Your Clemson weekend: 6 events, wings at the Esso Club, Tigers on bye
Hey Tiger Town —
Here's your weekend: six things worth leaving the house for, the Esso Club spotlight, a bye-week breather for football, and one arena bill in Atlanta worth the drive.
THIS WEEKEND
- The Great Gatsby (Pickens County Performing Arts Center) — Saturday Oct 10, 3:00 PM; Sunday Oct 11, 3:00 PM @ 314 W. Main Street, Liberty — ticketed, check venue site — stage production with evening and matinee shows. https://www.wndmotors.com/things-to-do-liberty-sc-fall-events.html
- Basic Horticulture: SCNP Certificate Core Class — Saturday Oct 10, 9:00 AM @ South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson — price on Eventbrite — native-plant certificate core class. https://www.eventbrite.com/
- Donkey River Farm Fall Fest — Saturday Oct 10, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM @ Donkey River Farm, Liberty SC — $15, kids 2 & under free — piglets, pumpkin decorating, bounce house, hay bale maze, Highland cows; pancakes & coffee in the morning, food truck afternoon. https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/guides/fall
- Music in the Woods — Saturday Oct 10, 2:00–4:00 PM @ Paris Mountain State Park amphitheater, Greenville — $6 park admission — live music in the rebuilt amphitheater. https://towncarolina.com/
- Hannah Harper Live — Saturday Oct 10 @ Walhalla Performing Arts Center, Walhalla — check venue for time & tickets — country concert ~30 min from Clemson. https://concerts.hypebot.com/cities/country/clemson-sc
- Comedian Zane Lamprey — Saturday Oct 10, 7:00 PM @ Keowee Brewing Company, Seneca — from ~$27 — stand-up, ~20 min from Clemson. https://www.eventbrite.com/
- Fourth Annual Piedmont Pickle Fest — Sunday Oct 11, 2:00 PM @ Carolina Bauernhaus Brewery & Winery, Anderson — from ~$12.50 — pickle-themed festival, ~20 min from Clemson. https://www.eventbrite.com/
EAT & DRINK
Spotlight: The Esso Club — 129 Old Greenville Hwy, Clemson — (864) 654-5120 — theessoclub.com
A Clemson institution: a sports bar born from a 1920s Esso gas station and grocery on the old Atlanta–Greenville highway. The original Esso oval sign still hangs out front; inside it's wall-to-wall Tiger memorabilia and TVs. Famous for the mango habanero wings and the Ribeye Steak Quesadilla; regulars swear by the meat-and-three plates. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution once called it the best bar in the South. Hours: Mon–Fri 11 AM–2 AM, Sat 11 AM–midnight, Sun 11 AM–8 PM.
Openings: Dutch Bros Coffee opened its first Clemson location April 14 at 118 Pinnacle St (the old KFC building off Tiger Blvd) — drive-thru only, 5 AM–10 PM Sun–Thu, 5 AM–11 PM Fri–Sat. Coffee, Rebels energy drinks, smoothies, protein lattes.
No verified closings this week.
TIGER TOWN
- Football: BYE WEEK. No game today. The Tigers (3-2, 2-1 ACC) regroup after the 41-13 home loss to No. 4 Miami. Next up: Charleston Southern at home, Saturday Oct 17, noon ET, ACC Network.
- Women's soccer: No. 23 Clemson vs Louisville — TONIGHT, Saturday Oct 10, 6:00 PM ET @ Riggs Field — FREE admission — Alumni Day honoring the 2016 ACC Regular Season Championship team; streamed on ACCNX. Tigers are 5-2-5 (2-1-1 ACC) after a 0-0 draw with Florida State.
WORTH THE DRIVE
- Weezer: The Gathering (with The Shins + Silversun Pickups) — TONIGHT, Saturday Oct 10, 7:00 PM (doors 6 PM) @ State Farm Arena, Atlanta — one of the strongest alt-rock arena bills of the fall. atlantamusicguide.com
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
- The Music Man — Tuesday Oct 13, 7:30 PM @ Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, Clemson — touring production of Meredith Willson's classic; season tickets $45–$65.
- 21st Annual Rotary Club of Clemson Oyster Roast — Friday Oct 16, 5:00 PM @ Douthit Hills, Tiger Park — from ~$81.
- The Red Clay Strays: Grateful Tour (with The Revivalists + Haley Reinhart) — Sunday Oct 18, 6:30 PM @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville.
- Charlotte Ballet: Whispers, Echoes, Voices — Thursday Oct 29, 7:30 PM @ Brooks Center, Clemson.
IN BRIEF
- Miami thumps Clemson 41-13 in Death Valley — second-worst home loss of the Dabo era; Tigers fall to 3-2. Swinney: "The season ain't over."
- Starting nickel Corian Gipson out for the season with a knee injury (meniscus surgery); Swinney called it "a big, big loss."
- Noon kickoff set for Clemson vs Charleston Southern on Oct 17, ACC Network.
- CUPD investigating a reported criminal sexual contact incident at Cooper Library (1st floor, Wed ~4:45 PM); increased patrols, reviewing video.
- Men's soccer draws with Georgia Southern — "too close for comfort" for Clemson United.
That's the weekend. See you Thursday.
— Frank