File/Jenny Peterson/Journal Scene

Jeff Meierer, David Brown and Shayne Floyd of Yeehaw Junction Bluegrass Band entertain the crowd at last year’s bluegrass event held at The Ponds’ farmhouse.

Piccolo Spoleto is an annual event that focuses primarily on artists of the Southeast region to celebrate literary, performing and visual arts.

Piccolo Spoleto is a complement to its parent festival, Spoleto Festival, which brings 700 events in 17 days throughout the Charleston area. The Piccolo Spoleto Festival is produced and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and is funded in part by grants.

In the Summerville area, there will be two Bluegrass cookouts at the Farmhouse Pavilion at the YMCA’s The Ponds facility, shag dancing night at Farringdon Bistropub and a special performance by the Summerville Community Orchestra.

Tammerlin and Sugar Hill at The Ponds

May 24 at 5 p.m.

Bring your picnics and lawn chairs to the family-friendly setting at The Ponds, where Lowcountry folk and bluegrass groups Tammerlin and Sugar Hill will strum guitars and sing harmonies. Tammerlin fuses traditional folk with innovative sounds that will create a new, varied folk art. Sugar Hill’s performance is inspired by and will honor those who fought in the Civil War, along with a salute to the veterans of World War II and the Vietnam conflict. Folk singer/banjo player Kathie Livingston will emcee this special event. Food and soft drinks are available for purchase thanks to Swamp Fox District Boy Scout Troop 759. Arts and crafts activities are coordinated by Flowertown Elementary School. Visit www.DiscoverThePonds.com for directions.

Yeehaw Junction at The Ponds

June 5 at 7 p.m.

Lowcountry bluegrass group Yeehaw Junction is keeping the spirit of traditional bluegrass music alive with a picnic-style, family-friendly night of uplifting bluegrass sounds. The harmonious blend of guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and fiddle bring audiences to their feet. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs since you will be surrounded by a refreshingly natural atmosphere. Folk singer/banjo player Kathie Livingston will emcee this special event. Food and soft drinks available for purchase thanks to Swamp Fox District Boy Scout Troop 759. Arts and crafts activities coordinated by Flowertown Elementary School.

‘Shag The Night Away’ at Farringdon Bistropub

May 30 at 6 p.m.

Farringdon Bistropub, 214 N. Cedar St.

Admission: $10 (Food and drink available for purchase).

Enjoy an evening at Summerville’s newest hotspot and only outdoor bar shagging to all your favorite beach music classics played by Carolina Shag DJ Gerald Scott. If you don’t know South Carolina’s state dance, don’t worry! Charleston’s premiere Shag instructors Jerry and Barbara Wade will be giving lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. Farringdon teamed up with Big Mamma Entertainment and the Beach Music and Shag Preservation Society of S.C. for this event so you know it’s the best Charleston has to offer. Food and drink specials will be available all night. For more info visit www.farringdonbistropub.com.

Summerville Community Orchestra presents George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

June 1 at 8 p.m.

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring guest artist Maxim Lubarsky with the Summerville Community Orchestra (SCO), is a highlight of this year’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival with a June 1 performance at 8 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. Paul on Coming Street in downtown Charleston.

 Conducted by SCO Music Director, Alexander Agrest, the program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony #1, and Gounod’s Petite Symphony. Tickets cost $10 and may be purchased at the Piccolo Box office at Gaillard Auditorium, online at www.piccolospoleto.com or at the door.

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

• Santee Cooper announces 2012 refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper announces organizational changes in operation and finance departments
• Santee Cooper employees pitch in on Day of Caring
• Aerial herbicide treatment on lakes under way
• Santee Cooper Board Authorizes Rate Study
• Santee Cooper announces refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper, Florida Municipal Power Agency enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units
• Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units 2 and 3