Happenings Hartsville

The Hartsville Museum Showcase Gallery has re-opened a special and much anticipated exhibit, Coker College, 100 Years, 1908 – 2008. An intensive study of the history of the college has produced a fascinating story beginning with the Welch Neck High School in 1908 to the present day experiences of the museum’s Coker College Museum study student Noelle Sharbono. Thom Roberts, collections manager of the museum, designed the exhibit. The exhibit will be up until the end of the year. The Hartsville Museum is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Admission is free.

  Let Michelle Morris help you make those perfect gifts for the ones you love by taking her Holiday Clay Class in November. On Mondays from 4 to 5:15 p.m. at the Black Creek Arts Center, Michelle will lead a class for students ages 3 -13. On Mondays from 5:30 - 6:45 p.m., Michelle will lead a class for students ages 14 - 18. Cost for these classes is $20. No previous experience working with clay is needed for these classes. Call Bruce at the arts center for more information, (843) 332-6234. 

The Hartsville Civic Chorale will present “Christmas Reflections” Tuesday, Dec 9. Assistant director of the chorale, Anna White Hill, is directing the performance. The performance includes both sacred and secular selections. Many traditional and familiar carols will be performed. The chorale will be assisted by The Hartsville Children's Chorale, and members of the Hartsville High School Wind Ensemble under the direction of Roger Simpson.
 
On Nov. 22, the Black Creek Arts Council invites everyone to attend a book reading and art demonstration by Patz Fowle at the Darlington Library. The event will last from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. Fowle will be reading her new book, “Remember When.” Admission to the reading is free.

The Coker Chamber Singers will present their fall concert on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hannah Lide Coker Recital Hall of the Margaret Coker Lawton Music Building on campus. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Black Creek Arts Council will host its second annual Christmas Shoppe Dec. 4, 5 and 6. The arts center will be abuzz with regional artists selling a variety of art from paintings to pottery and jewelry to soap. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Christmas Shoppe will also be open from 12 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Black Creek Arts Council has CDs of holiday music produced by local artists Mica and Monte Saxton. The CDs are $12 each. Supplies are limited.

The public is invited to attend the new play “Shelter” directed by Professor Charles David Brooks III at the Benedict College Ponder Fine Arts/Humanities Center in Columbia on Nov. 19, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. Brooks is the grand nephew of H.H. Butler, for whom Butler High School was named, and has presented productions in Hartsville in the past.
The Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault will offer a class through Nov. 21 entitled Learning to Reduce Our Assault Risk. The classes are being held at St. Bartholomew’s in the Parish Hall from 6 – 9 p.m. Registration is open to the public, but registration is required. Please contact Sharon Moon at 395-2748 for additional information.

The Hartsville Moose Lodge is hosting a turkey shoot every Saturday through Dec. 6 from 4 to 9 p.m. The Moose Lodge is located at 2125 N. Fifth St. (Highway 15 North). For more information, call (843) 332-1770.

A depression support group is meeting in Hartsville the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 213 N. Marquis Highway. The meetings are free, informal and open to the public. The next meeting is Monday, Nov. 17. For more information, call Kathy Odom at 858-0445 or Danny Pierce at 307-0700. No child care will be provided.

Celebrate the season and the savings during downtown Hartsville’s annual Christmas Open House on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 6 - 9 p.m. Shop with downtown merchants for special savings, door prizes, and homemade refreshments. Sip hot cider while listening to sidewalk carolers and musicians. Share your wish list with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Savor hometown fellowship and expect pleasant surprises! For more information, contact Hartsville Downtown Development Association at 332-1600 or DowntownHartsvil@bellsouth.net.

First Presbyterian Church of Hartsville will be holding its annual Alternative Christmas Market on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Memorial Fellowship Hall. Self-help crafts and gifts will be available from Ten Thousand Villages. The mission of Ten Thousand Villages is to provide vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Also available will be shares of animals through Heifer Project International as well as a Food Sale and refreshments. Come enjoy the spirit of Christmas by purchasing gifts that keep on giving to those in need.

