Downtown Florence’s Tap into Downtown Craft Brew Crawl Held This Past Weekend

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It was a great evening in Downtown Florence this past Friday for the Tap into Downtown Craft Brew Crawl.

Florence Downtown Development wants to thank everyone who attended and spent time visiting the small downtown businesses while sampling a variety of craft beers.

Thanks to True Light Photography for sharing photos and a special thank you to the event sponsors: El Agave Mexican Restaurant, Mi Tierra San Jose, and the Hyatt Place Florence/Downtown.

Tickets for this event go on sale each year in July, so keep a look out next summer for the 2023 event!

To see more photos from the event, click here.

This Past Week’s ChamberLink Radio Show Hosted Teressa Reich

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Teressa Reich, President and CEO of the Manor, talked with the Florence Chamber about their mission to provide the highest quality housing, health care, services and amenities in the retirement community this past Sunday from 12:00-12:30pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.

Teressa talked about the Manor is a place where you can age in place with care for seniors during all stages of retirement. They offer Independent Living for those who can live life on their own terms, varying levels of Assisted Living for those who need extra help, and Memory Care for those who suffer from dementia.

If you are interested in being a part of the radio program, please contact Jay Lavrinc at (843) 519-0938.

City of Florence Presented With An Achievement Award By The Municipal Association of South Carolina

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The Municipal Association of South Carolina presented its Achievement Award to the city of Florence for its downtown revitalization efforts.

The Joseph P. Riley Jr. award was presented by Charlie Barrieneau, the association’s field services manager.

The city was recognized for its efforts to bring Sav-A-Lot grocery store downtown and the City Center Market, which helped to reduce food insecurity in the area. It also developed a health and wellness campus, which includes the Barnes Street Activities Center.

The award also recognized the city’s efforts to help entrepreneurs find grants to locate their businesses downtown.

The awards recognized the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts. Those efforts are continuing.

To read the full story, click here.

Keep Florence Beautiful Competitors Run, Paddle Their Way To Victory in Adventure Race

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Three types of teams competed Saturday in a two-stage race in which the participants started a 5K and paddled home along five miles of river — the Keep Florence Beautiful Adventure Race at Lynches River County Park.

Participants either ran as individuals (one runner and the same runner as one paddler in a kayak), as a relay team (one runner, a different paddler) or as a tandem team (two run together, two paddle in the same kayak).

The race started in the parking lot above the canoe launch and ended at the US 52 landing on Lynches River.

“It’s our annual fundraiser,” said Bobbie Moore. “Some of the funds go directly back into the park. We also put funds into keep the river clear and we put funds in to do various projects around Florence and Florence County.

To read the full story, click here.

Kooper Leadership Academy To Offer Free Workshop Series

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Join Kooper Leadership Academy as they host a free workshop series.  The one-hour workshops will be held on Wednesdays at the Chamber offices.  Scheduled dates are October 13, October 20 & November 3.  Topics of discussion include Goal Setting, Power of Focus & Personal Excellence.

For more information, click here.

The School Foundation Gala is Less Than Two Weeks Away

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The School Foundation’s 22nd Annual Gala will be held on Tuesday, September 27th at Florence Darlington Technical College’s SiMT. Distinguished graduate is J. Boone Aiken III, an attorney with Aiken, Bridges, Elliott, Tyler & Saleeby, P.A. At the gala, the buffet will be held from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., and the program begins at 7:00 p.m.

At this event the names of the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year will be announced. The 2022-2023 Principal of the Year as well as the 2022-2023 Assistant Principal of the Year will also be recognized.

Reserve your tickets/table online today! Reservations and ticket option payments may be obtained by call 843-662-9996.

For more information, click here.

Are You REAL ID Ready?

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On May 3, 2023, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.  A gold star on your license or ID designates it as a REAL ID. If your license or ID does not have a gold star, it will have a message stating “Not for Federal Identification” and is not compliant to access TSA checkpoints beginning May 3, 2023.

Even though the federal law is not effective until May 3, 2023, anyone can get a REAL ID now.  To learn more, please click here.

Darlington Raceway To Once Again Host Two Race Weekends In 2023

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As part of NASCAR’s announcement of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedules, Darlington Raceway will host NASCAR race weekends on May 12-14 and Sept. 2-3. This will be the third consecutive year the track Too Tough To Tame will host two Cup Series race weekends.

“Darlington Raceway continues to be one of the most competitive and beloved tracks on the NASCAR schedule, so we look forward to hosting two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends again in 2023,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway President. “As NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary season, the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR will showcase the history of the sport like never before over Mother’s Day weekend. The tradition continues with the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs starting as part of the crown jewel Cook Out Southern 500 over Labor Day weekend.”

To read the full story, click here.

2022 Kickin’ Chicken Wing & Chili Festival

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 8th annual Kickin’ Chicken Wing and Chili Festival on Friday, Oct. 21, in the 100 block of South Dargan Street in downtown Florence. The event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m.

The wings and chili will be prepared by competing chefs and local cooking teams. For those interested in sharing special sauces for wings and chili, while competing for cooking awards, contact the Florence Chamber at 843-665-0515. The chamber supplies the wings for the cooks, but the chili is the cooker’s responsibility to supply a minimum seven gallons of chili, and wing cookers will be expected to cook between 80 and 120 pounds of wings throughout the evening.

The event will feature a few other food vendors along with a selection of beverages, including wine, local beer and craft beer. The grand stage will be set for music by the Inland Band.

Free Seminar: Doing Business with Local Government

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Join the City of Florence as they host a Doing Business with Local Government Seminar on Thursday, October 20th beginning at 9:00 AM at the City Center.  The purpose of this event is to increase minority participation in the local government procurement process. Kindly RSVP by October 14th.

For more information, click here.