Freedom Blast 2019


"Thanking our veterans for more than a decade"

Freedom Blast was founded in 2009 by the City of Greer as a one-day festival to celebrate our freedom and the men and women who make it possible. From great live music to fantastic fireworks, it's become a tradition for many families.

With a kids zone, military tribute, music acts, sky diving, a rib eating contest, lots and lots of funnel cake, AND one of the biggest fireworks displays in the Upstate, you won't want to miss it!

Life is a Cabaret Fundraiser


GCT's 2nd Annual Cabaret Fundraiser & 2020 Season Reveal. Join us as we celebrate with you and announce our 2020 Season! Your ticket includes desserts from Inn on the Square, wine and beer, entertainment, and a champagne toast at the conclusion. Come out July 27th for an fantastic evening! Doors open for mingling and desserts at 7:00, showtime starts at 8:00.

Dixie Swim Club

 
*See Website for Showtimes*
Five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team, set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from husbands, kids and jobs, they meet at the same beach cottage on North Carolina's Outer Banks to catch up, laugh and meddle in each other's lives. THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB focuses on four of those weekends and spans a period of thirty-three years.

Disney’s NEWSIES! The Broadway Musical


Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899 in New York City, this Disney musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys' expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. The wonderful score is by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) and Jack Feldman with book by Harvey Fierstein.

The Game’s Afoot


William Gillette, an actor best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, is wounded during an attempt on his life and invites a few friends over for a Christmas Eve celebration at his mansion while he recovers. When a murder occurs that evening, Gillette puts his Sherlock Holmes skills to the test in an attempt to solve the crime before something else goes awry. This witty, fast-paced "whodunit" is full of suspense and laughter.

Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grants


Since 2013, Hughes Investments has provided $80,000 in funds to 24 local communities as part of the ELEVATE UPSTATE Community Vibrancy Grant program. The purpose of the ELEVATE UPSTATE Grants is to identify and provide initial funding support for community-based programs that promote community and economic vibrancy in local areas across the Upstate.

Last year’s winners were Ninety Six Movie Night at the Park and the First Annual Charles Townes Art & Technology Experiment. Past winners include public art projects, interactive outdoor education, downtown music, a food truck plaza, and more. The key element is that the proposed initiative will increase community vibrancy and sense of place and benefit the community as a whole.

The 2019 grant period opened on June 1st with an initial interest form due by August 1st and the completed applications due by September 16th. This workshop will guide applicants through the process, with panelists to include past winners.

You’ll hear from Mary Anne Goodman from the Ninety Six Mill Village Association, who successfully applied for a grant to fund a community movie night. You’ll also hear from Coie Switzer and Curtiss Hunter from the Union Environmental Art and Music Festival, who were runners up and received a matching grant—and how they got the support they needed to launch their event a year ahead of schedule.

Thanks to Hughes Investments for their generous support of these community vibrancy initiatives throughout the Upstate!

Spotlight Dance Company Production


Come join us Saturday June 29th at 2pm as we celebrate the talents of our local youth. SpotLight Dance Company presents their annual dance Production, “SpotLight SchoolHouse ROCKS!” Performers ages 2 through adult will strut their stuff on the PCPAC stage as they show off the hard work and skills they’ve obtained through their work at SpotLight Dance Co. over the past year. You are sure to experience an afternoon show of delight as you enjoy a variety of great music, colorful costumes, and various genres of dance. The SLDC students and staff will be honored to have you as their guest!

Bean and Bailey Comedy Show


The Pickens County Performing Arts Center and the South Carolina Entertainment Hall of Fame proudly present Bean and Bailey! You may recognize them from America’s Got Talent, Disney Cruises, or Satellite XM Radio!

This show will kickoff our first ever comedy series at the PC PAC! Every first Saturday of the month from August through February we will bring in comedians from throughout the Upstate that will leave you wanting more!

The Bean and Bailey show includes everything from stand-up comedy to musical songs and parodies, all wrapped up in a quirky friendship between Bean (an organized conservative personality) and Bailey (a random free spirit). They discuss all the important things of life, such as Wal-Mart Greeters, American History, Love, Dating, Marriage, Kids, Doughnuts, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and The Bible, just to name a few.

Bean & Bailey believe that Humor is a gift from God that brings people together. Laughter tightens bonds, helps rebuild relationships, and it breaks down barriers so that we can listen.

Showtimes are Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13 at 7 PM! Doors open at 6 PM!

