Two Spartanburg County nonprofits both serving those with little or no income and no insurance – Spartanburg Shares Medical Loan Closet and Help for Our Elderly – are teaming together for an annual pickleball charity tournament Saturday, July 15 at 9am at the Spartanburg Athletic Club. The tournament will benefit both charities. Participants can choose between a round-robin or doubles/mixed doubles format. There are 12 courts, and each person pays $28 to register. Registration ends Tuesday, July 11 at 9pm. Click this link to register (https://bit.ly/3P00E0M).

The pickleball tournament is seeking sponsors. Sponsorship levels range from Gold, Silver, Bronze and a $100 sponsor level. The $2,000 Gold Sponsorship includes a display banner, a logo on all advertisements, three signs, a table for a representative and four entry tickets. The $1,000 Silver Sponsorship includes a display banner, a logo on all advertisements, two signs and three entry tickets. The $500 Bronze Sponsorship includes a display banner, one sign and two entry tickets. The $100 Sponsorship includes one sign at the event.

Spartanburg Shares is a nonprofit organization lending durable medical equipment for 90 days to anyone with proof of Spartanburg County residence. Spartanburg Shares is located at 137 S. Dean St., Spartanburg, SC 29303.

Help For Our Elderly assists with supplementing its clients’ incomes with everyday necessities. Its mission is to service, supplement and enrich the lives of the elderly, disabled and infirm and their families in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union Counties. Help For Our Elderly is located at 2375 E. Main St., Unit A-311, Spartanburg, SC 29307.

For more information on Spartanburg Shares, visit their website – www.spartanburgshares.org or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/spartanburgshares.

For more information on Help for Our Elderly, visit them at www.helpforourelderly.org.

Please direct all media inquiries for Spartanburg Shares to our Volunteer Coordinator and Spokesperson Evan Carr at (864) 266-1749 or [email protected].

We are so excited to spend the evening with Amiee Gibbs to talk about her new book The Carnivale of Curiosities! A dazzling gothic tale of Faustian bargains, jealousy, and murder set in a spectacular circus, where star-crossed lovers’ destinies are forged at an unexpected price—this book is perfect for readers of V. E. Schwab​’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. So join us for a book-inspired cocktail, great conversation about writing a book like this, and time with Amiee!

Your ticket includes admission, a cocktail, and a copy of the book.

BOOK SUMMARY

In Victorian London, where traveling sideshows are the very pinnacle of entertainment, there is no more coveted ticket than Ashe and Pretorius’ Carnivale of Curiosities. Each performance is a limited engagement, and London’s elite boldly dare the dangerous streets of Southwark to witness the Carnivale’s astounding assemblage of marvels. For a select few, however, the real show begins behind the curtain. Rumors abound that the show’s proprietor, Aurelius Ashe, is more than an average magician. It’s said that for the right price, he can make any wish come true. No one knows the truth of this claim better than Lucien the Lucifer, the Carnivale’s star attraction. Born with the ability to create fire, he’s dazzled spectators since he was a boy.

When Odilon Rose, one of the most notorious men in London, comes calling with a proposition regarding his young and beautiful charge, Charlotte, Ashe is tempted to refuse. After revealing, however, that Rose holds a secret that threatens the security of the troupe’s most vulnerable members, Ashe has no choice but to sign an insidious contract.

The stakes grow higher as Lucien finds himself drawn to Charlotte and her to him, an attraction that spurs a perilous course of events. Grave secrets, recovered horrors, and what it means to be family come to a head in this vividly imagined spectacle—with the lives of all those involved suspended in the balance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amiee Gibbs grew up in rural Maryland, where she still lives on an allegedly haunted road, but has dreams of running away to Ireland. She has worked for Penguin Random House for 13 years as a Sales Manager for Independent bookstores across New England, New York, and the West Coast. Prior to that she was an Assistant Sales Manager at Waldenbooks and Borders. She holds an MLA degree with a focus on world literature and creative writing and is currently teaching herself Gaeilge.

We are so excited to spend an evening with acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley! Back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history, Vanessa brings us the story of Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.

