A Peach Of A Summer
July 20, 2022
By Tom Poland From my orchard of memories a lonely peach tree stands in the front yard of my youth. The tree looked sickly and produced fruit a tad…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Greenville Center for Creative Arts opens 7th Annual Showcase on First Friday, August 5
July 19, 2022
Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) will hold its seventh Annual Showcase on Friday, August 5, from 6 – 9 pm at 101 Abney Street in the Village of West…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
Porch Sitting
July 14, 2022
By Tom Poland It’s a vanishing art, porch sitting. There was a time, though, when folks retired to the porch just to pass the time. As a boy, I…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Flavia B. Harton appointed to S.C. Arts Commission board
July 12, 2022
The South Carolina Arts Commission welcomes Flavia B. Harton of Greenville to its nine-member board of directors after her appointment by Gov. Henry McMaster effective July 1. Harton has extensive…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, on-the-move, the-arts
S.C. Arts Commission names FY2023 fellowship recipients
July 8, 2022
Program changes reinforce the arts’ influence in the creative economy A diverse group of four South Carolina artists working in different artistic disciplines are the latest recipients of new-look $10,000…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
The Rocky Shoals Highway
July 7, 2022
By Tom Poland Come May-June I burn the Rocky Shoals Highway up. I drive from Irmo, South Carolina to McCormick County and on into Georgia. My mission? Visiting two…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra announces new flexible program model
July 7, 2022
Introduces Prelude and Symphony Ensembles For Student Musicians Grades 6th-12th The Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (SPYO) is growing once again. Since launching as an orchestra for 9th-12th graders in 2019,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
South Carolina State Fair Accepting Entries for 2022 Competitive Exhibits
July 6, 2022
The South Carolina State Fair is now accepting entries for this year’s competitive exhibits, which will be on display Oct. 12-23, 2022, at the S.C. State Fair. The annual exhibits will…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: agriculture, entertainment, local-industry, marketing-and-communications, media, on-the-move, social-scene, the-arts
Folk Medicine Remedies
June 30, 2022
By Tom Poland Like the Black Crowe’s “Remedy, and its line, I need a remedy”, folks of yesteryear needed remedies and they came up with them. We call their…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Through Broken Glass
June 16, 2022
By Tom Poland The old church just wanted to be left alone, but that didn’t happen. Someone shot out her windows. Some kid’s BBs shattered panes, leaving sharp jagged…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
South Carolina filmmaker selected as one of five finalists for the American Black Film Festival’s HBO Short Film Award
June 13, 2022
A Greenville-based writer and director was recently named one of the five finalists for the American Black Film Festival’s (ABFF) annual HBO® Short Film Award. Destiny Macon’s short film, TALK BLACK,…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Upcountry History Museum is a 2022 Blue Star Museum
June 13, 2022
The Upcountry History Museum – Furman University has joined museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to museums for the nation’s active-duty military…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: chamber, churches, education, entertainment, marketing-and-communications, media, military, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
A Creek Runs Through It
June 9, 2022
By Tom Poland Writers title works and often they fail to come up with a good one. Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas comes to mind. Sometimes a gem of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Arts Grow SC to expand, first executive director named
June 8, 2022
The South Carolina Arts Commission and the South Carolina Department of Education announce the expansion of Arts Grow SC as a permanent fixture in the state’s arts learning landscape. An…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: education, on-the-move, the-arts
‘We’re Back!’ – Dinosaurs reawaken at Upcountry History Museum
June 6, 2022
Hear the roars, feel the rattle of pounding footsteps, and marvel at the incredible creatures in the world of Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice, the newest exhibition opening at…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: day-care, education, entertainment, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
International African American Museum receives second donation from TD Bank
May 25, 2022
TD Bank’s donation of $250,000 to the International African American Museum builds on the TD Charitable Foundation’s 2016 donation of $250,000 The International African American Museum (IAAM) has received a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
International African American Museum receives second donation from TD Bank
May 24, 2022
TD Bank’s donation of $250,000 to the International African American Museum builds on the TD Charitable Foundation’s 2016 donation of $250,000 The International African American Museum (IAAM) has received a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, upstatebizsc Category: banking-and-finance, on-the-move, the-arts
“In Flux” to open at GCCA’s Main Gallery
May 24, 2022
Exhibition begins First Friday, June 3rd, 2022 Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) is excited to announce the opening of their Main Gallery exhibition, In Flux. The exhibition features the…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: entertainment, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
The Cedars Of Philomath
May 19, 2022
By Tom Poland Long ago it was, in the late 1980s. I was in a hurry to get back to South Carolina. Thus did I take Georgia Highway 22,…
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Greenville Theatre closes out Welcome Back season with the smash hit musical, Mamma Mia!
