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COLAtoday readers chose Cottontown Art Crawl as their favorite festival in the 2023 bracket. | Graphic via COLAtoday

Friendly competition, anyone?

With the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments just around the corner, we’re joining the fun of bracket competitions with a face-off of our own.

Last year, y’all helped us name the best local brewery: Savage Craft. This year, we asked you to share your favorite local festival in Columbia. Now — thanks to you — we have the official lineup for our bracket.

Let us know your favorite local fest. | Graphic by COLAtoday

Who’s in the running

Going head-to-head in the first round are:

How it works

Beginning today, we will host several voting rounds within our newsletters and social channels to determine Cola’s best annual festival. Who moves on is up to you. Vote for your favorites, and the event with more votes moves on. Simple as that. We’ll go until we have a champion, which will be announced in our Friday, March 31 newsletter. You will be able to vote once per round.

How to participate

Vote for the event you’d like to see advance to round two using our poll. You can vote for all four spots or as little as one. Once we count all the votes, we’ll share an updated bracket and new poll in an upcoming newsletter.

Want to fill out a bracket to see if you can guess who will win? Download and print the image above to take the competition up a notch. If your bracket is correct, send us a photo for a shoutout + bragging rights.

Ready to cheer your “team” to victory? Cast your vote at the button below.

POLL

Which annual local festival is your favorite?

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE

EVENTS

Click here to have your event featured.

Thursday, March 16

Yappy Hour Anniversary Celebration | Thursday, Mar. 16 | 5-8 p.m. | Modern Companion, 508B Lexington Ave., Chapin | Free | Celebrate Modern Companion’s second anniversary with photo ops, polaroids, drinks, and your pet will get to leave their nose print on a board mural.
Big Head Todd & the Monsters | Thursday, Mar. 16 | 8 p.m. | The Senate, 1022B Senate St., Columbia | $35 | Enjoy a nostalgic night out in the Vista with this 1990s rock band best known for their song “Bittersweet.”
College Night at the State Museum | Thursday, Mar. 16 | South Carolina State Museum, 301 Gervais St., Columbia | $5 | Enrolled college students may enjoy ticket discounts, including planetarium shows.

Friday, March 17

Food Truck Fridays | Friday, Mar. 17 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | 2300 Bull St., Columbia | Price of purchase | Food Truck Fridays feature delicious food as a way to highlight various types of cuisines, which can be enjoyed in our city while connecting with each other over great food.
2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament — First Round | Friday, Mar. 17 | 11:30 a.m. | Colonial Life Arena, 801 Lincoln St., Columbia | $20-$30 | Watch the Gamecocks Women’s Basketball team take on Norfolk State in the 2 p.m. game, and South Florida take on Marquette in the 11:30 a.m. game.

Saturday, March 18

St. Pat’s in Five Points Columbia | Saturday, Mar. 18 | 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. | Five Points on Saluda Avenue, 747 Saluda Ave., Columbia | Whether you want to enjoy the parade, jam to live music, or get your kids in on the fun, there’s something for everyone at St. Pat’s in Five Points.
Soda City Market | Saturday, March 18 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Main Street Columbia, 1300-1600 Main St., Columbia | Find everything you need to nourish your brain, body, and belly
2023 Spring Arts Crafts Market Extravaganza | Saturday, Mar. 18-Sunday, Mar. 19 | Times vary | South Carolina State Farmers Market, 3483 Charleston Hwy., West Columbia | Free | Over 150 crafters and vendors from all over the Midlands will showcase their talents and creations.

We have a calendar filled with events and 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

EAT

Let’s “maki” this week special with this special 🍣

The “best kept secret” on a Monday night in Soda City. | Photo provided by Boku Kitchen & Saloon

Hey Cola, how’s the week so far? If you’re already looking ahead to starting next week with a bang, you’ll want to plan a Monday visit to Boku Kitchen & Saloon for Maki Monday.

Whether you’re planning to stop in for lunch or dinner, you can enjoy this all-day special featuring:

$5 open-face Temaki handrolls
$7 sushi donuts
$4 saké bombs + half off saké

Check out the menu to see their entree options (we love the Steak and Broccoli) — which are also available during lunch — and the cocktail menu (we recommend the Lychee Martini).

