I was fascinated by the Carolina Food Project blog a few years ago. They don’t update as much now, but I see a post from April 23– maybe they will be posting more in the future! Its fun to read if you have some time– they ate all local food for a year.

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

I have an addiction to Tervis Tumblers. They are taking over my cabinets as we speak (errr… type?). Yet, this post on Tomlinson’s blog is calling out to me to go buy more! Tomlinsons also carries lids and straws.

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

Amy Lauren posted about her weekend celebrating her husbands graduation from college. She mentions Rebel Pie again– I have GOT to try this place!

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

I think this is a great plan! Registered kids get two free games of bowling every day all summer long! They have certain dates and times posted, but still– FREE. I am a fan of free. All Star Lanes offers it this summer.
The times available are pretty generous too:

Monday 11:00am — 6:00pm
Tuesday 11:00am — 6:00pm
Wednesday 4:00pm — 11:00pm
Thursday 11:00am — 7:00pm
Friday 11:00am — 6:00pm
Saturday 1:00pm — 6:00pm
Sunday 2:00pm — 8:00pm

@Flossipfriend and I took our kids yesterday and had a blast– I’m actually not sure who had more fun– them or us?

The other bonus? Its SMOKE FREE!! It was so much nicer!

(She beat me soundly, for the record.)

118 N Cashua Dr
Florence, SC, 29501
(843) 669-5151

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

I love, love, love when I see house renovation pictures on facebook! I found a whole blog full of them! Renovating Madison is about a house transformation right here in Florence. I love it!

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

From the Florence Mens Choral Society Website:

5th Anniversary Gala Performance

      Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center

201 S. Dargan Street

                               November 19, 2011

           Gala – 7:00 p.m.            Performance – 8:00 p.m.     

The citizens of the Pee Dee and surrounding areas of South Carolina have been relishing the beautiful sounds of the Florence Men’s Choral Society since 2007.  To celebrate the beginning of their 5th year of rousing performances, the Board of Directors invites you to attend the Florence Men’s Choral Society’s 5th Anniversary Gala Performance in the new FMU Performing Arts Center on Saturday evening, November 19.  The Gala begins at 7:00 p.m. and the performance follows at 8:00 o’clock.

Joining the Florence Men’s Choral Society for this special celebration will be 60 members of the Palmetto Mastersingers under the direction of Walter Cuttino, Associate Professor of Voice/Voice Area Coordinator at the University of South Carolina  Mr. Cuttino is conductor of the Palmetto Mastersingers, Artistic Director of the Palmetto Opera,  and Director of Music at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church.  FMCS is also pleased to welcome the Palmetto State Boychoir, under the direction of Mark Railey, who will perform with the society.  And, to continue our tradition of featuring the talents of area young musicians, FMCS welcomes to the podium Mr. Kyle Brazell as guest conductor and soloist.  Kyle is a Francis Marion graduate and is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Music Education (Choral Music) at the College of Charleston.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Box Office at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center located at 201 S. Dargan Street in Florence.  You may also make your ticket purchases by calling the Box Office at 843-661-4444 or online athttp://www.fmupac.org/buy_tickets.  Additional charges may be applied to online purchases.

 Ticket Prices (Gala included in prices)

General Admission:                 $30
Seniors(55+):                            $25
Students(college and under) $10

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

I sometimes work in Kingstree and loved being able to stop and pick up something from Foodscapes. They saved me twice for supper club! I was sorry to read on Pee Dee Foodie that they have closed.

That is never the update that I want to see.

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

Florence Little Theatre will be the place to be!

See this article in SC Now for more details.

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.

This is a guest post by Tara Durden– thanks so much!!

First I want to say thanks to Flossip, Florence’s very own award-winning blogger-extraordinaire, for helping connect the Florence community through this blog AND for allowing me this space to talk about a few upcoming events. I have been following this blog as well as her facebook and twitter feeds for years and this is definitely my go-to place for all things Florence –I’ve even been asked if I am Flossip, this post will certainly prove that I am no where near as talented a writer  (Flossip note:  Yeah!  Another person I can “blame”!)

Over the past few years I have had the honor of getting to know a lot of cool FLO folks while volunteering in the community; one of the best things about living in Florence is that the constant growth allows us to get involved in so many ways! We have the opportunity to make Florence what we want it to be…a great place to live, to raise our kids, and to get to know each other. We live in a great city, surrounded by wonderful people, talented artists and musicians, and of course a downtown on the brink of revitalization and I am truly excited about being a part of it all.

My name is Tara Durden, I am writing as a guest here on theflossip.com. I grew up in Baltimore (MD) and moved to Florence in 1997, I am a mother of three GREAT kids in the IB and Montessori programs here in Florence, I am a member of St Johns Episcopal Church downtown, and I work at ACS Technologies in the IT Dept (16yrs at ACS – great place to work ). I moved to the Timrod Park neighborhood about two years ago and began to serve in the community with my kids in a several different roles including Downtown Development and Keep Florence Beautiful. There are lots of exciting things going on in our community that we get to be involved in, a few happening this week, and going on through October that I would like to share with you:

Florence After Five Downtown Concert Series (starts April 27th – thats THIS Friday!)