An old fashioned bake sale will be held on Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Darlington Moose Lodge on North Governor Williams Highway just in time for Thanksgiving. A large assortment of homemade goodies will be available.

The November meeting of the Board of Directors for the Darlington County Disabilities and Special Needs Board is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the Scott Center, 201 N. Damascus Church Road, Hartsville. The public is invited to attend.

The Pee Dee District of the Water Environment Association will hold its bimonthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 6:30 to 9:15 p.m. at the VFW in Florence on East Palmetto Street. This will be the Annual Awards Banquet and Guest night. For more information, call Scott Fields at (843) 665-6746.

Darlington County offices will be closed Thursday - Friday, Nov. 27 - 28, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The landfill and recycling centers will close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and close all day on Thursday, Nov. 27.

A turkey shoot will be held at Chapel Hill Baptist Church on Ruby Road in Hartsville on Saturday, Nov. 29, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The Hartsville Junior Cotillion is now accepting parent inquiries for their children in the fifth and sixth grades. If you are interested in your child receiving an invitation to the 2009 Junior Cotillion at Prestwood Country Club (Jan. 12, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16 6-7 p.m. and 7:15-8:15 p.m.), please contact the cotillion chairperson for Hartsville, Leigh Ann Bizzell, at 858-0551 or via e-mail at leighannbizzell@ yahoo.com. The committee is also interested in hosting a seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade etiquette class focusing on table manners and teenage pre-dating social behaviors. If interested in your son or daughter participating, please contact Leigh Ann Bizzell.

“Get on the Bus for the Inauguration Celebration.” Organizers are planning a bus trip from Hartsville to Washington, D.C., for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as president on Jan. 20, 2009. Seating is limited. For more information, call 332-1215 or (843) 276-9433.

Learn tai chi for fun and health. Tai chi is an ancient, low-impact, graceful mind-body exercise which promotes balance, flexibility, and strength. Classes are Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Community Center at 212 N. Fifth Street. For more information, contact Den Latham at 861-1957 or denallison@bellsouth.net

The Golden Hands Needlework Group meets at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Hartsville the first and third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The group knits and crochets hats, sweaters, blankets and other items to donate to charities.

The Hartsville Toastmasters meet every second and fourth Monday at 7 p.m. at the Black Creek Arts Council building, 116 W. College Ave. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit club specializing in the improvement of leadership and speaking skills in a controlled, constructive setting. Guests are welcome and admission is free. If you have any further questions, please contact Dr. Andrew Jackson at 332-6151.

Trinity Collegiate School is having a 5K run/walk on Saturday, Nov. 22, beginning at 9 a.m. (registration and packet pick-up between 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.) The event will be held rain or shine at Trinity Collegiate School Campus, 5001 Hoffmeyer Road, Darlington. Registration fee is $25 per individual. Please make checks payable to Trinity Collegiate School, 5001 Hoffmeyer Road, Darlington SC 29532. This is a hard-packed dirt, cross-country, flat course. A team consists of five runners. Individuals on a team can qualify in their age division as well as their team for awards. Cost per team is $80. For more information, call Cindy at 395-9124.

The Hartsville Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. extends an invitation, to high school males, to join the 2008-09 Kappa League Program. Kappa League is the Guide Right initiative, of the fraternity, with the purpose of helping African-American males choose and pursue useful careers by exposing them to cultural enrichment and character development. The young men will participate in seminars and activities to develop leadership skills, refine self-image, build self-esteem and improve social skills.
For additional information contact coach Corey Lewis at HHS or Lynwood Lewis at 332-4337.

The Jacob Kelly House is open on the first Sunday of every month through December. This 19th century farm house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the Darlington County Historical Commission. During the war between the states, the house was taken over by federal forces and used as headquarters for scouting parties seeking provisions to supply General Sherman’s Army. Admission is free. For more information, contact Joann Lee at 332-4508.