We can’t wait to hear all about this novel and Vanessa’s writing process. Join us for a night of convo and cocktails!

Your ticket includes admission, a cocktail, and a copy of the book.

BOOK SUMMARY

The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.

In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States. Louise desperately tries to steer the country’s political course as King Henry descends into a mire of mental illness.

In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, the resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry had lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nations. With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louise and her daughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and princes with marriage proposals. As they find their footing—and acceptance—they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunities they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world.

Queen of Exiles is the tale of a remarkable Black woman of history—a canny and bold survivor who chooses the fire and ideals of political struggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, forever a queen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In addition to being a novelist, Vanessa Riley holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. She currently juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women’s and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma’s cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her porch in Georgia, with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Riley lives in Atlanta.

We are so excited to spend the evening with Adrienne Brodeur! Our dear friend author Patti Callahan Henry will be moderating a conversation with Adrienne about her book Little Monsters.

From the author of the bestselling memoir Wild Game comes a riveting novel about Cape Cod, complicated families, and long-buried secrets. This book is perfect for you readers who loved The Paper Palace and Ask Again, Yes. We’ll hear all about Adrienne’s writing process, life, and this new book, so join us for a night of convo and cocktails!

Your ticket includes admission, a cocktail, and a copy of the book.

BOOK SUMMARY

Ken and Abby Gardner lost their mother when they were small and they have been haunted by her absence ever since. Their father, Adam, a brilliant oceanographer, raised them mostly on his own in his remote home on Cape Cod, where the attachment between Ken and Abby deepened into something complicated—and as adults their relationship is strained. Now, years later, the siblings’ lives are still deeply entwined. Ken is a successful businessman with political ambitions and a picture-perfect family and Abby is a talented visual artist who depends on her brother’s goodwill, in part because he owns the studio where she lives and works.

As the novel opens, Adam is approaching his seventieth birthday, staring down his mortality and fading relevance. He has always managed his bipolar disorder with medication, but he’s determined to make one last scientific breakthrough and so he has secretly stopped taking his pills, which he knows will infuriate his children. Meanwhile, Abby and Ken are both harboring secrets of their own, and there is a new person on the periphery of the family—Steph, who doesn’t make her connection known. As Adam grows more attuned to the frequencies of the deep sea and less so to the people around him, Ken and Abby each plan the elaborate gifts they will present to their father on his birthday, jostling for primacy in this small family unit.

Set in the fraught summer of 2016, and drawing on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, Little Monsters is an absorbing, sharply observed family story by a writer who knows Cape Cod inside and out—its Edenic lushness and its snakes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adrienne Brodeur is the author of the memoir Wild Game, which was selected as a Best Book of the Year by NPR and The Washington Post and is in development as a Netflix film. She founded the literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story with Francis Ford Coppola, and currently serves as executive director of Aspen Words, a literary nonprofit and program of the Aspen Institute. She splits her time between Cambridge and Cape Cod, where she lives with her husband and children.

We have always loved the way food and wine tell stories from the table. So we’re teaming up with our friends at Mission Grape to highlight new winemakers, pairing their bottles with inspired food from the mastermind of Chef Teryi Youngblood Musolf for a really special evening. Welcome to Big Wine Nights with Camilla Kitchen, super-exclusive chef-centered wine dinners we host in our beautiful event space, The Gallery at M. Judson.

Chef Teryi and her team at Camilla Kitchen have put together a fabulous menu paired with some of our favorite wines from Mission Grape— each course is like a little love story— and Danny Baker will be on hand to talk about the people, land and grapes behind each bottle. Wines will be available for sale by the bottle and by the case at a 15% discount. Take a look at the menu below and get your tickets today!

Please join the Advanced Institute for Development and Learning Saturday, July 29th for a Yard and Bake Sale Fundraiser. The yard sale will include housewares, furniture, baby and children’s items and more!

If you’re interested in donating, check out our event page for drop-off times, or otherwise, we hope you’ll come shop on July 29th from 8am – 12pm!

Are you ready for some football?