The “Fame” Country Music Concert


The “FAME” Radio Show (From 94.5 – The Answer) brings the  South Carolina Country Concert to the Pickens County Performing Arts Center featuring Ashland Craft (“as seen on” NBC’s The Voice), Luke Smith (a hometown favorite), and Parker Ford (23 year old up-and-comer)!

A percentage of all proceeds go to benefit the upstate’s Make-A-Wish Foundation!

The Bowling Family


The PC PAC  is excited to bring you the Bowling Family and Bowling Sisters on Sunday, September 15 at 4 PM! For all the folks that grieved the loss of the Crabb Family. Give the Bowlings a listen. You won’t be disappointed.

The Bowling Family combines talent, sincerity and experience to create a memorable concert experience.  Their goal for the evening is to usher in the presence of God and celebrate the Christian message.  They feel privileged and honored to enjoy the freedom to honor Christ with any and all of their abilities.

This group has taken radio and Christian music by storm.  They are quickly positioning themselves as the group to watch.  As we grow to love this wonderful meld of Crabb/Bowling music our sense of their purpose is obvious.  These people love great songs, know how to deliver them, and obviously love God and ministry!

Ten at the Top Union County Workshop


Ten at the Top is celebrating 10 years of connecting the Upstate in 2019. As part of the 10th anniversary, TATT is holding community workshops in each of the 10 Upstate counties with each one focused on an issue of interest within that county. The program will include communities, businesses or organizations that are successfully working on that issue in other parts of the Upstate sharing insights and ideas with those interested in that specific issue within the focus county.

The Union County Workshop will take place on July 23rd with the focus being on Cultivating Community Through Entrepreneurship and Messaging. The Union County Workshop is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. Dinner will be served from 5:30-6 pm with the program starting at 6:00 p.m..

Summer Carillon Concert by Anna Kasprzycka


Anna Kasprzycka is a Polish carillonist and sound engineer. She is noted for performing world premieres of music by contemporary Polish composers, and is also active in attracting new audiences with mobile carillon performances ranging from tango to kid-friendly events with the circus and puppet theater. She has concertized throughout Poland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain, France, the United States, Israel, Spain, Ukraine, and Russia, and has recorded for television and CDs. In 2017, Kasprzycka was a Carillon Fellow at Bok Tower Gardens, Florida, pursuing research on the first Polish compositions for carillon, written by Jerzy Bojanowski. She won second prize in the 2014 carillon competition in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (France), and third prize at the 2013 International Duet Carillon Contest in Zwolle (the Netherlands). She is the recipient of the Erasmus/Socrates Scholarship and cultural scholarships from the Mayor of Gdańsk and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. She studied carillon in Poland with Gert Oldenbeuving in Gdańsk, and with Carl van Eyndhoven, Geert D'hollander, and Eddy Mariën in Belgium, with additional study in Leuven, Amersfoort, and Middelburg. In 2014, she was the first Polish carillonist to graduate summa cum laude from the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ in Mechelen, Belgium. She has served as editor-in-chief of Carillon News, the journal of the Polish Carillon Society, since 2013.

Veterans Parade


Come join us November 10 as we say thank you to the men and women who served to protect our freedoms and our home!

The parade will begin from the PC PAC at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 10. The parade will start from the PC PAC on S Commerce St and continue to S Peachtree Street, turning left onto W Front St, wrap back around on S Commerce St, and conclude back on W Main St at the PC PAC. Following the parade will be A Salute to Veterans show at the PC PAC.

We are asking that all Veterans register for the parade with the VA office by October 31! 

Veterans can reach the Pickens County VA office at (864) 898-5926

Please arrive early and be a part of celebrating our veterans!

This parade and veterans show is free to the public; however, it is not possible without sponsors and donations. Please help us continue this Pickens County tradition in saying thank you to our Veterans! Click the link below to make a donation now!

For information on sponsorships, please contact Roy Costner IV at (864) 898-5027 or by email at rbc@co.pickens.sc.us

The Earls of Leicester


Sponsored by Bill Dowler When the Earls of Leicester formed in 2013, their mission was ambitious but exact: to preserve and promote the legacy of bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. The Nashville-based six-piece group has won a Grammy and earned six International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. Twisted Pine will serve as the opening performer. Pre-season tickets available to our Donors. Tickets go on sale to general public August 14th @ 1pm

Snarky Puppy

Displaying a rare and delicate mixture of sophisticated composition, harmony and improvisation, fusion-influenced, genre-bending Snarky Puppy makes exploratory jazz, funk and rock. Join this award-winning jam band as it brings its special blend of feel-good tunes to the Brooks Center.

