Taste of Butler marks 35 Years
At the Taste of Butler, Mrs. Davita Malloy and the members of the Democratic Women’s Council of Darlington County served an enormous variety of delicious fruit to the crowds, freshly inside from the heat. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
Trinity Methodist Church members served delicious chicken bog dinners recently, selling over 500 plates. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
The crowd enjoyed a huge variety of food items during the 35th Taste of Butler last week. Here, the ladies at the Hines Funeral Home table served chips with delicious, hot dip. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
A cornerstone of Butler Heritage Week, the 35th Taste of Butler was held last week in the gymnatorium on the historic campus. A huge crowd packed the facility and enjoyed an amazing variety of delicious food, fruits and desserts. PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
By Stephan Drew, Editor
editor@newsandpress.net
The aroma of home-style cooking drifted throughout the historic Butler Gymnasium on Tuesday evening as the Butler Heritage Foundation welcomed alumni, neighbors, and visitors from across the country to the 35th annual Taste of Butler.
Held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on June 30 at the Butler Campus, 1103 South 6th Street, the beloved food festival once again served as a centerpiece of Butler Heritage Week, a celebration honoring the legacy of African American education in Darlington County.
For three and a half decades, Taste of Butler has grown from a modest community gathering into one of Hartsville’s most anticipated summer traditions — a milestone that organizers and attendees alike took time to reflect on this year.
Tuesday’s event brought together numerous extremely talented cooks and organizations who filled the gymnasium with culinary stations offering a taste of our region’s rich food traditions. Plates piled high with Southern staples, family recipes, and community favorites gave the evening the feel of a giant neighborhood cookout — only inside a cool, comfortable arena.
The Taste of Butler functions as a bridge between generations, drawing together Butler alumni, current Hartsville residents, and former community members who return each year — some traveling significant distances — to reconnect with the place that shaped their education and identity.
The Butler school site itself carries deep historical significance, standing as a testament to the perseverance and achievement of Black students and educators in Darlington County during a pivotal era in the region’s history. By hosting the event on these grounds, the Butler Heritage Foundation ensures that each bite shared and each conversation struck up under the summer evening sky helps keep that legacy alive for new generations.