Polar Express rides are a popular part of ‘A Dickens of A Christmas’, Spartanburg’s annual holiday tradition. City of Spartanburg photo 

A Dickens of A Christmas returns bringing holiday magic to downtown Spartanburg December 2 

By Melissa Rhine, Spartan Weekly News staff writer

Spartanburg’s most beloved holiday tradition returns next week as the City of Spartanburg hosts the 30th Annual Dickens of a Christmas on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 6–9 p.m. The free Victorian-themed festival will once again transform downtown into a picturesque holiday village filled with music, lights and community cheer.

Each year, thousands gather along Main Street, Morgan Square and Church Street to experience Spartanburg’s official kickoff to the Christmas season. This year’s event will feature horse-drawn carriage rides, a Polar Express-style train, three stages of live entertainment, children’s activities, food vendors and nearly 50 holiday market vendors offering handmade gifts and seasonal treats.

Kim Brown, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Special Events director, said the community can expect a memorable evening from start to finish.

“On Tuesday, December 2nd, the holiday spirit will sparkle in Downtown during the 31st Annual Dickens of a Christmas,” Brown said. “From 6–9 p.m., attendees will share lots of memorable moments including horse-drawn carriage rides, a Polar Express Train and the tree lighting at Denny’s Plaza. With three stages of entertainment, there’s sure to be something for everyone.”

One of this year’s notable updates includes a new location for carriage rides. To improve flow and enhance the festive backdrop, rides will now begin in Richardson Park, located beside Denny’s headquarters. Brown said the change also allows for expanded décor and additional photo opportunities for families.

“Our footprint is filled with more lights and new holiday backdrops this year,” she said. “We’re excited to help families make lasting memories as we showcase our downtown for the festive start of the season.”

Children can enjoy activities in Morgan Square, where costumed characters, crafts and interactive stations will be set up throughout the evening. Along Church Street, food trucks and warm-drink vendors will offer everything from hot cocoa to seasonal comfort foods.

Downtown merchants will also participate in this year’s new Gingerbread Scavenger Hunt, inviting visitors to explore participating shops for a chance to win Christmas ornaments and Spartanbuck gift cards—a program designed to boost local shopping during the holiday season.

The evening will conclude with one of Spartanburg’s favorite traditions: the lighting of the community Christmas tree at Denny’s Plaza. The ceremony, typically attended by large crowds, marks the official start of the city’s holiday celebrations.

Now entering its fourth decade, Dickens of a Christmas remains a cornerstone of Spartanburg’s seasonal festivities and a celebration of community spirit. What began as a small downtown gathering has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated holiday events, drawing residents and visitors from across the Upstate.

“A Dickens of a Christmas” is free and open to all.

For additional event details, visit the event website at www.spartanburgdickens.com.

Kitty Black Perkins, Spartanburg native and designer of the first Black Barbie doll. Spartanburg School District 7 photo 

Global design icon Kitty Black Perkins returns home, speaks to District 7 students

SPARTANBURG — Kitty Black Perkins, the Carver High School alumna who went on to design the first Black Barbie doll, returned to her hometown recently to speak with students at Spartanburg High School.

Perkins met with members of the Black History Club, Library Ambassa-dors, and students in entrepreneurship and art programs, urging them to “dream big” and stay persistent when doors don’t open the first time. Her visit was coordinated with Spartanburg County Public Libraries, which recently dedicated its newly named Kitty Black Perkins Maker Lab. County Librarian Todd Stephens led the ceremony, describing the space as a place intended to “spark creativity” for residents across the county.

A 1967 graduate of the former Carver High School, Perkins told students her interest in design began in childhood, when she crafted paper dolls in a range of skin tones. After moving to Los Angeles for school, she worked in fashion before applying to Mattel. When her initial interview fell flat, she asked for another opportunity. She returned with six original Barbie outfits — and Mattel produced every one after hiring her.

Perkins spent 28 years with the company, eventually becoming chief designer of fashions and doll concepts. In 1980, she introduced the first Black Barbie, a milestone she said was shaped by her own experience growing up without dolls that looked like her. “I’m proud of the impact it’s had on little girls,” she told the students.

Her visit offered a reminder to local students that major achievements can begin in Spartanburg classrooms. Perkins’ career, rooted on the city’s Westside and carried onto a global stage, showed them that creativity and courage can open paths far beyond what they imagine today.

City Council approves next phase of Mary H. Wright Greenway expansion

Spartanburg — Spartanburg City Council voted unanimously recently to move forward with the second phase of the Mary H. Wright Greenway, approving a construction bid that will extend the trail deeper into the city’s Southside.

The 6-0 vote clears the way for two new spurs branching off the greenway’s current endpoint at Marion Avenue and Hudson L. Barksdale Boulevard. One spur will run east along Alexander and Winsmith avenues before continuing down Cemetery Street to Duncan Street. The second, longer segment will stretch south on Hudson L. Barksdale Boulevard to Caulder Avenue.

City officials said the additions will strengthen connections between Southside neighborhoods and nearby trails, including the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, the Hub City Hopper connector into downtown, and paths within Duncan Park. The project expands the Daniel Morgan Trail System (The Dan), which now includes about 55 miles of greenways and is supported by the nonprofit PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well.

