Magic of Lights
Friendly deer stop by to be fed by visitors at the Magic of Lights benefit presented by
Hollywild Animal Preserve. Drive through nearly two miles of decorations, millions of lights and visit the Deer Forest and
Santa’s Village through January 3, 2026 at 2325 Hampton Road, Wellford, South Carolina. Photo by Ginger Dailey
Spartanburg encouraged to shop local with SpartanBucks and Holiday Sip & Shop
By
Melissa Rhine, Spartan Weekly News staff writer
As the
holiday season settles in, Spartanburg is once again celebrating the strength, charm and unity of its local business community.
This year, residents can support the businesses that give our city its character through two major initiatives: the SpartanBucks
e-gift card program and the upcoming Holiday Sip & Shop event in Downtown Spartanburg.
SpartanBucks—powered
through OneSpartanburg Inc.—continues to grow as one of the most popular ways to keep holiday spending local. The digital
gift card can be redeemed at a wide range of Spartanburg retailers, restaurants and experiences, making it a simple, community-focused
option for anyone checking off their holiday list.
For Makenna Tschetter, Director of Marketing
at OneSpartanburg, the impact is both practical and personal. “I love SpartanBucks because it supports our incredible
local businesses and makes gift-giving effortless,” she said. “It truly checks all the boxes.” Buyers choose
an amount, send the card via email or text, or print it for hand delivery. For businesses, SpartanBucks keeps dollars circulating
locally, strengthening the economic heartbeat of the region.
Makenna says Spartanburg’s
small-business community sets itself apart in meaningful ways. “Our small businesses genuinely support one another,
and you can find a thoughtful gift for anyone,” she said. “That sense of unity is what makes Spartanburg special.”
That unity is also on full display at Downtown Spartanburg’s Holiday Sip & Shop, returning Thursday, December
18 from 5 to 7 p.m. After a strong turnout at previous events, downtown retailers are gearing up once again for an evening
filled with holiday cheer. Shoppers can browse stores, enjoy seasonal drinks, listen to festive entertainment and check off
last-minute gifts at shops including Armoire, Market on Main, The Lemon Peel, Two Doors Down, The Local Hiker, and many others.
For Makenna, the Sip & Shop captures the energy of a community that loves to show up for its neighbors. She recalls
one moment in particular: “Walking into Market on Main and seeing it packed—like weaving through a joyful maze—perfectly
captured how our community shows up to shop local.”
Supporting local is more than an initiative—it’s
a way of preserving Spartanburg’s character. “Downtown Spartanburg’s charm comes from its small businesses,”
Makenna said. “I love finding unique, personal gifts and keeping my dollars in the community.”
With both SpartanBucks and the Holiday Sip & Shop, residents have easy ways to support their favorite shops and
discover new ones. Makenna says the timing couldn’t be better. “SpartanBucks is the ultimate ‘I-don’t-know-what-to-get’
gift—versatile, easy, and always appreciated. It makes you the MVP of holiday giving.”
As
the city continues its upward momentum, these programs highlight what Spartanburg does best: rally around the businesses and
people who make this place feel like home. Whether you’re purchasing a SpartanBucks gift card, strolling downtown with
friends or simply choosing a local shop over a big-box store, every effort keeps the spirit of Spartanburg thriving.
This season, Spartanburg invites the community to shop local, celebrate together and support the heart of the city—its
people.
Ashley Hairr
A heart for students, a gift for connection:
meet Ashley Hairr
Meet Your Neighbor is
a weekly feature by Spartan Weekly News staff writer Grace Anne Johnson. If you’d like to be featured, or know someone
that would be a great candidate to be featured, please email us at sprtnwkly@aol.com or call 864.574.1360.
***
Everything that Ashley Hairr touches centers around one thing — connection.
The Director of Counseling and College Guidance at Oakbrook Preparatory School, Hairr says that when she first came
to Oakbrook seven years ago, the school was new to offering mental health resources for students. A licensed marriage and
family therapist, she built Oakbrook’s program from the ground up.
Now, the program is thriving,
and Hairr shares that every day looks different. She holds regular individual sessions for mental health with students, and
has organized group sessions and parent trainings in addition to crafting social-emotional learning curriculum.
While Oakbrook is home to students K3-12th grade, Hairr predominantly works with the high school students. In addition
to counseling, she spends her Wednesdays in the classroom as a part of the College Connect program.
During this time, her students learn time management, leadership, and begin planning their futures.
A tight-knit community, Hairr says that graduation season has become extra special the longer she’s been with
Oakbrook. Classes are small — only 25 or 30 students — and bearing witness to each student’s growth over
the years is one of her favorite parts of her job.
“Our graduation is really sentimental
and emotional because we really highlight each individual student,” she shares. “Now that I’ve been here
for so long and have become a bigger part of the graduations, I love getting to look back at pictures from when the students
were younger and say, ‘Oh, I remember you.’”
“We’re a family here,”
she says. “I love watching them grow and change and figure out what they want to do, and to get to keep up with them
afterwards. We create such good connections with [our students] that they often come back or keep us in the loop about what
comes next.”
In addition to her work at Oakbrook, Hairr has been a key part of building
a rich, vibrant community of therapists in South Caro-lina through the power of social media — an accomplishment for
which she was recently awarded the Mental Health Community Advocate of the Year Award by the Mental Health of America’s
Spartanburg chaper.
