Recreation, Arts Cornucopia in Florence
Published Oct 17, 2007
The Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library opened in downtown Florence in 2004.
For years, sporting events, theater and music have been the mainstays of entertainment for Florence residents and visitors to the area, but thanks to the hard work and generosity of public and private investors, one of the hottest tickets in town these days is a library card.
A new $17.5 million, 83,000-square-foot library on Dargan Street downtown is an imposing sight. The library, named for the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, features classical columns, arched windows, chandeliers and airy hallways.
“The building makes a statement about Florence as a community. It’s going to be a historical centerpiece for the community as long as it is standing,” says George Hobeika, the library’s director.
In addition to donating well over half the funds for building the library, the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, which was started by two local physicians, has approved $10 million grants for two additional cultural facilities to be built downtown.
One grant was awarded to Francis Marion University, which will partner with the city to build the FMU Center for the Performing Arts, a multilevel building that will be located on a four-acre site at the corner of Dargan and West Palmetto streets. The second $10 million will fund a new Dargan Street home for the Florence Little Theatre.
“These two catalyst projects, when combined with the library and various private developments, will bring the revitalization of downtown along at a greatly accelerated pace,” says Phillip Lookadoo, the city’s urban planning and development manager.
For longtime residents like retired professor Joe Stukes, who headed the history department at FMU for many years, these new projects demonstrate the commitment of community leaders and the public to make Florence an increasingly dynamic place to live.
“There has been a reawakening of Florence with the arts and culture, and that makes the quality of life here – which was already quite good – even better,” says Stukes, who conducts first-person portrayals of notable Americans at the library and provides tours of Florence’s leading historical spots.
According to local business leader Kevin Barth, owner of the Florence Red Wolves collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, Florence’s wide selection of entertainment venues and programs provides an option for every interest and age.
“For [the Red Wolves], the response has been overwhelmingly positive from families. They come out and can have a great time at a very affordable price, and get to see future major league baseball players,” Barth says, adding that attendance over the summer season exceeds 30,000.
Sports fans also are drawn to Francis Marion University, where the Patriots of the Division II Peach Belt Conference compete in 12 sports (six for men, six for women). And at the 10,000-seat Florence Civic Center, two professional teams – the Pee Dee Cyclones of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the Florence Phantoms of the American Indoor Football League – play their home games.
Just across the Florence County line, Darlington Raceway, known in NASCAR circles as “the track too tough to tame,” draws tens of thousands of fans each year. Its signature event is the Nextel Cup race over Mother’s Day weekend – May 11-12 in 2007.
“It all adds up to quality of life,” Barth says. “It’s something the people here value, and it shows.”
Story by Valerie Pascoe
Photo by Brian McCord
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