Things to do across the Midlands: Kids, don't miss your monthly chance to read to a therapy dog; families have plenty of area events coming to enjoy
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SUMTER COUNTY
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. January's reading will be on Jan. 11 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 Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Tickets are between $28 and $32 and can be purchased at www.sumteroperahouse.com/ramble-tamble.
The second-annual Sumter Springfest, presented by Quixote Hospitality, Thompson and Thompson Turner, returns to Sumter for another day of food and tunes the whole family can enjoy at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 22. This year's lineup includes Chappell Court, Candi Band, 20 Ride and Party on the Moon. Tickets will be available soon at https://sumterspringfest.com/.
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. to 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.
Enjoy two hours packed with more than 20 classic hit songs, nostalgia, stories, trivia and more as Robert Neary performs an unforgettable tribute to Neil Diamond in So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, at Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Limited VIP tickets include access to sound check and post-show meet and greet. Tickets are $35 to $40 and $60 for VIP. To purchase tickets, visit www.sumteroperahouse.com/so-good-neil-diamond.
CAMDEN
Join Kershaw County Historical Society for a Grand Birthday Party History Fair from 3 to 5 pm. Sunday, Jan. 26, at Revolutionary War Visitor Center, 212 Broad St., Camden. The event will include displays by Kershaw residents sharing their ongoing local historical interests to encourage you to share yours. There will be birthday cake and fun for members attending and a drawing for birthday gifts of Society books and vintage signage. For more information, email kershawcountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
Author Derek Smith comes to Revolutionary War Visitor Center, 212 Broad St., to share his latest book about Camden during the Revolutionary War, "Revolutionary Camden: South Carolina's Bloody Epicenter in the War of Independence." The talk will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4. With two major battles occurring in Camden, Smith argues that this small frontier town was crucial to British success or failure in the Southern Campaign. Books will be available for purchase before and after the program by the author. Sign up at simplyrevolutionary.com.
COLUMBIA
Explore the Northern Lights in the digital dome planetarium of South Carolina Museum, 302 Gervais St., Columbia, through Feb. 28. "During this award-winning show created by some of Iceland's best-known scientists, writers, photographers and musicians, you will not only witness the beauty of the aurora above Earth, but also explore how these stunning displays of colors have also been seen on other planets and moons throughout our galaxy," according to the museum's website. To learn more and plan your visit, go to https://scmuseum.org/explore/astronomy/planetarium/arora.
Experience live music under the stars in State Museum's Constellation Concerts events series from 6:30 to 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 for general public and $28 for museum members. Howle has released more than 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 for general public and $16 for 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 Florence Center, 3300 W. Radio Drive, on Feb. 7-8, 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. Tickets can be purchased at 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 to 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.
Multi-platinum country artist Gary Allan will be at 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.