he Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce co-hosts Business After Hours events like this one with a different Chamber member each month. Events typically fall on the fourth Thursday, unless otherwise noted in the event information. BAH events provide a valuable opportunity for our members to highlight their offices, shops, and products through facility tours and peer engagement. Guests enjoy the opportunity to learn about new businesses, expand their network, and discover potential partnerships with others throughout the community. Contact Chamber staff if you would like information on hosting a Business After Hours at your business!

Fabio Parrini, Chair of the Piano Department at North Greenville University, will be performing a program of Frederic Chopin & Franz Schubert at the Carolina Music Museum. Parrini, a Steinway artist, has a rich array of recordings, live broadcasts, concertos, solo recitals, chamber music & collaborations with orchestras, choirs, opera productions & performances at summer festivals on his resume. A Fulbright Scholar, a Kahn Award winner from Boston University, he has coached for the Philadelphia International Music Festival, given master classes at Clemson University, the Longy School of Music at Bard College, Emporia State University, & the University of Southern Mississippi, to list only few. He holds degrees from the Conservatory of Padua in Italy, & Boston University. Call 864-520-8807 to purchase your tickets. $15 Adults & $5 students.

City of Easley invites you to join them for their 2019 Farmer's Market's Spring Fling and Jazz Festival on Saturday, April 6 from 9 AM until 3 PM. The Spring Fling will showcase local artists, craftsmen, farmer's market vendors, local live music and much more. For more information or how to become a vendor, click here.

Pickens County Meals on Wheels will be hosting our 2^nd Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 18^th from 8 – 11am at the McKissick Center dining room. Tickets are $5 each and all proceeds will benefit PCMOW.

Welcome to the Uptown Market- where shopping fresh and local promotes a healthier community and a healthier you! Come and meet your farmers and experience the difference in flavors and variety that can be found here.  Depending on the time of year, you can find produce such as kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, potatoes, beets, tomatoes, cauliflower and MUCH more!! Plus, on Wednesdays, shop for locally raised meats, farm fresh cheese, baked goods, soaps and gourmet cuisine prepared with local ingredients. Click here for Vendor Application and Information
For a list of typical produce availability by season, click HERE. The Uptown Market Code of Conduct applies to all of our visitors and helps us maintain a safe and inviting space for all to enjoy!

Please check our Facebook page for notice of cancellations and current vendor list.

CURRENT HOURS: 10am - 2pm WED & SAT

Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive, presented by Clemson MBA, kicks off the weekend every Thursday night with music at NOMA Square on Main Street.
More than 45,000 people attend this event annually. The event serves as the single largest fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council.

Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive opens at 5:30 p.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m. Bands play two sets at 5:50 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. on the Harley-Davidson of Greenville Stage.

Free Admission

NOMA Square
220 North Main Street
Greenville, SC

DOWNLOAD THE 2019 SCHEDULE

Whether you’re a Greenville native or looking to visit for the first time, Artisphere offers a one-of-a-kind experience. From award-winning restaurants to some of the most talented artists gathered on one of the quaintest main streets in the south, Artisphere won’t disappoint.

With a rich history of providing family fun for all ages, the annual Pelham Medical Center Greer Family Fest promises to be better than ever this year, the 35th anniversary of the event. Greer is growing, and festival planners have an expanded vision for a spectacular event that reflects the growth Greer is achieving. This year's event will feature the best of the old and add exciting new activities with the goal of being the Upstate's favorite family festival. This two-day event features live music on the Main Stage and the Community Stage, Mitsubishi Anne Helton Creation Station, Apple Seeds Pediatric Dentistry/ Carolina Family Orthodontics KidsZone, Greer CPW Restaurant Row, and over 150 vendors throughout the festival!

Dr. Temple Grandin, a world-renowned autism spokesperson, scientist, and inventor, has served as an inspiration and role model to hundreds of thousands of families and persons with autism. In this unique presentation, Temple eloquently and candidly describes the challenges she has faced and offers glimpses into her own childhood, with ideas on how others dealing with autism can meet these obstacles and improve the quality of their lives. Backed by her personal experience and evidence-based research, Temple shares her valuable insights on all types of thinkers, why they are important, and ways in which young people can continue to think about and understand what it means to be innovative.

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. 

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 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.

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!