On Oct. 25, the Spartanburg High School Parent-Teacher Organization and Student Council hosted over 75 local vendors in the arena, selling products ranging from clothing and décor to meals and baked goods. PTO also sold SHS merchandise to fundraise.
The fun didn’t cease outside either. In cooperation with the vendor market, Student Council and the PTO also sponsored the fall festival which offered activities for kids of all ages. The goal of the event was to raise money “to enhance the school experience for our students, faculty, and staff,” according to the event’s Facebook page.
Many local businesses took the vendor market as an opportunity to advertise their business and show off their creations. These businesses included Magnolia Threads Boutique, Sweetgrass Heritage Baskets, The Rustic Barn, Palmetto Wicks, DK Naturals and many more. The vendor market was also a great place to grab a bite to eat for any craving with Boonjug’s Pizza Cones, Grilled Cheese Factory, Delicias Verito, Little Leaf Coffee, Super Mom Sweet Treats, Greg’s Boiled Peanuts and Soda Slingers in attendance.
Marla Austin, owner of Treats by the Teacher, was excited for the opportunity to promote her business at the vendor market.
“I heard about the vendor market from Facebook. I signed up to get my name out in Spartanburg since I am based in Union,” Austin said.
The Fall Festival was a huge hit among the SHS community. The first vendor market SHS hosted was in the spring of 2025, so the Fall Festival was a new addition to the event. Children and Teenagers enjoyed trick-or-treating, bounce houses, face painting, games, bowling and food trucks.
The biggest hit of the festival, however, was the dunk tank. The dunk tank raised over $200 for the school by giving contestants a chance to throw a ball at the target to dunk either Mayor Jerome Rice, Coach Nate Harris, Coach OShay Davenport, Dr. Connie McCarley, Officer Joshua Running or Dr. Anew McMillan. The festivities were a great way to unite the District 7 community for the cause of helping SHS grow.
Students found the vendor market and fall festival as an opportunity to give back to their school. They volunteered their time to set up the arena for vendors, supervise activities for the festival, and plan the events.
Carsyn Smith (12) volunteered her time to assist the vendors with their booths.
“We helped the vendors bring everything into the arena and set up their booths,” Smith said. “It was nice to see all the unique local vendors who showed up.”
Brendan Foote (12) also helped because he thought the vendor market was a great opportunity to give back to his school.
“I think that the market provides a great opportunity for local businesses to market themselves with the members of the community and it brings people to Spartanburg High so they can see the wonderful community we have here,” Foote said.
