Apr11

FRANCIS MARION INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL @ FMU PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (day)

Florence, SC

NEW LOCATION: FMU Performing Arts Center, Downtown Florence

Preparations for Francis Marion University’s Arts International festival in downtown Florence are underway. The longstanding festival, one of the Pee Dee’s great spring traditions, will bring its regular mix of art, music and food to its new location on April 11. The 38-year-old festival has been held in previous year on FMU’s campus. Activities will now center on FMU’s Performing Arts Center. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. There is no admission charge and all the entertainment is free and open to the public. There is a charge for food and craft items that are on sale. The premier event at this year’s festival will be a 2 p.m. performance by the Blue Dogs in the PAC’s amphitheatre. The “Dogs” are an earthy, Southern rock band from South Carolina, and a well-known favorite of Pee Dee music fans. FMU’s Music Industry Ensemble and the Celtic rock band Stirling Bridge are also slated to perform in the PAC amphitheatre. The FMU String Ensemble, Vocal Edition, pianist Paolo Gualdi, violinist Terris Roberts and pianist Sumire Worman are all scheduled to perform in the PAC Black Box. Other scheduled acts include the Jabali African Acrobats, the Chief Kamu Fire and Hula Show and the Chinese Acrobats. They will offer festivalgoers a unique perspective on arts from around the world on the festival’s International Stage. A variety of strolling musicians and performers will patrol the festival area, providing impromptu entertainment throughout the day. Other events will include Florence-Darlington Technical College’s famous welding sculpture competition. The competition will feature teams of experienced craftsmen who will create breathtaking pieces of art on the fly, using a pile of scrap material brought in for the occasion. Also on tap: an arts and crafts fair featuring the work of local and regional artisans, children’s activities, art displays in the Florence County Museum and Waters Building Annex, and an international food court. The City of Florence is joining FMU as a major festival participant for this year’s events. Other sponsors include FDTC; St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is providing space for festival parking and events; Honda of SC; Nan Ya Plastics; Florence County; Pepsi Cola of Florence; and the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau. The festival is the union of two former festivals, Art’s Alive and the Pee Dee International Festival. Its roots date back to 1977. For more information on this year’s Arts International festival, go to http://www.fmarion.edu/news/artsinternational.

Free admission Age limit: All ages