Editor’s Note: In this column, features editor Charmain Z. Brackett highlights a trip to Newberry, S.C.
I wanted a short getaway.
Nothing complicated; nothing too far away; and if it wasn’t too crowded, all the better.
My husband and I also like to do things related to the arts — see a play, watch a dance performance or go to a concert — when we go away. Okay, I admit that I’m probably the one who wants to do that more than he does, but he’s been part of an artistic family long enough to appreciate it.
Prior to this weekend, I’d never been to Newberry as a destination. I’d skirted past it on the way to Greenville a few times and didn’t know much about it.
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At one point, I’d googled “opera houses” and found a couple of them in South Carolina including the one in Newberry. A scan of the performances led me to The Concert Truck, and further investigation revealed The Concert Truck included someone who graduated with my daughter from John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School.
Susan Zhang, from Augusta, is an award-winning pianist. She and partner Nick Luby turned a former box truck into a mobile concert venue. After interviewing Zhang and writing a story on it, I was intrigued.
So Bret and I jumped into his truck on Friday afternoon and took a 90-ish minute ride up Highway 25/121 to Newberry.
Lodging options are limited in Newberry, but we stayed in the perfect spot directly across the street from the Newberry Opera House. We arrived in plenty of time to see Zhang and Luby as they performed their hourlong concert in front of the Newberry Opera House.
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We found a bench in the park in the center of town to enjoy the music. The show included a few four-hand piano numbers as well as solos by Luby and Zhang. They played an array of works including an Argentinian tango, “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens and some pieces by Rachmaninov.
They added a rendition of Margaret Bonds’ “Troubled Waters” and Art Tatum’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” before playing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue.”
I’d love for this duo to come to Augusta with The Concert Truck.
After the concert, Bret and I walked down Main Street, which was blocked off in preparation for Oct. 2’s Oktoberfest. One thing I immediately noticed as we walked the square were the bricks. Some of them were Augusta Block and others were stamped Peerless Augusta. The Augusta Blocks I’ve seen before, but I’ve never seen the Peerless ones. I’ll probably be giving Erick Montgomery with Historic Augusta a call on Monday.
When I’d checked in, I asked for restaurant suggestions. The Grille on Main was on the list.
The restaurant opened in 2004 at 1212 Main St. in the oldest-standing building on the block. At one time it was a dry goods store. One of the interesting things about the building is that it was constructed of brick not wood, so it has withstood multiple fires in the downtown area over the years, according to its website. A piece of the original brick wall is covered with Plexiglas to allow visitors a glimpse at the original structure.
It also served as a drug store and insurance office at one time.
The Grille on Main serves Southern-style food. My husband chose the country-fried steak while I ate the lemon-dill salmon. Both entrees were delicious. The salmon had a light sauce on it and was cooked well.
The first choice on my dinner suggestion list was a hit.
After dinner, we walked the quiet Main Street and looked at some of the store fronts under the glow of the streetlights. A few of the businesses intrigued us, but we’d have to wait to check them out.
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The next morning was Oktoberfest complete with the Fort Jackson Oktoberfest band kicking things off. People wore their lederhosen and enjoyed the bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel and other German fare.
Multiple crafts vendors lined Main Street, and a special area had a carousel and other activities for children. An antique car show was down a side street.
Newberry is a great place for antiquing with multiple shops brimming with items. Each one seemed to have a different theme.
Eurolux was the store that piqued my husband’s interest.
The shop had hundreds of Thanksgiving pilgrims lining the storefront, and inside there were massive desks, wardrobes, dining room tables and chairs – all made out of wood. The desk that drew my husband was filled with hidden compartments and drawers, but the feature that interested him the most is that it looked like a stage.
Bret opted for German fare for lunch while I ducked into Figaro’s Market, a nearby deli where I got a salad topped with deli turkey. After he finished his bratwurst and German potato salad, he came inside for dessert — a massive slice of carrot cake.
His verdict on the four-layer cake was the frosting was perfect; it was not too sweet, super creamy with the right amount of nuts. The cake itself was moist.
After lunch, he headed to the hotel to watch the University of Georgia-University of Arkansas football game while I wandered through Oktoberfest and downtown. There were guided tours of the Newberry Opera House. I’d wanted to go inside since The Concert Truck was just outside the doors of the theater.
My tour guide was Ken, who led me through the building that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
It was originally built in 1881 to house the mayor’s office, fire department and police department. The theater space was on the second floor.
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It hosted vaudeville performers until 1915 when the first silent film was shown inside. The last film was shown in 1952 as the city wasn’t interested in running a movie theater. By the 60s, the fire department had moved around the corner and the police had a new office.
The city wanted to tear the building down; hence the move to put it on the historic register. The second floor had years of neglect. The only part of the second level to be salvaged were the wood floors.
The theater seats about 416 people.
One of the more interesting parts of the tour came in the green room, where performers over the past several decades had signed the walls. Wesley Tuttle was the first performer to put his signature on a wall. He was a yodeling cowboy in the 1940s.
Others to sign the walls have included Kris Kristofferson, Pam Tillis, Mel Tillis and Jack Klugman. Tony Randall also signed a wall, but he never performed in the theater. He made a surprise visit to see Klugman, who was performing in “On Golden Pond.”
The Newberry Opera House has a lot of shows scheduled, although Ken said two were canceled last week to COVID-19.
A few upcoming events include Mother’s Finest on Oct. 14, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound on Oct. 17, A Silent Film Halloween on Oct. 30; Robert Earl Keen on Nov. 4; and Sheena Easton and Tiffany on Nov. 6 and Ace Frehley of KISS on Nov. 12.
We wound down our Saturday night with dinner at a second offering from my list of suggestions – the Steelhorse Smokehouse.
We shared a half-chicken with sides of hash and rice and green beans. The chicken was juicy and tender and had a great smoked flavor to it.
The Steelhorse has a motorcycle theme in its décor.
For a weekend getaway, Newberry was just what I needed – quiet, with excellent food, great company and arts-related experiences.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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