Music, food, art, celebration all a part of Butler Heritage Week

Butler Heritage Week kicks off on Sunday, June 28, with Gospel Fest at the Center Theater in downtown Hartsville.

Featured artists for this concert include Carl Blair of Darlington and Family Circle of Charlotte, N.C, Friendship Community Choir of Hartsville, The Johnson Brothers of Hartsville, Dr. T (Tonya) Armstrong of Durham, N.C., The Watson Sisters of Marion and more.

The concert begins at 4 p.m., and admission is a $4 donation.

This year’s celebration in honor of historic Butler High School is scheduled for the week of June 28 - July 4.

This will be the 17th year for Butler Heritage Week in Hartsville.

The celebration is held annually the week of July 4 as a homecoming for Butler graduates and a way to keep alive the spirit of Butler High School.
After 73 years as a vital part of Hartsville’s social and academic community, Butler High School, a historically black school, was closed in 1983.
The Butler Heritage Foundation was organized in 1991 by a group of Butler alumni, former faculty and interested citizens to develop a plan to save and restore the Butler campus for public use as a community center.

The theme for this year’s week of activities is “Crossroads to Progress.“

Artwork by artist Carolyn Govan will be featured in the Gallery at Black Creek Arts Center on W. College Avenue through Friday, July 3, as part of Heritage Week festivities.

Monday, June 29, features A Taste of Butler at the Butler High gym on South Sixth Street at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Come dressed in African attire. The theme for the evening is “Back to Our Roots.“

The taste will feature a book signing by Hartsville native and poet Daisy L. Jackson, now of Baltimore, Md., and author of “Growing in the Garden of His Love: A Book of Poetry.“

Jackson is a licensed practical nurse who began writing poetry in high school. She has also written plays, songs and short stories.

Works of art by Carolyn Govan, Butler class of 1969, and Livingston Thomas, Butler class of 1972, will also be on exhibit at the taste. The event will also feature drums by Walter Cooks and African dancers.

Tuesday, June 30 will feature a free concert at the Center Theater at 7 p.m. A community Bible study at the Butler gym will highlight Wednesday, July 1 from 7 to 8 p.m.

One of the week’s highlights, the annual Heritage Week Banquet, will take place on Thursday, July 2, at 6 p.m. at the Thornwell School for the Arts cafeteria. Rufus Bess, Butler class of 1974 who played nine years in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings, will be the featured speaker for the evening. Admission is a $25 donation.

The Butler Heritage Foundation Board will meet on Friday, July 3, at 4 p.m. in the foundation board room in the Head Start building on the Butler campus. The public is invited. The foundation meeting offers an opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions and get involved.

Friday night the annual Heritage Week Dance takes place at the Butler gym from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission is a $15 donation at the door.

Events on Saturday, July 4, include the annual Heritage Week Parade Saturday morning. Units will line up at Butler Park at 9 a.m., and the parade begins at 10 a.m.

State Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville will serve as grand marshal of this year’s parade.

The Little Miss Butler, the mayor, the NAACP Woman of the Year, the Delta Dolls and Rep. Jay Lucas of Hartsville and more are scheduled to appear in the parade.

The entry fee for parade units is $10 each.

Tours of the Butler campus will follow the parade from 12 to 1 p.m. A basketball game takes place at the Butler gym at 12 p.m. Admission to the game is $2 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under.

A family day celebration and tail gate party will wrap up the week’s events from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday featuring a variety of vendors. The vendors’ fee is $75. For a tent or grill slot, the fee is $10.

Volunteers are needed for all events.

For more information, call Pecolia Grove at (843) 857-9074 or Alvin Heatley at (843) 332-4522.