Culture

Digital groups you should join in Columbia, SC

Passionate about parks, planning, or public art? There’s likely a board for that. | Photo by @sodacityaerials

Who knows Columbia best? You, Soda Citizens. Whether you need advice, recommendations, or just want to find friends who share your interests, here are seven local + active digital community groups to join so you can stay plugged in and in-the-know.

Columbia SC Connectors - ColumbiYEAH! Facebook group | 1K members

The group was created last year as a place for Soda Citizens to ask for local recommendations, promote a business, or make friends. This public group is also for those looking to visit Cola + find things to do while here.

Entrepreneurs & Small Business of the Midlands (Columbia, SC) | 2.2K members

This public support group, created by the Richland Library, began during COVID-19 for local business owners to brainstorm strategies, ask questions, find resources, and became a safe place to vent.
It currently shares business articles, tips, and business resources members can take advantage of.

SINdustry Columbia | 7.5K members

This public service industry-focused group shares service industry jobs, grand openings of restaurants, events, and more.

ColumbiYEAH! Reddit page | 9.1K members

This subreddit group is a place Soda Citizens come to ask questions pertaining to anything about Columbia. It can range from how to make friends in our city, locals looking for jobs, good places to watch the sunset, and other various recommendation requests.

ColumbiaSC Reddit page | 14.6K members

Here’s where you’ll find your Cola newbies + local experts. Created 11 years ago, this page is for curious Soda Citizens either looking for advice and recommendations, or those who love to give recommendations and advice.

Soda City Connectors | 23.8K members

Digitally network with other Midlands professionals who share about relevant conferences, events, volunteer opportunities, board openings, and business advice.

Columbia Eats | 42.7K members

Calling all local foodies — this group is for you. This page was created to support local restaurants. It’s mostly for recommendations + reviews but all content must be food related.

Use the links below to share this free newsletter with family and friends who love learning about ways they can connect with other Soda Citizens.

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Today

Yoga in the Galleries | Mon., Sept. 12 | 6-7 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St. | $12+ | Begin your week with a restorative Yin yoga flow in the exhibition Amanda McCavour: Bright Little Day Stars. ⭐️

Wednesday

Sewing Machine 101 Workshop | Wed., Sept. 14 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St. | $40 | Learn the fundamentals of how to set up your machine, how to use all the knobs and buttons, and create an easy-to-make tote bag in the process. 🪡

Thursday

Columbia’s 36th Annual Greek Festival | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | 1931 Sumter St. | Free | Enjoy Columbia’s beloved annual Greek Festival. 🥙
Ribbon Cutting: Urban Wok | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 3-5 p.m. | Urban Wok - 1033 Roberts Branch Pkwy., Suite 204 | Free | Attend the ribbon cutting and grand opening of Urban Wok on Killian Road. ✂️

Friday

PARK(ing) Day 2022 | Fri., Sept. 16 | 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | 1600 Main Street Block | Free | PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global event where citizens, artists, and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into PARK(ing) spaces – temporary public spaces. 🚙

Saturday

Jubilee: Festival of Black History and Culture | Sat., Sept. 17 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Mann-Simons Site, 1403 Richland St. | Free | This event is a free outdoor festival that brings musicians, artisans, dancers, and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s Black history and culture.
Lakeside Litter Sweep Cleanup Event on Lake Murray | Sat., Sept. 17 | 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Murray | Free | Registered volunteers will receive a t-shirt, a sandwich lunch, a thank you gift, and entry for larger prizes from local businesses. 🗑

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*

100+ MORE EVENTS

6 family-friendly fall events 🍂

Fall event roundup: 6 family-friendly events to put on your radar

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

We cannot be-“leaf” the fall season is almost here. Thurs., Sept. 22 marks the official start of fall, and we’re more than ready for seasonal drinks + cozy sweaters — and, of course, fall events.

While there’s a ton to do here in Cola, we also love a good day trip to our many surrounding cities — so we’ve rounded up the best family-friendly events happening in the Olde English District now through October.

