Events & Activities
The Ackerman Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce the annual Inspire! Festival is coming your way March 23 – April 2, 2023. We are sure that everyone will find something to explore during Inspire!
Schedule:
Thursday, March 23:
Friday, March 24:
Saturday, March 25:
Sunday, March 26:
Thursday, March 30:
Friday, March 31:
Saturday, April 1:
Sunday, April 2:
Friday, March 24, 2023
6PM
Swan Lake Iris Gardens
The Band of Oz is one of the most successful groups in the Southeast, and continues to get the very best reviews from the top people in the entertainment business. The band now features a full horn section to total a dynamic eight-member group. They perform at well over two-hundred shows per year all across the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia. Tickets are $25.
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Free parking at Swan Lake.
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No coolers or outside food or drink allowed inside the park. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.
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No large bags. Your bags must be clear bags and all bags are subject to be checked.
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Blankets and lawn chairs allowed.
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No guns or weapons allowed in the park.
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No pets allowed in the park.
Saturday, March 25, 2023
4-7PM
Downtown Sumter
You'll be swept away and enlightened by world-renowned artists in historic Downtown Sumter.
Artwork by Sumter artists will soon be installed at about 20 stops in historic downtown Sumter for the public to enjoy. Artists will be onsite, painting, sculpting, drawing, and more, showcasing their work.
A selection of beer, wine, and food will be available at each stop, including an Inspire! Festival special-edition beer from Sumter Original Brewery.
The event starts at 4 PM at Sumter Original Brewery. Check-in is at the same location.
Advance tickets are $30.
The price increases at the door to $40 ($35 for military). If you are an artist participating in the event, your tickets will be discounted at check-in. Discounted tickets at check-in for non-alcoholic drinkers too.
Into The Woods Musical
March 23, 2023 - April 2, 2023
Sumter Little Theatre
“Be careful what you wish for” seems to be the ongoing theme in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Brothers Grimm inspired musical, Into the Woods. The story follows The Baker and his wife who wish to have a child, Cinderella who wishes to go the King’s Festival, and Jack who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the Baker and his wife are visited by the neighborhood witch, who reveals to them that she placed a curse on their family, the two set off on a journey into the woods to reverse the curse. Also in the woods, we meet Little Red, who is trying to visit her grandmother, the Wolf who loves tasty little girls, the Witch’s daughter Rapunzel, and the Princes chasing after their loves. By the end of Act I, everyone has gotten their wish and will seemingly live happily ever after. But in Act II, when Jack’s beanstalk brings them a visit from an angry Giant, we see how the consequences of their actions haunt them in disastrous ways. The community must come together to save each other and their kingdom, but sacrifices must be made.
Event is at the Sumter Little Theatre, for tickets visit www.sumterlittletheatre.com
Praise Fest Gospel Celebration 2023
Friday, March 31, 2023
7PM
Patriot Hall
Join us for a night of extraordinary Gospel music! Featuring Sonny Brown and more at Patriot Hall. Tickets are $25 per person.
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Free parking in the lot behind the building and at the Sumter County Recreation Facility.
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No Flash photography.
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No outside food or drink allowed.
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No large bags. Your bags must be clear bags and all bags are subject to be checked.
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No guns or weapons allowed.
Inspired by Millican: The Life and Legacy of Arthenia J. Bates Millican
Sunday, March 26, 2023
2PM
Sumter County Museum
Millican was a Sumter native and accomplished author, poet, humanitarian, and teacher who was internationally acclaimed for her writings and depictions of the lives of rural African Americans in the South.
The event will be ticketed and limited in seats.
2:00pm: Documentary on Arthenia J. Bates Millican
2:35pm: Exhibit viewing & refreshments
3:10pm: Keynote Speaker: Nikky Finney
Book signing to follow with tables for Nikky Finney and Arthenia J. Bates Millican Foundation
Gallery After Hours
Thursday, March 30, 2023
6:30PM
Sumter County Gallery of Art
Join us for a night of music and entertainment, featuring Nicci Canada and Dapper Street Jazz Band.
There will be a $12 donation at the door.
Art and Propaganda in Nazi-Occupied Holland
March 23, 2023 - April 1, 2023
Temple Sinai Jewish History Center
a traveling exhibit from the Anne Frank Center will open on Thursday, March 23rd. This exhibit is based on three collections from the archives of the Anne Frank Center including eight original lithographs by Henri Pieck, drawn during his internment in Buchenwald concentration camp, twelve linoleum and woodcut prints by Marie de Zaaijer depicting the remembrances, suffering, and hardship endured by Holland, and eight original propaganda posters distributed by the Nazi controlled Dutch government.
Held at the Sumter County Museum. Tickets/RSVP at www.sumtercountymuseum.org
Thursday, Friday and Saturday of both weeks
Sumter County
Gallery of Art
Explore the halls of the Sumter County Gallery of Art and experience some of the most exquisite contemporary art in the nation. The Gallery also offers art classes including an adult acrylic painting class and a youth comic book class that begin on the Thursday of the festival!
Hours:
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
11:00am to 5pm
FREE ADMISSION*
FREE PARKING
200 Hasel Avenue
Sumter, SC 29150
(803) 775-0543
Sumter County Museum
Visit a 1916 historic house museum, learn about General Thomas Sumter who is the namesake of the city and county, and wonder through c. 1800 structures to discover what life was like in this part of the state at that time.
Hours
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
10:00am to 5:00pm
FREE ADMISSION*
FREE PARKING
122 N. Washington Street
Sumter, SC 29150
(803) 775-0908
Temple Sinai
Jewish History Center
Learn about Passover through the interactive Seder table, view the new display of art from Shlomo Katz’s Passover Portfolio, create butterflies to remember the over one million children who died in the Holocaust, and don’t miss walking through the beautiful 1913 sanctuary to marvel at the breathtaking stained glass windows.
Hours
Thursday and Friday, 1:00-4:00pm
and Saturday, 10:00am-1:00pm
FREE ADMISSION*
FREE PARKING
11 Church Street
Sumter, SC 29150
(803) 775-0908
SumterCountyMuseum.org
*Free admission only during Inspire! Festival.