SCVB Blog

Joe Bennett is currently a Bass and Guitar Teacher at Roper Music in Spartanburg, S. C.  His music career began when he formed the famous 1950’s band, Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones.

Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones launched their music career as a 1950’s teenage rock 'n roll band from Spartanburg, SC.  All four
band members were students at Cowpens High School, where they debuted their first public performances.  The band members are:
Joe Bennett, (lead vocalist, lead guitarist), Howard Childress, (vocalist, guitarist), Wayne Arthur, (vocalist, bassist), and Jimmy Denton, (drummer).

Winning the CBS talent contest in 1956, at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, accelerated the fame of  Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones and eventually landed them a Performance Contract with Paramount Theater and a Music Recording and Music Publishing contract with ABC Paramount in New York City.

The band’s biggest hit seller, “Black Slacks”, charted Billboard with a number 17 pop hit in 1957.  It was performed in the Walt Disney movie, “Rescuers Down Under”, Starring John Candy, and “Crazy Mama” starring Cloris Leachman.  Their second biggest hit, “Penny Loafers and Bobby Socks”, charted # 42 on Billboard.

Some of the most highlighted performances for Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones include:  Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour, twice on the Ed Sullivan Show, Nat King Cole Show, several times on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and twice on the Alan Freed Show.  During a 13 week show at the Royal Nevada Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, the band was pleasantly surprised with a visit from Elvis Presley, who attended their concert and then honored them with his presence in their dressing room for a photo session.

After 50 plus years, Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones are still “Rockin’ and Rolling”.  In April 2011, they will be performing at the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend Show at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Listen to Joe Bennet and the Sparkletones music here

For more information, contact:  joe@joebennettandthesparkletones.com.

Experience the American Revolution (without the bullets) through historic re-enactments and demonstrations at FestiFall.  The War was in full swing in 1780 when “Bloody Bill” Cunningham attacked the Plantation.  Watch Cunningham and his band of Tories raid the plantation and kill three Patriots as Kate Moore Barry rides to warn her husband and his troops of the attack.  Her heroic actions saved the house to become a historic showcase with legendary stories of the settlers who called this area home.

Friday, October 1, 6-9 pm, join us for FestiFall Friday Night: A Colonial Celebration!  Enjoy a family-friendly evening of food, music, and colonial ambience.  Share your table with a re-enactor and enjoy demonstrations and hands-on children’s activities.  It’s perfect for the whole family!  A one-day pass to FestiFall is included.  Reserve by September 27.  $25 Ages 18+; $15 Ages 12-17; $10 Ages 5-11; Free 4 & under

On Saturday, October 2, 10-5 and Sunday, October 3, 10-4, re-enactors will be demonstrating skills and activities of the Revolutionary period including dance, musketry, cavalry, textiles, pewtersmithing, and musical storytelling.  The re-enactment of Cunningham’s raid on the plantation will be at noon on Saturday and 1:30 on Sunday.  Adults $9, Ages 6-17 $5, 5 & under: Free

Spartanburg County Historical Association at Walnut Grove Plantation
1200 Otts Shoals Rd, Roebuck, SC; 864-576-6546; walnutgrove@spartanburghistory.org; www.spartanburghistory.org

Special Thanks to sponsors John & Nora Beth Featherston, Kirsten & John Cribb, Nancy Rainey Crowley, USC Upstate, Southeastern Printing, and the Spartanburg County Accommodations Tax Grant and to community partners Spartanburg Day School and Converse Deli.

The temperatures are falling and the leaves are changing. Fall in the south is one of the most beautiful times of the year and a ride through Spartanburg County along the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway (Highway 11) is the perfect place to view the beauty of the changing leaves. This road is often referred to as the “roof” of South Carolina. It is the northernmost highway in the state, running from Cherokee County in the east, near the North Carolina state line all the way to Oconee County in the west, near the Georgia state line.

Begin your trip by taking I-85, exit 92 and hop on Hwy. 11 North. Stop by the Cowpens National Battlefield, which is known as the turning point of the Revolutionary War. Learn about how Gen. Daniel Morgan defeated Banastre Tarleton and his British troops in January of 1781.

From here, continue on Hwy. 11 towards Chesnee.  As you ride through the town of Chesnee, be sure to stop by the Carolina Foothills Artisan Center and check out the beautiful pieces of art by all local artists. Here you can find something unique to take home to remember your trip to the Carolinas. The Artisan Center also serves as a satellite visitor center, so be sure to pick up a Spartanburg Visitor Guide and other visitor information while you are there. After your visit at the Artisan Center, take a step back in time as you visit the local hardware store across the street.

Next, head back up Hwy. 11 and stop by Cooley Farms which is the home of the largest strawberry field in the southeast. It won’t be strawberry season, but there will be plenty of giant pumpkins for you to take home or you can take a hayride through the pumpkin fields. Stop in their café for some southern favorites and finish it off with some homemade ice cream.

