Upstate Headlines: Lion King Record, BMW Adds Jobs, Methodical Expands & More

Upstate Headlines: Lion King Record, BMW Adds Jobs, Methodical Expands & More

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A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of June 26, 2017

LionKing“Disney’s The Lion King” sets new record
The four-week Peace Center run of “Disney’s The Lion King” set a new record in Greenville, grossing $5.6 million in ticket sales, according to the Peace Center. That figure breaks the record of the previous “Lion King” engagement in 2012, when the production brought in $5.1 million in ticket sales. The 2017 production is the highest-grossing theatrical production in Greenville history, according to Peace Center officials.

BMWBMW to invest $600M through 2021, add 1,000 jobs at Spartanburg plant
BMW will add another 1,000 jobs in the next four years at its Spartanburg production plant — the German automaker’s largest in the world by volume — bringing the plant’s total workforce to more than 10,000 employees. The announcement made Monday by BMW AG Chairman Harald Krüger at the plant marked another $600 million investment through 2021, all while celebrating the 25th anniversary since BMW announced in June 1992 construction of the company’s first full production facility outside of Germany in South Carolina.

Screen Shot 2017-06-28 at 8.51.41 AMMethodical will add wine, food items to its menu
Two and a half years in, Methodical Coffee is taking their approach to coffee and turning it to wine. The award-winning coffee shop and roasting company will launch a new wine and food program that will bring Methodical’s highly-curated focus on small, single-origin producers to wine. The café will begin serving a wine menu and a food and desserts menu July 14. The shop will also extend its hours on Friday and Saturday nights to accommodate the new changes. Initially, the owners considered opening a second location, but with their roasting facility just under a year old, they thought it best to grow the café.

CollegesClemson, BJU named best colleges in South Carolina
Clemson University and Bob Jones University are the best four-year colleges in South Carolina, according to the website Schools.com, an online resource that provides information about colleges nationwide for prospective students. The website’s recent report, “Best Schools 2017,” ranked more than 1,600 schools across the country, and looked at affordability, flexibility, and other factors. BJU came in at No. 2 and Clemson at No. 1. out of 34 South Carolina institutions.

FlatOutUnderPressureNew artwork coming to Main Street’s recycling bins
Last weekend, 90 artists participated in the Metropolitan Art Council’s “Flat Out Under Pressure,” a 24-hour two-dimensional art competition whose winners have their work reproduced on recycling bins that are scattered up and down Greenville’s Main Street from the Hyatt Regency to the West End. This year’s event was the largest since Flat Out Under Pressure began in 2009. Artwork from the winning artists will be reproduced on the front and back of recycling bins, which will become an outdoor art gallery.