In July, the Village Green had a "keep off" sign on it. The Town of Pendleton closed the lawn from July 1 through July 24 to pull up the patchy turf and lay new sod. The old grass had bare spots and an uneven look, and the irrigation system had a controller that no longer worked, damaged wiring, and years of piecemeal repairs made with mixed parts. The Town said overseeding had failed in earlier years because foot traffic and events wore the seedlings down before they could take hold.
The new turf is Tahoma 31 Bermuda. The Town picked it for its durability, drought tolerance, shade tolerance, and ability to handle heavy traffic. The Town also timed the work so it would be done before several upcoming community events. Those events start this week. The Anderson Observer reports the Green will host activity almost every weekend through the end of the year. This year the town has built a season of events, and the lawn was prepared to carry it.
The Full Calendar, Square to Parade
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 7 | Pendleton Homecoming Parade | Exchange Street | 6:00–6:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30 | Ghosts of Ashtabula tours | 2725 Old Greenville Hwy, Central | 8:00–10:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Fall Harvest Festival | Village Green and downtown | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Downtown trick-or-treat, then community movie | Downtown merchants, Heritage Park | Check Town listings |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Christmas tree lighting and Christkindlmarkt opening | Village Green | Market 4–8 p.m. |
| Nov. 27–28, Dec. 4–5, Dec. 11–12 | Pendleton Christkindlmarkt | 105 Exchange St. / Village Green | 4–8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Pendleton Christmas parade | Downtown | Check Town listings |
October 10: A Harvest Festival Built to Draw Visitors From Beyond the Upstate
The Fall Harvest Festival runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lindsey Watley, the town's Community Engagement Manager, told The Anderson Observer that this year's festival has a larger art component. "We amped it up this year for sure," she said.
The art program will be in two spots. Pendleton Art Gallery on the town square will run demonstrations in front of the gallery and also staff an art tent on the Village Green. Michaels will lead hands-on arts and crafts inside the tent. Michaels has donated large canvases for a community art project. Festivalgoers will paint them with help from the gallery, and the finished work will be displayed around Pendleton afterward. A grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission pays for the expanded art program.
The festival is also marketed outside the area this year. Anderson County accommodations-tax funding helped pay for billboards in Asheville, Columbia, and other markets. If those billboards work, expect more out-of-town cars than usual on Saturday morning. Plan to arrive early.
Watley also mentioned a practical change. Last year the town saw a need for a covered place to eat. So from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., the art tent will double as covered dining.
Food on the Town's posted vendor list
The vendor roster on the Town's site lists spot numbers along with the names. Food and sweets include:
- Bethel United Methodist fish fry, on Main Street
- Brooklyn Pizza, spot 52
- Belgian Waffle and Cakes for Kee-Kee Cheesecake, on Exchange Street
- Maeoe's Filipino Food Trailer, Mac Attack, Fuel Foods, and Sweet Bites of Italy
- Crumbl Anderson and Kona Ice for dessert
The craft and art vendors on the same list include 124 Candle Co., 3G Girl Studios, Bella Luna Bookbinding, Bead-Dazzled Jewelry, Cedar Lane Creative, and Art Gallery on Square. The festival poster names a Main Stage Entertainment Sponsor but doesn't list performers or a music schedule.
Road closures that matter if you live or work downtown
- Main and Exchange streets close at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
- Vehicles in the closure area need to be moved by 1:30 p.m. Friday.
- Vendors load out at 5 p.m. Saturday.
- Roads reopen at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Town's notice doesn't include a parking plan for attendees. If you park on Main or Exchange, Friday afternoon is the deadline that matters.
The Rest of October Connects Downtown Businesses and History Groups
The Pendleton Historic Foundation's Ghosts of Ashtabula tours run on the four Friday nights of October, 8 to 10 p.m., at 2725 Old Greenville Highway in Central. When we checked, the Foundation's pages showed registration closed and every date sold out. If you missed out, these tours are worth putting on next year's calendar early.
On Oct. 29, two events will be linked. The Pendleton Area Business Association's downtown trick-or-treat sends families from one merchant to the next. After that, the town, the Pendleton Area Business Association, the Pendleton Foundation for Black History and Culture, and the Pendleton History Foundation plan to show a community movie at Heritage Park. The Observer describes the format this way: "A child may come for candy at a storefront, then cross town for a community movie." The Observer's report doesn't give start times or the movie title, so check the Town of Pendleton site closer to the date.
The Holidays Run Three Weekends, Not One Night
The holiday season opens Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, with the annual Christmas tree lighting on the Village Green. The Observer notes the tree lighting usually draws one of the town's biggest crowds. This year the tree's ornaments will have a new color scheme, and new programs aim to bring families into downtown businesses.
The tree lighting also opens the Pendleton Christkindlmarkt, which keeps vendors on the Green for three weekends. The Town's 2026 vendor information lists six market nights: Nov. 27 and 28, Dec. 4 and 5, and Dec. 11 and 12, each from 4 to 8 p.m. at 105 Exchange Street and the Village Green. Vendors have to work both nights of any weekend they sign up for, which means you'll see the same booths on Friday and Saturday. After load-in, vendors park on East and West Main, Broad Street, and designated lots. All food has to come from an SCDA-approved kitchen. The vendor document covers requirements and doesn't name the vendors taking part. The Town's separate Christkindlmarkt event page still showed last year's schedule when we checked, so go by the 2026 vendor document.
The Christmas parade falls between the first and second market weekends, on Sunday, Dec. 6. Watley said last year's parade drew strong participation and a large crowd.
From the Harvest Festival to the last market night is about nine weeks. That stretch explains the July closure. Six market nights of vendor tents and foot traffic would wear down weak turf fast. The new irrigation and the Bermuda sod went in to handle that kind of use. The Town also ran underground wiring for possible uplighting in the future, and it says it is monitoring the trees around the Green and widening mulch rings after concerns were raised about root impacts.
Across Exchange Street, Evans Drug Is Back in Use
If you're downtown for any of these events, stop by 102 Exchange Street. The former Evans Drug Store dates to around 1905. Four generations of Evans family pharmacists worked there, and two physicians had practices upstairs. After the drugstore closed in 1996, the upper floors sat empty for years.
Restoration began in 2020 under Main Exchange LLC, a group of local investors. The building reopened in June 2026 with its original floors and doors intact. Its tenants are Newtique, Sutherland Hill Farms Photography, and financial adviser Bray Friar. Main Exchange partner Susan Jezek told FOX Carolina, "It was worth every minute, every delay, every surprise." Photographer Krista Sutherland said she chose the building because Pendleton is her hometown and she "wanted to come back to this community."
There's more to come. Renovation of the neighboring building at 104 Exchange Street was expected to start this past summer. Main Exchange is also advertising a 1,700-square-foot basement as a possible speakeasy, coffee bar, or small restaurant. No tenant has been named. Mayor Sarah Stokowski said the town is pursuing a Bailey Bill, a local program that could offer tax credits for restoring historic homes and businesses. Former Pendleton Historic Foundation President Powell Hickman put the building's role simply: "This was the crossroads of the community as a community drugstore."
The restored storefronts and the re-sodded Green sit across from each other on the same square, and both are ready in time for the busiest stretch of the year.
If you own an older home near the square and want to understand what the town's preservation efforts could mean for it, Philip Kalchthaler is glad to walk through it with you, with no pressure, whenever it's useful. Reach Out Today.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
