Lake City Community Planner for Aug. 11

LAKE CITY — Here's a listing of upcoming events in and around the Lake City area:

Lake City Farmers Market

Beginning Thursday, the Lake City Farmers Market, at 111 Henry St., will be open from 4-7 p.m. Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call (843) 374-1500.

Tobacco Festival pageant

The South Carolina Tobacco Festival Pageant will be held Aug. 28 at Blanding Street Auditorium in Lake City. Categories are beauty, photogenic and portfolio. For an application, call Camelia Stevens at (843) 386-2611 or e-mail cameliastevens@yahoo.com. Applications are available at the Lake City Chamber of Commerce as well as Bold & Sassy Children’s Boutique.

Olanta pageant

The Olanta Fall Festival Beauty Pageant, sponsored by the Olanta Business Association, will be held Sept. 25. For applications and more information, contact Olanta Business Association, P.O. Box 147, Olanta, SC 29114.

FMU hewn-timber cabins

Francis Marion University’s hewn-timber cabins are open for tours between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 14, weather permitting. Admission is free. For more information, call (843) 661-1311.

FMU art exhibits

Francis Marion University’s Art Gallery Series will present three exhibits from Aug. 24 through Sept. 23:

• “Small Surveillances” by Gregory Fry
• “The Goddess Within” by Linda Wiegert
• “3-Dimensional Works” by John Whitman

The free exhibits may be viewed in the Hyman Fine Arts Center Gallery from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (843) 661-1385.

FMU planetarium

• Francis Marion University’s Dooley Planetarium will present “Galaxies in the Universe” at 3 p.m. Aug. 22 on the second floor of the Cauthen Educational Media Center. Admission is free. For more information, call (843) 661-1441.
• Francis Marion University’s Dooley Planetarium will present “To Worlds Unknown” at 3 p.m. Sept. 12 on the second floor of the Cauthen Educational Media Center. Admission is free. For more information, call (843) 661-1441.

Book signing, poetry reading

Lake City native Robin L. Coletrain will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her debut book, “Speak the Truth: Words, Thoughts & Desires,” with a book signing and poetry reading at the Lake City Public Library, at 221 E. Main St., from 3-5 p.m. Aug. 29. The poetry reading will take place from 4-4:30 p.m. Books will be available for $10. For large quantities, please pre-order by calling (803) 556-9697.

Parent conference

Florence School District 3 will have a free Parent/Community Mini-Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lake City High School gymnasium. A continental breakfast and registration will be offered at 8:30 a.m., and the speaker and presenters will address the audience from 9:15 a.m. 1 p.m. Lunch will be served. Receive free school supplies and door prizes as well as information on how to help your child be successful in school. Registration forms are available on the district’s website, www.florence3.k12.sc.us. To attend, complete a registration form and submit to: Florence School District 3 Office of Accountability, P.O. Drawer 1389, Lake City, SC 29560. For more information, call (843) 374-8652, ext. 1111.

Nonprofit workshops

Through its Learning Academy, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has five more nonprofit workshops scheduled this year. Workshops are free and open to staff, board and volunteers of nonprofit organizations in South Carolina that are in some way addressing poverty in the state.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina’s Learning Academy leverages training and educational opportunities to meet the needs of multiple nonprofit organizations in South Carolina. The foundation goes beyond grantmaking and provides nonprofits with tools and resources for success in different areas including board governance and ethics, evaluation, financial management, grant writing, and partnerships and sustainability.

Workshops currently scheduled are:

• Aug. 24: Ethics at Work
• Sept. 14: Partnerships: Leading Through Connections
• Sept. 28: Diversity & Inclusion: Building Bridges to Understanding
• Oct. 12: Keys to Financial Management
• Nov. 16: Grant Writing & Evaluation

To allow for more interaction and targeted, hands-on learning opportunities, each workshop is limited in size. Those wishing to participate should visit the Learning Academy section of the Foundation’s website, www.sistersofcharitysc.com, and complete and submit an application for each workshop.

Pageant

The Little Ms. Starlett Beauty Pageant 2010 will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Florence Civic Center for ages 12 months to 12 years. Categories are “Beauty Wear” and “Wow Wear.” The “Wow Wear” winner will receive a cash prize. For more information, call (843) 356-3810.

Baseball player search

Coast to Coast Baseball is seeking skilled baseball players ages 10-18 to represent the United States in competition in Puerto Rico, or to work with top college coaches and pro scouts at one of its Florida or Arizona Camp & Showcase events held at the Major League Baseball spring-training complex. For more information, visit the tryouts section of the Coast to Coast website, www.coasttocoastathletics.com, or call (740) 373-4455.

FMU fall semester

Francis Marion University’s fall semester classes will begin Aug. 25. For more information and to register, call (843) 661-1231.

