Events Calendar
Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Saturday, June
8, 2024
The AgSouth Growing Our Communities Grant
Upstate Outdoor Activity & Recreation Map
Volunteer Opportunites: Greer Relief
Greenville State Farmers Market
Hub City Farmer’s Market
Landrum Farmers Market
Simpsonville Farmers Market
TD Saturday Market
Travelers Rest Farmers Market
NC Arboretum Hiking Trails
Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
Volunteer with Meals on Wheels
INDIVIDUAL
ROUTE
ROUTE
Adventure Day
Adventure Day
Guided Trail Walk
Make-A-Wish SC Trailblaze Challenge Info Session + Social!
National Get Outdoors Day
National Get Outdoors Day at Chimney Rock
Sandburg Home Tour Free Days: Annual Sandburg Music Festival
Yoga in the Garden
Yoga in the Garden with Kristin Shook
Keeping the future of agriculture bright
Each year, AgSouth Farm Credit supports non-profit organizations and farmers markets with grants of up to $5,000 to help in their endeavors and to further the future of agriculture in our region of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Grant Mission & Objectives
The AgSouth Growing Our Communities Grant’s mission is to build strong partnerships and alliances, leveraging the resources within our grant program to preserve and promote the farmer, the family, and our communities. The grant has three main objectives:
- Invest in the future of agriculture.
- Enhance and impact the quality of life in the AgSouth territory.
- Be recognized as a leading corporate citizen in the AgSouth territory.
Applications
The AgSouth Growing Our Communities Grant operates on an application-based grant system. Grants will be awarded for up to $5,000 per organization per year. To be considered for funding, organizations’ values and purpose must align with the grant program’s mission. Applications must be submitted online. You will be asked to attach a copy of your organization’s W9 to the application prior to submission. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted. Please make sure you complete all fields prior to submission.
Project Guidance
As part of the application, organizations must submit a project the grant will help fund. Examples of previously funded projects include but are not limited to:
• Providing farmers market programming for children
• Purchasing fans for a livestock arena to help cool the animals
• Developing a comprehensive chick hatching program to give tools and resources to those wanting to raise backyard flocks
• Opening a demonstration farm in conjunction with a local school district
• Purchasing grain bin rescue equipment for fire and rescue teams
• Funding a bee-keeping education program for vulnerable youths
• Purchasing an irrigation system at a local Farmers Market
• Expanding a local church garden space and adding fencing
• Hosting an annual agricultural event
• Purchasing a cargo trailer to transport livestock equipment
• Building a school greenhouse
Eligibility Considerations
Grants will be considered for programs only in the 147 counties and geographic areas where AgSouth Farm Credit conducts business. Grants will only be awarded to non-profit organizations and farmers markets and will not be awarded to individuals or private farms.
Funding Cycle
Grant applications will be accepted from April 1 to June 30th, 2024. Proposals will be reviewed and grants will be awarded in Nov-Dec of 2024. Funds awarded maybe utilized by recipients during the 2025 calendar year.
Application Deadline
The 2025 Grant Application period is now open. Applications can be received from April 1 to June 30th, 2024.
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Admission and parking are free
The Greenville State Farmers Market includes retail sheds and farmer stalls that offer a wide variety of locally grown products and specialty goods. Both quality and variety are standards for the volume of products offered for sale at the Greenville State Farmers Market. Market operations continue Monday – Saturday all year long, ceasing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Find information about upcoming events and what’s in season at our market’s Facebook page.
From its beginning as a tailgate produce market along the Court Street curbside in the heart of downtown, the Greenville Farmers Market has been an integral part of the community. When the need for more space and better facilities was recognized, the Greenville County Marketing Commission helped relocate the market to its present location on June 1, 1949. The Greenville Market continued to operate under the oversight of the Greenville County Marketing Commission until 1980 when by mutual agreement, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture assumed operations of the facility. After selling part of the market property in 2017, the Greenville State Farmers market now operates solely as a retail market on approximately 4 acres and continues its proud heritage of service to the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
The retail market includes a major produce vendor and horticultural vendor year-round. Market operations continue daily, ceasing only for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Retail hours are 8 am through 6 pm, Monday through Saturday. The market is closed on Sunday.
Small Vendor Saturdays operates from April through December and consists of local farmers and vendors who rent tables in the daily sales area to offer their products.
A privately-owned restaurant is also located onsite.
The market also sponsors two festivals each year:
Piedmont Plant & Flower Festival | April/May
- Gardening plants from across the state, gardening advice clinics
- Aquaculture products (koi fish and pond items)
- Natural soil additives and worm castings
- Lawn & garden accessories (yard ornaments, garden tools, etc.)