May 18, 2022
Greenville Theatre is ecstatic to close out their Welcome Back season with the Broadway smash hit musical, Mamma Mia! Come see this energetic story brought to life like never before on…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
A New Broom Sweeps Clean
May 18, 2022
By Tom Poland “A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners.” Mom pulled out this old saw when a new preacher attempted wholesale change or…
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Rediscovering An Old Friend
May 12, 2022
By Tom Poland March 3rd is a day I’ll long remember. A bit earlier I had given a talk to the Kiwanis Club at the Darlington Country Club. Returning home…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
An Old Tree, An Old Academy
May 5, 2022
By Tom Poland A Magnolia and a School of Consequence As you top the Edgefield County rise, that fine word “copse” comes to mind. Copse, a small group of…
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Chapman Cultural Center presents first-ever President’s Choice Youth Art Month Awards
May 4, 2022For the first time ever, Chapman Cultural Center presented participants of the annual Spartanburg County Youth Art Month Exhibit “President’s Choice” awards to celebrate their work. Out of 400 plus…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: education, on-the-move, the-arts
Cotton Pickin’ Memories
April 27, 2022
By Tom Poland My jaunts around the South take me past old haunts, a cotton gin now and then. I’ve seen gins in Salters, Bishopville, and other rural places.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Chapman Cultural Center awards $539,400 in grants to local arts and cultural organizations
April 27, 2022
Chapman Cultural Center is pleased to announce we’ve awarded $539,400 in General Operating Support (GOS) Grants to 11 arts and cultural organizations for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The funds are…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
Greenville Theatre is celebrating 96 years of success with an original revue concert weekend, Celebrate 96!
April 25, 2022
This incredible show will feature some of the best talent in the Upstate area singing songs from past Greenville Theatre productions as well as Broadway songs never heard before on…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Please join us for Greenville Theatre’s re-dedication ribbon cutting ceremony
April 25, 2022
Greenville Theatre is thrilled to be celebrating 96 years serving our community through necessary art and storytelling. We invite you to join us for a “re-dedication” ribbon cutting on May 3,…
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Miss Emily’s Oak
April 20, 2022
By Tom Poland She planted the oak some sixty-eight years ago. Miss Emily was around twenty-six then. The years passed, the tree grew, and today it’s a setting Normal…
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Masters Memories
April 11, 2022
By Tom Poland There comes a memory from long ago when Georgia had yet to win 1980 and 2021 national champions. No worries, Georgia was and is an annual…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, sports, the-arts
Greenville Center for Creative Arts announces new Chief Executive Officer
April 5, 2022
Jess Burgess has been named Chief Executive Officer of Greenville Center for Creative Arts (GCCA) following an extensive local and national search. Burgess brings 15 years of experience in nonprofit…
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Greenville Theatre is excited to continue celebrating season 96 with one of the funniest comedies ever written, A Flea in Her Ear!
