Along the way we talk about the groundswell of recent small business investment in the downtown area, with unique new businesses like Olive and Then Some opening their doors and winners of the Main Street Challenge getting their spaces ready to go. What does that new small business investment bring to our community, and how might it help set the table for further growth? Listen to the podcast as we try to sort it out.

A new series of six community walks, led by City Council members and planned for various neighborhoods throughout the City, will kick off on Tuesday, October 15. The series of walks, which have been organized by the City of Spartanburg’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, are open to all citizens. The walks, which will take place in each of the six City Council districts, will start from various locations and will cover between 1 and 3 miles. The walks will include landmarks such as the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, Hatcher Garden, and Duncan Park. Three of the six planned walks have been set: District 1 (represented by Councilmember W. Sterling Anderson II) Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m. Meet at Hatcher Garden, 820 John B. White Sr. Blvd.   District 4 (represented by Councilmember Cate Brandt Ryba) Saturday, October 19, 9 a.m. Meet at Bull Hawg’s BBQ, 840 South Pine St.   District 3 (represented by Councilmember Robert Reeder) Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. Meet at Henry Street trailhead of the Mary Black Fo

A couple of weeks ago,  starting in the fall of 2014, making huge waves in the education community. On this week's podcast, we sit down with Converse President Betsy Fleming to get an in-depth look at what prompted the decision to cut tuiton and how Converse plans to maintain its  while positioning itself as an even more attractive option for prospective students.

October is nearly upon us, and as the mercury falls down into that autumnal sweet spot, our local arts organizations here in Spartanburg are gearing up for the season with some excellent offerings.  On this podcast special, we sit down with folks from , the , and the  to get the rundown on some of the excellent arts and cultural events they have planned for the coming weeks.   So if you're looking for an answer that familiar "what is there to do?" in Spartanburg, this is the podcast for you.  Listen and enjoy.

As you've probably  (informed citizen that you are), Converse College announced yesterday a huge 43 percent cut to its tuition,  in the process.    Also this week, , following a decision made in April to put laptops in the hands of all middle and high school students, and provide iPads for students in grades 3-5.     What does all that big and bold thinking about education mean for our City? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Earlier this year, we had  to talk about the , a truly massive effort on the part of both public and private entities to redevelop of one of our city's most impoverished areas.  Today on the podcast, we're focusing in on one element of that effort, the Healthy Food Hub. With construction set to begin shortly on the project, the Healthy Food Hub will serve as home to the , and will house a garden, a community kitchen, and a cafe selling nutritious, ready-made meals and fresh produce to members of the Northside community and beyond.   Where does the food hub fit in to the overall Northside Initiative picture, and what could it mean for the community when the hub opens next year? This week, we've brought Kennedy back on the podcast to talk about it.

Spartanburg is a bicycle friendly community,  according to the League of American Bicyclists. Why does that matter for our community, and why does it matter that we continue to improve bicycle access throughout our city? This week on the podcast, we sit down with Ned Barrett and Anne Piacentino of  to hash it out. Listen below and enjoy!

 If you've lived in Spartanburg for anything longer than a few years, you don't need anyone to tell you how different our city's downtown looks now compared with its not-so-distant past. Decisions made years ago, from the renovation of Morgan Square, to the construction of new parking garages to accommodate new class A office space downtown, have influenced the shape of everything that has come since, and with announcements of , , and  coming at an impressive pace, it's tough not to like the shape our city center is taking.   This week on the podcast, we're talking about that downtown momentum, how we got to where we are today, and how we can keep it going into the future. Listen and enjoy.

It might just be the coolest thing to ever come completely out of left field in Downtown Spartanburg's history. Yes, the rumors (and the slightly incorrect piece in the local newspaper) are true. Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, for 12 days starting August 14, a 90 ft. ferris wheel named WOLI (Wheel of Lights and Illuminations) will dominate the Morgan Square skyline from its position along Spring Street in front of the clock tower ().   Standing 20 feet taller than the clock tower, and festooned with enough lights to throw off an owl's circadian rhythm, WOLI spends most of the year at some of the nation's biggest outdoor festivals, including a stint at Bonnaroo earlier this summer. In our humble opinion, there's no better way to bring a little of that festival spirit to Spartanburg as summer winds down. Want the full details? Listen to the podcast below, and get ready to be taken to new heights in Downtown Spartanburg!

As another July gets ready to pass by in Spartanburg, and another August is set to plow into us with all its usual brow-wiping, humidity-cursing charm, it's important to remember that autumn isn't as far away as it may seem.  To help you get in that sweater weather spirit, the City's dynamic podcasting duo wholeheartedly recommends a trip to Wofford College's  to visit the Carolina Panthers Training Camp. Practices run nearly every day until August 13 (), and are free and open to the public. Need a little more convincing? Listen to the podcast.

Back in February when we first sat down with Kate McCarthy, Program Director for The Iron Yard in the Spartanburg, renovation had just started on their future space beside Hub Bub's Showroom in the Grain District. Even then, the idea of a business accelerator and coworking space in Downtown Spartanburg was enough to make local boosters like us giddy at the potential. Fast-forward a few months, and we're not talking about potential anymore. Last week, The Iron Yard welcomed its first class of ten tech startups, all focused in the healthcare industry. We sit down with Kate to get her take on the potential impact these businesses could have beyond their three-month stay in the Grain District, along the way learning useful alliterative phrases like "surfaces of serendipity."  Afterward we take a few minutes to talk with Max Gillespie, Jim Ness, and Mike Roberts of MyDocTime, one of the startups taking part in this year's accelerator program.