After you have had lunch, take Hwy. 11 and as you ride the next several miles, take in the beautiful scenery of Mother Nature. Next, make a stop in the town of Landrum. Here you take a stroll down their quaint downtown and shop in some wonderful antique stores or dine in some of their delicious restaurants.

After your day of driving and touring, The Red Horse Inn in Landrum is the perfect place to unwind. It’s located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and in the fall it provides a beautiful backdrop for your overnight stay. The Red Horse Inn has won numerous well deserved awards for providing excellent service, beautiful decor, and a romantic environment and it will be the perfect way to end your trip down Scenic Hwy. 11.

If you haven’t seen enough of the beautiful fall colors and want to extend your trip, check out some more routes you can take down Hwy. 11 at http://www.theupcountry.com/news/experiencefallcolor.

There is now a new way to experience downtown Spartanburg! Carolina Horse and Carriage (CHC) began offering carriage rides through downtown in mid-August. Relax as you take a carriage ride and tour the downtown area. Make a night of it and follow your carriage ride up with a dinner at one of the delicious restaurants in downtown Spartanburg.

Carolina Horse and Carriage is a family owned company who provides carriage rides for all types of events. They have received many awards for their outstanding decorations and also numerous references from satisfied clientele. What makes CHC a different type of carriage company is that all the employees love the horses, and their care and happiness is the first priority. All the horses stay on the family’s large farm with plenty of lush green grass and fantastic care. CHC typically works their horses three to four days a week and the rest of the time the horses just enjoy being horses.

CHC really takes pride in their horses and carriages and enjoys making people happy, whether it is a wedding or a tour through the city they go to great lengths to provide a beautiful horse and carriage for your time with them.

Carriage rides are available on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7-11pm. A twenty minute ride is $25 for 2 people and $5 for each additional person, $3 for children. You can also take a thirty minute tour which is $35 for 2 people, $7 for each additional person, $4 for children.

Larger wagons that seat 10 are available for larger events such as family reunions, parties.

Where the World Comes to the Upstate!

It took Wiley Post seven days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes to fly around the world in his single-engine plane! He was the first solo pilot to accomplish this feat – the year was 1933.  Flash forward to October 2, 2010.  You can see the world on foot in a mere day at the Spartanburg International Festival at Barnet Park.  There is no admission to attend the celebration, scheduled from 11 am – 7 pm.
 
In its 25th year, International Festival celebrates Spartanburg’s diverse multicultural community. And multicultural it is, as people from more than 60 countries actually call Spartanburg home. The event not only brings the cultural spirit of Spartanburg to light, but it also provides an opportunity to share and be a part of such a vast cultural exchange.

Festival goers can learn about every country imaginable simply by waltzing through the grassy knolls of the downtown park. Visitors can learn about traditions and customs in Latvia, play dominoes the way it’s done in Puerto Rico, watch a Fencing demonstration (originated in Egypt), make an Aboriginal mask from Australia, purchase hand-made clothing from Colombia, and watch Middle Eastern belly dancing on the Global Review Stage.

The fun spills out into the street in front of the park, where the International Boulevard of Food tempts visitors with everything from delectable goodies like New Orleans beignets, German Bratwurst and beer, and even goat from the booth representing Kenya.
 
Visit www.spartanburginternationalfestival.com for more details.

Spartanburg International Festival was named the 2009 North Carolina/South Carolina Festival Association’s Event of the Year. Come see why!

Spartanburg, SC— Visiting Spartanburg just got easier with the launch of an iPhone app that acts as a destination concierge, and just may be the first mobile phone app in the Upstate.

“With the rising number of mobile phone users,  we knew that this would be a great way to help visitors to the Spartanburg area find the exact information they need as they explore our area,” said Amy Phillips, Marketing Communications Manager at the SCVB.
 

 

The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) partnered with Visual Republique of Lawrence, MA, to create a dynamic, customer-focused iPhone application for visitors to use.  The app can be purchased in the Apple iPhone store at a cost of just $0.99.
 

 

This new turnkey application acts as a personal concierge to Spartanburg County. It features a step-by-step user guide to help visitors find places to shop, dine, stay or visit; even call or map businesses and events with one touch. Users can also view and share pictures of Spartanburg and rate their experiences when they visit.
 

 

The iPhone and other smartphones are quickly growing in popularity, and increasingly being used as travel mates for people on the go.
 

 

“We partnered with Visual Repulique because they came to us with a great idea, and provided cutting edge technology at no cost to the CVB,” said Director Chris Jennings.   The app can be downloaded through the iPhone app store, or by clicking the icon on the www.visitspartanburg.com web site.