Spartanburg City News

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Songwriter Showcase coming to Morgan Square, Saturday, March 18 Mar 15, 2017

Show notes

Do you know that VH-1 "Storytellers" show where musicians perform in front of a relatively intimate live audience and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories? Wouldn't it be cool to see a version of that in Spartanburg, something that gives songwriters a chance to illuminate a little of their genius for the music nerds who love that sort of thing? Come out to the Songwriter Showcase on Morgan Square, Saturday, March 18 from 4–6 p.m. and you'll see exactly that. The culmination of a Songwriters in the Round series that recently wrapped up at Little River Coffee Bar, Songwriter Showcase is a partnership between the coffee bar and Hub-Bub, featuring three musicians from the previous series, Zach Parks, Oona Bjorge MacDougall, and Tyler Monroe. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Janeen Scott, organizer of the event about what we can expect to hear and a bit about the local music scene here in Spartanburg.

Discussing Montgomery Building fire with Chief Marion Blackwell Mar 13, 2017

Show notes

When the news broke Saturday night that a fire had broken out in the Montgomery Building, all of Spartanburg held its breath. A renovation had just gotten underway, the largest historic renovation in our city's history, and the future held for a long-vacant icon seemed secure. If not for the actions of the City's world-class Fire Department, it's a future that could've very easily went up in flames. The fire started in old ductwork after workers removed a fan, inadvertently sparking the blaze in the process. Though smoke damaged parts of the former Carolina Theater, the fire was contained quickly enough to ensure that the tower's renovation will proceed as planned. Today on the podcast, we're getting all the details on the fire and our City's fantastic response to it from Chief Marion Blackwell. Listen below for more.

Hub City Writers Project's Betsy Teter awarded state's highest arts honor Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

It's easy to forget sometimes, with our city's accelerating downtown development boom and the associated exponential increase in activity and buzz, but the Spartanburg that birthed Hub City Writers Project back in 1995 was a very different place from the one we see today. Decades of decline had turned what once had been a dynamic upstate urban core into a hollowed-out shell, its vibrant post-war bustle replaced by a turn-of-the-century malaise, with shuttered storefronts and crumbling facades serving as the only reminders of what once was. With that as their backdrop, a group of local writers intent on giving Spartanburg a new sense of itself (and reviving a long-dead nickname in the process) met in a coffee shop and created what is now one of the South's premier publishing houses, along the way selling over 150,000 books, winning 14 Independent Publisher Awards, and adding some downtown brick and mortar to their ink and paper in the form the fantastic Hub City Bookshop. Steering the ship through that remarkable run has been Betsy Teter, Executive Director of Hub City Writers Project and one of Spartanburg's greatest champions of local arts and culture. This year, in recognition of the enormous place-building cultural contributions she's made to Spartanburg and to literature throughout South Carolina, the South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Teter the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts, our state's highest arts honor. Today on the podcast, we sit down with Teter to talk about the award and about the pivotal, decades-long work she's spearheaded to earn it.

Montgomery Building renovation set to get underway as developer closes on building Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

We've talked a lot about the Montgomery Building on this podcast. We've delved into details about what it means for downtown Spartanburg's future and how it fits into our city's history. However, even considering the very frequent mentions we've given the historic icon, it would be near-impossible to overstate how often it has been discussed inside the corridors of City Hall in recent years. Once the City's most heavily targeted strategic redevelopment property, the future for this beloved piece of 1920s Spartanburg was highly uncertain, with folks throughout the community whispering about a wrecking ball being the only solution... Oh, how times have changed. Yesterday, after a long and complicated process typical of historic highrise redevelopments, BF Spartanburg LLC. closed on the building, clearing the way for work to begin. Greenville-based developer James Bakker, lead developer with BF Spartanburg, has plans to create 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, 9,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and 72 residential units on floors three through 10. It's a moment future generations in Spartanburg will undoubtedly call transformative, and today on the podcast, we're here to tell you why.