- Free Admission, Local and Regional Bands, hosted by the FDDC.
- Final Friday of each month April through October 2012 (April 27th first concert)
- Outdoor concert 5:30-8 pm on S. Dargan Street near Thai 2 and The Clay Pot (word is out that they will give free coffee and desert samples in April so get there early – this place is awesome … I’m pretty stoked to see another shop opening downtown – can you tell?)/Rain location: FDTC Parking Garage on the corner of Cheves and McQueen.
- Family and Pet-friendly.
- Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the music that starts at 6pm.
- Ticket Sales for Local Food and Beverages (cash-only, vendors listed below)

This Friday (April 27th) the first Florence After Five will feature soulful rock band Speakeasy –you’ll hear some Dead tunes, a bit of James Brown, some Johnny Cash, and much more so be sure to catch these guys Friday night. Stay tuned to florencedowntown.com for the flyer each month so you can check out the band. You can also friend us on facebook at “Florence After Five”.

Florence After Five is a non-profit event hosted by the FDDC, we don’t make any money, a portion of the funds collected go to a local non-profit that provides volunteers for the event and remaining funds go toward infrastructure for the series (like our new misting fans to keep things cool this summer ? ). The goal is to get people downtown, some come out and support the revitalization of our historic district!

For the kids: This year we are partnering with Girl Scouts, Science South, and some others to provide kid-friendly activities during the concerts – be sure to bring the kids! I’ll include who is doing what on the flyer if I can. My 5 year old always has a blast dancing near the stage ? NY Butcher Shoppe will be there with burgers and hot dogs, and Pepsi and Ritas Ice will be on-hand so you can get everyone fed and watered while your there.

For the grown-ups: Crown Beverages, along with Series Sponsor Victors, will be there for beer and wine sales. Bring chairs for everyone if you prefer to sit, or we will be setup ike we were last year if you prefer to stand and chat with friends shaded by Kimbrell’s.

One last plug for our talented local artists! While your at the concert stop in the Kimbrell’s building (The Art Trail Gallery), items are always available for purchase and vendors are setup inside so bring your checkbook and come support our local artists and vendors. After the concert swing by Railroad Junction on the 100-block of Evans St too!

About the FDDC: The Florence Downtown Development Corporation is a non-profit organization devoted to revitalizing and restoring civic pride in Downtown Florence, SC. Our purpose is to facilitate and promote the redevelopment and revitalization of the Downtown Redevelopment District as the civic, cultural, and commercial center of the City of Florence as well as the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina. More info at www.florencedowntown.com

Second Chance Prom, benefitting Keep Florence Beautiful:

May 4th, 2012 at The Florence Civic Center | 7-10 pm
Tickets $30 single/$50 couple includes food and a free 5×7 portrait by Collin Smith, cash bar available.

The Second Chance Prom is an opportunity for you to either re-live your high school prom or have a do-over, depending on your experience the first time around! For many it’s just a chance to get dressed up. This year we have a 70′s theme, which means that you are encouraged (but not required) to dress in leisure suits, bell bottoms and platform shoes!

If you would like tickets or if you would like to be a sponsor for this “social event of the season” contact our Chairperson, Michelle Bailey at michelleATkeepflorencebeautiful.org – you can also go by Porters, NY Butcher Shoppe, Florence Civic Center, Mary’s Flowers and Gifts, Unlimited Travel and Cruises, or Webster Rogers to pick some up for you and your friends. Thanks to all of these companies for holding onto tickets for us.

About KFB: Keep Florence Beautiful is a 501c3 whose mission is to involve the community in responsible solutions for a clean, litter free and beautiful environment, some of our recent activities included the creation and maintenance of a Cultural (Rain) Garden downtown, coordination of the annual Great American Cleanup in Florence, and the landscaping/beautification project at the city/county complex. We have some great ideas for future projects, but need the support of the community through donations and participation in our fundraisers like this one and the BrewFest in October in order to continue to provide services. More info at www.keepflorencebeautiful.org

One Final (shameless) plug for our Local Artists, Musicians, and Farmers… Go Local… the method to my madness

THE Downtown Farmers Market (Flossip already mentioned it but I want to mention it again!)

- Every Wednesday in the breezeway, downtown from 3-7:30 pm
- Local farmers and artists, everything grown within a 75 mile radius of Florence.
- Pasture raised beef – farm fresh fruits & vegetables – homemade goat milk products, fresh seafood, organic beans & produce, handmade soaps – local art- plants – walking sticks
- More info each week at www.facebook.com/flodowntownfarmersmarket

Last week I challenged myself to creating an entire meal with items from the first day the market was open, I am happy to say that it was a success… I fed our family of five for less than $30…with leftovers for lunch the next day! On the menu last Wednesday: Hamburger Steak with Carolina Plantation Rice, a Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, and Salt and Pepper Goat Cheese; Sautéed Sugar Peas; and Fresh Strawberries – it was excellent! And even tastier used as a mechanism to teach my teens what helping the local economy is all about. Come on out…there is a local musician out there each week too so the ambience is great. Everyone says they want a whole foods market, we just got one, so come on downtown every Wednesday between 3 – 7:30 pm to experience downtown and support local farmers, artists and musicians.

Thanks for your time! I am always more than happy to answer questions or talk to you about getting involved in our community – follow me on twitter twitter.com/taradurden, find me on FB at facebook.com/taradurden, or email me at taradurdenATgmail.com

Flossip Featuring reviews, to-do's, and the not quite news in Florence, SC.