LCSHP & Lancaster Cultural Arts Center

08/29/2026

The Historic Lancaster Music Festival continues TONIGHT at the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center! 🎶

Read more about the Music Festival here:
https://mailchi.mp/5ec74a4b331f/hlmf-2026-begins-today

Get your tickets at www.lcactickets.org & help support the LCSHP!!

08/28/2026

📚CAC Conversation Series is back next week!

What can two South Carolina novels, written nearly 20 years apart, tell us about life and culture in the rural South during the Jim Crow era?

Join us Wednesday, September 2, at noon at the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center for the next CAC Conversation, featuring historian and author Kathryn Smith.

Smith will explore:

📖 Scarlet Sister Mary (1928) by Julia Peterkin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set among the Gullah people of South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

📖 Send Me an Angel (1946) by Alice Nisbet, a little-known novel set in Van Wyck after World War II. Nisbet, a 1940 Winthrop College graduate and public-school teacher, tells the story of Delilah, an African American woman whose life has been shaped by hardship and struggle.

Smith will talk about these fascinating works, the authors who wrote them, and the reactions they received when they were published.

Whether you love history, literature, or simply discovering stories connected to our own community, we’d love to have you join us!

📍 Lancaster Cultural Arts Center
307 West Gay Street, Lancaster, SC 29720
🕛 Noon | Wednesday, September 2
🎟️ Free • No registration required • Free parking

👉 Read Mandy Catoe’s article for more about Kathryn Smith and the stories behind this fascinating conversation:
https://spilledinkabovethefold.wordpress.com/2026/08/27/two-south-carolina-literary-works-on-jim-crow-era/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-R9hwZG9mAWZkaWQWUNWaFsGmYr2M3tehi8D9m-DS5Fr7TmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4C3Z57R0GOkQF1ASeb-2DZWjYiwJV0YUISNKXBx52NpeFcqe5JFc2JWKgqjg_aem_qB_-F_LB3AjaJKpcEGYcjg

08/27/2026

The Historic Lancaster Music Festival begins TONIGHT at the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center! 🎶

Read more about the Music Festival here:
https://mailchi.mp/5ec74a4b331f/hlmf-2026-begins-today

Get your tickets at www.lcactickets.org & help support the LCSHP!!

08/26/2026

Thank you to Catherine and Chet from WRHI & CN2’s Palmetto Mornings for having our Executive Director, William Shaw, on to talk about the upcoming Historic Lancaster Music Festival that begins TOMORROW at the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center. He also talked about some of our current projects as well!

See the clip from today’s show here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/HU0WzLur7RU?t=9919&si=5aWiM7VFeaqBAWNc

Remember to Get Tickets at www.lcactickets.org
for the Festival and other concerts!

08/25/2026

Come on out to the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center this week for the Historic Lancaster Music Festival!

08/25/2026

🎻The 4th Annual Historic Lancaster Music Festival is almost here! 🎶

Join us for three unforgettable performances featuring world-class musicians under the artistic direction of Calin Lupanu, Concertmaster of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra!

Read more about the Music Festival here: https://mailchi.mp/5ec74a4b331f/hlmf-2026-begins-today

📅 Festival Concerts

🎻 Thursday, August 27 | 6:30 PM – Featuring special guest Bjorn Ranheim of the St. Louis Symphony, performing powerful piano trios by Bruch and Tchaikovsky.

🎹 Saturday, August 29 | 6:30 PM – Lancaster favorite Ethan Uslan returns with an entertaining blend of classical chamber music, tango, and jazz.

🎼 Sunday, August 30 | 3:00 PM – A thrilling finale featuring string octets by Enescu and Shostakovich, performed by an ensemble of CM4A musicians.

🥂 Benefit Reception & Silent Auction 📅 Sunday, August 30 | 5:15 PM 📍 Bowmoore Farms

Enjoy food, drinks, fellowship with the musicians, a live bagpiper, and bid on unique dining experiences at the Historic Craig Farm House and Bowmoore Farm House, all while supporting the Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation and the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center.

🎟️ Tickets are required for all concerts and the Benefit Reception. Purchase them at www.lcactickets.org.

Come celebrate music, history, and community with us during this extraordinary three-night festival! 🎶

08/21/2026

🎶 The Historic Lancaster Music Festival 2026 is almost here! 🎶

Our latest LCSHP newsletter is packed with exciting updates, including details about next week's Historic Lancaster Music Festival, one of Lancaster's most anticipated celebrations of music, history, and community. Learn more about what's planned, how you can participate, and what to expect during this special event by reading the newsletter linked below!

You'll also find:
📖 Mandy Catoe's article on our new leadership
🏛️ An update on the Lancaster County Archives Center
👏Ways to support the mission of the LCSHP!

Read the latest newsletter here:
https://mailchi.mp/20f9426609e2/lcshp-august-20th-2026-update

📬 Want to stay up to date on Historic Lancaster Music Festival announcements, Cultural Arts Center events, preservation news, and community happenings? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss an update!

As we look ahead to an exciting new chapter, this week’s LCSHP update highlights the connections between Lancaster's rich past and promising future!

08/18/2026

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mandy Catoe for her wonderful article highlighting the exciting future of the Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation (LCSHP). Her thoughtful storytelling beautifully captures our mission, our history, and the opportunities that lie ahead as we continue preserving Lancaster County's heritage for future generations.

Mandy's support helps bring awareness to the important work being done by our volunteers, board members, and community partners.

Thank you, Mandy, for sharing our story and for your continued commitment to Lancaster County History & Arts!

We invite everyone to read the article here:

It’s really my dream job. I told John I wanted to do a good job preserving what they have created and keep it moving forward as times change. ~ Will Shaw, executive director CAC/LCSHP

08/14/2026

🎻 Don't miss this Sunday's special concert at the Cultural Arts Center! 🪉

The program features an incredible lineup of artists: Andrea Mumm-Trammell, Principal Harpist of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, joining celebrated violinists Calin Lupanu, Concertmaster of the Charlotte Symphony, and Monica Boboc for a stunning afternoon of classical favorites.
Audiences will enjoy beloved selections including Saint-Saëns' Fantasy and Massenet's Meditation among other beautiful works.

📅 This Sunday, August 16th
🕒 3:00 PM
📍 Lancaster Cultural Arts Center,
307 W Gay St., Lancaster, SC 29720

🎟️ Get your tickets here: www.lcactickets.org

📖 Read Mandy Catoe's feature article to learn more: https://spilledinkabovethefold.wordpress.com/2026/08/08/the-magical-sound-of-violins-and-a-harp/

Tickets are $21 Online & $25 at the door, with free parking available onsite and free street parking throughout downtown.

08/08/2026

🎺Here is a recap video from last Wednesday’s Conversation series at the CAC featuring the a concert reenactment of the bands under Ben Watkins, compiled and created by his son Ben Watkins III and grandson, Jon Watkins!

Please support their page, Ben’s Boogie on YouTube and Substack for more! 🎶

One More Time reunited former members of the Lancaster High School ...