Love My Liberty July 4th Celebration


Dress in your festive red, white and blue attire, bring your lawn chairs, your coolers filled with your favorite non-alcoholic beverages and come out and enjoy FREE hot dogs, bottled water, snow cones, face painter, and balloon twister.

Community-wide attendance has increased each year.  We anticipate even more people to join us this year. We have increased the number of items the community can enjoy for free including more than twice as many free hot dogs!  Those attending will be able to enjoy:

  • FREE  Fireworks, hot dog, bottled water & snow cones
  • FREE  Bouncy houses & water inflatable
  • FREE  Face painter, balloon twister and lots of kids activities
  • FREE  Live music from Split Shot
  • Cornhole tournament (fundraiser for Liberty Rec) & Emma KAPPS Bike Parade
  • Plus much more!

Brandon Ridenour, Trumpet


A virtuoso trumpeter and composer, Brandon Ridenour's brilliance and self-assurance on the concert stage led to his victory at the 2018 Concert Artists Guild Competition and a thriving career worldwide. Recognized as "...the trumpet of the future" (Chicago Sun Times) and for "demonstrating the trumpet's huge potential for lyricism" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), Ridenour has combined his wide-ranging activities as a soloist and chamber musician with his passion for composing and arranging. His latest project, "Come Together," features his arrangements of Beatles' songs in celebration of the 50th anniversary of this Lennon and McCartney classic.

Music in the Air XVII Carillon Concert


Bring a picnic, enjoy fresh air, and unwind as University Carillonneur Linda Dzuris performs on our 48-bell instrument. You are invited to tour the playing cabin following the performance.

The Four Italian Tenors


On their first U.S. tour, the Four Italian Tenors perform the greatest tenor arias and songs of all time in unique arrangements created for American audiences. Hear this new generation of world-class tenors present classic works with panache, verve, and vivacity, all in their own inimitable style. Pre-season tickets available to our Donors. Tickets go on sale to general public August 14th @ 1pm

Mom/Dad and Me Fun-damental Skills Class


These classes can help each participant to progress and build muscles, while having fun alongside their parent! Featuring activities for agility, balance, coordination, functional stability, locomotion, mobility, strength and stability. To learn more and sign up, please go to our website: www.kidsgolfandfitnessacademy.com

Fun-damental Skills Class Ages 5-9


These classes can help each participant to progress and build muscles, while having fun! Ages 5-9. Featuring activities for agility, balance, coordination, functional stability, locomotion, mobility, strength and stability. To learn more and sign up, please go to our website: www.kidsgolfandfitnessacademy.com

Fun-damental Skills Class Ages 10+


These classes can help each participant to progress and build muscles, while having fun! Ages 10+. Featuring activities for agility, balance, coordination, functional stability, locomotion, mobility, strength and stability. To learn more and sign up, please go to our website: www.kidsgolfandfitnessacademy.com

Greenville Zoo’s Conservation Lecture Series: Saving the Sea Turtles


The Greenville Zoo will host Kelly Thorvalson, a native of Georgetown, SC and the Conservation Programs Manager at the South Carolina Aquarium. Thorvalson will discuss how the South Carolina Aquarium is not only triaging sick and injured sea turtles in the Sea Turtle Care Center but working to mitigate environmental risk factors and help advance sea turtle conservation initiatives in relation to plastic pollution, sea level rise, climate change and sustainable seafood.

The Horse and His Boy


*See website for showtimes*

Shasta, a servant boy in the land of Calormen to the south of Narnia, is thrown into the adventure of a life-time when he runs away from his cruel master with the most unlikely companion - a talking horse named Bree! Together, they must brave the burning desert, escape the attacks of lions, and uncover a terrible plot by the evil prince Rabadash to enslave all of Narnia! You will not want to miss this unbelievable production with life-size puppets, beautiful sets, and a captivating story that will keep you breathless as you watch Shasta and Bree journey to Narnia - and the North!

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Night of Wonders


Night of Wonders 2019 is a summer spectacle of comedic entertainment by Sparkle City Improv, a curated pop-up shop featuring some of Spartanburg’s best-known female artists and artisans, a costume contest, ice cream bar, and specialty cocktail!

Don your frocks, collars, and ruffles on July 26 2019 to celebrate the weird, wild, wacky, and creative side of Spartanburg! This is a 21 and older event.

Euphoria Tapas & Tinis


Start your countdown to euphoria weekend with the wildly  popular Tapas & Tinis event. Toss on your favorite party attire, grab your dance shoes, and join us July 12th for a night of small plates, courtesy of Chef Tony Schmidt of Performance Food Service, and tasty ‘tinis, complements of Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Larceny Bourbon.