Bird Corporation of Inman submitted the low bid at $468,300. A state grant will cover $365,228 of the cost, with the city funding the rest. Construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Council Finalizes Agreement for Downtown Redevelopment

Council also gave final approval Monday to a development agreement for the long-planned renovation of 111 E. Main St. — the historic former Montgomery Ward department store — along with the adjacent lot at 109 E. Main St.

The $18 million mixed-use project, delayed in recent years by high interest rates and utility complications, will bring more than 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and between 22 and 26 apartments to a building that has sat vacant for decades. Plans call for preserving the department store’s historic façade and constructing a new five-story structure behind the neighboring 109 E. Main St. façade, with a courtyard designed to bring natural light into the residential units.

City Manager Chris Story told Council at the project’s first reading that a “regionally known” retailer is in discussions for the commercial space, though no announcement has been made.

Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026. The development agreement includes a fee-in-lieu-of-tax arrangement beginning at $36,500 and rising annually to $193,400 in the 20th year.

South Carolina recently removed some 2 million gallons of oil, fuel and contaminated water from the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier turned museum in Mount Pleasant. (Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) 

SC completes $31.6 million environmental cleanup of USS Yorktown

By: Jessica Holdman for SC Daily Gazette

www.scdailygazette.com

November 12, 2025

Crews have finished removing 2 million gallons of hazardous fuel, oil and contaminated water from the belly of a World War II-era aircraft carrier anchored in Charleston Harbor.

The completion last month of the two-year, $31.6 million cleanup effort at the USS Yorktown averts the potential of the aging battleship-turned-maritime-museum springing a toxic leak.

“The USS Yorktown was a ticking environmental time bomb, with the risk of disaster increasing each year, and now it has been safely and successfully defused,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement Wednesday celebrating the project’s success.

“Had these materials leaked, they would have caused catastrophic damage to Charleston Harbor, destroying marshes and estuaries, killing marine life, and threatening industries that support thousands of jobs across the Lowcountry,” McMaster added. “Instead, we took action to prevent that disaster and protect South Carolina.”

The USS Yorktown came to South Carolina in 1975. The ship, built in 1943 to replace the original Yorktown sunk by a Japanese submarine in the Battle of Midway, saw tours in both World War II and the Vietnam War. At its peak, 3,300 sailors manned the 820-foot vessel, which is now a national historic landmark that welcomes some 300,000 visitors annually.

When the United States military decommissioned and gifted the ship to the Palmetto State, however, it did so on an as-is basis.

The fuel and oil that had once kept the ship running remained on board for decades. After nearly 50 years mired in pluff mud, the ship’s outer hull began to corrode, posing a serious risk to the state’s pristine beaches and $29 million tourism industry.

Using federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, the state brought in contractors in the fall of 2023 who pumped out nearly 600,000 gallons of oily water and 9 tons of sludge from a portion of the ship’s 428 liquid storage tanks and removed 4.5 tons of asbestos. Divers also patched 35 holes in the ship’s hull.

Then, in a second phase that began in February, workers from HEPACO LLC, Shipwright, Inc., and Isla Maritime pulled out the remaining 1.4 million gallons of fuel and oil, as well as 9 tons of asbestos insulation.

Crews added back freshwater to the now clean tanks to ensure the Yorktown remains stable.

The former warship has become the crown jewel of the state-owned Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum visited by 300,000 tourists each year.

“I am proud of this team for identifying the need to act and working efficiently to mitigate the possibility of contamination, while preserving a significant historical landmark in our state,” Ben Duncan, who leads the state Office of Resilience, said in a statement. 

ReUp, Re:Degree Spartanburg join forces to reengage local adult learners

Spartanburg, S.C. — A new partnership between ReUp Education and Re:Degree Spartanburg is accelerating efforts to bring thousands of stopped-out adult learners back to college across Spartanburg County.

In less than six months, the initiative has reconnected with 482 former students, and 124 have already re-enrolled at one of Re:Degree’s partner institutions: Converse University, Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg Methodist College and USC Upstate.

Re:Degree, an initiative of OneSpartanburg Inc., aims to reengage 5,000 adult learners by 2030. Dr. Erin R. Smith, the organization’s director of adult degree reengagement, said ReUp’s involvement has helped scale the effort.

“This work is complex and highly individualized, which makes scaling difficult,” Smith said. “I feel more confident now than ever that we will achieve our goal — and then some.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 48,000 Spartanburg County residents have some college education but no credential. Local officials say many adults paused their education due to cost, work schedules, family responsibilities or uncertainty about how to return.

ReUp specializes in supporting these learners through data analytics, targeted outreach and one-on-one coaching. CEO Terah Crews said the partnership is designed to help students move forward, not just return.

“Time, money and a support system are crucial to a learner’s journey,” Crews said. “We’re expanding the resources available to Re:Degree’s adult learners so they have what they need to succeed.”

Institutions say they’re already seeing results. Spartanburg Community College reports that 109 former students have re-enrolled for fall 2025. USC Upstate and Spartan-burg Methodist College leaders say ReUp’s model reduces administrative strain while strengthening student engagement.

ReUp will continue supporting Spartanburg institutions as a strategic advisor on adult learners, providing insights informed by national data and direct student feedback. The organization works with partners in 33 states, giving more than 1.8 million stopped-out learners access to its platform.