Florence Symphony auditions

Auditions for the Florence Symphony Orchestra’s 2010-11 season will be held Aug. 23. There are openings for principal trombone and principal clarinet as well as section players throughout the symphony.

The auditions will be held at Central United Methodist Church’s third-floor rehearsal room in the sanctuary building. Central is located at the corner of Irby and Cheves streets in downtown Florence.

All interested musicians should e-mail manager@florencesymphony.com at any time or call (843) 661-2541 to make an appointment. Please have a solo piece of your choosing prepared, and sight reading will be provided.

The deadline for applying is noon Aug. 20.

The Florence Symphony Orchestra came into being in the spring of 1949. A call for volunteers to form a community band has led to over half a century of performances with four concerts a season. As it prepares to move into the new Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, the symphony will expand to five concerts in the coming season. The symphony also operates the Florence Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Hospice volunteers

Hospice Care of South Carolina is seeking volunteers in Florence County. Celebrating its 14th year of care with offices in 26 counties, Hospice Care of South Carolina provides compassion and comfort to families and patients living with life-limiting illness. The treatment goal is to enable patients to continue an alert, pain-free life and to manage other symptoms so they may live with dignity and quality, surrounded by their loved ones. For more information, contact regional volunteer coordinator Whitney Rogers at (843) 409-7991 or whitney.rogers@hospicecare.net or one of your local offices at (803) 484-6869 or (843) 355-3105.

Pee Dee Regional Art Competition

The Florence Museum of Art, Science and History has announced the Pee Dee Regional Art Competition 2010. Entries to the competition will be accepted between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Aug. 20 and 21 at the museum, at 558 Spruce St. in Florence.

An online prospectus can be completed and printed from the Florence Museum website, at www.florencemuseum.org.

The competition highlights the best contemporary art in South Carolina’s 12-county eastern region, which includes Florence, Darlington, Chesterfield, Dillon, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Sumter, Marlboro, Williamsburg, Lee and Kershaw counties.

Awards will be presented at the opening party, to be held the evening of Aug. 27. First place is a cash award of $600, second place is $400, and third place is $250. There are four honorable mention awards for $65 as well as a $50 JoAnn Fender Scarborough People’s Choice award, which is voted upon that evening by all of the attendees of the opening reception.

Each artist may submit as many as four pieces in any medium. The works must be hand-delivered to the Florence Museum before 4 p.m. on Sept. 12 and 13.

There is a fee of $12.50 per entry, but museum members may submit two free entries.

For more information, call the museum (843)-662-3351.

Williamsburg Tech open registration

Williamsburg Technical College’s open registration for the public is scheduled for 3-8 p.m. Aug. 18 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 19. High school students may also register to take college courses while still in high school.

Course information, admission applications and financial aid applications are available at www.wiltech.edu or by visiting the college.

Class reunions

• The Carver High School class of 1969 is planning a reunion. Please forward contact information, including an e-mail address, to Carver High class reunion 1969, P.O. Box 282, Lake City, SC 29560-2428, attn: Mattie Gaskin, or call (843) 210-3046.
• The Lake City High School class of 1971 is planning a class reunion in June 2011. Forward contact information and questions to Jerry Singletary (Jerry52@ftc-i.net) or Cynthia W. Burgess (CynthBrg1@AOL.com).
• The Kingstree Senior High class of 1985 will have its 25-year class reunion at from Sept. 3-5 at Sunset Acres. The festivities include: Meet & Greet on Sept. 3, Family and Friends picnic and ‘80s party on Sept. 4, and a Sunday Gospel Brunch on Sept. 5. The cost is $125 per classmate; guests are $25 for the weekend. Kids (meet and greet/picnic only) younger than 13: $5 each; kids 13 and over: $10 each. Mail cashier checks or money orders only to Dwayne Fulton, and make them payable to: The Class of 1985, 10356 Hemingway Highway, Kingstree, SC 29556. For more information, call Theresa McKnight at (843) 598-9137 or e-mail teresamcknight@ymail.com.
• The Lake City High School class of 2002 will have its reunion from June 8-12, 2012, in Lake City. For additional information and to RSVP, please contact class President La’Tekia Harrell by phone at (843) 229-2128 or by e-mail at latekiaharrell@yahoo.com. Class members also may contact student body President Se’Mekia Harrell-Green by phone at (843) 230-4789 or by e-mail at mekiaharrell@yahoo.com.
• The Hannah High School class of 1960 will hold its 50-year reunion at 4 p.m. Aug. 21 at Woodstone BBQ, at 1513 Pamplico Highway in Florence. For more information, contact Janice Poston Woodberry at by phone at (843) 394-8045 or e-mail at woodj@sc.rr.com; Annie Raye Haselden by phone at (843) 386-2251 or e-mail at haseldenar@verizon.net; Lee Edwards at (843) 389-0486; or Raymon Hearne at (843) 669-8280. The event’s Facebook.com page is “Hannah High Alumni & Friends aka Hannah Historical Society (Hannah, SC).”

