Unless you're new to Spartanburg, you've most likely, at some point in the past few years or so, heard of an organzation called Hub-Bub. But what is Hub-Bub? If you're not "in the know," you might not have any idea, but after today it'll be safe to officially call yourself an expert. On this podcast, we sit down with the organization's Executive Director, Cate Ryba (also member of City Council) and the Hub-Bub Showroom Director, Stephen Long to talk about the organization's history, and its place in the local community. Along the way we also get the skinny on some of Hub-Bub's great events coming up in the next few weeks, including a very special event this Saturday featuring a presentation by a member of our fearless podcasting duo, City Communications Manager Will Rothschild. Listen and Enjoy!

When most people think about tourism, they likely think of pristine beaches or majestic mountainous landscapes, but when Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Chris Jennings things about tourism, he thinks about sporting events like the Carolina Panthers Training Camp, held annually at Wofford College, and about a historical downtown walking tour for Spartanburg, and about our area's vast agricultural wealth. This week on the podcast, we sit down with Jennings to learn a bit about the huge impact tourism has on our local economy each year, and what the CVB and the City are doing in partnership to make sure that impact keeps growing.

It's been 20 years since Music on Main first got going down at Denny's Plaza on East Main, and while some things never change, like the great music and family-friendly atmosphere, the location for Spartanburg's favorite after-work social gathering is changing, moving to the heart of downtown at 175 West Main Street in the grassy area beside the iconic Downtown Clock tower. Additionally, the start time for the event has been moved back 30 minutes to 5:30 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. The change bring's Music on Main into the center of the action in Downtown Spartanburg, within easy walking distance of 19 different restaurants and bars, allowing folks who come out for the music to get some great grub afterwards. And with free parking just around the corner at the Magnolia Street Parking Garage (literally, a 2-minute walk from the new location), getting there couldn't be easier. Sitting down with us to talk about this year's Music on Main Series, which gets underway on April 4, is City Special Events Manager Mandy Merck. Along the way, we also talk about some other events going on downtown as Spring really gets underway, including Jazz on the Square, which kicks off April 5, Upstate International's "Meet the World on the Square" parade Downtown this Saturday, March 23, and the Hub City Hog Fest barbecue festival being held Downtown in the Grain District this weekend, March 22 and 23. Spring is here! So give the podcast a listen, and come out to these great events happening Downtown.

On parts one and two of our conversation with Council member Linda Dogan, we learned about her history growing up in Spartanburg and about her hopes for the future for our city's Northside. We round things out on this week's episode with a discussion about the history behind the recently closed T.K. Gregg Recreation Center, and the City's plans to build a replacement. Council member Dogan shares her thoughts, and her hopes for this new center destined to serve the residents of the Northside she loves and calls home.

Last week, on part one of our conversation with District 6 City Council member Linda Dogan, we learned about her experiences growing up during turbulent times in Spartanburg, and how that shaped a desire within her for social justice, ultimately leading to a life of public service. On part two of our conversation, we talk with Dogan more about the Northside in a broader sense, focusing on her perspective as City Council's longest-serving member. We learn how her roots, first put down during an era of segregation and divisiveness, have grown into a desire for a more inclusive and just City, and about some of Dogan's hopes for the future of the area she calls home.

This week on the podcast we sit down for part one of an extended onversation with District 6 Council member Linda Dogan. This week, we learn about what drives Spartanburg's longest serving City Council member to serve. As a lifelong resident of the City's north side Dogan's story is a Spartanburg story, through and through, and tells of a time when the legacy of segregation was still very much alive. It's an absolutely fascinating look into the life of an elected official who, since well before her days on Council, has made the fight for social justice the cornerstone of her life.

Technology-minded entrepreneurs working on ideas in the health care industry might soon be looking to a new Spartanburg business accelerator to get the boost they need to turn that idea into a sustainable business. Greenville-based accelerator, The Iron Yard is set to open a location in Downtown later this year in the same building that currently houses arts organization, Hub-Bub and local restaurant, Zarza. The accelerator program will run for three months each year, and will offer selected entrepreneurs $20,000 in seed funding as well as mentoring and access to potential investors. Additionally, The Iron Yard will include year-round space for coworking, allowing local, independent creative workers an opportunity to connect with each other while working in an open office environment conducive to collaboration. On this week's podcast, we sit down with Kate McCarthy, The Iron Yard's Spartanburg Program Manager, to get an overview of the exciting opportunities this program will bring to our city. So give a listen, and check out The Iron Yard's website for more information. If you want to learn more about the accelerator program or how about soon-to-be-available coworking spaces, shoot an email their way.

The Northside Initiative. You've probably read about it lately, but what are the nuts and bolts this potentially massive redevelopment of one of our city's most impoverished areas? Where did the "green shoots of significant, sustainable community revitalization" talked about by former Spartanburg Mayor William Barnet originate, and what's the way forward from here? On this week's podcast we sit down with Community Services Director Mitch Kennedy to ask those questions and a few more. So listen, learn, and then let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

If you've paid attention to the news lately, you've probably seen or read something about a website called NeighborhoodScout.com, and their ranking of Spartanburg as the 12th most dangerous city in America, to the puzzled bemusement of much of the vibrant, diverse citizenry that calls our great city home. Is Spartanburg, this place that so many of us love and celebrate as a great place to raise a family, really a dangerous place to live?

Well, before we all go cowering under our beds, maybe we should all take a step back to take a look at the bigger crime picture in Spartanburg which, despite what certain websites with subjective ranking systems would have us believe, has dropped 25.8 percent since 2002. On this week's podcast, we explore into some of the realities behind those superficial website rankings to get a more complete picture of where we stand at the beginning of 2013.

Before diving into the main course of the podcast though, we talk for a bit about the early successes of the Main Street Challenge, and the buzz around town for this great new economic development program. What innovative business ideas will emerge from the contest? It could be yours, but the deadline for entries is February 8, so get that application in now.

Also we give a little update on the City Council redistricting plan, which just received approval from the U.S. Justice Department. To see a map of the new districts, follow this link.

It's a new year in Spartanburg, and in order to know where we're going, take a look at where we've been. To get the real picture of where we are at the beginning of 2013, take at the tremendous progress made not just in 2012, but also in the years before. On this podcast, we do just that, picking up where we left off last week, discussing how far we've come since the Great Recession four years ago. One glaring difference between now and then: the new sense of forward-looking optimism emerging in our community, and how that gradually has begun to translate into increasingly bigger and better developments for Spartanburg. What does that mean for 2013? Well, we'd never be foolish enough to claim to know for sure (though we have a few ideas in the works already), but what we do know is that our city has the flexibility and creativity to meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that lay ahead.