Join the Converse community and women from across the Upstate for professional development and networking at Converse College’s annual President’s Leadership Forum, which welcomes Bank of America’s chief operations and technology officer, Cathy Bessant, on International Women’s Day. Named the “Most Powerful Woman in Banking” by American Banker magazine, Bessant has led Global Technology and Operations since 2010, delivering end-to-end technology and operating services across the company through nearly 95,000 employees and contractors in 35 countries.

Bessant will participate in a fireside chat moderated by President Krista Newkirk.

After closing out 2018 with Global Entrepreneurship Week and Andy Stoll's visit, we are prepared to capitalize on our learning and move forward creating community and regional awareness in 2019.
March 20th Agenda:

• Review 2018: What did we learn?
• Analyze the Ecosystem Scorecard
• Define priorities for creating local & regional awareness of the ecosystem
• Create 2019 editorial calendar for Upstate Business Journal*

As always, we will break into small groups to work on different topics and develop plans that will be presented to the ecosystem partners.  With so many new individuals and organizations joining the ecosystem, it will be an excellent chance to increase our network's capacity and share resources. 

The Connect Young Professionals invites its members and prospective young professionals to gather for a Monthly Mingle, from 12:00 noon - 1:15 p.m..  This is CYP's official member gathering each month.  Join CYP to enjoy fellowship, meet new friends, and learn about upcoming programs and events, as well as hear from an informative speaker.  Lunch will be provided and there is a nominal fee of $10 to cover lunch expenses, payable to the Greenwood SC Chamber.
Everyone is welcome - members and prospective young professionals alike.  Invite a friend!  Advance registration requested to ensure accurate head count for lunch.  RSVP today as seating is limited.

The CYP officers and committee chairs will meet at 11:30 a.m.   Luncheon meeting set for third Monday of each month at the Chamber.

Guest Speaker:  The guest speaker will be Ann Butler, a 6-year board member of the Greater Greenwood Parks & Trails Foundation.  Ms. Butler is a professor in the biology department at Lander University and has mentored and engaged Lander students, faculty, and staff in projects at Grace Street Park.  She wrote and was awarded a Duke Energy grant to design and create a Sensory Garden at Grace Street Park.  She will share her expertise as a parks supporter with CYP.

RSVP:  Please RSVP to let us know if you can attend this meeting.

CYP Annual Dues:

As a reminder, annual dues of $40 are now due.  CYP's annual membership fee is $40 / person and membership is from January to December.  You may remit dues, payable to the Greenwood SC Chamber.  For membership information, call (864) 889-9312.

Benefiting the Parks & Trails Foundation, The Greenwood Building presents a unique 5K Run/Walk with participants stopping along the Heritage Trail to savor select beers & ales provided by Good Times Brewing Co. Beginning and ending at the Greenwood Railroad Historical Center at 908 Main Street in Greenwood, this unique race features "Trail Ale" along the route with two other “Rail Ales” for tasting upon completion. Live music, light snacks and tasty brews await you at the finish line!

The open venue provides the entire community an opportunity to enjoy Spartanburg’s beautiful surroundings while listening to great local and regional musicians.

The once a week concert is held each Thursday evening from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Downtown Spartanburg. Hear live music chosen from an eclectic line-up from Blues to Reggae, from Country to Beach.

Are You Looking for a Job?
Visit the Upper Savannah Regional Job Fair (upperscworks.com) and meet employers face-to-face and find out what it takes to get hired. Open to the public, the job fair hosts 70+ employers from Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda and beyond.

Visitors can also connect with faculty and staff from the event co-sponsor, Piedmont Technical College, and learn about training and educational opportunities that lead to high-paying careers in today’s workforce.

WHEN AND WHERE: Thursday, March 21, 2019

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Medford Family Event Center

Piedmont Technical College

HOW TO PREPARE:

• Bring plenty of resumes

• Dress like you are going to a job interview

• Don’t miss the opportunity to network with employers who are hiring

For a full list of employers who are attending the job fair, please visit www.ptc.edu/jobfair.

The 2019 Hub City Hog Fest, a barbecue contest to benefit Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, will take place April 5-6. The City of Spartanburg will block off several roads downtown around Morgan Square to accommodate the dozens of cook teams that will compete in this annual BBQ competition.
On Friday, April 5, entrance into the event from noon to 5 p.m. is FREE. After 5 p.m., wristbands must be purchased for $5 each. On Saturday, April 6, from noon to 9 p.m., $5 wristbands must be purchased. Children 10 and under are admitted free.There will be chicken wing samples from the competition teams available from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday evening. The samples of the competition teams' barbecue and ribs are ONLY AVAILABLE from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Vendors will be on site selling BBQ all weekend. Hog Bucks must be used to purchase food from vendors and to sample BBQ from competition teams (while supplies last).

The kite festival takes place in and around the Chapman Cultural Center each spring, when hundreds of colorful kites fill the skies above Spartanburg.

Storytelling is a performance art! You will experience this first hand at the 2019 Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, April 26-28, in Woodruff, SC. Storytellers from all over the USA will be sharing tales, putting their creative art of storytelling into the pot. Come and listen to some, of both, the best new and upcoming and also well-established, well-known tellers ever. Seventeen tellers in all! Experience a “drop the mic” moment in your life. You may realize that you have a story to tell. I know you will want to listen!Check out the tellers and event schedule at www.stonesoupsc.org and catch up with us on Facebook at Stone Soup Storytelling. Message me for information. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.