AutumFest at the Market | September/October
- Reminds the public that there are Fall products still available at the Market
- Apples, pumpkins, squash, gourds, etc.
- Mums, pansies, and other Fall plants
Every Saturday April through December 9, vendors provide local, seasonal products at Northside Harvest Park.
Once signed up for SNAP, you can double up to $40 each Saturday, and we’ll give you an extra $15 for fruits and vegetables! Learn more about how to turn $40 into $95 by clicking here.
The Simpsonville Farmers Market is an open-air market held on in-season Saturdays in the heart of downtown Simpsonville. Our vendors are local farmers and artisans, and unlike others in the area we plan and run our own market each year. We feature an array of products from the expected seasonal fruits and vegetables, to eggs and artisan cheeses, locally roasted coffee, eggs and meat, health and beauty care, and much more. What was a small affair in 2010 has now grown into a celebrated market known locally for its high quality and variety.
There is a lot to choose from, so make sure you bring your reusable shopping bags!
The weather and growing seasons are a factor in how long our season is, so follow us on Facebook to stay up to date!
On Saturday mornings from the beginning of May until the end of October, two blocks of downtown Greenville’s Main Street are transformed into a bustling farmers’ market. The market features over 75 vendors selling the season’s freshest produce and the area’s most original and high quality crafts. Each week thousands of people flock to the TD Saturday Market for locally-sourced products where all food must be grown or produced within 100 miles of Greenville and crafters are highly-encouraged to use locally-sourced supplies.
There is something undeniably special about Greenville’s TD Saturday Market. We invite you to join us Saturday mornings to experience it for yourself!
OUR MISSION:
Community. Education. Commerce.
Travelers Rest Farmers Market is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization created to provide a forum for the exchange of local products and goods, as well as educational and cultural activities for increasing knowledge about, appreciation for, and participation in the local production of natural products, while also fostering a sense of community among the residents and visitors of the Travelers Rest area.
Saturdays, 8:30 am – 12 noon
Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.
Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.
What is Bonsai?
Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.
What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.
The Bonsai Exhibition Garden
Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.
Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
- Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
- Garden Open Year Round
- Parking Fees
- Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
-
Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
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Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
- Members: Free
Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.
Bring hope to the homebound.
DELIVERY VOLUNTEERS
INDIVIDUAL
VOLUNTEERS
No matter what your schedule is like, we can find a route for you—whether you want to deliver daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or just occasionally. Ready to deliver? Fill out an application today!
ROUTE
SUBSTITUTES
Sometimes our scheduled volunteers are unable to make their routes due to illness or other commitments. If you are interested in becoming a substitute, sign up for emails to get notifications on open routes!
ROUTE
PARTNERS
We have nearly 150 Route Partners who deliver meals regularly to our homebound clients. Learn more about this program now!
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
MEAL PACKAGING
We need volunteers to pack nearly 1,500 meals every Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until approximately 10:00 a.m. The food is prepared by our kitchen staff and set-up in an assembly line for packaging.
PET FOOD PACKAGING
Meals on Wheels also strives to help the pets of the homebound in Greenville. We need volunteers to package dog and cat food for monthly distribution and to organize pet food drives.
MEAL DISTRIBUTION
Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday from 10:30 until 12 pm to greet in-coming volunteers, hand out route sheets and answer questions.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Our annual events are great fundraising opportunities. They’re also a lot of fun, whether you get involved as a participant, committee member, volunteer or corporate sponsor.
Adventure Day is around the corner- June 8th!!
Bring your family & tell your friends about this exciting fun day! You get to see our facility, meet all the animals, play games, enjoy some food & more!!
FREE to enter.
$5 to pet the animals that can safely be pet. Tickets sold 6 for $5 for food and activities.
All raised funds goes directly to the care of our rescued animals. We hope to see you here, June 8th!
Our exact address will be posted on our website the day before the event for your traveling needs. https://rescueexotics.org/adventure-day
June 8th, 2024
10am-5pm
Come join us for Adventure Day it will be a wild family fun time!! We are only open to the public a couple times a year, you won’t want to miss out. Come meet the animals, see our facility updates & make life long memories!
By joining us you will be helping the animals —they rely on your support!
💠Meet the animals
💠raffles
💠games
💠food
💠music
& much more!
Bring your family and tell your friends, it’s going to be wild time!
FREE to enter.
$5 wrist bands to pet animals that are able to be pet.
Take 183 to Easley
Turn on Thomas mill rd by the Spinx
Follow the signs to Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, Inc.
(Our sanctuary is located at a private residence, for privacy we put the signs out the night before the event and we post the address only on our website the day before the event.)
www.rescueexotics.org
Hit the trails and learn more about The North Carolina Arboretum’s botanically diverse forest with a guided trail walk! April through October, this free hiking program is led by trained volunteer guides who take small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season and each guide’s area of expertise, topics of discussion may include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history and more.