Bonus: Monday is the perfect time to snag a parking spot in Boku’s free parking lot (since neighboring restaurant Motor Supply is closed).*

RESERVE A TABLE

NEWS NOTES

Weather

70º | Mostly sunny | 3% chance of rain

Coming Soon

Masa Mexican Street Food — a Camden-based restaurant that serves specialty cocktails and Mexican cuisine staples — is opening a new location across from Publix on Rosewood Drive. The quick and fresh-style restaurant plans to open this summer. Follow along on Instagram. 🌮

Eat

On Tuesday, we mentioned that Smoked was receiving its first batch of soft-shell crabs of the season. Several more local restaurants are serving the seasonal crustacean around Cola, including Black Rooster, Spotted Salamander, The War Mouth, Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe, and more. 🦀 (The Free Times)

Biz

Mattress Warehouse announced plans to establish a new distribution center in Lexington County at 803 Industrial Park, near the airport. The company plans to create 108 new jobs and encourages interested individuals to visit its careers page. 🛏

Read

Hey, bookworms. Read Marie Boyd’s debut picture book, “Just A Worm,” where a worm journeys through the garden to prove two kids wrong. The picture book is out now via Greenwillow Books, a HarperCollins Publishers imprint. Celebrate the launch on March 19 from 3-5 p.m. at All Good Books. 🪱

Traffic

The northbound section of I-77 from the I-26 interchange to Bluff Road (exits 0-5) will be closed beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 25-April 2, for bridge + road improvements. SCDOT is encouraging drivers to plan their detour routes in advance. The Southbound closure is expected to take place in late April.

Regional

Carowinds — a 407-acre amusement park on the border of the Carolinas — will open the new Aeronautica Landing area on April 7. Aeronautica Landing is one of five new attractions and the centerpiece of its 50th-anniversary celebration that honors the Carolinas’ history of flight. 🎢 (WLTX)

The Word

Rotator cuff. This group of four muscles helps provide stability and balance to the shoulder. If you’re having trouble lifting your arm or experiencing shoulder pain, a rotator cuff tear could be to blame. Here’s what you need to know.*

Travel

There’s a lot of horsing around happening in Aiken this spring. The annual Aiken Triple Crown consists of three equestrian events on three consecutive weekends, drawing visitors in from far and wide. See details to start making plans. 🏇 *

Tech

Looking for a new laptop that checks all the boxes without breaking the bank? Enter: the Acer Chromebook 311. This lightweight laptop is decked out with all the essential Google apps — like Google Chrome and Google Calendar — it’s quiet, and it has up to 10 hours of battery life.*

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

ANSWERED

Locally rooted names 🪶

The Carolina Wren is SC’s state bird and nicknamed the “Mouth of the South” | Photo Wikicommons

DYK that the study of names is onomastics? It covers all kinds of names, including given names (first names) that often have distinct origins.

On Tuesday, we asked you to suggest names with a local connection for newborns. Here are five reader suggestions that stood out.

Brice — A reference to Williams-Brice Stadium and the longtime home of the Gamecock football team.
Blythe — The town of Blythewood was originally named for The Blythewood Female Institute. Before that, it was known as Doko, a Native American term for a watering place.
Cola Street names — Names like Gervais and Huger have plenty of Soda City pride but don’t expect their teachers to pronounce these correctly on the first day of class. JERVIS.....JERVIS.....JERVIS
Cooper and Saluda — Rivers are the lifeblood of Cola and South Carolina, so these names are fitting.
Wren — The Carolina Wren, SC’s state bird, is a shy songbird, but it loves to sing.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by David.

Editor’s pick: DYK that from 1970-1983 Williams-Brice Stadium had AstroTurf? Just a little bit of Cola trivia that I came across today that I wasn’t aware of. I guess that means Cocky was born on turf.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Read our guide to St. Pat’s in Five Points, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Erin McPherson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Lindsey Rhinesmith| Advertise with us.

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