April 2023 Council Highlights

  • The Marines and Sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will be conducting training in our area April 19-26, 2023. You may see an increase in the presence of military vehicles and aircraft as well as an increase in noise from low-flying aircraft.
  • Come see the best of the South Atlantic Conference Men's and Women's Division II collegiate tennis as they battle it out for a conference title! Admission is FREE!!! April 20-22, 2023 at the Palmetto Tennis Center. Limited public play starting Wednesday, April 19 at 12 Noon -- all classes and lessons are canceled Wednesday through Saturday for the conference.
  • The City of Sumter is proud to announce that the Palmetto Pro Open will become, one of nine, $60K events in the US! Women ages 14-28 from more than 20 countries will participate in Sumter’s 2023 Palmetto Pro Open $60,000 USTA Women’s Pro Circuit Event. Previous Palmetto Pro Open players like Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka, Taylor Townsend, and more continued to succeed and emerge as some of the top players on the circuit to the US Open! Sophie Chang (USA), one of the top-ranked Americans in the field, won the 2022 Palmetto Pro Open Singles 25K.
    • The Palmetto Pro Open–Pro Circuit Event debuted in 2008 as a 10K-128 player event. In 2015 the event became one of three 25K events in South Carolina with a 64-player event. It has been one of four USTA Pro Circuit women’s events held in South Carolina each year.
    • Our excitement has us all spinning for the 2023 Pro Circuit 60K Tennis Tournament to be held at the Palmetto Tennis Center June 12 - 18, 2023! Singles and Doubles competition of professional women players, most of them in the 18 - 23 age group, vying for prize money and points to qualify them for larger tournaments. The United States Tennis Association circuit for women is designed to help professional players gain the experience and ranking points needed to participate in major events around the world.
    • The local economic impact of the PTC has consistently been over $20 million dollars per year. The trust that the USTA has put into Sumter to host this event is tremendous and solidifies why we invest in the Center.
  • City of Sumter Youth Employment Co-Op Program Needs Businesses and Youth. We are hiring High School Youth age 16 and above for our Youth Co-op Program! Students will work for local businesses. Program begins June 12, 2023. Program ends July 28, 2023. The program also offers training alongside the employment piece that focuses on the 17 principles of success training from Napoleon Hill. Student applications are available online, click here. Students may also pick up applications from the Liberty Center, 12 W. Liberty Street, Suite 4, Sumter, between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
    • ..We need your help! We need local businesses to register with us to employ students for the summer. Salary for a student should be not less than $7.25/hour. With the use of CDBG funds, the City reimburses businesses one-half of the cost of employing a student. Students may work up to 25 hours per week.
    • Please contact our Community Development Office - Carolet Thomas at 803-774-1652 or Clarence Gaines 803-774-1649 for additional information. The deadline to apply for both is May 5, 2023.
  • Remember to sign up on our website sumtersc.gov/litter for our 2023 Community Clean-Up dates including:
    • April 22
    • June 17
    • August 19
    • October 21
    • December 16
  • Our April regularly scheduled Council meetings will be on Tuesday, May 2nd at 1PM and Tuesday, May 16th at 5:30 PM. If you can’t make a meeting public comments may also be submitted online anytime through our website at sumtersc.gov/council/meetings, or city residents can contact the Mayor or their Council Representative any time prior to any meeting to discuss a concern or idea.

Events around Sumter - more listings available at LoveSumter.com:

  • The annual Sumter County Museum’s Shrimp Fest is Thursday, April 20 from 6-9 PM. Tickets are online at sumtercountymuseum.org. $40 for members and $50 for the public. No tickets will be available at the door, all advance purchases. One ticket gets you great entertainment, and all-you-can-eat grilled shrimp, shrimp and grits, boiled shrimp, skewered shrimp, and Lowcountry boil, as well as BBQ, beer, wine, and soft drinks.
  • 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. The legacy continues with iconic songs like "Hurt So Bad", and "When I Fall in Love", and "Goin' Out of my Head" sung LIVE at the Sumter Opera House this Friday, April 21 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $32-40, with some seating still available at sumteroperahouse.com.
  • The annual Art in the Park at Memorial Park is Saturday, April 22 from 9AM-4PM. There will be over 100 vendors and fun for all ages. The city is partnering with several booths in conjunction with Earth Day.
  • Festival on the Avenue starts Thursday, April 27 with Heritage Night, followed by Friday, April 28 with the annual golf tournament and A Tate of Soul. Then Saturday, April 29 is the popular Festival on the Ave Parade, followed by Food, Music and Family Fun on Manning Avenue. For more about the festival visit FestivalOnTheAve.org.
  • Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will be held on Thursday, May 4. Tickets are on sale now at the Swan Lake Visitors Center
  • Sumter’s newest event the Sumter County Ag & Art Tour will be held on May 12-14. The weekend kicks off with a dinner downtown and then activities and events at various farms around the Sumter Community. Each location will also feature farm tours and markets with local artisans showcasing and selling their crafts and art. For more info, visit agandarttour.com.
  • The SC Museum will also be hosting their Carolina Backcountry Springtime on Saturday, May 13th from 10AM to 4PM. This event is free and fun for all ages. Come and see how South Carolinians lived, worked, and played in the early 1800s backcountry. Demonstrations of hearth cooking, textile production, blacksmithing, woodworking, and many other activities are available. Guests are invited to play 19th-century games and sample authentic recipes.