As 2022 unfolded, the arts and culture scene across Greenville County returned to its pre-pandemic norm. The Peace Center unveiled a $36 million renovation project, and several arts organizations celebrated milestone anniversaries.

Peace Center unveiled $36 million renovation project

In September, The Peace Center announced a $36 million renovation project. Dubbed A Music Project, the renovations are part of the Peace Center’s strategic plan to create an integrated, 10-venue arts and entertainment campus by or before 2030.

The project includes:

Work is expected to begin in February 2023 and be completed by late 2024.

Open Studios turns 20

Open Studios, a free, self-guided tour for people to visit artists and their workspaces, turned 20 in 2022.

The program was founded in 2002 when a group of artists pitched an idea to the Metropolitan Arts Council to promote Greenville’s growing visual arts scene. In its first year, Open Studios operated with a budget of $7,500 and featured 50 artists’ studios located across the Upstate. Since its inception, the program has grown to feature 150 artists and has a budget of more than $200,000.

The anniversary comes after the Metropolitan Arts Council reached new financial heights in 2021, raising and earning a record high of over $2.26 million.

Greenville Symphony Orchestra celebrates 75th season

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 75th season in October.

GSO kicked off the season with the world premiere of “Where Water Flows,” an orchestral work and film that trace Greenville’s history, spotlighting iconic landmarks such as the Liberty Bridge, the Reedy River and Greenville’s downtown at night.

The work was commissioned by the Peace Center to honor the orchestra’s 75th anniversary and written by Bob Farnsworth, a Greenville native, Furman University graduate and well-known film and commercial music composer.

Artisphere returned to its pre-pandemic footprint, had an $11.9 million impact

Artisphere 2022 returned to its pre-pandemic footprint in May.

The free event took over Main Street from the Court Street intersection to the Wardlaw Street intersection. It featured 135 visual artists working in 17 different mediums on GE Artist Row and welcomed more than 90,000 people to the event in Greenville.

Artisphere had an $11.9 million economic impact.

The festival will return to downtown Greenville May 12-14, 2023.

Debbie Bell retired after 34 years with S.C. Children’s Theatre

Longtime South Carolina Children’s Theatre Executive Director Debbie Bell retired in 2022.

Bell served in the role for 23 of her 34 years with the theater. She also received The Order of the Palmetto at SCCT’s 35th Anniversary Gala in October for her years of service.

Under her leadership, SCCT opened a permanent home in a state-of-the-art theater at 153 August St.

FIVE FORKS — The idea had been marinating for years, but Lazaro Montoto just had to find the right time to bring it to life.

That’s how the owner of the forthcoming Pasta Project restaurant describes the fast-casual concept he has created with his wife, Shadid, and fellow restaurateurs, Kostas Pallis A and Maria Dialis.

The new restaurant, located at 330 Scuffletown Road across from the Publix shopping center, is slated to open in the spring.

It will bring a new kind of pasta experience to the Upstate, and perhaps beyond. The idea is to merge fresh, handmade pasta and scratch-made sauces with a fast-casual setting.

Pasta Project will feature counter service ordering, but with a comfortable restaurant space.

“You will come in and first thing you’ll see is someone making fresh pasta throughout the day,” Montoto said. “The kitchen will be visible from the dining room. As an order comes in, they will saute the pasta and ingredients, sauces will be ready. Everything homemade in house.”

Montoto is no stranger to the restaurant world.

The industry veteran opened his first Tropical Grille location in 2010, and now has branched out to more than 11 locations. The company is in the process of building five more restaurants in the Upstate, Charleston and in Charlotte, he said.

Tropical Grille has gained a following for its mastery of fresh and fast cuisine. Similarly, Pasta Project will root itself in the same from-scratch realm.

Montoto had been considering a pasta concept for years. A self-described Italian food lover, he’d always seen a void in the market for a pasta-centered place that was high quality but not white tablecloth.

When he became friends with Pallis A and Dialis, owners of Basilico Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine, the idea of doing it himself got pushed to the back burner.

“I won’t do anything that competes with somebody I consider a friend,” Montoto said of his business philosophy. “One day, I asked them, ‘What do you guys think about this idea? Now that I know you guys, it’s not something I can do without you.’ They fell in love with the idea.”

Pasta Project will feature salads, desserts and a few other Italian favorites, but the heart of the menu will be pasta.

Plans call for featuring six varieties daily, which will be prepared throughout the day by a designated pasta maker, with dishes ranging from $8 to around $15 depending on protein choice.

Guests will be able to choose from a variety of sauces as well, ranging from vodka and alfredo to marinara and carbonara. Mixing and matching is encouraged.

From there, the sky is almost the limit.

Pasta Project will feature a large selection of vegetables and proteins, including chicken, shrimp and house- made meatballs, with which a guest can create a truly custom pasta dish.

