Nearly 200 walkers and over two dozen pets participated in the First Day Hike at Goodale State Park on New Year’s Day. John Wells, Park Manager at Goodale, led the group on a 2.4 mile hike, previewing new trails under development.
Wells said, “Today, we’re walking in an area of the park that we hope to transition to a new trail system. We just did a thinning of the forest. This forest was very thick and very overgrown and had not been thinned in decades.”
“The First Day Hike,” Wells said, “is a great way to get outside and walk off the collard greens and macaroni and have a good day, spending the first day of the year out in nature, out walking around.” Goodale State Park participates in a nationwide program called First Day Hikes.
The free event was hosted by KC Trails, Friends of Goodale, and Goodale State Park. For more outdoor opportunities in Kershaw County, follow KC Trails and Friends of Goodale on Facebook.
Mayor Vincent Sheheen has announced the establishment of the Mayor’s Cabinet.
The purpose of the Mayor’s Cabinet is to bring together a select group of non-profits in the community who perform services often handled by municipal government in other communities.
The goals of the Cabinet are to assist in coordinating service delivery, increase communications, enable joint planning, and any other areas necessary to provide benefits to the citizens of Camden.
The Mayor’s Cabinet shall begin work as soon as possible and shall be supported by staff of the City of Camden and the Cabinet Members. The Mayor’s Cabinet shall consist of the Mayor of the City of Camden and the Directors of the Arts Center of Kershaw County, United Way of Kershaw County, and the Historic Camden Foundation.
It is anticipated that the Mayor’s Cabinet shall meet quarterly or as needed, and coordinate activities as appropriate.
The City of Camden’s annual Arbor Day Ceremony and tree planting on Friday, December 6th commemorated the Arts Center of Kershaw County’s 50th Anniversary season this year.
“I spent so many years here as a child and have so many great memories here,” said Mayor Vincent Sheheen as he opened the program. “And I am excited to return here, as Mayor, and celebrate 50 years of the Arts Center and honor that with this Arbor Day commemoration.”
Mayor Sheheen was joined by City Councilman William Wilkes in the reading of the proclamation for Arbor Day, before presenting it to Arts Center Executive Director Dolly Patton. Each year, the City of Camden plants a tree to honor or commemorate an individual, group or organization. The City’s Parks & Trees Commission chooses the recipient of each Arbor Day tree planting. This year, a Chinese Fringetree, commonly referred to as the “Grancy Graybeard,” was chosen for the Arts Center and planted between the Douglas Reed House and the Daniels Education building.
“On behalf of the Arts Center of Kershaw County, I would like to sincerely thank the City of Camden for honoring 50 years of the Arts Center with the planting of a tree on Arbor Day,” said Arts Center Board President Lee Inabinet. “We are incredibly proud that, for the past 50 years, we have been able to serve the community through countless musical concerts, festivals, educational classes, theater productions and dance performances. We are deeply grateful and humbled by this recognition. It is our hope that 50 years from now, the citizens of Kershaw County will gather beneath this tree to celebrate 100 years of the arts in our community.”
Arbor Day began in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when more than one million trees were planted as part of the celebration. In the U.S., Arbor Day is most commonly observed on the last Friday in April, but South Carolina is the only state to observe Arbor Day on the first Friday of December. This coincides with the best tree planting weather for this region, while trees are dormant and will focus on root growth instead of leaf production when planted.
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.