Guided trail walks are limited to 15 people, including the guide, and are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age. Groups depart from the Baker Visitor Center Lobby on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m..
Walks last 1.5 – 2.5 hours, are approximately one to two miles in length. As this program is held rain or shine, all participants should dress appropriately for the weather.
There is no pre-registration; walks are first-come first served and sign up sheets are located in the Baker Visitors Center.
Walks are FREE; however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.
Know Before You Go
- Guided Trail Walks are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age.
- Guided Trail Walks are rain or shine and all participants should be dressed comfortably and for the weather.
- Hikes cover 1-2 miles and last 1.5-2 hours.
- Well-behaved leashed pets are welcome to accompany their owners. In the rare case that a pet is disruptive or negatively impacts the experience, the pet and its owner may be asked to excuse themselves from the guided walk.
🌟 Get Ready to Trailblaze for a Cause! 🌟
🥾 Join us at Double Stamp Brewery to dive into the details of the Fall ’24 Trailblaze Challenge presented by Fairway Subaru! Whether you’re an avid hiker or looking to start, this event is your gateway to making a significant impact.
Details:
Date: Saturday, June 8th
Time: Info session: 10-11am | social gathering begins at 11am)
Location: Double Stamp Brewery, 819 Laurens Rd, Greenville, SC
After the info session, enjoy some brews, socialize, and connect with fellow outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about hiking and helping Make-A-Wish South Carolina fulfill dreams.
Info session attendees will have a chance to win a $150 REI gift card & Double Stamp Brewery swag!
Embrace the Outdoors. Support Make-A-Wish South Carolina.
The Trailblaze Challenge is your chance to combine hiking with a powerful mission: supporting Make-A-Wish South Carolina. Hike to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses and explore South Carolina’s beautiful trails.
More Than a Hike
The Trailblaze Challenge is a life-changing experience that tests you physically and emotionally. By participating, you help bring hope and joy to children in need.
National Get Outdoors Day or GO Day for short is an annual event that encourages healthy, active outdoor fun by introducing kids and first-time participants to outdoor recreation opportunities on our public lands. Everyone can enjoy the Cradle of Forestry for FREE this day! Come explore our exhibit hall, film, café, gift shop and over 3 miles of paved hiking trails and seven historical buildings from the time of the first forestry school in America, the Biltmore Forest School.
SCHEDULE
We will be open 10 am to 5pm. Our film, First in Forestry plays every half hour. Come explore all the magic the Cradle of Forestry has to offer!
This holiday highlights one of our favorite things to do: get outdoors! Stop by the park for a day of hiking, outdoor activities, education stations, and more. Our friends from Waypoint Adventures will be on site leading accessible hikes. Full schedule and details below!
Schedule of Events
Rockin’ Raptors | Chimney level
10am – 3pm
Many types of powerful birds of prey call Hickory Nut Gorge home. Stop by to meet a naturalist and learn about the role raptors play in our ecosystem.
Threats and Thorns | Waterfall
10am – 3pm
All plants and animals have special adaptations that help them survive in their environment. But which ones can be harmful to people? Meet a naturalist and learn more.
Climbing Demonstrations by Fox Mountain Guides | Outcroppings Deck
10am – 3pm
Fox Mountain Guides will be onsite offering free climbing demonstrations for anyone interested ages six years old and up. No experience necessary. All equipment provided.
What a Ranger Does | Top Parking lot
11am-1pm
Meet a Chimney Rock State Park Ranger and learn about what a day on the job looks like at this touch-a-truck style station.
Guided hike with Waypoint Adventures | Meet in Top Parking lot
10am and 2pm | Hickory Nut Falls trail
Join Waypoint Adventure and Chimney Rock staff on a moderate hike to one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains: Hickory Nut Falls.
This hike will be accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities. Waypoint Adventure has a variety of off-road hiking wheelchairs, along with a team of trained staff and volunteers to support your needs. Once registered, we will be in touch to discuss specific accommodations and supports.
Please note: registration is encouraged for this hike if you require support from Waypoint.
2pm Signup:
Entertainment will include: Jennifer Armstrong, Mountain Square Dance Circle with Walt Pickett, dulicimer players Steve and Jean Smith, local Folk musician Laura Boosinger, and headlining Blues Legend Mac Arnold!
Amphitheatre
10a.m: Jennifer Armstrong kicks off festivities with storytelling for kids of all ages, to honor Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, which were tales written for his daughters. Jennifer has spent her life writing, singing, and making music with fiddle, bagpipe, banjo, and words. She was a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and has been heard on NPR.
