Spooky fun in the Soda City 🎃

Halloween fun in Columbia, SC

Deceased Farms.jpg — Buy the fast pass and skip all of the lines. | Photo by @mckenzie_roland

Calling all ghouls and goblins. We’ve rounded up six events in COLA to get you Halloween-ready faster than you can say monster mash.

Deceased Farm, 328 Olde Farm Rd. Lexington | Now-Mon., Oct. 31 | Fri., and Sat., 7:30-11:30 p.m., Thurs. and Sun., 7:30-10:30 p.m. | $22+ | Haunted house fanatics, this one’s for you. Make your way through scare zones with ghouls at every turn — this ain’t for the faint.

Dark Castle Haunted Attraction, 2076 Highway Church Rd., Elgin | Now-Tues., Nov. 3 | 7–11 p.m. or midnight (on varying weekends) | $18 | Find what’s lurking behind the castle walls if you dare. This Halloween attraction features a haunted trail, a break room, and the Dungeon of Darkness haunted house.

Boo at the Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens | Thurs. Oct. 20-Sun., Oct. 30 | 6-9 p.m. | $12 Riverbanks members, $15 general public | Take your kids for a ride on the Haunted Carousel and bring a bag to trick or treat all howlin’ night long.

Mason’s Monster Mash, Segra Park | Thurs., Oct. 27 | 6 p.m. | $5 | Join Mason the mascot and trick or treat around Segra park. Food and games truly make this night a home run.

Smoked’s Masquerade Ball, 1643 Main St., Columbia | Fri., Oct. 28 | 7-11:30 p.m. | $40+ | Hors d’eurves, raffles, costume contests — need we say more? Pro tip: Purchase a VIP ticket for exclusive access and specialty cocktails.

5th annual Halloween bar crawl | locations vary | Sat., Oct. 29 | 4 p.m.-12 a.m. | $15+ | Check in at Liberty Taproom from 4-6 p.m. and get your bar crawl on — spooky style. Go all-out for the costume contest, and you may just take home the $1,000 grand prize.

Know of other haunted houses + spooky spots we should add to our list? Scare us into adding them.

Click here to have your event featured.

Today

Midlands Plant & Flower Festival | Fri., Oct. 7 - Sat., Oct. 8 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | SC State Farmers Market, 3483 Charleston Hwy., West Columbia | Free | Shop fall plants and flowers, gardening equipment, décor, and seasonal produce at the State Farmers Market. 🌼
South Carolina Jazz Festival | Fri., Oct. 7 | Multiple venues, Cheraw | $25 | Enjoy smooth jazz during this festival that honors John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, born in Cheraw and known as the founder of modern jazz. 🎺

Saturday

15th Annual Palmetto Peanut Boil | Sat., Oct. 8 | 12-6 p.m. | 2900 Devine Street, Columbia | Free | Come celebrate the “the caviar of the South,” and the official state snack of SC. 🥜
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Sat., Oct. 8-Sun., Oct. 9 | 10 a.m. | Shakespeare Festival Stage, 1429 Greene St., Columbia | $15 - $22 | Talented student actors will take on the same timeless tale of magic, mix-ups, and mayhem under the direction of guest artist Devin Haqq.
Carolina Downhome Blues Festival | Sat., Oct. 8 - Sun., Oct. 9 | 5:30 p.m. | Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, 810 Lyttleton St., Camden | Free - $40 | Now in its 25th year, this year’s festival features artists from across the nation coming together for three days of live music, food trucks, and fun. 🎸

Sunday

Public Tour: Featured Exhibition | Sun., Oct. 9 | 1-2 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., Columbia | Free with admission | Take a guided tour of the new featured exhibition European Splendors: Highlights from the Kress Collection and re-experience the CMA’s Kress Collection — largely off view since 2017.
Woofstock 2022 | Sun., Oct. 9 | 1-6 p.m. | Lexington Icehouse Amphitheater, 107 W Main St., Lexington | $10-$25 | All net proceeds from Woofstock will benefit the HSPCA and support local low-cost spay/neuter/vaccine services. 🐕
Mindfulness Dog Training Class | Sun., Oct. 9 | 9-10 a.m. | Steel Hands Brewing, 2350 Foreman St., Cayce | $45 | A healing experience for you and your dog.

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.