Fall events in the Olde English District — *Did you know? The* *Olde English District* *consists of Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Union, and York counties.*

September:

Uniquely Union Festival | Fri., Sept. 16-Sat., Sept. 17 | 4-10 p.m. | Downtown Union, SC (~1.5 hours from Columbia) | Free | 4-10 p.m. | Say hello to fall at this festival featuring a BBQ cook off, a designated kid zone, jam-worthy live music, and more. 🍔
Rock Around the Clock Festival | Fri., Sept. 30-Sat., Oct. 1 | Friday: 8-11 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Downtown Winnsboro, SC (~30-minutes from Columbia) | Free | Dance the night away during Friday night’s dance party and spend Saturday afternoon checking out classic rides at the car show. 🚗 *

4 MORE OCTOBER EVENTS

Weather

86º | Scattered thunderstorms | 50% chance of rain ☔️

Open

A new locally owned toy store, Perfect Storm Bear Factory, hosted a grand opening at 1426 Main St., beside Miss Cocky. The store sells packages, build-your-own stuffed animals, games for all ages, toys, and more. 🐻 (The Post and Courier)

Closed

The AMC movie theater on Forest Drive, across the street from the Walmart Supercenter (5320 Forest Dr.), has closed. AMC Harbison 14 is now the last AMC theater in Columbia. 🎞️ (The State)

Number

$100 million. The amount of money Columbia Water has to redevelop three miles of the Columbia Canal damaged in the 2015 flood. The infrastructural improvements will come in three phases. It will repair, replace, and then install new developments, so the city is prepared for potential large floods in the future. 💰 (WIS)

Biz

PETSinc announced its newest FARMacy — a full-service, in-house pharmacy for pets. It will specialize in prescriptions + compounding prescriptions pertaining to animal health. The new FARMacy will work with local vets and medications will be able to be shipped to your house. Learn more here. 🐶

Sports

Fanatics is now selling NIL player jerseys, including Gamecock players. Select your player, select your size (ranging from small to 4XL), and rep the Gamecocks at their next home game happening against Georgia this Saturday at 12 p.m. Jerseys start at $139. 🏈

Festival

River Rat Brewery’s Oktoberfest was postponed due to the weather, but Oktoberfest will now be held on Fri., Sept. 16. Enjoy a mug challenge between Georgia + Gamecock fans, live music, beer, and food. 🍻

Coming Soon

Calling all Deadheads. JerryFest is coming soon to Cola. Plan on heading to Five Points on Sun., Oct. 2 from 2-10 p.m. to enjoy Grateful Dead music, local vendors, foods, drinks, and more. The one-day festival is free + you can find more info here. 🎶

Community

Here at COLAtoday, we aim to bring the most relevant + engaging daily content about Columbia right to your inbox. If you enjoy our newsletter and supporting all things local, consider joining our COLAtoday Membership Program. Membership helps keep our newsletter free and has some cool perks. Learn more + sign up. 📱

Job

Palmetto Primary Care Physicians is hiring a Medical Assistant to aid in the care of patients and assist medical staff while fulfilling PPCP’s model to provide an innovative patient-centered delivery of care. Learn more + apply.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Business

Restoring the Hair Building in Five Points

The Hair Building will be restored + turned into an independent book store. | Photo by @polishedpreservationist

The Hair Building located at 734 Harden St. in Five Points is going to be renovated and turned into an independent book store, All Good Books.

Janie Campbell, a Preservation Consultant in Columbia, broke down the history of this building, beginning in 1921.

It was one of the earliest Five Points buildings, once known as the Valley Meat Market. It was then used for several commercial buildings (like real estate + law firms) before becoming the Parthenon restaurant — a bygone favorite of Columbia.

It was recently the Thirsty Parrot but will now be a 3,000+ sqft book store. No opening date has been announced. Sam here 👋 — as a bookworm myself, I am very excited to see this renovation. If you’re a history buff and this article has piqued your interest on Five Points’ history, we’ve got you covered.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Sam.

Editor’s pick: Oh, and shameless plug — feel free to follow along on our digital platforms and join in on our digital communities.

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Missed Friday’s newsletter? Take a look at Cola’s urban design plans, here.

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Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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