August 2022 Council Highlights

  • Our next Litter Community Clean-Up Day is scheduled for this Saturday, August 20th. Most teams will start around 8AM in various locations. Volunteers are a vital part of our success, so we want to invite you to join in the effort to keep our community clean. We support volunteers by providing free clean-up supplies and bag pick-up services. Please consider joining us and volunteering to help, by contacting our litter prevention department.
    • At the same time as the clean-up, for any groups who would like to make a little extra cash, if you find tires along our roads and rights-of-way, please drop them off at the Sumter County Civic Center and our staff will pay you for each tire brought in. The is open to residents only, no businesses. No tires with rims, please. The Tire Buy-Back event is open until 1PM and is sponsored by Continental Tire, Palmetto Pride and Team Sumter. For more information or to sign up for a clean-up, visit sumtersc.gov/litter.
  • With the new school year upon us, we just want to say thank you to all the teachers, administrators, and support staff and all you do to make the school year successful and to make sure the children feel loved and they are in a space where they can learn and really take their education to the next level. If you have the opportunity, we really need to help volunteer. Our community needs you and schools need you. It takes all of us helping to educate the next generation of Sumter citizens coming through.
    • Also, additional officers will continue to be visible in school zones in the city throughout the week. Please plan accordingly for possible delays during drop-off and pick-up times, exercise patience and follow the instructions of officers and crossing guards. All students walking or riding their bikes to school are asked to be extra careful and watch out for drivers who may not see them. Cross only at designated crosswalks once you have the right of way. Never assume a vehicle is going to stop. ALL drivers are asked to be extra alert, avoid distractions, slow down and adhere to all traffic signs and signals.
  • Please remember to be vigilant, during this hurricane season. While we hope for the best, we want to remind you to ONLY follow official news sources, such as the local radio station, The Sumter Item and the official City of Sumter and Sumter County government (including the Sumter Police Department and Sumter Sherriff’s Department) websites and social media pages for information regarding community readiness during any emergency. There are far too many social media pages that have wrong or misguided info, please DO NOT believe everything you read online.
    • To help you better prepare for storms and learn how to protect your family you can also visit sc for more information. You can also view a sample Emergency Checklists on our website at www.sumtersc.gov. Under the Department tab, chose Emergency Management.
  • On Wednesday, September 7 from 9:30AM to 1PM there will be a Job Fair at the Sumter County Civic Center. Over 80 employers will be onsite and want to talk to you. All veterans will have early access from 9-9:30AM, but are invited to attend later too. The Civic Center is located at 700 W. Liberty Street. Professional dress is required. Bring copies of your resume and be ready to highlight the value you can bring to their team!
  • We want to remind everyone that the City administrative offices will be closed on Monday, September 5 in observance of Labor Day.

While more events are listed on our website calendar at sumtersc.gov. Some highlights to the current community calendar are:

  • The next performance with the Sumter Little Theatre is Love, Loss and What I Wore - A collection of monologues centered around clothing and the female experience. Typically performed with a cast of 5 women, actors will portray almost 30 characters as they tell stories of pivotal moments in their lives framed through the lens of the clothing they wore. Shows start Thursday, August 25 and run through September 4 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3PM. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors, and military and only available at http://www.sumterlittletheatre.com/.
  • Fourth Fridays continue in Downtown Sumter with the next concert on Friday, August 26 at 6:30 pm. This is an outdoor concert held on Main Street in front of the Opera House. Attendance is free. Bring a chair, but no coolers, please. Food and beverage vendors will be available onsite. For more information, visit DowntownSumter.org. The last concert of the season will be on September 23 with the band Second Nature.
  • The Sumter Opera House a lot of activities to entertain and thrill a variety of audiences. Tickets range for all shows are typically $20 and up and are available online at sumteroperahouse.com or at the box office at 21 N. Main Street. Here are a couple of upcoming shows:
    • The Letterman, Saturday, September 17. Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton, and Rob Gulack, each of whom are entertainers in their own right, have kept the unique three-part harmony alive as only The Lettermen can achieve. With iconic songs like "Hurt so bad", and "When I fall in love", and "Goin out of my head" the legacy continues. Tickets to this show range from: $32-41
    • Blue Dogs, Friday, September 30. The Blue Dogs meld bluegrass and country-rock music, with feel-good original songs, and upbeat shows. Tickets to this show range from: $24-35
  • Sumter Green’s Fall Feast will be held on Thursday, September 8 from 6PM-8:30PM at Swan Lake Iris Gardens (Heath Pavilion side on Garden Street). This annual fundraiser to host green initiatives around Sumter partners with local businesses and residents to bring you some of the best food Sumter has to offer. From shrimp, crab legs and oysters to barbecue, frog legs, gator bites and an array of sweet treats from our local bakeries. Tickets are $35 and available at Swan Lake Visitors Center and Carnivore Butcher & Bottle. More info available at sumtergreen.org.
  • Second Saturday morning art workshops will begin again in September at the Sumter County Art Gallery. Classes are from 9AM-12PM every second Saturday during the school year and class start at $25 per child. To sign up and for more information, visit com.
  • The Sumter County Museum is hosting a Made in Sumter Craft Fair on September 24th at 122 N. Washington Street. Handmade crafts, merchandise, food trucks and a community connect space will be available. Event time is 9AM – 3PM. Vendor fees start at $30, and are available online to purchase at sumtercountymuseum.org and admission for attendees is free.
  • The City also continues to have numerous career positions available... construction, carpenters, inspectors, code enforcement, recreation, police officers, firefighters, and many more. We hope you will consider a career at the City. We offer full state benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement and more. Apply online at sumtersc.gov.
  • City Council meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday at 1 PM and on the third Tuesday at 5:30 PM on the 4th floor of the Sumter Opera House (enter through the back entrance off the parking lot). Public comments may also be submitted online anytime through our website at sumtersc.gov/council/meetings, or city citizens can contact the Mayor or their Council Representative any time prior to any meeting to discuss a concern or idea you may have for the City. For our regularly scheduled meetings, agendas are announced the Friday before each meeting on our website and include links to detailed agenda items as well as location and more. Our next regularly scheduled meetings are September 6th at 1 PM and September 20th at 5:30 PM.