Greek for the week 🇬🇷

35th Annual Greek Festival in Columbia, SC

Holy-trinity-greek-orthodox-church-columbia-sc — The Exterior of The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church | Clark Berry Photography

Opa! The Greek Festival begins today at 10 a.m. and runs through Sunday evening at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1931 Sumter St.)

This year, the festival will return to its traditional format after hosting a drive-thru for the past two years.

Here’s what to expect at the 35th annual celebration of Greek culture along with a few new things to see at the festival.

🇬🇷 What’s new?
Free tours of the sanctuary and interior of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral are a must-do part of the festival. Visitors are welcome inside to see the new iconography in the narthex + cathedral along with updates to the sanctuary. Pro tip — modest dress is required, and no food or drink is allowed in the church.

🇬🇷 What’s on the menu?
Authentic Greek cuisine is the top attraction at the festival, and for that, you’ll want to wait in line for food from the inside kitchen.

For lunch

One-Half Broiled Greek Style Chicken — seasoned with lemon and spices and served with manestra
Keftedes — Greek-style meatballs with avgolemono (egg + lemon sauce) served on a bed of manestra

For dinner (lunch items are available, plus three more dishes)

Greek Style Roasted Lamb — served on a bed of manestra
Pastichio — layers of macaroni and seasoned meat sauce baked with béchamel sauce
Peasant Shrimp — shrimp sautéed with onions and feta cheese served on a bed of manestra (available Friday)

Sweat treat

Don’t miss the dessert opportunities in the gymnasium where you can build your own box of Greek pastries with 20+ items to choose from.

Editors pick — David always goes for the Pastichio + Sam goes for the chicken platter with rice, salad, and Greek potatoes.

Greek Festival 2022 map — A map of the 2022 Greek Festival | Provided by The Greek Festival

Click here for more information about shopping at the festival, live entertainment, and photos from past years.

Use the links below to share this free newsletter with your friends to get them to go to the Greek Festival with you.

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Today

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

The Vegabonds | Fri., Sept. 16 | 8 p.m. | The Senate, 1022 Senate St.| $23 | Listen to the Nashville-based American new southern rock band from Alabama + The Stews. 🎶

Saturday

2022 Fall Arts and Crafts Market Extravaganza | Sat., Sept. 17-Sun., Sept. 18 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | 3483 Charleston Hwy., West Columbia | Free | The Midland’s Crafters Association in conjunction with the SC State Farmers Market presents the annual 2022 Fall Arts & Craft Market Extravaganza with Silent Auction to benefit Harvest Hope Food. 💐
Univ of South Carolina Gamecocks Football vs. University of Georgia Bulldogs Football | Sat., Sept. 17 | 12 p.m. | Williams-Brice Stadium, 1174 George Rogers Blvd. | $110.00-$175.00 | Watch the UofSC Gamecocks take on the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
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. 🎉

Sunday

The Music Man at Town Theatre | Sun., Sept. 18 | 3-5:30 p.m. | Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St. | $15-25 | When a con man tries to swindle an entire town out of their money to start a boys’ band, it leads to an old-fashioned love story. 🥁
Drive-In Movies at The Big MO | Sun., Sept. 18 | 7-11 p.m. | The Big Mo, 5822 Columbia Highway N., Monetta | Enjoy a unique movie experience with three double features each weekend during March–November for the price of a single movie. 🍿
Classic Cars Cruise In! | Sun., Sept. 18 | 12-4 p.m. | Steel Hands Brewing, 2350 Foreman St. | Check out as many as 30-50 classic cars on site. 🚙

Plan Ahead

Alsacian Oktoberfest Wine Dinner | Tues., Sept. 27 | 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. | Hampton Street Vineyard, 1207 Hampton St. | $78 plus tax + gratuity | Three courses paired with four wines and two beers highlighting the food and wine of Alsace, a French wine region that shares a border and culture with Germany. *

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

Business

The local architecture firm behind some of Soda City’s favorite spots 👀

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

Interior of Smoked restaurant in Columbia, SC.