100+ MORE EVENTS

National event highlighting manufacturing hits COLA this week

COLA students are among the invitees to this special manufacturing-centric event. | Photo provided by Nephron Pharmaceuticals

Did you know? To date this year, there have been 4,752 manufacturing job postings in Columbia (and 30,341 in South Carolina).

In an effort to highlight the need for talent and the rewarding career opportunities within advanced manufacturing, the National Association of Manufacturers, The Manufacturing Institute, and Nephron Pharmaceuticals brought the industry’s nationwide Creators Wanted campaign to COLA.

Taking place this week at Nephron’s new Nitrile glove-making facility campus, the program allowed attendees to participate in small-group tours of the facility, technology demonstrations, and panel discussions led by emerging leaders in the manufacturing industry.

To cap off the week, Creators Wanted is hosting a special National Manufacturing Day celebration, happening today, Fri., Oct. 7. The aim of the invitation-only event is to inform students, local businesses, community leaders, and officials of opportunities + new developments in the manufacturing industry.

Interested in getting into the manufacturing field right here in COLA? Explore jobs at the Columbia-based Nephron Pharmaceuticals.*

EXPLORE NEPHRON JOBS

Weather

84º | Sunny | 6% chance of rain

Open

The Dunkin’ Donuts at 549 Knox Abbott Dr. in Cayce re-opened on Wednesday as one of the shop’s Next Generation designs. The remodeled restaurant is 1,700 sqft, features a new tap system for iced beverages, and has an upfront bakery case. 🍩 (Cola Daily)

Sports

Former Gamecock + NFL standout wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, will be honored at events surrounding the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta in December. The 2022 Legends Class includes one player from each SEC school who helped write the “rich history of the sport at their respective institutions.” 🏈 (Gamecocks Online)

Real Estate

Columbia City Council is exploring ways to cap the number of short-term rentals in residential areas rather than banning them, an idea that has been circulating. The new ordinance proposal aims to cap the number of residential Airbnb-type rentals and gives owners 60 days to apply for city permits.

Traffic

The Gervais Street Bridge Dinner is happening on Sunday, so plan accordingly for road closures from 6 a.m.-12 a.m. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to use Jarvis Klapman Boulevard or Blossom Street bridges during that time. Tickets for the event are sold out. 🌉

Concert

Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo, who released three top 20 Billboard 200 albums, is set to headline the Fall of Fire Fest at Colonial Life Arena on Fri., Nov. 18. The concert also features artists EST Gee, Big Boogie, and Glorilla. Tickets go on sale today at 11 a.m.

Health

UofSC is looking for adults with arthritis to participate in a research study to test out a phone-based version of the Walk with Ease Program. If you would like to participate and think you may be eligible to participate, click here and complete the eligibility survey or call 803-576-7836.

Theater

Tickets are on sale now for Columbia City Ballet’s “Dracula - Ballet with a Bite” at the Koger Center happening on Fri., Oct. 28th at 7 p.m. + Sat., Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. If this is your (blood) type of event, purchase your tickets early and stake out your spot. 🩸

Seasonal

The WeCo River District is hosting a Trunk or Treat event on Sun., Oct. 30 at Mosely Funeral and Cremation (914 Meeting St., West Columbia) from 4-6 p.m. The event is free, and prizes will be given to the best costume and best trunk. Register here for the spooky event. 👻

Travel

In addition to beignets aplenty, New Orleans is home to a spectacular showcase of Creole cuisine, lively jazz bars, stunning French architecture, and historic ghost tours. Escape to the city for a weekend and experience it all while staying in this renovated condo complete with a charming private courtyard.*

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Culture

A puzzling fall scene

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A fall scene in the heart of Cola. | Photo by COLAtoday

Congratulations to reader Chloe J. who sent in her screenshot and solved the last puzzle in 2 minutes flat. A few of you were close, so find those corner and edge pieces and see if you can piece this scene together in record time.

(Here’s a hint: This is a fall scene in the heart of the Soda City.)

You can make this as difficult or easy as you like (from six to 1,054 pieces) and there’s even a multiplayer mode. It also keeps track of your time — send us a screenshot of your quickest finish and we might just have to shout out your puzzle prowess.

CAN YOU SOLVE IT?

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by David.

Editor’s pick: Tomorrow, I’ll be out at the Palmetto Peanut Boil on Devine Street helping judge the contest for the best boiled peanut. I warmed up for the competition last week by snacking on some "new crop" boiled peanuts from Cromer’s while I watched college football.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn how to catch the COMET and use Cola’s public transit, here.

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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