Purple Martin Parade and Festival

            Calhoun County Library is happy to announce that on Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Purple Martin Parade and Festival will be here in the heart of Calhoun County! The parade will run its usual course through St. Matthews on Bridge Street starting at 10 AM, and the festival will take place on the grounds of the historic Calhoun County Courthouse from 11 AM - 3 PM. 

            Look for Representative Russell Ott atop one of Calhoun County's shiny fire engines as the Grand Marshall of the parade! The Calhoun County High School marching band will be featured in the parade as well as elected officials and county emergency and utility services. 

            During the festival, babies and toddlers can enjoy storytime in the Library and also "A Tangle of Tales" puppet show by internationally-acclaimed puppet theatre company Grey Seal Puppets to be performed on the front steps of the Courthouse at 12 PM, 1 PM, and 2 PM. Teens will enjoy learning with a great hands-on demonstration of drug and alcohol awareness by Vincent Sanders with the Edisto Health Coalition. All youth will enjoy the inflatable play space featuring obstacle courses, climbing walls, and slides. Everyone is encouraged to take a stroll through the Gressette Children's Garden for Pollinator Education to see what's buzzing and blooming! 

            There will be some great food and treats from numerous food vendors including such local favorites as B&H Family, Calhoun Country Market, G&G Catering, Harmony Ice Cream, L&R Grilling & Catering Service, and O'Henry's Catering. Everyone can shop around for purple martin houses and other interesting vendor items as well as county and state service.

            Purple Martin Sanctuary level sponsors for this year's festival are Dominion Energy, The Fitts Company, Inc., and Russell Ott for House of Representatives. Purple Martin Colony level sponsors this year are Calhoun AutoWorks, Paragon Advisory Services, Spires Heating & Air, Tri-County Electric Cooperative, and TriCoLink. Their and the contributions of other generous organizations help make this year’s Purple Martin Festival possible. 

            We hope to see everyone sitting on the sidewalk watching the parade and later at the Courthouse grounds for the festivities. Let’s celebrate Calhoun County together and welcome the purple martins home!