Thanks to adaptive reuse techniques, Garvin Design Group preserved the original beadboard, pressed tin, and plaster ceilings of three 19th century buildings on Main Street, plus their existing skylights + historical facades. | Photo by Brian Dressler via Garvin Design Group

Smoked, Halls Chophouse, City Market…the list goes on. You’ve likely visited one of these spots — but do you know what local design firm brought them to life?

Architecture/interiors/planning firm Garvin Design Group is behind some of the most recognizable (and local-favorite) spots around Soda City. Think:

Mast General Store
1649 Main St. (home to Hendrix + The Woody)
Columbia SC Visitors Center

Bonus: The firm has won more than 35 awards for preservation and adaptive reuse, most recently for their work on Smoked. 🏆 *

SEE OTHER PROJECTS

Weather

85º | Sunny | 4% chance of rain

Coming Soon

Cocobowlz — a Greenville-based health-minded restaurant that serves smoothies and build-your-own bowls — will open in Five Points at 2015 Devine St., where Jimmy John’s and Sub Station II used to be. No opening date has been announced. 🥤 (The Post and Courier)
Fast-casual burger chain The Habit Burger Grill announced a new location at 5304 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington, formerly the site of Uno Pizzeria. According to The State, the Cason Development Group is redeveloping the site + no opening date has been announced. 🍔 (The State)

Sports

The No. 5 ranked Gamecock’s Women’s Soccer team opens SEC conference play tonight in Tuscaloosa as they take on Alabama (No. 11 ). The team finished non-conference play with a 5-0-3 record. Tonight’s game will be televised on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. ⚽

Community

The Five Points Association announced the hiring of Heather McDonald to serve as its new executive director. The nonprofit organization oversees efforts to support Five Points businesses and develop the entertainment district. Heather brings over 20 years of marketing and nonprofit experience to lead the historic district.
A $100,000 grant has been awarded to The Big Red Barn Retreat by the Town of Blythewood for first responder training. The grant funds come from the American Rescue Plan + will help 12 first responders from the Midlands attend the Warrior PATHH program for Veterans and service members. (WIS)

Plan Ahead

Polka, Pilsner, and Probst returns for a second year on Sun., Oct. 16 to the courtyard at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in downtown Columbia. Admission is free to the afternoon event that will feature food from the Wurst Wagon, beer from Peak Drift, and polka music from the Mountain Top Polka band. 🍺

Concert

Good news, COLA — our city has been chosen as a potential recipient for a three-year Levitt Foundation AMP grant, which would provide funding for a free, 10-concert series in an under-utilized outdoor space. Want to make sure we get to the next round? Vote online through Wed., Sept. 21. *

Tech

Techstars Startup Weekend, a networking opportunity to pitch ideas to local entrepreneurs, is taking place Sept. 23-25 at GrowCo, 711 Saluda Ave. The business event teaches how to think, work, and build like a startup during a 54-hour period. Register here for the event. 🖥️

Ranked

Columbia International University (CIU) was listed on six of the latest U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges rankings. CIU highest rankings were at No. 5 for Social Mobility among Regional Universities in the South, and No. 15 among Regional Universities South for “Least Debt” accumulated by graduating students.

Edu

Receiving a white coat for the first time is a big moment for those in the healthcare industry. There to mark the occasion for MUSC College of Pharmacy students were Nephron Pharmaceuticals’ Lou + Bill Kennedy, who delivered the 2022 White Coat Ceremony keynote address. See what they had to say.*

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No cars allowed ⛔

Park(ing) Day returns to the Main Street District

The 7th annual PARK(ing) Day — an event where citizens, artists, and activists collaborate to transform metered parking spaces into temporary public places — returns to the Main Street District on Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The design contests are back again this year, so make sure to see all of the parklets before you cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award champion.

This year the parklets begin near the corner of Main + Gervais Streets and continue down north past the Columbia Museum of Art to the 1600 block.

The weather’s looking great with the current forecast of sunny skies and a high of 87, so plan to enjoy your lunch in one of the many creative parklets. See the full map here.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by David.

Editor’s pick: On Wednesday I stopped by one of my favorite lunch spots, Swanson’s Deli, to grab an Underground Club sandwich to-go. It doesn’t take too long to make the sandwich, but it’s just enough time to check out the selection of new titles at Odd Bird Books next door.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Read about four fall foliage road trips within four hours of Cola.

Connect with us.

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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