TEDxGreenville Salon: Who is American?


If you pick up a newspaper or tune in to a news channel, a lot of the conversation revolves on who belongs in America. What is our immigration policy? Should we build a wall? Who is allowed to cross our borders? Who is allowed to access services depending on the country you or your parents were born in? In essence, who deserves to be an American?

 

Join us for our July salon as we discuss these issues.

 

Free Art Movie—Vic Muniz: Waste Land


Free admission (suggested donation $3)
All ages permitted
Family friendly | fresh popcorn | cash bar

FROM IMDB: Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to the heights of international art stardom. Vik collaborates with the brilliant catadores, pickers of recyclable materials, true Shakespearean characters who live and work in the garbage quoting Machiavelli and showing us how to recycle ourselves.

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

Rockabilly Heaven


What happens when you blend traditional honky tonk Country music with old school Rock and Roll? You get a rockabilly show that will blow the roof off the house! This original Centre Stage production will feature the music of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash. Come join in the knee slappin’, toe tappin’ party of the Summer!

City of Greer Moonlight Movies – The Grinch

Free films are scheduled for Thursday evenings through August 1 at dusk. Free pre-show fun such as inflatables, crafts, games with prizes and dancing begins at 6 p.m.

Seating in the amphitheater is on a first-come, first-served basis for all films.

For the safety of all attending the movies, children 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Pets are not permitted

Apollo 11

PREPARE FOR TAKE OFF ON AN INTERGALACTIC JOURNEY THROUGH OUTER SPACE TO MARK THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APOLLO  11 MOON LANDING.

​Join us  for a silent, yet celestial ride as we join our fellow inhabitants on a musical journey like no other.

How it works: Upon arrival, you will receive a wireless headset, put on your headphones and enter an atmosphere where you interchange between channels as two local DJs go head-to-head in a battle to capture the most listeners.​

​Enjoy a cash bar, body paint, food truck, and more.* this event is 21+, must present a valid ID at the door to enter the event *

City of Greer Moonlight Movies – How to Train Your Dragon 3

Free films are scheduled for Thursday evenings through August 1 at dusk. Free pre-show fun such as inflatables, crafts, games with prizes and dancing begins at 6 p.m.

Seating in the amphitheater is on a first-come, first-served basis for all films.

For the safety of all attending the movies, children 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Pets are not permitted

City of Greer Moonlight Movies – Space Jam

Free films are scheduled for Thursday evenings through August 1 at dusk. Free pre-show fun such as inflatables, crafts, games with prizes and dancing begins at 6 p.m.

Seating in the amphitheater is on a first-come, first-served basis for all films.

For the safety of all attending the movies, children 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Pets are not permitted

Salad-in-a-Jar Party

Join us for a fun and informative Salad-in-a-Jar Party! 


Please bring 4 quart-sized jars (wide-mouth is easiest) per person, 2 salad items (chopped/prepped) 4-cups each depending on toppings, and one bag or container of lettuce. 

Bring your favorite dressing!

Topping ideas include but are not limited to:

  • beans (black, garbanzo, etc.)
  • cucumbers
  • shredded carrots
  • dried fruit
  • grape tomatoes
  • sweet peppers
  • nuts (almonds, walnuts)
  • seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.)
  • red cabbage
  • grilled chicken
  • hard boiled eggs
  • broccoli
  • artichoke hearts
  • hearts of palm
  • avocado
  • quinoa
  • blueberries
  • olives
  • sliced radishes, etc.


This event is FREE, but space is limited so make sure to register!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Warmly,

Vickie Beineke, ND

 

Community Tap Anniversary Party


Come help us celebrate out 9 year anniversary on the first of July! Yes it's Monday - yes you're allowed to celebrate - yes we'll have some special beers, giveaways and general merriment to go around!

Lunch & Doodle (3-12 year olds)


Lunch and Doodle is a great way for kids to extend their camp experience. Use Lunch and Doodle to add an hour to a morning or afternoon camp or to create a full day camp experience when signing up for both the morning and afternoon camps. During Lunch & Doodle, a Kidcreate Studio teacher will oversee lunch time and provide an additional art activity. This is a very popular class! Reserve your child’s spot today! Please pack a nut free lunch and drink for your child for Lunch & Doodle.

 

Crews-in for a Brews-in


Join us for a leisurely 5 mile ride starting at Freehub Bicycles Downtown and traveling to The Whale and then Liability before returning back. We will enjoy a 6 ounce libation pour of your choice at each location.