Check out all there is to do in both Sumter and a close drive away

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Come to the downtown library and read to a therapy dog. Sparky, Skipper and Missy love hearing a good story, and young readers can get practice reading their favorite books. This event is held the second Saturday of every month at the downtown Sumter County Library, 111 N. Harvin St. February's reading will be on Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Enjoy a live performance at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, with a special Valentine's Day Acoustic Café with Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood. Sherwood, a born storyteller, uses a blend of folk and pop music to bring enjoyable live performances that thrive on intimacy to the Sumter Opera House stage, 21 N. Main St. Champagne and specialty desserts from Brubaker's Café & Bakery are included with the purchase of a ticket. Seating is general admission. To purchase tickets, visit www.sumteroperahouse.com/ian-sherwood. Social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., and the performance starts at 7:30 p.m.

Reignite your love with rock 'n' roll and experience the timeless classics of Creedence Clearwater Revival, performed by the Georgia Players Guild, at Ramble Tamble: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Experience at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Tickets are between $28 and $32 and can be purchased at www.sumteroperahouse.com/ramble-tamble.

Sumter's free celebration of creativity and culture, Art in the Park including Reading in the Park, will once again flow through Sumter Memorial Park, 417 W. Hampton Ave., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 29. Arts and crafts, vendors, delicious food and Reading in the Park will ensure a day of fun activities and a chance to support local causes.

CAMDEN

Celebrate Irish and Celtic heritage at Irish Fest Camden 2025 on Saturday, March 1, on the grounds of Kershaw County Airport, 2203 Airline Drive, Camden. Founded in 2017, this festival has grown into a beloved community event, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Visitors enjoy live Celtic music, Irish dancing, storytelling, a large selection of Irish beer, delicious food from more than 40 food trucks, whiskey tastings and more. The Lucky Leprechaun 5K takes place on Saturday morning, followed by the Highland Games, where athletes compete in traditional Celtic sports. The festival supports the Irish Cultural Foundation of SC, a South Carolina nonprofit. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://irishfestcamden.com.

BISHOPVILLE

Author Derek Smith will give a presentation on his new book, "Revolutionary Camden: South Carolina's Bloody Epicenter in the War of Independence," on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. The talk with be at the City-County Complex, 140 N. Main St., Bishopville. Everyone is invited to attend this 250th anniversary of the American Revolution event.

COLUMBIA

Repticon, a recognized leader in hosting reptile and exotic animal expos throughout the United States, is returning to Columbia on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 1-2, at the Jamil Temple, 206 Jamil Road, Columbia. This event offers guests the opportunity to learn about animals not normally seen in local pet stores. Breeder-vendors are always willing to teach in their field of herpetology. Guests can shop for a pet among the hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, arachnids and small exotic animals. Also available will be merchandise, cages, supplies, and both live and frozen feeders, as well as to expert advice about caring for these animals. Show hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Ticket options (sold online only): $20 Super Ticket (entry for both days); $15 Saturday (all day); $12 Saturday after 1 p.m.; $15 Sunday (all day); $7 for children 5-12; children 4 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets or for more information about the show, visit https://repticon.com/south-carolina/columbia.

Experience live music under the stars in the State Museum's Constellation Concerts events series from 6:30-10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, and Thursday, Feb. 20, in the museum's observatory at 301 Gervais St., Columbia. Danielle Howle will perform Jan. 23. Tickets are $35 general public and $28 museum members. Howle has released over a dozen studio albums in a four-decade career that has traversed genres, styles and cultures, encompassing everything from country-swamp-blues and jazz to folk, southern rock, indie and Americana. She's opened for Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Death Ray Robin will perform on Feb. 20. Tickets are $20 general public and $16 museum members. Death Ray Robin is an Alt-R&B act featuring Black-Korean vocalist Desirée Richardson and a rotating cast of instrumentalists from Columbia. "Richardson vacillates between genres, writing about themes of self-preservation, identity, revenge, forgiveness and hope." In addition to the performances, guests can look through the observatory's historic 1926 Alvan Clark Telescope to view the night sky. Weather permitting, night sky objects such as the moon and saturn will be visible in the telescope. Wine and beer will be available for purchase, with complimentary light snacks included. Concerts will go on, rain or shine. All sales are final. Purchase tickets at https://tinyurl.com/2p942swk.

