Today’s Forecast

66º | Heavy thunderstorms | 90% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. | Sunset 5:32 p.m.

Culture

News worth shouting

Have exciting news? Get ready to shout it out in the newsletter. | Photo provided by 6AM City

We’re sharing exciting news with our COLAtoday family. We’ve launched a new shoutout section in our newsletter just for you.

We’re offering our most passionate and loyal readers (yep, that’s you) the opportunity to support local journalism through our COLAtoday membership program, where you’ll gain exclusive access to have your voice included in the newsletter.

Your voice is valuable, and so are the special moments in your life. Shoutouts allow us to celebrate job promotions, anniversaries, and exciting experiences right here in Columbia. All you have to do is submit your shoutout, and we will take it from there. Already a member? Go ahead and send an email to secure your shoutout now.

Other membership perks include exclusive birthday deals, shoutouts + discounts in our online shop (Six & Main).

In addition to offering membership benefits, we genuinely just love giving you the scoop on the newest restaurants, the coolest events, detailing the city’s history, digging into the latest real estate deals, and keeping you up-to-date on developments around town.

Your membership fee of only $50 will go towards keeping our newsletter hyper-local and supporting our local editors. We’re also donating 10% of memberships annually to a local philanthropic cause.

We can’t thank you enough for your continued readership and support. Ready to take your love for COLAtoday to the next level? There’s a shoutout with your name on it waiting for you…

JOIN TODAY

Shoutout

Congrats to my son for securing a new job! Does that mean you’ll start paying your own cell phone bill now? Love, dad.
- Mike E.

Want to make a shoutout?

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Events

Friday, March 24

Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic | Friday, Mar. 24-Sunday, Mar. 26 | Times vary | SC State Fair Grounds, 1200 Rosewood Dr., Columbia | $10 | With over 350 vendors covering every building and the surrounding outdoor exhibition areas — you’ll find everything from boats to the latest hunting equipment.
Leone & The Ascension w/ Galan + Death Ray Robin | Friday, Mar. 24 | 7-11 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St., West Columbia | $10-$15 | Watch The Ascension lay down a funky groove, while Leone works his captivating presence up the front.

Saturday, March 25

2023 Soiree on State | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 2-8 p.m. | Cayce River Arts District, State St., from Poplar St. to Railroad St., Cayce | Free | This annual event features art, a kids area with inflatables + more, food vendors, and live music — take advantage of free parking at Brooklnd Cayce High School.*
Columbia Garden Club Plant Exchange | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 10 a.m. | Parking Lot of Talbots in Forest Acres, 4809 Forest Dr., Columbia | Free | Come to exchange annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs, house plants, bulbs, and rootings.
Herb Festival | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Lexington county museum, 231 Fox St., Lexington | Free | There will be a wide selection of herbs and gardening-related items for sale, including a bake sale and local vendors.
B.B. Barns of Columbia Spring Fling | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | B.B. Barns of Irmo, 2840 Dreher Shoals Rd., Irmo | Free | To celebrate the first weekend of spring, B.B. Barns Garden Centers for NE Columbia and Irmo are hosting a Spring Fling.

Sunday, March 26

Sunday Funday with the Contemporaries | Sunday, Mar. 26 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., Columbia | $35 | Join CMA affinity group the Contemporaries for light fare from Abundant Graze, libations from Kombi Keg, and music from DJ Kevin Snow.

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.

Click here to have your event featured.

100+ more events

Family

Culture

Calling all campers to the South Carolina State Museum

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

Each day of camp features social time, museum exploration, and hands-on, interactive activities.
| Photo provided by the South Carolina State Museum

Heads up, parents: Registration is now open for Spring Break and Summer Camps at the South Carolina State Museum, sponsored by Aflac.

From astronomy to art, pirates, and robots, there are plenty of options for kids ages 6-11.

Spring Break Camps | April 10-14 | Campers can sign up for individual days or the whole week.
Summer Camps | June, July, and August | Week-long camps focus on a different subject each week.*

Learn more and register

News Notes

Weather

87º | Sunny | 7% chance of rain

Open

Three USC students collaborated with Carolina Food Co. to open Breakfast Jawn, a food cart serving breakfast bowls, burritos, sandwiches, and pancakes in front of the Colloquium Café near the Pickens Street crossing. Founders Logan Fowler, Jacob Matthew, and Ian Hamill hope to expand to more locations on campus. (The Daily Gamecock)

Civic

Meet Beatrice King and Peter Brown, the candidates running for the open Columbia City Council District 4 seat. The special election takes place on Tuesday, March 28, and covers the east side of Columbia near Lake Katherine, Kings Grant, and Fort Jackson. (The State)

Eat

In this week’s edition of Table Crumbs, The Free Times caught up with Babcha Korean Food, a new food truck serving several types of bulgogi. Catch the truck on Saturday mornings at Soda City Market or events around town. (The Post and Courier)
Cola Jewish Heritage is hosting its inaugural Kugel Cook-Off on Sunday, April 23 at the Tree of Life synagogue (6719 N Trenholm Rd.) Register here for the free cooking contest. Winners will be announced at The Big Nosh on May 7.

Cause

The Midlands Fatherhood Coalition — an organization engaging fathers in the positive support of their children — is hosting its Daddy & Me 5k on Saturday, June 17 at Saluda Shoals Park. Sign up here and use the code “COLA” for a registration discount.

Concert

The South Carolina Philharmonic is hosting Tasting Notes, its largest annual fundraiser, on Monday, March 27, at the South Carolina State Museum. The night of music and wine helps support artistic programs like the Masterworks Series, Fireworks with the Phil, and Halloween at Hogwarts.

Health

Did you know? Patients can address mental health concerns during primary care visits. Learn more in this ~4-minute listen from MUSC Health.*

Number

$241. That’s the real price of a roundtrip ticket from Boston to Barcelona sold this year via Going — a travel membership that alerts you when flight prices drop. Sign up for a free membership or try an Elite membership for free if you’re interested in business and first class tickets, too.

DYK

Did you know today is the last day to enter our Six & Main Spring Forward Contest? The winner + two of their friends will receive a prize from one of our coffee/tea brand partners. Spring on over to Instagram to learn more.

Correction

We mentioned yesterday that the Gamecock Women’s basketball team was going to be playing today — we wish. The team will face UCLA tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. If they win, they will play in the Elite Eight game on Monday evening. As always, go Gamecocks!

Festival

And then there were four

Best annual festival in Columbia

The final four of our 2023 festival bracket feature some Soda Citizen favorites. | Graphic by COLAtoday

We’ve got some readers who love their local fests. With over 1,000 votes cast, here’s who will advance to round two:

St. Pat’s in Five Points vs. Cottontown Art Crawl
Greek Festival vs Mardi Gras at City Roots

Who will face off in the championship? Cast your votes now through Tuesday, March 28.

Has your bracket been broken? Post yours and tag us on Instagram.

Vote here

The Wrap

David Stringer wearing a dark button-down shirt

Today’s Edition By:
David

From the Editor

We bought tickets to the Elite Eight game on Monday night in Greenville for the NCAA Women’s Basketball regional finals earlier this week. I know to never look past your next opponent, looking at you UCLA Bruins, but we’ll be cheering loud for the Gamecocks on Saturday hoping for another big win to get us there.

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