Ordering will take place at a counter, but guests will be able to watch their pasta creations being made via the open kitchen.

“Making pastas fresh, it adds a completely different flavor,” Montoto said. “There is nothing like fresh pasta. The flavor, the authenticity of it. It definitely changes the final product.”

Find more information on the restaurant and on future Pasta Project locations by following Pasta Project on Facebook.

GREENVILLE — An eclectically decorated downtown burger eatery has opened its doors.

Virginia-born bar and restaurant chain Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint opened its second South Carolina location on Jan. 16 in downtown Greenville’s West End, next to Mellow Mushroom on Augusta Street.

The Jack Brown’s in Columbia’s Five Points district opened in 2022 in place of Cover 3, a sports bar that catered to a college crowd.

The menu is composed of about 100 bottled and canned beers, a dozen burgers made from American Wagyu beef, french fries, sweet potato fries and fried Oreos.

While there will be some domestic beers, general manager Samantha Sweet said the restaurant is trying to pair with local breweries to “stay as true as we can to this region.”

Sweet said the restaurant’s “overall goal is to be this basement bar.”

“We want you to feel like you’re walking into your best friend’s house,” Sweet said. “They’d know your name. They know how to talk to you. They know what you like.”

From the ceiling of the restaurant, a skeleton dangles with a telephone in its hand. A buck’s head is mounted on the back wall next to a hanging bicycle covered in multi-colored lights and a Hawaiian lei. Along the walls, shelves are lined with knick-knacks collected by one of Jack Brown’s co-founders, Aaron Ludwig.

When a new Jack Brown’s opens, Ludwig hand-selects the decor on each shelf himself, Sweet said. She personally likes the front of the vintage car that has been transformed into a custom-made tap system with six taps.

Jack Brown’s has 16 locations across Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio and South Carolina, with three additional restaurants coming soon, including Greenville.

Select community members have been invited to a soft opening on Jan. 14 before the general opening. It will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A historic Black neighborhood is continuing their battle against a bus maintenance facility.

Members of the New Washington Heights Neighborhood Association said the placement of the facility violates an agreement they’ve had with Greenville County leaders.

“That is hurting, disgusting and horrible,” said Charity Jones, Director for the Neighborhood Association

With construction beginning on a new Greenlink bus maintenance facility, on Arcadia Drive, in Greenville County, members of the association said they’re not backing down without a fight.

“Any given time at 6 o’clock in the morning, or anytime soon after that, we’re awakened by our floors moving like a mini earthquake,” said Angela Aiken, spokesperson for the association.

These residents said the county, the city and the transit authority are destroying a historic Black community.

“Was down in Mississippi, was that the last slave ship to dock? I would tell you no, Greenlink is the last slave ship to dock,” stated Aiken.

In 2013, the association said Greenville County approved a master plan for their community, preserving the history and green space.

Residents 7NEWS spoke with said they view the plan as an agreement with county leaders. To them, it’s been violated.

“I’m not sure I can agree with that, 2013 is 10 years ago, things change, situations evolve,” said Butch Kirven.

Greenville County Councilman Butch Kirven was on council in 2013. He said this is important to everyone and their intention is to create a community asset.

“I’m very sensitive to the neighborhood, but at the same time, if we don’t have an improved Greenville transit system for the entire community, it’s going to be everyone’s loss,” said Kirven.

Kirven said this area is the only option for Greenlink.

“There’s nothing racial about it, there was no intent to do that,” he said. “I think the transit folks, [Greenville Transit Authority], Greenlink, have done everything they possibly can, and continue to do, to work with the neighborhood.”

The neighborhood association has a list of demands, including an immediate stop to construction. They’d also like the county and the city to pay $5.7 million, each, in restitution.

They said they want the county to pay the New Washington Heights Neighborhood Association.

“For deliberately disengaging and dissolving the master plan created specifically for New Washington Heights,” said Paul Guy, Director for Justice Intervention Initiative.

They want city funds to go towards the residents.

“For recklessly creating a hostile environment,” said Guy.

They also want the director of the Greenville Transit Authority replaced. Until that happens, they plan to boycott.

“We shall institute an economic blockade of the Greenville city entertainment district,” said Guy.

The association is asking that no dollars from the African-American community be spent inside the district starting this Saturday.

As for legal matters, the association had filed an injunction in December, but during a hearing they said happened Tuesday, they were told they needed to file as individuals, not as an association.

Now, they’re refiling.

GREENVILLE, SC - (NewMediaWire) - January 18, 2023 - Air Today Heating & Cooling, an experienced Greenville, SC HVAC company, has announced their official expansion to Anderson, Pickens, & Oconee County, SC. With over 40 years in the industry, Air Today Heating & Cooling has established itself as a leader in heating and cooling services in Greenville, SC. In order to assist more homeowners in South Carolina receive the best possible heating & A/C care, they have started providing HVAC services in these 3 additional counties.

