Plus, an upcoming butterfly release at Stormwater Studios.
 
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🌽 Ham and eggs and...Grits

Columbia Fireflies to moonlight as the Carolina Grits Baseball Club
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Mason is in full support of the teams new nickname. | Photo by COLAtoday
Did you know 75% of grits are sold in the Southeast? With Columbia’s rich history with mill baseball teams + the Adluh Flour building defining the Vista skyline, the signs were there for the Fireflies’ alternate identity to be The Carolina Grits.

Similar to the Fireflies’ alternate identity of the Chicharrones — which still exists — the team will take the field as the Carolina Grits Baseball Club on several occasions this season.

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An upclose look at the new Grits logo. | Photo by COLAtoday

What’s its name?

The Carolina Grits character features an upside-down ball cap with grits overflowing the edge with egg shaped eyeballs, a melting pad of butter, and wielding a spoon as a bat. The Fireflies need your help in naming the new character.

City Editor David’s choice: Frits

City Editor Sam’s: Stone

Catch the Grits’ games

  • Friday, April 26: The first 1,000 people through the gates will take home the Carolina Grits giveaway, complete with a bobble-spoon.
  • Saturday, April 27: This game will conclude with a post-game fireworks show presented by Adluh Flour.
  • Sunday, April 28: Grits Weekend concludes on a Sunday Funday with pre-game player autographs and post-game Kids Run the Bases.
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The Stone Ground White Grits are Certified SC and feature the clubs new logo. | Photo by COLAtoday

Taste the Grits

Though the Fireflies will only moonlight as the Carolina Grits Baseball Club eight times this season, fans will be able to enjoy the Southern food favorite every game of the year, thanks to the “Grits, Y’all!” food cart from Adluh. Here you can load up your Grits mini helmet with cheese, chicken, or shrimp.

State food?

Fun fact — our current state foods are:
  • Vegetable — collards
  • Beverage — milk
  • Hospitality beverage — sweet tea
  • State snack — boiled peanuts
  • Picnic cuisine — barbecue
The Fireflies started a petition to add to this list and make grits one of our state foods.

Grab your tickets for the Fireflies’ home opener on Tuesday, April 9 against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Vista Guild
 
Events
Tuesday, March 26
  • Women in Wine Dinner | Tuesday, March 26 | 6 p.m. | Hampton Street Vineyard, 1207 Hampton St., Columbia | $95 | Explore a menu created by the women on the culinary team (including its executive chef) paired with a selection of wines.
  • The McNair Conversations on the American South with Chief Justice Jean Toal | Tuesday, March 26 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, 1525 Senate St., Columbia | Free | The McNair Conversations is a live podcast interview honoring individuals who have made a lasting and significant contribution to the American South.
Wednesday, March 27
  • The Market | Wednesday, March 27 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St., Columbia | Go shop your community inside Richland Library.
  • Garden Asana Grass Roots Yoga | Wednesday, March 27-Thursday, March 28 | 8:15-9:15 a.m. | Gardener’s Outpost, 1211 Franklin St., Columbia | $15 | This class is for everyone, is breath-centric, and in-person with opportunities for personal adjustments and alignment guidance.
Friday, March 29
  • The Night Shift at ReFind | Friday, March 29-Friday, Sept. 27 | 6-9 p.m. | ReFind, 718 S. Edisto Ave., Columbia | Free | A monthly night market hosted at the new Re•Find location in the Rosewood neighborhood, featuring local goods, antiques, food, music, and more.
Saturday, March 30
  • Carolina Cup | Saturday, March 30 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Springdale Race Course, 302 Knights Hill Rd., Camden | $42+ | This annual ‘rite of spring’ draws over 30,000 fans from across the world to enjoy the riveting sport of steeplechase horse racing.
Calendar events here
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Family

