Camden feels extra special during the holiday season, with our lights and decorations, events and activities and the general small town charm. Parades, performances, markets and other holiday fun abound and shops and restaurants are bustling with good cheer and great gift ideas.
Make plans to join in on some of these special holiday events and activities, starting with the City of Camden’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, December 5 at 6:00 pm at Broad Street Park, at the corner of Broad and Rutledge Street. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is a part of the Downtown Camden Cultural District’s “Christmas Wonderland”, where you’ll find a variety of activities and merchants will have extended shopping hours on the three Thursdays leading up to Christmas, December 5, 12 and 19. It also kicks off the “12 Days of Christmas”, highlighting community events taking place in and around Camden between December 5 and December 16, plus some bonus events leading up to Christmas. In addition to traditional holiday events, many local businesses will host open houses, pop-up shops, visits with Santa, and more fun and festive ways to help you complete your holiday shopping with less stress.
Here’s a listing of events taking place during the 12 Days of Christmas. Check back often, as more are added each week. We hope to see you out there!
Thursday, December 5
Holiday Market – 11:00 am – 6:00 pm – Arts Center of Kershaw County, 810 Lyttleton Street
Saturday, November 30 will be the 15th Small Business Saturday®, since its creation by American Express in 2010 and the Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce and City of Camden Downtown program want you to celebrate with your favorite small businesses in Kershaw County.
On “Plaid Friday”, otherwise referred to as Black Friday, November 29th, Amy Kinard, director of the Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce and Kat Spadacenta, Community Development Coordinator for the City of Camden, will once again hand out Shop Small goodie bags filled with promotional items from local merchants. They will be at Broad Street Park, at the corner of Broad and Rutledge Streets in Downtown Camden, from 11 am to 1 pm with bags for the first 150 people, encouraging them to shop locally on Friday and Saturday. Leave behind the long lines in front of the big box store and make shopping for friends and family a pleasurable activity once again with your Camden and Kershaw County local merchants.
As in years past, Kinard and Spadacenta are pledging to spend a significant amount of their gift giving budgets this holiday season at businesses within Kershaw County, and this year they are challenging the community to do the same.
On its 15th annual Small Business Saturday this November, American Express will donate $1 for each purchase made with an eligible American Express card at qualifying small businesses across the US to expand its grant commitment to support small businesses impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The company founded Small Business Saturday in 2010, coming out of the U.S. financial crisis, to help drive consumer spending to small, independently-owned merchants and restaurants during the critical holiday shopping season.
The City of Camden, South Carolina (the “City”) is seeking professional architectural and engineering services for the assessment of the Robert Mills Courthouse located at 607 Broad Street. Read the full Request for Qualifications here.
An assessment of this building is needed to determine the structural integrity, as well as the condition of the interior and exterior of the building. Following the assessment, the City requires recommendations for the repairs, improvements, and restoration for each building, including prioritization of and estimated costs for each recommendation.
The selected firm must be experienced in the historically sensitive assessment and restoration of older buildings. It will be critical that the selected firm can accurately estimate the scope and cost of the recommended improvements in order to provide budgetary figures. The scope of work should be broken down into the following categories: exterior, interior first floor and interior second floor.
Sealed Proposals shall be delivered under the terms and conditions of this RFQ, via mail or hand-delivery, as follows:
By Mail: City of Camden Attention: Shawn Putnam Post Office Box 7002 Camden, SC 29021
Hand-Delivery: City of Camden Attention: Shawn Putnam 1000 Lyttleton Street Camden, SC 29020
Proposals will be accepted until 12:00 PM, November 27, 2024. Any Proposals received after 12:00 PM, November 27, 2024 shall not be accepted. Further, any delay in receipt of the Proposal, whether by mail or hand-delivery, or any incompleteness or illegible portions of any Proposal, will be the responsibility of the bidder.
On September 10, 2024, Camden City Council approved a moratorium on new residential development within the city limits.
The purpose of the moratorium is to pause residential development to determine if changes are needed to development ordinances in order to allow for orderly growth, address increased demand for public services and infrastructure, and consider possible environmental impacts of development.
The moratorium only applies to new residential subdivisions. This includes any subdivision that contains single-family or multi-family homes. Any residential subdivision that received preliminary plat approval prior to the enactment of the moratorium is not affected. Commercial and non-residential development is not affected by the moratorium.
The moratorium is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2025 and may be extended by a resolution approved by City Council.
The Kershaw County 250th committee, along with several organizing partners, is sponsoring a “Revolutionary November” from November 1 through November 21st.
