Enjoy holiday activities and events in Sumter and Clarendon with your family and friends this season
SUMTER COUNTY
The Sumter County Museum's 26th Annual Carolina Backcountry Oyster Roast, presented by Prisma Health, is the perfect chance to have all-you-can-eat oysters, barbecue, chili, collards and more while enjoying time with others. The museum's largest annual fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the museum, 122 N. Washington St. A wide selection of beverages including beer, wine and soft drinks will be available. Music will be provided by HeyBo. Cost is $50 for members and $75 for non-members. Purchase tickets at https://tinyurl.com/34jznw97.
Celebrate the holidays with South Carolina Ballet's annual production of Nutcracker, which will be performed this year at Lakewood High School's theater because of renovations at Patriot Hall. This beloved classical play is perfect for anyone, from children to adults. Matinee is on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 3 to 5 p.m., and the evening show is the same day from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Buy tickets at www.tickettailor.com/events/southcarolinaballet.
Sumter Community Concert Band invites the community to enjoy its annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. The free concert with festive instrumental music will be held at USC Sumter's Nettles-Schwartz Auditorium, at 200 Miller Road.
Don't miss out on South Carolina's largest free Christmas lights display beginning with the opening-night ceremony of the annual Swan Lake Fantasy of Lights at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at the Visitors Center, 822 W. Liberty St. (in the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the Heath Pavilion, 165 Garden St.). Through Dec. 31, visitors to Swan Lake Iris Gardens can see the gardens come alive with more than 1 million lights. The light display will be open Sunday-Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. The event is designed as a drive-through, but visitors are allowed to park to take photos. Access to the walking trails is closed after dusk. Lights are displayed along the main parking lot area to the gardens, along Liberty Street and along Garden Street (enter at Liberty Street and exit onto Oakland Avenue). No parking is allowed along Garden Street; however, parking will be available in the lot across from the Heath Pavilion. Santa's Village, located in the Heath Pavilion, is a part of the holiday celebration. Children can write letters to Santa and take photos with the big guy (bring your own camera). Enjoy a variety of holiday music and entertainment each night. Food, hot cocoa and other holiday treats will be available for sale on site. Santa's Village will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6; Saturday, Dec. 7; Friday, Dec. 13; Saturday, Dec. 14; Friday, Dec. 20; and Saturday, Dec. 21. Admission to both Fantasy of Lights and Santa's Village is free. For more info, call the Visitors Center at (803) 426-2640.
The Holiday Tour on the 240th birthday of The Ruins in Stateburg on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offers a visit throughout the main floor of The Ruins, with docents on hand to point out architectural embellishments and the many beautiful and intriguing pieces of original furniture. The inside and outside of the house will be decorated with natural arrangements and greenery that would have been used in the 1800s. The grounds will showcase many exhibits from various periods, including Revolutionary-era weapons with periodic mortar firing, a museum of 19th-century tools and household items, a few beautiful Model A cars, Native American dancing by the Sumter Cheraw Tribe, the surprising history of Stateburg and its homes and history exhibits by Sumter County Museum and Temple Sinai. The Ruins is one of the few remaining historic homes in the Stateburg area of Sumter. The land was purchased from Thomas Sumter, a hero of the Revolutionary War. The original 40'x45' house was built in 1784 by John Mayrant, a sea-faring hero who served with John Paul Jones in the same war. It was expanded several times with the final and most lavish one by Videau Marion Singleton and her husband, Robert Marion DeVeaux, in 1838. The address for The Holiday Tour at The Ruins is 1257 Barnwell Drive, Sumter. There is no admission fee for the event.
The Evening Optimist Club will hold its annual Sumter Christmas Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. The theme for the 2024 Christmas Parade is "Believe."
Join Sumter County Museum, 122 N. Washington St., for a special Tea with Jackie themed book event celebrating the release of Dawn Tripp's new historical fiction novel "Jackie" and honoring the life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis at noon Thursday, Dec. 5, at the museum, 122 N. Washington St. According to the museum's website, "'Jackie' is the story of a woman who forged a legacy out of grief and shaped history even as she was living it a deeply private person with a nuanced, formidable intellect. It is the story of a love affair, a complicated marriage and the fracturing of identity that comes in the wake of unthinkable violence." Ticket options: event only, $10 members, $15, public; and event and book, $30 members; $35 public. All tickets include admittance to event and refreshments. Books can be signed at event. Additional books will be available for purchase. To purchase tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/3n7n263z.
CLARENDON COUNTY
Save the date for Hope Health's Golf Classic on Thursday, Nov. 21. The four-man captain's choice tournament will be at Wyboo Golf Club, Manning, and includes brunch, shotgun start and awards afterward. Awards will be given for longest drive and closest to the pin, and mulligans will be available for purchase. Register for mulligans or as a sponsor at https://tinyurl.com/seh33kpe. All proceeds go to the Compassionate Care Fund. For more details, contact Charlee Rhodes at crhodes@hope-health.org.
Don't miss out on the Clarendon Pilot Club's homemade biscuits, perfect for the holidays. The club's annual bake sale is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Presbyterian Church at Manning, 233 N. Brooks St. Club members will be selling cakes, pies, cookies, casseroles and their "Famous Homemade Biscuits."
Celebrate the season with the Parade of Lights in downtown Manning on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 5:30 p.m. Contact City Hall for more information at (803) 435-8477. Inclement weather date is Tuesday, Dec. 3.
St. Matthias Church's Christmas Days Bazaar is Saturday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church, 9 N. Dukes St., Summerton. Start your Christmas shopping and find crafts, home-baked goodies, casseroles, homemade soup and cornbread, boxed dinners available for takeout and a Resurrection Table. Vendors are invited to sell their crafts for $40 a table inside the Parish Hall. Contact Rebecca at (803) 238-5420.
Soups, Stews and Sweets is back for another year. The holiday "sip and stroll" event is Thursday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. starting at Weldon Auditorium and continuing along historic Brooks Street in downtown Manning. You'll be able to sample the best soups, stews and sweet dishes from the local culinary scene, according to Jennie Lee of Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce. Featured restaurants generally include The Lily Café, Orchard Café, Lucy's Traditional Southern Bakehouse, Catering for All Occasions, Eileen's Café, Burger Chick and Chick-fil-A of Manning. Tickets are $35 and are available at the chamber of commerce, 19 N. Brooks St., Manning, or by reaching the chamber at (803) 435-4405.