If you don’t there’s no better place to get them than at the Carolina Music Museum on Friday, April 5 at 7:30! Until you’ve heard mouth harp virtuoso Freddie Vanderford, play his signature tune on what most of us know as a harmonica, you haven’t heard a harmonica! Until you’ve heard Michael King play the Piedmont Blues on his talking guitar, you just don’t know what a guitar can do! They were a big part of the Fall Season of the Heritage Green Music Festival and now they’re back! Both of these guys received the South Carolina Arts Commission Jean Lanney Harris Folk Heritage Awards for their contribution to the music whose home is right here in South Carolina. You are crazy if you pass this up! Beer, wine, popcorn and fabulous music! Doesn’t get any better. Only 80 seats so call 864-520-8807 and reserve your seats now! $15 for adults, $5 for students!

Join Upstate Forever at Zen Greenville from 5:30 - 7:30 pm Tuesday, March 19 as we celebrate the launch of Crossroads, our campaign to protect and maintain our region’s high quality of life for future generations. We will enjoy drinks, hors d'oeuvres and live bluegrass with brief remarks at 6:00 pm.
Please RSVP at ufcrossroads@eventbrite.com

Last April master drummer, Jeff Holland, kept everyone happy, smiling and drumming for nearly two hours! He was so good he’ll be back this summer and the sound of his drums will bring everyone, children of all ages, to the Carolina Music Museum to play the drums, big and small, loud and soft and Heritage Green will be alive with family activities at The Children’s Museum, the Greenville County Museum of Art, the Greenville Little Theatre, the Hughes Library and the Upcountry History Museum--all of us on Heritage Green! Join us from 10 AM to 11:30 AM as nearly 700 did last summer! You’ll find free parking behind the library all day long!FREE! All ages welcome! Instruments provided!

Spartanburg ArtWalk is a free self-guided tour through participating galleries across Spartanburg's Downtown Cultural District. Stop by each 3rd Thursday of the month from 5:00 - 9:00 PM to enjoy Cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, and the Spartanburg cultural experience!
When: Each third Thursday of the month from 5:00 - 9:00 pm.

Where: Spartanburg Downtown Cultural District and more!

What: Art, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and the Spartanburg cultural experience.

Why: Galleries and museums stay open late to allow guests to enjoy various exhibitions and art-related activities. If touring the Spartanburg Arts Cultural is on your to-do list, there is no better time to do it than during Spartanburg ArtWalk! Wine. Food. Art. What more could you possibly need?

Melodic Dreaming, an interactive art & music concert marks the return of Pan Harmonia to the intimate performance setting at Carolina Music Museum on Friday, April 12 at 7:30. This award winning chamber music repertory company, from Asheville, NC, directed by flutist Kate Steinbeck adds fellow flutist James Brinkman & pianist John Crowley for a truly remarkable experience that joins musicians & the audience in a collaboration where both create a work of art! Let’s just say that the magic markers will be supplied! An evening you’ll long remember--they play music & you make art!

Tickets: $20 advance / $25 at the door / Students $5
Available in advance here: https://panharmonia.org/product/april-12-melodic-dreaming-greenville/. As always, when you buy in advance, you save 20% over the ticket price at the door on concert day. Presales close at 5 pm on the day prior to each performance.

Pretty tough to find a better jazz guitarist anywhere than Greenville native, Steve Watson! Steve’s hip caused him to miss his slot in the Heritage Green Music Fall Season--thanks to his former student, Matt Dingledine, the show went on but, now, hip replaced--yeah, he’s hip again!--his trio, with Greg Alewine on base, Brendan Williamson on piano, with vocals by Jamey Wright will fill the Carolina Music Museum with jazz from the great American Songbook on Friday night, April 26 at 7:30. There was standing room only in the fall so get your tickets now ‘cause the 80 seats went quickly! So, call 864-520-8807 and reserve your seats now! $15 for adults, $5 for students! Sure, there’ll be beer, wine, popcorn and America’s music, Jazz!

Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, made the mandolin the centerpiece of one of America’s most popular musical genres, so popular that many think the instrument came from the southern hills his music celebrated. Actually, it evolved from the lute family in Italy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where it was a classical musical instrument. If you haven’t heard the classical mandolin you owe it to yourself to experience the mind-bending talent of our guest musician, a world-renowned mandolin virtuoso, who will be performing at the Carolina Music Museum Thursday, April 11, at 7:30 PM. Oddly, our first reservation came from a Bill Monroe. Do you think? No, that’s impossible!

Call 864-520-8807 to purchase your tickets. $15 Adults & $5 Students.

Growing herbs isn't difficult, but some of them are a little particular about where and how they like to grow. In this introductory class, we'll discuss choosing a site for your herb garden, some options for dealing with our heavy clay soils, and how to think strategically about sunlight and moisture requirements for different perennial herbs (and you'll be able to see many of these concepts in action in our garden). We can also talk about how to grow specific herbs that attendees are interested in learning more about.