On Friday, August 11th, Hope Center for Children will turn Indigo Hall into the ultimate tailgate party with its Twelfth Annual Tailgate Trot. Festivities start at 6:00 p.m. and end at 10 p.m. Guests must be 21 or older. Your participation will support our vitally important work to Protect Children & Support Families.

Admission is $75 per person. Group discounts are available.

Get your tickets by visiting: hopecfc.org

This year’s Tailgate Trot will host the American Cornhole Association’s Cornhole-for-a-Cause competition and other games and feature special guests, a silent auction, raffles, food stations, beer and wine, and signature tailgate cocktails. The well-known Carolina Coast Band will provide live music.

So, get out your favorite team jersey, invite your friends, and celebrate the new football season at the 12th annual Tailgate Trot!

Are you ready for some football?

Join us on August 11th for Hope Center for Children’s 12th Annual Tailgate Trot “Fun”-raiser!

Get your tickets here: rb.gy/mg3tl
Download sponsor booklet (PDF): tinyurl.com/nnhh7btb

Wear your favorite team gear and join us for some fun including:

• Live music from the Carolina Coast Band • Silent Auction • Raffles • Delicious food and drinks • Tailgate games

Sponsorships are available. Contact Phyliss Skuba at 864-583-7688 ext. 102 or [email protected]

CornerFocus cordially invites you to tee off at the 1st Annual Triple-P Golf Tournament held at the premiere Club at Brookstone on August 23, 2023.

$125 donation
Each golfer plays 18 holes of golf and includes a cart, lunch, door prizes, boxing memorabilia auction, 1st and 2nd place, longest drive and closest to pin awards.

Proceeds are applied to the CornerFocus ‘Triple-P’ program. Helping at-risk youth athletes Prepare for success, Protecting them physically, and Performing to their full potential.

Registration Deadline: August 9, 2023

Special Guest – Al Bernstein
Al Bernstein is best known to a national audience as the voice of boxing, first for ESPN, and now for Showtime. He has achieved success in television, movies, and as a live stage performer. As Ambassador for CornerFocus, he is passionate about fostering the values of safety and responsibility to next generation’s athletes.

Local band The Grateful Brothers announces their upcoming benefit concert in support of the nonprofit organization Loaves & Fishes. The event will take place on September 15th at The Radio Room, one of the city’s premier live music venues. Doors will open at 7:00
PM, with the show starting at 8:00 PM.
Proudly presented by The Radio Room Greenville, this year’s lineup includes The Grateful Brothers, and Matt Fassas Trip.
The Grateful Brothers is a highly regarded band known for their captivating performances paying homage to two legendary rock bands, the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. This special concert will showcase their exceptional musical talent while raising funds and awareness for a worthy cause.
Doors open at 7:00 PM, and the show starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets available now. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
There are a LOT of fun and philanthropic events in Greenville, but “if you get confused, just listen to the music play.” like The Grateful Dead said.
Attendees can look forward to an evening of soulful music, vibrant energy, and an opportunity to support a worthwhile cause. In addition to the concert, there will be various opportunities for patrons to contribute to Loaves & Fishes, including a raffle and t-shirt sales.
“We’re thrilled to bring this show together with The Radio Room and Loaves & Fishes! We have a wonderful community around this band, and this is a great opportunity to bring us all together to give back to the local community and fight food insecurity in Greenville while enjoying a killer night of live music. Truly a win-win!” says Zach Thigpen, singer and guitarist of The Grateful Brothers.
“We’re excited to team up for another great event of Rock Out Hunger with Loaves & Fishes, because food rescue is something that we’re all passionate about. We’re currently in our 13th year as a business, and this will be our 2nd event with Loaves & Fishes, and we hope for many more to come”, says Wes Gilliam, a co-owner of the Radio Room in Greenville, SC, as well as a founder of the Upstate Music Awards. He is a proud husband and father and a longtime supporter of Loaves & Fishes.
“Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if you look at it right.”- Jerry Garcia
Proceeds from Rock Out Hunger will be put to immediate use this year rescuing food in Greenville