She received the award alongside her friend Meg Chapman in recognition of
the Facebook community the two women first began building in 2016. The group,
Upstate Therapist Connect, first started shortly after the friends earned their Master’s Degrees from Converse University.
Their goal was to create a space in which South Carolina mental health professionals could connect, collaborate,
and support each other. An out-of-state friend from school had mentioned being involved in a similar group, and Hairr and
Chapman craved that kind of community in the Upstate. “We realized Spartanburg didn’t have anything like that,”
Hairr says, “so we decided on a whim to try to create one of our own and see what happened.”
Today, the Facebook Group boasts 2,500 members, averaging 5,000 posts each year. It’s become a priceless resource
for those working in mental health to build professional relationships, learn from each other, and connect their clients with
other professionals.
“It’s cool to watch people have that resource to reach out to,”
Hairr shares. “Now, I log on and see all these people I don’t even know. I used to know everyone by name. It’s
grown so much.”
Whether online or in the classroom, one thing is certain: Hairr’s
heart for the Spartanburg community will continue to make the Upstate a kinder, brighter place, one session or post at a time.
***
Know someone who should be featured? Nominate them via email at sprtnwkly@aol.com.
GSP opens new parking garage and consolidated rental car facility
Greenville-Spartanburg
International Airport (GSP) recently celebrated the opening of Parking Garage C and the consolidated rental car facility,
delivering new infrastructure designed to support continued passenger growth and enhance customer experience. The $97 million
project opens as the airport prepares for a busy holiday travel season and completes a record-setting 2025.
Parking Garage C, located adjacent to the terminal building, provides 750 new public parking spaces and 750 ready-return
rental car spaces. The public parking area features Park Assist technology, allowing customers to quickly locate available
spaces. The consolidated rental car facility brings all rental car operations under one roof and includes a modern transaction
lobby, reserved spaces for premium rental car customer pick-ups, and quick drop off, fueling and car wash capabilities.
“With more than three million passengers traveling through GSP over the past year, this facility will help
us better serve our customers and prepare for continued growth in 2026,” said GSP’s President and CEO Dave Edwards.
“Opening Garage C allows us to provide an unprecedented level of service while providing the convenience, efficiency,
and amenities our community expects.”
Parking Garage C is part of planned improvements designed
to increase capacity and enhance the flow of airport traffic. Over the past four years, GSP has added new surface parking
lots, redesigned the terminal roadway system, and implemented improvements to support long-term growth.
GSP would like to recognize its project partners for their contributions. LS3P led the design for Garage C and the
consolidated rental car facility. Brasfield and Gorrie served as Construction Manager and oversaw the successful delivery
of the project.
Brasfield and Gorrie Vice President and Division Manager Ben Barfield said:
“Delivering this facility safely and efficiently while the airport remained fully operational was a true team
effort. From complex concrete pours to the seamless integration of car wash and fuel systems, our crews brought skill and
dedication to every phase. We are proud to have worked alongside GSP and our project partners to deliver a facility that enhances
the traveler experience and supports continued growth in the Upstate, and we look forward to a strong, long-standing relationship.”
Members of the 5th grade Jesse Boyd Elementary School choir and Principal Jonathan Duvall
at the groundbreaking event on November 24. Spartanburg School District 7 photo
Spartanburg School District 7 breaks ground on new Jesse Boyd Elementary
Courtesy
of information provided by Spartanburg School District 7
Edited by Bobby Dailey Jr.
SPARTANBURG — Spartanburg School District 7 leaders, families and community
members gathered Nov. 24 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the new Jesse Boyd Elementary School, marking a long-anticipated
step toward expanded learning space and early-childhood services.
Under clear autumn skies at
the construction site on Webber Road, district officials lifted shovels to celebrate not only a new school building but what
they described as an investment in future generations. The facility will include the district’s second Little Vikings
Employee Childcare Center.
Board Chair Clay Mahaffey said the timing of the event underscored
the district’s gratitude for community support.
“This is a day of thanksgiving as
we take an important step forward for education in Spartanburg,” Mahaffey said.
Superintendent
Jeff Stevens called the day “a proud and historic moment” for District 7.
“As
our shovels turn this earth today, District 7 turns the page to an exciting new chapter,” Stevens said. “Thank
you for believing in this vision and helping bring it to life.”
The ceremony drew several
guests connected to the school’s history, including Boyd Scott, grandson of namesake Jesse Boyd, and his wife, Nancy.
Former principals Meredith Rose, Margaret Peach and Bob Grant also attended.
Principal Jonathan
Duvall said the school’s legacy — spanning nearly 60 years — will carry into the new building, which is
expected to open in 2027.
“Our school is a jewel, and soon it will shine even brighter in
a home designed for modern teaching and learning,” Duvall said. “It’s the people who make a building feel
like home, and that family spirit will move with us.”
PTO President Kinsey Blackwell, a
third-generation Jesse Boyd parent, and student body president Ben Hoyle shared their hopes for the project. Representatives
from McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and Harper General Contractors outlined design plans intended to support collaboration,
creativity and performance.
In a highlight of the event, the fifth-grade choir, directed by music
teacher Racel Odom, performed the school’s new alma mater — a piece written last year through a schoolwide collaboration.
District leaders and members of the school community then joined for the ceremonial turning of the soil, closing
the event on a note of unity and anticipation.
“Here’s to a school that will nurture
minds, strengthen community and inspire generations to come,” Stevens said. “Your commitment to District 7’s
children is abundantly clear.”