A Spring Break escapade for the whole family
A woman and two children gaze at the fossilized head of a dinosaur on display.
Bring the kids and unearth a world of dinosaurs at the South Carolina State Museum this Spring Break. | Photo provided by South Carolina State Museum
Looking for a fun and educational Spring Break activity for the kids? Enter: the South Carolina State Museum. Guests can:
  • Explore four floors of exhibits covering history, art, nature, science and astronomy
  • Visit the observatory for an up-close look at the Sun
  • Enjoy an immersive 4-D theater experience (think: feeling the wind, dancing in the snow, and jumping for bubbles)
  • And more
Bonus: Kids ages 3-12 get 50% off admission April 2-6.
Snag tickets
News Notes
Coming Soon
  • Enzo’s, a NY-style deli in Five Points, is relocating to Olympia this April. Meanwhile, Bar Gran Sasso, located next door to Enzo’s and sharing an owner, is being renovated. (The Post and Courier)
Development
  • Despite visible inactivity on site, progress on the Colite City project in West Columbia continues behind the scenes. Developers Jams + Stark are in the process of finding tenants for the multi-use development, aiming to announce specific details soon. (The State)
Outdoors
  • Stormwater Studios is celebrating nature and art with a free butterfly release event on Saturday, Apr. 20, at 11 a.m. during Artista Vista. Highlighting the day is the unveiling of a new observation deck and art exhibitions.
Holiday
  • Looking for Easter egg hunts around the Midlands? WLTX has you covered with a list of all-ages spots to discover hidden eggs and potential prizes.
Number
  • 77.8%. That’s the percentage of you who enjoy the sound of train horns. The majority who don’t probably live much closer to the tracks. The City of Columbia is working on a $5 million project to damper the sound of the horns. (The State)
Listen
  • Gamecock Women’s Basketball has been hot from the three point line so far in this NCAA Tournament. Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Gamecocks with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
    Announced
    • Congrats to @jellyiglesias, our COLAtoday winner of two GA Weekend Passes to Bear Shadow music festival in NC’s Highlands-Cashiers Plateau May 11-12 ($600+ value). Didn’t win? Grab your tickets.*
    Wellness
    Plan Ahead
    • Psst — Taxes are almost due. Use E-file for quick, online filing. Plus, file your federal taxes for free with their basic software plan.*
    Eat

    🐽 Chew on this champion

    COLAtoday’s BBQ bracket champion
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    You voted City Limits Barbeque is the winner of COLAtoday’s BBQ champion. | Graphic by 6AM City.
    And the bracket winner is… City Limits Q, voted best BBQ in Columbia by our readers and social media followers in our COLAtoday BBQ bracket.

    City Limits Q isn’t a quick in-and-out lunch spot, it’s a BBQ experience. Similar to spots like Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX, Soda Citizens and BBQ tourists from around the Southeast line up at City Limits Q to get a taste of what the buzz is all about.

    Led by James Beard Award-nominated pitmaster Robbie Robinson, Soda Citizens have been fanatic about his smoked meats through the years as it’s operated as a food truck and is now in its brick + mortar spot in West Columbia, that opened about a year ago.

    Give our bracket winner a follow on Facebook and Instagram and plan a trip to stop by the WeCo favorite.

    We want to extend a major “thank you” to all of you for participating in our bracket challenge over the past few weeks. We’ve had a blast seeing how the votes shook out, and we hope you did too. Looking for more BBQ restaurants around town? Check out our guide.
    The Buy
    The Avryn & Co. wristlet sets. Bop around with all of your essentials and look stylish doing it.
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    The Wrap
     
    David Stringer wearing a dark button-down shirt

    Today’s edition by:
    David
    From the editor
    Sam and I had the opportunity to co-work with City Editor Danielle of GVLtoday at Cool Beans on Monday afternoon, and we had a great time brainstorming names for the new Grit mascot. Some of our alternatives were Anson, Millie, Corny, and Polenta. Hopefully, you’ll have as much fun thinking of names as we did.
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