Young entrepreneurs

SC Economics, formerly the SC Council on Economic Education, is looking for five elementary, middle or high school students who have taken up the challenge of running their own businesses. They must understand the costs and benefits of working for themselves and be willing to share their experiences with their peers.

The five 2011 SC Young Entrepreneurs will be interviewed on the ETV Stock Market Game Program, which is broadcast to schools during the fall and spring semesters. In addition, at SC Economics’ awards luncheon, each student will receive a $200 cash prize and be honored by their teachers and fellow students.

If you know a student who fits the profile of a SC Young Entrepreneur, fill out the Young Entrepreneur Nomination Form at http://www.sceconomics.org/entrepreneur_form.htm.

Teachers, parents, community members or even young entrepreneurs themselves may complete the form.

SC Economics is a nonprofit business-education partnership dedicated to providing teachers with the tools and resources needed to educate South Carolina’s students about financial literacy, economic principles, and the changing global economy. To learn more, visit www.sceconomics.org.

New York City trip

RnJ Events will sponsor a bus trip to New York City to see “The MAAFA Suite -The Healing Journey” along with shopping and sightseeing Sept. 23-26. The MAAFA Commemoration in New York is a coming together of the community to memorialize and honor the millions of Africans lost in the horror of what has previously been identified as the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade/Middle Passage. 2010 marks the 16th year St. Paul Community Baptist Church commemorates the MAAFA theatre production. For more information on how to participate, contact Robin L. Coletrain at (803) 556-9697 or rcoletrain08@yahoo.com or James E. Singletary at (917) 992-5830 or js2864@columbia.edu.

Guest Care Program

Lake City Community Hospital now offers the Guest Care Program, which provides a 24-hour care on a short-term or long-term basis. Those who qualify are persons needing supervision, specific therapy or assistance with normal activities. The program is intended to give the caregiver a much-needed break. Generally, a stay is usually no longer than 14 days. Long-term care is available if space is available and criteria are met. Guest Care is not covered by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, but is payable only by cash in advance. For more information, call (843) 374-6128.

Grief support groups

• McLeod Hospice is offering a support group for people coping with the loss of a loved one, whether or not the loss is hospice related. The group will meet at noon the last Wednesday of each month in the McLeod Hospice House, at 1203 E. Cheves St. in Florence. For more information, call (843) 777-2007.
• A grief recovery program (GriefShare) will be at Lee's Tabernacle Church, 2226 N. Matthews Road, Scranton, every Thursday night at 6:30 during the months of August, September, and October.  This is a Christ centered, nondenominational video program for the bereaved.  There is no cost to attend.  Please call 389-7051 for more information. 

Head Start success stories

Head Start is looking for alumni. If you graduated from Lake City/Olanta Head Start, call Yvonne McFadden at (843) 394-5266. The center is planning now for Head Start Awareness Month, which is October.

The Lake City/Olanta Head Start is looking for alumni throughout South Carolina who will share their stories and testimonials of their Head Start experiences. If you or someone you know has attended a Lake City/Olanta Head Start program, call McFadden to be a part of activities as Head Start celebrates 40 years. Head Start would also like to use stories for possible inclusion on its website and in future publications.

House fire

Donations are being accepted for the family of Bobby and Angela Matthews following a house fire. An account has been set up at the Exchange Bank of South Carolina — the Angela Matthews Fire Loss Foundation. For more information, call (843) 244-6785.

James Gregory

Florence Civic Center, at 3300 W Radio Drive in Florence, will have “Comedy Night with James Gregory Live” at 8 p.m. Aug. 21. Tickets are $29.50. Group tables are available at a discounted price. Tickets are available by visiting the civic center box office, ordering online at www.ticketmaster.com or calling (800) 745-3000.

Pee Dee Coalition

The Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault is seeking volunteers. The coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the reduction of rape, family violence and child abuse and to the needs of its victims. Volunteers make a direct impact in the lives of victims. Whether it is holding someone’s hand at the hospital or organizing a pantry at the shelter, the coalition has programs that cover a variety of interests. For more information, call County Coordinator Freda Cox at (843) 354-6481.

S.C. Tobacco Festival

The S.C. Tobacco Festival will take place in conjunction with the Heritage Music and Arts Festival from Sept. 16-18 in Lake City.

The schedule is as follows:

• Sept. 16: Gospel concerts in the Town Square
• Sept. 17: Friday Night Street Dance in the Town Square
• Sept. 18: Festival, art shows, and entertainment throughout downtown Lake City

More information will be released as the festival draws near.

Special needs

Parents or guardians who have a child or children with special needs and may be interested in becoming a part of a parent-to-parent support group can contact Tommy and Michelle Russell at (843) 373-0912 or (843) 356-5714 or visit pillaroutreach@yahoo.com.