FLORENCE

The Florence Stampede and Pro Rodeo, presented by Booty Brothers Western Store, returns to the Florence Center, 3300 W. Radio Drive, on Feb. 7-8, 2025, marking its 10th anniversary with a weekend of high-energy rodeo action and fun for all ages. This event will feature top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls from across the country, competing against some of the most award-winning livestock in professional rodeo. The lineup will include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, team roping, cowgirls barrel racing and wild Brahma bull riding. Beyond the arena, the Florence Stampede and Pro Rodeo offers an engaging experience for the entire family. Attendees will enjoy a variety of vendors offering delicious food, unique merchandise, and much more. Rising country music singer Shaylen will take the stage for a special performance on Feb. 7 following the rodeo action. Since her debut single - "What If I Don't," a streaming sensation on every platform garnering over 26 million streams just on Spotify alone - she has been carving her mark on Nashville with six highly-streamed acclaimed songs released under the Two Hats Music Group banner. Tickets for the rodeo can be purchased at the Florence Center Box Office or online at www.FlorenceCenter.com.

Francis Marion University Performing Arts, 201 S. Dargan St., Florence, welcomes one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday, March 1. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band features founding members Jeff Hanna (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica, vocals); longtime bandmate Bob Carpenter (keys, vocals)-a member since 1980; along with Jim Photoglo (bass, vocals); Jaime Hanna (guitar, vocals); and Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin, vocals). According to the FMU website, the band's "career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single "Mr. Bojangles," a folksy Top 10 pop hit. In 1972, they released the first of three groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken records, collaborating with many of the best bluegrass, country and folk artists in the world. The band also has enjoyed vast success on the U.S. Country charts with hits like "Fishin' In The Dark," "Modern Day Romance" and "Long Hard Road." The Dirt Band are GRAMMY, CMA and IBMA Award winners, and their Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Friends - Fifty Years, Circlin' Back! for PBS was an Emmy Award-winning TV special. The Dirt Band's latest album, Dirt Does Dylan - released in 2022 - has received widespread critical acclaim." Purchase tickets at https://tinyurl.com/2hnx4v3f.

Power Comicon returns on Saturday, March 15, to Florence Center, 3300 W. Radio Drive, Florence. The event will feature comics, toys, statues, art, costume apparel, pop culture memorabilia for all ages, comic artists, writers and other comic-related guests as well as a cosplay contest with more than $1,000 in cash and prizes. For additional information, visit https://tinyurl.com/5xvy94p5.

Multi-platinum country artist Gary Allan will be at The Florence Center on Friday, March 21. Tickets are available at FlorenceCenter.com. Allan's 13-song album, Ruthless, features songs produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Jay Joyce and Allan himself. His previous album, Set You Free, topped the Billboard 200 (Pop Chart), a career first for Allan. The album also made its debut at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart (for the fourth time in a row), and produced his fifth #1 country radio chart topper with "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)." The California native has released eight additional studio albums selling over 8 million albums, been certified platinum on three back-to-back albums and been certified gold five times. Allan has five #1 hits at country radio, 14 Top 10 hits and more than 2.8 billion total streams. He is described as "dark and dreamy" in Entertainment Weekly and deemed a "maverick" by Rolling Stone. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly and Michael and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has also landed on the covers of Country Weekly, Pollstar and People magazine.

ORANGEBURG

Turkey hunting aficionados, enjoy a night of fellowship and tasty food to support wild turkey conservation during the TFT Blackwater Flock Conservation Dinner on Friday, Feb. 28, from 6 to 10 p.m. You may also win a raffle prize during the dinner and meet fellow Turkeys for Tomorrow members. If you're not a member yet, you can sign up or renew your membership at the event to take part in the raffles and help support the wild turkey population. The event is at Govindbhai Community Center, 1175 Five Chop Road, Orangeburg. Get tickets at https://tftregistration.org/registration.

Remember the Foodees Food and Culture Festival that visited Sumter in 2024? In 2025, it's coming to Orangeburg for three days full of food and fun for everyone. Check out dozens of food trucks from Feb. 28 to March 2 at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds, 350 Magnolia St., Orangeburg, and try something you've never eaten before. When you're stuffed, browse booths from dozens of crafters and artisans. The event organizers call this "the Southeast's No. 1 touring food truck festival," so don't miss out! Friday's hours are 1 to 7 p.m.; Saturday's hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday's hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.foodeesfest.com or follow Foodees for updates and announcements on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @foodeesfest.


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