Annual Butler Heritage Week returns
One of the floats from the Butler Heritage Parade in years past. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The annual celebration of Butler High School, Heritage Week, returned on June 25 with a full schedule of events.
Despite canceling events and having a reduced schedule during the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Butler Heritage Foundation is excited to welcome the community to the Butler campus.
“Heritage Week aims at preserving our heritage,” said event chair Doris Addison. Quoting baseball executive Branch Rickey, who helped break the color barrier in Major League Baseball, she shared: “It is not the honor you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind.”
Heritage Week events began June 25 with a Health Fair, cosponsored with the S.C. Cancer Alliance. The Health Fair took place in the Butler Auditorium. Most of the events will take place on the Butler Community Center campus, 1103 S 6th Street.
Other events include:
Bible study on June 29 starting at 6 p.m. in the Butler Auditorium.
The Annual Banquet and Roll-Call of Classes June 30 starting at 6 in the Butler Gymnatorium (tickets are $25 per person and must be purchased in advance).
The TB Thomas Golf Tournament July 1 at the Hartsville Country Club. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8:15 (four-person scramble and $65 per person).
The Annual Heritage Dance July 1 in the Butler Gymnatorium. Admission is $30 per person, which includes light refreshments and entertainment provided by Terence Lonon and the Untouchables.
July 2 includes a full schedule of events beginning with the Heritage Parade at 10 a.m. The Parade will start at the Butler Community Center and travel down 6th Street.
At noon, the All-Star Heritage Basketball Game begins in the Butler Gymnatorium ($4 adults, $2 youth between 7 and 16, children under 6 free). This year’s lineup includes two Future Stars Games (boys and girls), the Heritage All Star Game, and features Tank DJ Yac Jeffery.
Finally on Saturday, the Family Tailgate begins at 4 in Butler Park (BHF Members get in free, nonmembers $5, and children under 12 are free).
The Butler Heritage Foundation invites all members to attend the Annual Meeting on July 1 at 5 in the Auditorium. The agenda will include election of Board members and revisions to the by-laws and constitution. All are welcome, but only members can vote. Membership is $20. For more details about Heritage Week and the Annual Meeting, visit the Foundation’s website (http://www.butlerheritagefoundation.org/) and Facebook page.
Founded in 1991, the Butler Heritage Foundation was formed by alumni, former faculty, and interested citizens, who organized and developed plans to restore the campus of Butler High School after it was closed in 1982 (after 73 years of service). The mission of the Butler Heritage Foundation is to preserve the legacy of Butler High School by establishing a community and cultural center, and by providing and supporting diverse programs for all.
The goal of Heritage Week is to celebrate the history of Butler High School while fundraising for the Butler Community Center. The Butler Heritage Foundation provides facilities for the Boys and Girls Club, Senior Citizens, and other community-developing organizations.
For more information about or to support the Butler Heritage Foundation, call Chris Fraizer (843- 453-1939), Sheila Squire (843-319-2982), or Jennifer Heusel (812-606-1998).
