July 2022 Council Highlights

  • Sumter brought home two Main Street Inspiration Awards from the 2022 MASC Annual Meeting this weekend in Charleston. The two projects winning awards were the Creative Canvas project as the Outstanding Partnership Award and Naomi & Warner as the Master Merchant Award. Congratulations to all of our partners!
  • The Sumter County Gallery of Art and the South Sumter Resource Center would like to invite you to a community reception this Thursday, July 21 at the South Sumter Resource Center from 5-6:30PM to celebrate the completion of the first five (5) murals of the Creative Canvas Project. Two of the muralists will be on hand for the public to meet – both completed murals on the South Side and one Downtown as part of this project. This project was funded primarily by grant funding and generous businesses and organizations throughout Sumter. The locations of the murals are:
    • 122 N. Washington Street
    • 9 N. Main Street
    • 24 W. Liberty Street
    • 337 Manning Avenue
    • 363 Manning Avenue 
  • More details on the Creative Canvas project are available at org.
  • Our next Litter Community Clean-Up Day is scheduled for August 18th. 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. For more information, visit sumtersc.gov.
  • The Sumter Walk + Bike Master Plan is the first of its kind study for Sumter that will create a guide for expanding the bicycle and pedestrian network in the Sumter area.  The Plan will recommend improvements for the long-term vision of connecting the area with an active transportation infrastructure that expands routes throughout the community that are safe, convenient, and comfortable for all users. We currently have a community survey live and we are looking for input. The link is live on our website at sumtersc.gov/walkbike
  • To help improve the conditions of our sidewalks, the City of Sumter is partnering with StreetScan, a Massachusetts-based company that has assessed over 100 communities across North America. Crews will be out in the city starting this week and assessing through August 5. StreetScan employs scooter-mounted sensing technologies to assess the sidewalk conditions. The systems determine the health of each sidewalk and identify defects including tripping hazards and cracking. This data will help the City of Sumter and SCDOT to identify and prioritize repair needs across our community. If you have any questions, please contact our Planning Department at 803-774-1612.
  • We are in the midst of Hurricane Season and 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.
    • To help you better prepare for storms and learn how to protect your family you can also visit scfor more information. You can also view a sample Emergency Checklists on our website at www.sumtersc.gov. Under the Department tab, chose Emergency Management.
  • While more events are listed on our website calendar at sumtersc.gov. Some highlights to the current community calendar are:
  • Get out and enjoy Family Fun Days at the South Sumter Park each Thursday through the end of Summer. Softball, tennis, art and more. Free activities for the whole family. 5:30-7:30PM
  • Fourth Fridays return to Downtown Sumter again this year, starting Friday, July 22 at 6:30. 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 Summer schedule includes a variety of bands, with:
    • BadWater on July 22
    • Level 10 Live Band & Show on August 26
    • Second Nature on September 23
  • Join the Sumter County Museum for a second Treasure Hunt this Saturday, July 23 at 2PM at the Museum's McKenzie Hall. $20 per child includes an autographed hardcover book of Mary Alice Monroe's Search for Treasure, participation in the treasure hunt and a cold treat at the end of the hunt. Suggested ages: 5-13 years old. To purchase tickets call 803-775-0908, stop by the Museum through Saturday 10-5 or purchase online at sumtercountymuseum.org.
    • Join Temple Sinai Jewish History Center in August for another Curious George Reading Adventure. $10 members, $15 nonmembers and includes a copy of the book to take home, stuff Curious George toy, a snack, take-home craft and more. Preregistration is required and is available on the Sumter County Museum’s website sumtercountymuseum.org.
  • The Sumter Opera House has plenty 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. What’s coming up?
    • Palmetto Voices on July 31- The Palmetto Voices Spiritual Ensemble. Formed in 2006, the choir strives to preserve the legacy of the Concert Spiritual and share the vision that this unique American choral art form is for everyone.  The choir has sung for National, Southern, and State ACDA conferences, Carnegie Hall, and toured Italy, Vienna, and Greece.
    • Resurrection: A Journey Tribute, August 6 & 7. A crowd favorite returns for two nights of Journey music!  Friday night will feature the 1981 album "Escape" performed cover to cover.  Saturday's concert is the 2022 Raised On Journey tour that features great hits and deep cuts! Get your tickets now as both shows are bound to sell out!
    • The Sumter Opera House is hosting a Summer Cinema Series for children and families. Showtimes are 10AM, 1PM and 7PM. Admission is $1.50 and concessions will be available onsite. The schedule is every Tuesday through August 2, with upcoming movies including Mitchell’s VS the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon, Soul, Luca and more! A full schedule is available at sumteroperahouse.com.
  • 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. 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 4thfloor 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 www.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 August 2nd at 1 PM and August 16th at 5:30 PM.