LowcountryBizSC: Walterboro, “Front porch of the Lowcountry,” rocks into the holidays
WALTERBORO, SC – The City of Walterboro, known for its historic charm and abundant natural resources, will showcase its wares and start the holiday season off with a Holiday Open House on November 16 and November 17, followed by a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and parade during the first weekend in December.
The Holiday Open House will be held on Friday, November 16, and Saturday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in historic downtown Walterboro and also at the South Carolina Artisans Center, close by. This is a free event featuring artisan demonstrations and a holiday craft show. There will also be free parking for those attending this event.
Retailers, including specialty shops, local restaurants, 12 antique stores, and the renowned Christmas Shop, will be participating in music and artist demonstrations and offering special holiday sales. The event will be held in Historic Downtown Walterboro at 249 East Washington Street and at the South Carolina Artisans Center, just a walk away at 318 Wichman Street. For more information, call 843-549-0011, or visit www.walterborosc.org, or www.scartisanscenter.com.
That same weekend, the City will be showing off its new streetscape. On Friday, November 16, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. on East Washington Street at Jefferies Boulevard to mark the completion of the Downtown Arborscape Project. This project, begun in August of this year, brings 66 new trees to the area, refurbished crosswalks, remade plant bedding areas with irrigation, and sidewalk repair. As part of the project, additional parking spaces have been added on East Washington Street near the Colleton County Courthouse. This $700,000 project was partly financed by a $350,000 grant from the Colleton County Transportation Commission. This is the first major overhaul of this area since 1985.
During the holiday season, the City of Walterboro will also play host to a local showing of a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit titled New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music. This exhibit will be on display from Saturday, November 17, 2012, to January 6, 2013, at the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market, located at 506 E. Washington Street. The Colleton Museum and Farmers Market, along with the Colleton Center, the Colleton County Memorial Library, the Walterboro/Colleton Chamber of Commerce, and the Colleton County Arts Council, have been chosen by the S.C. Humanities Council to host the exhibit as part of the Museum on Main Street project, a national/state/local partnership designed to bring exhibitions and projects to rural cultural organizations. For more information, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org, or call the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market at 843-549-2303.
The start of December also brings the City’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and Christmas parade. This is a free event to be held on Sunday, December 2. The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the Christmas parade at 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.walterborosc.org.
The second annual Lowcountry International Food & Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the City Parking lot located at E. Washington and Lucas Streets. This is a free event hosted by the Colleton County Arts Council and the Lowcountry International Society. The festival will feature a variety of international themed food and art. For more information, visit www.walterborosc.org.
About Walterboro
Established in 1826, the City of Walterboro is hailed as the “front porch of the Lowcountry,” with its historic charm, plentiful natural resources and warm Southern hospitality. Centrally located between Charleston, Savannah, Hilton Head, and Columbia, the city of Walterboro is poised in a prime location near several major highways, including Interstate 95. It is also home to the largest general aviation airport in the state and is only an hour away from the international ports in Charleston and Savannah. The area around the city, rich with forests and vast quantities of water, is also known as the gateway to the ACE Basin, one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast. The city itself features two listings on the National Register of Historic Districts, a beautiful historic downtown, antique stores, the Great Swamp Sanctuary, and the S.C. Artisans Center, designated by the state’s legislature as the “Official South Carolina Folk Art and Craft Center.” While Walterboro serves as the economic heart of Colleton County, it maintains a small-town Americana atmosphere to be enjoyed by residents, visitors, and businesses. For more information, call 843-549-2545 or visit www.walterborosc.org.