Hartsville American Legion Post 53 and Auxiliary meets on the third Tuesday night of each month. The post is located at North Fifth Street at Society Avenue just across Prestwood Lake. All members, eligible veterans and spouses are invited to attend. For additional information, contact Jim Ousley, Post Commander, 332-9340.

The Southern Animal Welfare League is dedicated to helping abused and neglected animals in our area. Some of the organization’s programs include: building doghouses for dogs without shelter, educating children about pet care, supporting local spay and neuter programs, promoting change and enforcement of animal welfare laws, and much more. Please join us on the last Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Hartsville Memorial Library to find out what you can do to help. Call 206-1129 or visit www.southernanimalwelfareleague.org to find out more.

Living Well South Carolina is a new program designed to help individuals that suffer from a chronic disease such as COPD, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other health problems. These conditions are associated with pain, fatigue, depression and many other issues that change the way you live. Classes are being held in Darlington, Hartsville, Society Hill and Lamar to help you live better with your condition. Call Ashley at 393-8521 to sign up or for more information. All classes are free.

A Matter of Balance Fall Prevention classes will be held in Darlington, Hartsville, Society Hill and Lamar. Fear of falling can be just as dangerous as falling itself. A Matter of Balance can help you improve the quality of life and remain independent. Classes include easy exercises and information that will help you to enjoy your life. Call Ashley at 393-8521 to sign up or for more information. All classes are free.

A community chaplin serves as a chaplin to many people who do not have a pastor or church that they regularly attend. As a spiritual caregiver, your training will equip you with the 10 essential disciplines every community chaplin must have to serve God and see lives changed. Call 332-7771 for more information about “I am community chaplains of America.” This is a certified program.

Divorced? Separated? Divorce Care is a special weekly seminar and support group for people who are separated or divorced. Call 332-7771 for more information.

The Hartsville Area Recreation Department is looking for umpires. If you are an experienced umpire or would be interested in umpiring contact the Hartsville Area Recreation Department for additional information. Call Lee Andrews at 383-3020.

A scholarship fund has been established in memory of SGTM Clinton “Blue” Lyles Jr. by the S.C. Army National Guard Scholarship Association. Lyles dedicated 40 years of his life to the service of the S.C. Army National Guard. He served as administrator at the Hartsville Guard Unit, Company C of the 3rd Battalion, 178th Field Artillery. Donations to the fund are tax deductible. Make checks payable to the NGASC Scholarship. Send donations to: 1 National Guard Road, Stop 36, Columbia, SC 29201.

The DAV Chapter 47 meets the third Monday night of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the library. All veterans and spouses are invited to attend. For more information call J.W. O’Neal at 383-8670.

Keep Darlington County Beautiful offers citizens, businesses and industries opportunities to contribute to their communities. The organization’s aim is to promote community pride and publicly recognize the efforts of citizens, churches, schools, businesses and industries that participate in activities. Individuals and organizations that would like to participate in Keep Darlington County Beautiful programs such as Adopt-A-Highway, recycling programs or serve on the committee can call 398-4810.

The 2008 meetings of the Board of Directors of the Darlington County Disabilities and Special Needs Board are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of every month at the Scott Center located at 201 N. Damascus Church Rd. in Hartsville. The public is invited to attend.

The Alzheimer’s Caregiver’s Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. Call Margaret Coker at 332-7478 for info.

The Hartsville High School class of 1987 is inviting friends, family and schoolmates to a barbecue Saturday Nov. 8. Food will be served around 6 p.m. Drop-ins are welcomed throughout the day. The event will be held at the Circle E Club. For directions and other information please call Ron at (843) 387-6496 or Kenny at (843) 307-6221. Email Ron@ProductBoss.com or kenny@industrialconceptsinc.com.

The Hartsville High School classes of 1960 - 1963 will hold homecoming on Saturday, April 25, 2009, at the Hartsville Country Club.  The committee needs everyone’s help in contacting all class members. Also, if other class members are interested, you are cordially invited to participate. Please call Evelyn Smith Dampier at (843) 332-6426 or Wayne Stratton Wallace at (843) 332-1836 for information and to submit correct addresses.