SC Pecan Festival To Return This Year with New Look and Name

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Florence Downtown Development Corp., and organizers of Florence’s longest-running event downtown, announced the festival’s new name and look for 2021.  The 17-year old SC Pecan Festival is now the SC Pecan Music & Food Festival. The change comes after the 2020 installation of the event was canceled due to COVID-19 last July.  For any individuals attending the 2021 festival, these are the policies and procedures they will be expected to follow and can also expect will be in place. “The SC Pecan Festival is a Florence mainstay, and over the past few years, the festival has started making moves to evolve and change with the community that has long supported it. In that spirit, we are thrilled to debut the brand-new look and name for Downtown Florence’s longest-running event, the ‘SC Pecan Music & Food Festival,’” said George Jebaily, Festival Chairman.

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George Jebaily: Pecan Festival Sparked Florence’s Downtown Redevelopment

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Pat Gibson-Hye Moore had no idea that when she and Jeanne Downing developed the idea to hold a festival in Florence that the idea would be credited 18 years later with igniting the city’s downtown revitalization. Florence Mayor Pro Tempore George Jebaily provided an overview of the history of the pecan festival at a news conference held Tuesday morning to mark the renaming of the festival as the South Carolina Pecan Music and Food Festival.  At end of the news conference, Gibson-Hye Moore said she didn’t have any idea what the festival would develop into, but she was excited to attend the announcement of the renaming and the 2021 festival. “Let’s go nuts, baby,” she said.

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Florence Animal Hospital Celebrates Chamber Membership with a Ribbon Cutting

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Florence Animal Hospital celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, March 23rd  with a ribbon cutting. Joining the doctors and staff were Chamber ambassadors.  The Animal Hospital is located at 2520 Melon St. in Florence, just off U.S. 52 and across from the Pee Dee Farmer’s Market.  The facility opened in mid-June 2020 and is a part of an on-going practice with Ryan James, DVM, and Kenzo Tochiki, DVM. James and Tochiki have been working together at the Hartsville Animal Hospital at 914 W. Carolina Ave. since they purchased that practice in 2014.  We always planned to expand, with the hope that by creating a network of hospitals we would be able to offer the best possible care to our patients,” James said in August to the Morning News. “That was always our goal.”

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Woodforest National Bank Opens Inside Irby Street Walmart

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce welcomed Woodforest National Bank into its membership on Friday, March 19th with a ribbon cutting at the bank’s grand opening of the Irby Street location. The bank is located within the Walmart Supercenter on Irby Street in Florence. Chamber ambassadors joined the staff for the celebration. “We are a full-service bank,” said Kevin Goodwin, Branch Manager. The bank offers individual and business checking accounts, savings accounts, revolving lines of credit, and secured, unsecured and business loans and other services, Goodwin said. With an ATM for deposits and withdrawals, Goodwin said, the branch offers 24-hour banking.

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City Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Sports Complex

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Jeff Jeffers got to see his father’s dream come true Monday, March 22nd. Jeffers spoke about his father at a groundbreaking ceremony for the City of Florence’s $16 million baseball and track complex that will feature a full-size track facility, a stadium for the Florence RedWolves, a high school baseball field, five Little League fields and a joint city-Florence One Schools farm. He said that his father, Billy, served as the recreation director of the city for several years and had always dreamed about having a facility like the one the city broke ground for. Billy Jeffers served as the city’s recreation director from 1958 to 1984.

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Jo’s Beauty Supply Joins Chamber and Celebrates with Ribbon Cutting

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Jo’s Beauty Supply celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, March 22nd at its South Cashua Drive location. Owner Joann Crouch cut the ribbon. She was joined by staff and chamber ambassadors. Crouch said she is very excited to be joining the chamber. “I am joining the chamber to network and give back to the community,” she said.

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Ribbon Cutting Held for SCORE – Pee Dee Branch

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Strand Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), serving the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee, held a ribbon cutting on Friday, March 19th for the new Pee Dee branch. The event was held in the courtyard behind the Chamber office.  The Grand Strand SCORE is supporting the new Pee Dee Branch, allowing this area to have access to a mentorship program. The partnership will provide the region additional resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Jim Helfgott, SCORE Grand Strand Chapter Chairman, said Rich Spivey has become the first certified mentor for the Pee Dee branch. He said Mike Reichenbach, Chairman of the Florence Chamber, will be completing his training also.

K & K Painting Holds Ribbon Cutting

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K & K Painting held a ribbon cutting Wednesday, March 17th with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Cutting the ribbon was Nita Kirk, Owner. She was surrounded by Chamber ambassadors, family and staff who came out to help her celebrate. K & K Painting opened Feb. 1 at 280 Quinby Circle specializing in interior painting, both first time and repainting. Kirk said she and her staff do some drywall and minor floor repairs. “I have been painting for some time,” she said. “I thought it was time to create a brand and a legacy for my two grandchildren.”

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Precious and Hope Healthcare LLC Celebrate Chamber Membership

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Precious and Hope Healthcare LLC celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, March 18th with a ribbon cutting. Precious and Hope Healthcare is in Timmonsville located at 203 W. Smith St.  Owner Tonya Tawanda Dickey was joined by her staff, family, Timmonsville Chief of Police Thomas McFadden and Chamber ambassadors for the occasion.  Dickey opened the health care service in October 2020. She serves the Pee Dee region and the Lowcountry.

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Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler named Public Servant of the Year

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Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler is the 2021 recipient of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and Francis Marion University Public Servant of the Year award. Florence Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin presented the second annual Public Servant of the Year award to Heidler at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Outlook Luncheon held Wednesday, March 17th at the Florence Center.  The award was created in 2019 by the chamber and Francis Marion University to honor a chamber member from the nonprofit or government sectors. The inaugural award was presented to Florence-Darlington Technical College interim President Ed Bethea. Myers Ervin said she considered it to be a great honor to present the award to Heidler.

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