April 4, 2022
This hilarious show has mistaken identities, a spinning hotel bed, a doppelganger, a jealous Spaniard, and a foreigner no one can understand which make this a pell-mell story that will…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Wild Horses
March 24, 2022
By Tom Poland When I hear some determined soul say “wild horses couldn’t pull me away” thoughts race through my mind. First, I think of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. You’d…
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Special reception, exhibit openings feature art of Fran Gardner
March 22, 2022
From never-before-seen compositions to works spanning over two decades, the artwork of USC Lancaster Distinguished Professor Emerita of Art and Art History Fran Gardner will be on display at USCL’s…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: education, on-the-move, the-arts
The Best Drink Of Water
March 16, 2022
By Tom Poland Seems to me, as the old folks would say, an aluminum dipper delivered the best drink of water. You’d sink that dipper into a wooden bucket. And…
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Read The Fine Print
March 10, 2022
By Tom Poland Note: For Non-Offended Eyes Only Some say we are what we eat and that what we eat these days is killing us. Down in Australia, some…
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Greenville student repeats as S.C. Poetry Out Loud champ
March 9, 2022
Upstate students sweep honors A Greenville high school student is now two-for-two against her statewide Poetry Out Loud peers after repeating as South Carolina champion over the weekend in the…
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Four South Carolina Cultural Districts earn recertification
March 8, 2022
Congaree Vista, Lancaster, Rock Hill and Spartanburg Downtown The first four South Carolina Cultural Districts designated in 2015 after the program’s launch earned recertification based on FY2020 data gathered by…
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Winter In Wambaw Bay
March 3, 2022
By Tom Poland The orchestra is quiet, as winter holds the conductor’s baton. Still, a song comes to mind. “California Dreamin” where much is brown and gray—every shade of…
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Artist Minute – Chris Kelly, Photographer
February 23, 2022
The Who’s on the Move, UpstateBizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
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The Emperor’s Hem
February 23, 2022
By Tom Poland In the late 1990s, a time that seems ancient, I touched the emperor’s hem. That is I corresponded with a writer whose words revealed a style…
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55 images that awakened civil rights change on display at Upcountry History Museum
February 21, 2022Being in the right place at the right time often means the difference between ordinary and extraordinary. Witness to History: Selma Photography of Stephen Somerstein is a perfect example of…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: education, hospitality, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
Noble Ruin of the South
February 17, 2022
By Tom Poland When man abandoned it, the traffic diverted west, and the forest began to claim it. Today, sycamores, cedars, and oaks console it, and wind and water…
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Miss Lucy, Childhood Legend
February 10, 2022
By Tom Poland “Perhaps you recall a person from childhood whom everyone kept their distance from. Enjoy this glimpse of small-town life in the 1960s.” Small towns have that one…
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2022 Southeastern Film & Photo Conference begins Feb. 24
February 7, 2022
The Southeastern Film & Photo Conference is coming to Charleston, February 24–26 Photographers, YouTubers, filmmakers, TikTokers and students will want to attend this three-day conference. Hosted by ASMP South Carolina,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
In nostalgic nod to Saturday morning cartoons, Bugs Bunny and friends arrive at Upcountry History Museum
February 7, 2022
On Saturday morning, February 12, 2022, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, and Tweety Bird won’t just be cartoons on your television screen, they and fellow Looney Tunes and Merrie…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: entertainment, media, non-profit, on-the-move, social-scene, technology, the-arts
Bitters, A History In Life And Literature
February 2, 2022
By Tom Poland Among the dusty bottles and vase stand three alcoholic potions. I bought the matador-like bottle in Madrid when I traveled by train through hard, brown Spain. Next…
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Upstate students reach S.C. Poetry Out Loud finals
February 1, 2022
State finals to be held virtually March 5 From among statewide submissions, judges selected eight finalists who now have a chance to represent South Carolina this spring in the national…
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City of Women exhibition opens at GCCA on March 4 to spotlight the impact of women in Greenville
January 31, 2022
City of Women, an initiative that aims to advance the role of women in our community and businesses, will launch in Greenville with a juried exhibition at Greenville Center for…
Read MorePosted in: upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Crow Tastes Pretty Good In Snow
January 27, 2022
By Tom Poland My last column criticized I-20 as a barrier to snow in the classic South. “Winter after winter, radar reveals blue, pink, and white blotches rolling north…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