The City Podcast needs theme music and you should create it Feb 23, 2017

Show notes

We've been doing this podcast for over four years now and through it all, good episodes and less-good episodes, we've never had a real honest-to-goodness theme song. In a city that features the overabundance of musical talent Spartanburg has, this is a tragic oversight, one that we now plan to rectify. How? By doing what any community-focused, eminently entertaining, deeply nerdy local podcast would do: crowdsourcing our theme music. That's why we're kicking off a contest today to write our theme song. The rules are simple: the song must be original, must be at least one minute in length, can be any genre, can be instrumental or vocal, and must not contain profanity...because we're a family-friendly podcast. The contest starts today, and the eventual winner (who will likely be selected by a distinguished panel of local government bureaucrats) will receive $300 and a link in the text of every podcast we post as a way of saying thanks for the wonderful music. Interested? Great! Entries must be submitted by March 31 in either MP3 or AAC format and must be sent by email to cgeorge@cityofspartanburg.org

Hub-Bub brings Drive-By Shakespeare to Growler Haus, Feb. 20 Feb 15, 2017

Show notes

You never know what sorts of unique events Hub-Bub has planned in downtown Spartanburg so periodically we like to check in with our friends Eric Kocher and Tim Giles to get the latest on what the downtown-focused local arts organization has going on. The answer this time? A terrible Shakespeare play performed by actors who very probably do not know their lines and another edition of the longest running slideshow series in the history of Spartanburg. Intrigued? You should be.

Startup Weekend Spartanburg coming to Johnson School of Business and Economics, Feb. 24–26 Feb 09, 2017

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It's recognized around the country as an experience that can help business ideas can get the jumpstart they need to get off the ground, and February 24–26, the George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics is opening its doors to local budding entrepreneurs for Startup Weekend. In 54 hours, participants will learn how to create a real company, meeting mentors, investors, cofounders, and sponsors who are ready to help them get started. Today on the podcast, we're talking to Brian Brady, Director of the GreenHouse Business Incubator at the Johnson School of Business and Economics, and Parker Baxter, co-organizer of the event.

One Spartanburg launches five-year action plan to boost economic, cultural prosperity Jan 31, 2017

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Last Tuesday at the Chapman Cultural Center, after more than a year of work and data gathering, including input for thousands of local residents, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce unveiled its new strategic One Spartanburg action plan. The ambitious plan seeks to move Spartanburg forward in eight key areas, affecting areas as wide-ranging as downtown economic development, improving educational attainment, poverty alleviation, and building a more cohesive sense of community. Announced at the event was the addition of Meagan Rethmeier as the new executive vice president of One Spartanburg and news that the Chamber has already raised $3.3 million of the $5.1 million goal set to pay for seven positions to implement the plan over the next five years. Today on the podcast, we're diving deep to get the details on One Spartanburg and what it means for you with Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Allen Smith.

FR8 Yard set to bring new biergarten concept to downtown Spartanburg Jan 19, 2017

Show notes

We like being first here in Spartanburg, especially when it comes to downtown development, and this week the City's Design Review Board gave their stamp of approval to a concept that's the first of its kind in South Carolina. FR8 Yard, an outdoor craft beer and restaurant space, is set to transform an empty downtown lot into a hub of activity. Located beside Sparkle City Mini Putt, FR8 Yard will also include games like bocce ball and ping pong, and will feature a stage for live music and a large projector screen for live sporting events.

Pedestrian improvements, new street parking coming to Daniel Morgan Avenue Jan 11, 2017

Show notes

Daniel Morgan Avenue is set to become the next street in downtown Spartanburg to get a makeover after Monday's City Council meeting. In a unanimous vote, Council members approved a $207,971 contract with Capital Construction to improve the street for pedestrians with widened sidewalks on the eastern side that will create additional outdoor public space for dining and improve pedestrian mobility in the area around the new AC Hotel. The changes are also meant to encourage redevelopment of nearby buildings. Work also includes adding street trees, pedestrian lighting, and 15 new on-street parking spaces. Also at Monday's meeting, Council heard an overview on the feasibility of adding an indoor eight-lane competition lap pool to the planned T.K. Gregg Community Center, slated to begin construction later this year on the current site Oakview Apartments. Initial plans have called for a $10 million facility which includes a gymnasium, workout area, an outdoor pool and other multi-purpose space. Council had previously signaled interest in including an indoor pool for the new facility, though doing so would add significant cost to the project. Staff estimates $4 million in additional construction costs if an indoor pool were added to construction plans, and an additional $350,000 annually for operational costs. No decisions were made regarding the pool's addition, and Council is expected to decide the matter at their next meeting later this month. Today on the podcast, we're diving deep on the action at our first City Council meeting of 2017, giving you the background and context on thise issues, letting you in on why they matter to you....because that's just what we do here.

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