12p.m: Laura Boosinger celebrates the music of Appalachia through old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, and fingerstyle Autoharp. Laura attended Warren Wilson College in the 1970’s, where she learned clawhammer banjo, called Southern Mountain Square dances, and attended Shaped Note Singing School with North Carolina Folk Heritage Award winner Quay Smathers. Laura is a Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina consultant and the voice of their podcast, “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails.” In 2017, Laura was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.
2p.m: Mac Arnold plays the Blues with Austin Brashier and Max Hightower. At age 24, Arnold joined the Muddy Waters Band, shaping the electric Blues sound of the 1960’s and 70’s. Mac has shared stages with Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and Big Mama Thornton. In 2012, Mac was nominated for the Blues Foundation’s Traditional Blues Male Artist Award and also received a Blues Blast Music Award Nomination for “Traditional Blues Recording of the Year,” with Plate Full O’Blues. In 2014, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from USC Columbia. In 2017, Mac was inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame. In 2023, he received the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame Award.
Austin Brashier is a guitar slinger and vocalist. He grew up listening to Blues, and eventually took his band on the road. He has had the privilege to open for Blues players such as B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Tinsley Ellis, Derek Trucks, and Nappy Brown.
Max Hightower started his music career at age 12 when he bought his first Blues cassette tape, “Muddy Mississippi Live by Muddy Waters.” He plays keyboard, guitar, bass, and sings. Harmonica is his instrument of choice. Max is a founding member of Plate Full O’Blues and has shared stages with Hubert Sumlin, Willie Smith, and Leon Everette.
Barn Garage
10:45am to 12pm: Walter Puckett calls Mountain Circle Square Dances. A festival first, to celebrate the Sandburgs’ love of square dancing! Come dance! When he was just nine years old, Walter called his first dance at a PTA event with his third-grade class. Walt has traveled with the Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers, winning many awards. Walt also had the ultimate privilege to dance at the Grand Ole Opry. 2024 marks his 80th birthday!
Barnyard
12pm to 2pm: Henderson County natives Steve and Jean Smith play mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer. They perform regularly at Carl Sandburg Home. They have taught dulcimer at festivals and workshops nationwide. In 1984, Steve won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championships at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He returned to win the 1985 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships at Winfield, only the second person to win both Championships.
Parking, Shuttles, and Accessibility
Parking is limited. Please carpool or take a ride share or taxi. Three parking lots will have shuttle service. Approximate shuttle times will be posted in all parking lots with shuttle service. Visitors with mobility concerns are strongly urged to take a shuttle.
- Wheelchair-Accessible Shuttle: The park’s main parking lot has the only wheelchair-accessible shuttle. This lot is located on Little River Road, across from Flat Rock Playhouse.
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Playhouse (enter via Little River Road).
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Village Hall, 110 Village Center Drive.
Parking lot without a shuttle: The hikers’ lot (located ½ mile drive from the main lot). Park and then walk .4 to .7 mile through the park to festivities.
Free Sandburg Home Tours
As part of Music Fest, free Sandburg Home tours will be offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are first come, first serve in the Visitor Center/Park Store (on the Sandburg Home ground floor) beginning at 9:30 a.m. (To reserve tickets on non-festival days visit www.recreation.gov).
Music Festival is supported by:
Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc.
America’s National Parks, the non-profit partner that operates the park store
The music festival began in 1987, to celebrate Carl Sandburg’s efforts to document the history of American music in his American Songbag. Carl Sandburg published the American Songbag in 1927 after spending years documenting and researching early American songs. As Sandburg said, “The American Songbag is a ragbag of strips, stripes, and streaks of color from nearly all ends of the earth. The melodies and verses presented here are from diverse regions, from varied human characters and communities, and each is sung differently in different places.” His publication does not focus on one genre of music, but rather on the human experience. “It is an All-American affair, marshalling the genius of thousands of original singing Americans.”
Sandburg enjoyed all American musical genres. He spent years interviewing musicians and singers, documenting their songs, including folk, gospel, jazz and blues. Carl Sandburg said, “the American Songbag comes from the hearts and voices of thousands of men and women.”
Compiling and publishing the American Songbag was one of the most difficult writing projects Sandburg took on during his life. Today, the Carl Sandburg Music Festival celebrates his work and the work of modern singers and songwriters to share diverse and original American music.
Yoga in the Garden with Kristin Shook
Saturdays at 10:30 am
April 6 – June 22
Hatcher Garden Activities Deck
Please register each week for Yoga in the Garden.
Suggested donation is $15 and can be paid online or in person.
All donations keep Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve a beautiful, peaceful place for all to enjoy.