This upcoming “Revolutionary November” will highlight Camden and Kershaw County’s importance to the outcome of the American Revolution. Local residents and vistiors alike are invited to enjoy and explore more than a dozen events throughout November, showcasing the area’s history, heritage and culture.
The month begins on November 1 with a commemorative program on the 250th anniversary of the Camden Distrct Resolves (Nov. 5, 1774), a document that set out the argument for independence later articulated in the Declaration of Independence. Other events include the Carolina Revolutionary War Weekend & Batte Reenactments on November 8-10, Colonial Cup Weekend on November 15-17, and a variety of other programs throughout the month – from tours, to presentations, to trivia night. Visit Kershaw250.com for a complete list of programs.
November 1-3 – Camden District Resolves On November 5th, 1774, Justice William Henry Drayton delivered a speech on the “Rights of Man under the Law”, arguing that there should be no taxation without the consent of the citizens, to the Camden District Grand Jury. His words resonated throughout the back country of South Carolina, and a “mini Declaration of Independence” was submitted to colonial legislature. Witness the reenactment of the 1774 Grand Jury Presentment, beginning at 12:00 pm on Friday, November 1 at the Revolutionary War Visitor Center, 212 Broad Street. Afterward, explore the Historic Camden Colonial Village and enjoy an afternoon at McCaa’s Tavern, visit the “Horses at the Battle of Camden” exhibit at the National Steeplechase Museum, or take a self-guided tour among fallen heroes at Quaker Cemetary, before embarking on a drive to see historic landmarks throughout Camden and Kershaw County.
November 8-10 – Carolinas Revolutionary War Weekend & Battle Reenactments Join the Southern Campaign 1780 for two whole days of life in the 18th century, featuring daily mock battles complete with cavalry, cannons, and cracking muskets. This is over a half century old Kershaw County tradition, bringing in reenactors and spectators as far away as the Midwest, New England, and the Deep South. The annual Carolinas Revolutionary War Weekend and the Battle Reenactment events will be held from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday, November 9th and from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Sunday, November 10th at The Meeting Place, 1208 Keys Lane in Kershaw, SC. Afternoon battle reenactments are scheduled for 1:00 pm each day.
This all outdoor, family-friendly event is the largest annual force-on-force Revolutionary War Reenactment in the nation, and this year has been named one of two national events by the Brigade of the American Revolution, British Brigade, and The Continental Line, all three premier national Revolutionary War Reenactment organizations. It is thrilling to win this trifecta designation and will mean increased reenactor participation and a bigger and better event for participants and visitors alike. You will see hundreds of Crown and Patriot reenactors, civilian reenactors, 18th C. craftsmen and merchants. Heavy rain may force a “rain delay” for battle reenactments, but the event is rain or shine. For more information, visit southerncampaign1780.org.
Also on this weekend, you can sample “revolutionary” BBQ during the aptly named Battle of Camden BBQ Festival Friday evening and Saturday, November 8th and 9th, hosted by the Camden Jaycees on the Historic Camden Foundation campus. Featuring two days of South Carolina’s best pit masters smoking up amazing barbecue for you to sample, Friday night is all about the chicken wing, starting at 6:00 pm, and Saturday is when you find out who will win it all in their pulled pork competition, beginning at 11:00 am. Free entry, tickets for samples. Learn more at www.facebook.com/battleofcamdenbbq.
November 15-17 – Colonial Cup Weekend Experience Camden and all it has to offer, as we celebrate the return of the Colonial Cup, one of the premiere steeplechase races of the season. The 49th running of the Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup Races will take place on Sunday, November 17th. The Colonial Cup, starting in 1970, was Mrs. Scott’s idea, and it became the first international steeplechase run in the United States with a purse of $100,000. Get ready for race day with a Pre-Cup Cocktail Party on Saturday evening. Learn more at carolinacup.org/colonialcup.
Get into town early to enjoy events in the Downtown Camden Cultural District leading up to the Colonial Cup, including a “Party at the Pavilion” Thursday, November 14th, hosted by the Kershaw County Young Professionals at the Arts Center of Kershaw County. And experience the first ever Silver Leaf Cigar Street Festival on Commerce Alley, beginning at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 15th behind Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge, 1015 Broad Street. Enjoy shopping and dining all day long in the cultural district. Learn more at www.facebook.com/Silverleaflounge.
More events are being added weekly to make this a simply “Revolutionary November” in Camden and Kershaw County. Keep up to date at Kershaw250.com.