To also provide maximum convenience to their customers, Air Today Heating & Cooling specializes in the maintenance, installation, and repair of every type of heating and cooling system, from ductless to traditional. The heating and furnace technicians repair and install all types of heating systems, including gas packs, heat pumps, and electric and gas furnaces. As an added bonus, they are offering free estimates for all potential customers in these areas so that they can learn more about the cost of having quality HVAC systems installed.

Air pollution indoors can be up to five times higher than outside, and in some cases, up to one hundred times worse. Air Today Heating & Cooling offers air filtration and ventilation services to combat this issue, utilizing air purification systems, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and ductwork repair and installation. To keep minor issues from becoming major ones, Air Today recommends annual inspections and cleanings of home HVAC systems as an effective preventative measure. By getting ahead of problems before they arrive, homeowners can ensure the best possible comfort.

South Carolina homeowners can rest assured knowing that Air Today Heating & Cooling strives for quality service with each and every job. Whether it's installation, repair or preventative maintenance of a heating and cooling system - Air Today ensures customer satisfaction. Their extensive experience allows customers to rely on their expertise while enjoying personalized service every step of the way.

About Air Today Heating & Cooling

Air Today Heating & Cooling is a family owned and operated company serving the Upstate, SC area. They provide installation, repair, and maintenance on all types of residential HVAC equipment. If you're looking for HVAC services in Greenville, SC and the surrounding areas, Air Today Heating & Cooling is available to help! Contact them at 864-295-0905 or visit their website at iwantairtoday.com for more information.

Media Contact

Contact Person: Frank Taylor Company Name: Air Today Heating & Cooling Phone: (864) 295-0905 Email: iwantairtoday@gmail.com Website: https://iwantairtoday.com/ Address: 101 Yorkshire Dr City: Greenville State: SC Country: United States

In an age where country music is often watered down by rock or pop influences, Georgia singer-songwriter Drew Parker is the real deal. He’s pure country. Just listen to the twangy guitars on his 2022 single “Little Miss Saturday Night,” or the weeping pedal-steel guitar on the heartbreaking ballad “While You’re Gone.” Parker might be making music in the era of “bro country,” but his songs would fit perfectly with the early-1990s classic country revival that made stars out of artists like Garth Brooks and Vince Gill.

And as it turns out, that’s exactly the way he wants it. Parker, who will perform at the Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville on Saturday, Jan. 21, is a country music fan to the bone.

“What I’ve always loved is more of a traditional-based country music,” Parker says. “That’s what I grew up on and that’s what I’ve always wanted to stick to. That’s what I always found the most passion in. To be honest, I would not enjoy being on the road playing music if it didn’t sound like that.”

So far, there are a lot of fans who agree with Parker. “While You’re Gone” picked up nearly 17 million streams on Spotify, and his 2022 singles “Raised Up Right” and “Little Miss Saturday Night” are in the millions as well.

Parker’s path to country success was an interesting one. He loved music as a child but also loved playing baseball and attended college planning to play. But an injury put an end to his sports career, and he found himself at a crossroads back in 2015.

“One morning I woke up and was like, ‘If I don’t pack my truck up and move to Nashville and really go to chase this thing, it’s not going to happen,’” he says. “’I have to make a move and really try this if I want to.’”

Coincidentally, Parker had just met another up-and-coming country singer named Luke Combs, who invited him to write songs together. Parker agreed, and for his first few years in Nashville spent more time as a writer than a performer, churning out platinum-selling songs for Combs, including “This One’s For You” and “1, 2 Many,” along with the chart-topping “Homemade” for artist Jake Owen.

His dream

Though he found success as a writer, Parker never gave up on his dream of being a performer.

“My whole reason for moving was to perform,” he says. “That’s what I wanted to do. But I think you get up here and you realize the best way to network is to write with people. And so that kind of just happened on its own. But the initial goal was always to be on the road playing, performing and singing.”

Now with his own batch of songs to pull from, Parker is ready to start his 2023 touring schedule and plans to release another EP soon. Parker says that as he’s worked his way up the country music ladder, he’s been able to get a sense of momentum, and he mentions his Greenville show as a measuring stick.

“It’s been awhile since the last time I played in Greenville, South Carolina,” he says. “And I’ve heard that we’ve already sold a bunch of tickets for the show. So to know that I’m going to come back there and there’s going to be probably three times or four times as many people as there was the last time I played there, that’s super encouraging for a guy like me. That just lets us know that we’ve made progress and done something that we set out to do.”

Drew Parker w/ Noah Hicks Blind Horse Saloon Saturday, Jan. 21 blind-horse.com