Hundreds help kick off season for Florence After Five

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downtown5

“FLORENCE, S.C. – The end of April marks the beginning of the Florence After Five season for many Florence residents who turned out for the free downtown entertainment Friday evening.

Entering its tenth season, Florence After Five hosts a free concert on the last Friday of each month in historic downtown Florence at the Renaissance Dining Courtyard. The series runs from April until October and offers food, drinks and entertainment.

Hundreds of people helped kick off this year’s Florence After Five season starting at 5:30 p.m. Guests could indulge in food and beverages from vendors including Dolce Vita, The Library, Victors and Wholly Smokin’. This year the stage is now at the south end of Dargan Street allowing for more space and for the food vendors to be closer to the action. Host and emcee Dan E. Lockemy said he is especially excited about the new dance floor added to the front of the stage that will help get the Friday crowd going.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Lockemy said. “I get to host a lot of beach music events and that’s what we spotlight here. It gives people not only from Florence but from the Pee Dee to come and enjoy what we have to offer in downtown Florence.”

At 6 p.m., The Pizazz Band took the stage to entertain with soulful, funky sounds featuring rock, beach, top 40 and country hits. The Pizazz Band is the first of seven bands to perform during this year’s Florence After Five season. The entertainment continued at 8:30 p.m. with the musical stylings of Tastes Like Chicken during the Florence After Five after-party.

New to the event this year was a Kids Fun Zone sponsored by the Florence Recreation Department where children and their families enjoyed an evening of games and prizes. Another addition to the Florence After Five festivities was a Pecan Cook-Off sponsored by the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau.

 Darlene Buchanan, recreation manager for the city of Florence, said this is the recreation department first year planning the Kids Fun Zone and her and her staff jumped at the opportunity to organize a kids’ zone for Florence After Five. Buchanan said each event will feature a different set of activities for the children ages 5-12 to enjoy. Friday’s kid zone offered oversized jenga, arts and crafts, bowling and piñatas in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo.

“There no kid that’s going to leave with some sort of prize,” Buchanan said. “We think every kid will leave the zone happy.”

The next Florence After Five is set for Friday, May 26, featuring the band Second Nature. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Florence After Five events, contact the Florence Downtown Development Corporation at 843-665-2047.”

SCNow Web Article – Hundreds help kick off season for Florence After Five