Spartanburg City News

Latest Episodes:

City News Podcast: Hub City Hog Fest coming to Downtown Spartanburg this weekend Mar 24, 2014

Show notes

Despite what it may feel like today, spring is here. After the coldest few months in recent memory, winter's brown is yelding, finally, to a verdant new season. Sounds like the perfect time for a barbecue festival, and as it happens, Downtown Spartanburg's very own Hub City Hog Fest is back for its second year this weekend. Kicking off Friday at 10 a.m., and running through Saturday at 10 p.m., the Hub City Hog Fest will be held at RJ Rockers (click here for a map) in the Grain District. The event includes music, food venders, and a chance to sample offerings from some of the teams in this year's competition. You don't want to miss this one.

City News Podcast: 'Grain Ideas' brings craft beer and entreprenuership together at Growler Haus Mar 12, 2014

Show notes

Think of it as craft beer with a side of entrepreneurship...or maybe the other way around. Either way, one of the coolest ways for Spartanburg's budding entrepreneurs to take that idea they've been kicking around and grow it into something special is the bi-monthly "Grain Ideas" session at Grower Haus (113 N Church St.). Today on the podcast, we sit down with Growler Haus owner Craig Kinley to get the details, so give a listen below and be sure to check out the Grain Ideas Facebook page for more details.

City News Podcast: Taking a look at the Main Street Challenge semifinalists Feb 27, 2014

Show notes

In case you've missed it, earlier this week we announced the semifinalists for this year's Main Street Challenge. In all, 15 businesses representing 12 different business concepts move on to the next round, 10 of those businesses representing some kind of restaurant or other food and beverage concept. Those semifinalists will now have to submit formal business plans and other information to support their application by April 18. After that, the selection committee will narrow the field to at least six finalists, who will make a presentation to the selection committee in early May, followed by a final pitch to the public at The Main Event on May 22, when the winners will be announced. Today on the podcast, we're talking about those semifinalists, and the possibilities they represent for Downtown Spartanburg. How does this year's pool compare to last year's? What are the ideas that have seem to have the most obvious buzz in our ongoing, informal poll? Listen to the podcast below to find out.

Arts Roundup Podcast: Hub City Writers Project brings 'The Writing Show' to Spartanburg Feb 05, 2014

Show notes

Let's say you've got an idea for the next "Great American Novel," an idea so great that it's practically begging to leap from your imagination to the page. Where do you start? Even if you've got writing chops to put the story down in black and white, what then? How do you go about getting an agent who can nail down the book contract your masterpiece deserves? Today on the podcast, we talk with Hub City Writers Project Executive Director, Betsy Teter about "The Writing Show," a monthly series of panel discussions with writers and publishing professionals being held in partnership with Spartanburg County Public Libraries. Held at the Spartanburg Library Headquarters, the program allows writers and aspiring writers to hear advice from panelists in a casual, talk show format and to get specific questions answered about a different topic each month. This month's edition of "The Writing Show," on getting a book contract, is being held February 20. For more information, listen to the podcast below.

Arts Roundup Podcast: Go fly a kite with Spartanburg Soaring! Feb 04, 2014

Show notes

It's perhaps one of the most enduring images of childhood. Mention kite flying to just about any adult and you'll see a nostalgic gleam in the eyes as images straight out of Norman Rockwell painting fill the imagination. For the briefest of moments, we're all just kids again, hoping for a nice breeze. Wouldn't it be great to spend a sunny afternoon just flying a kite again? Thanks to the Chapman Cultural Center, the City of Spartanburg, and more than 20 other partners and sponsors, you can. Spartanburg Soaring! is a community-wide initiative being held through April to build civic pride with a series of playful activities and cultural events using kites as a theme. Aside from a series of community kite-flying days sponsored by the City and Partners for Active Living, Spartanburg Soaring! also includes poetry readings, movies, an exhibit featuring kites from the collection of local enthusiast, Chuck Holmes, and much more.

City News Podcast: Startup Weekend coming to Spartanburg, Feb. 21–23 Jan 30, 2014

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a great business idea into a successful startup? Designed as a way to bring creative people together to turn innovative concepts into startups over the course of a grueling 54 hours, Startup Weekends have been held in more than 400 cities in over 100 countries worldwide, and on February 21–23, Spartanburg will get its chance to join in on the fun with its first ever Startup Weekend. The event is being held at Hub-Bub's Showroom and The Iron Yard, and today on the podcast we sit down with Kate McCarthy of the Iron Yard to get the skinny on Spartanburg's newest chance for potential entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground.

City News Podcast: A Conversation with Council member Erica Brown Jan 28, 2014

Show notes

Having recently been sworn in after winning election to the District 6 seat in November, Erica Brown is one of two new members to join Spartanburg City Council this year. Recently, we got the chance to sit down and get to know a little about Brown and the local issues she's passionate about, including the Northside Intiative and downtown development. Listen below and enjoy!

City News Podcast: Northside Redevelopment Planning Workshop to be held January 9–11 Jan 06, 2014

Show notes

Here on the City Podcast, we've devoted a lot of time to the Northside Initiative. We've given our listeners a basic overview of the area and some of the challenges facing our neighbors there, and heard a compelling argument from former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet about why the Northside matters for the future of our city. All the while, we've tried to convey the enormous scale and importance of this crucial redevelopment effort. This week though, it's your turn to tell us what you think. On January 9–11 at Green Street Baptist Church, a series of community planning workshops will be held as part of the planning process for the Northside Initiative. These workshops, which are free and open to the public, will provide the public with both an opportunity to learn more about various facets of the initiative, and more importantly to have a say in what this part of our city will ultimately look like. Today on the podcast, we delve into what folks can expect from this workshop series with Community Services Director Mitch Kennedy. Listen to learn more, and for a full schedule of this week's workshops, follow this link.

City News Podcast: Previewing 2014 in Spartanburg, part 3 Jan 03, 2014

Show notes

On parts one and two of our podcast series looking ahead to 2014 in Spartanburg, we covered some of what we expect will be the biggest changes in store for us this year, from new City Council members, to the renovation of one our city skyline's most important buildings, to the much-anticipated launch of this year's Main Street Challenge. As great as all of that is, we may have saved the best for last, starting with some big projects coming to improve downtown walkability and improvements to a large number of City parks and recreation facilities. On an even more transformative scale, 2014 is set to be a huge year for the Northside Initiative, starting with a series of public workshops taking place January 9-11. With work underway on both the new Northside Healthy Food Hub, and a model block on Brawley Street designed to show what the Northside can look like in the future, 2014 is poised to be the year when plans to redevelop this vital part of our city start to bear visible fruit.

City News Podcast: Previewing 2014 in Spartanburg, Part 2 Jan 02, 2014

Show notes

In the first part of our podcast series taking a look at some of the things to look forward to in the coming year, we talked with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about some of the policy issues your local government will focus on in 2014, starting with welcoming two new City Coucnil members. Today, on part two of our podcast, we talk about some of the important downtown residential and business developments coming in 2014. With the renovation of our city's second tallest building set to add 88 apartments for downtown residents, and with this year's Main Street Challenge getting underway soon, the coming year has all the makings of a great one for our city.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected