43rd Annual St. Pat’s in Five Points | 7 a.m. | Five Points | $25 | Run the 5K, catch A’ja Wilson in the parade, and then enjoy a full day of live music.
Soda City Market | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Main Street | Free | Browse the downtown market to find local artisans, businesses, and food vendors.
SC Grown Marketplace | Through Sunday, March 16 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | SC State Fairgrounds | Free | Browse local vendors, farmers, artisans, and small businesses showing their creativity and Palmetto State pride.
USC Gamecocks vs. Georgia Bulldogs Softball | 3 p.m. | Carolina Softball Stadium At Beckham Field | $12 | Get your buns to the stadium for Dollar Dog Day and enjoy hot dogs as you cheer for USC.
Sunday, March 16
A Wee Bit Celtic Artisan Market | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Flora & Fauna Marketplace, Lexington | Free | Don your kilt and festive attire as you browse local vendors + food trucks with Celtic music and photo opportunities.
Historic Horseshoe History Tour | 12-1 p.m. | University of South Carolina | Price | University Archivist Elizabeth West shares the history of Caroina and its traditions.
Artisan and Plant Swap Market | 12-4 p.m. | Moore Park, Irmo | Free | Bring your seeds, bulbs, clippings, and transplants to trade while meeting other plant lovers.
When you’re looking to spice up your food, what hot sauce do you grab? Texas Pete is apparently the top sauce for SC. Do you agree?(HuffPost)
Tech
Do you want to taste this newsletter? An experimental device called e-Taste is in the works which would allow the sensation of taste in virtual reality. Cool, but we think we’ll stick with our local haunts for now. (Gizmodo)
Seasonal
Getting a start on spring cleaning? If you’ve got a heap of clothes in the “maybe” pile, consider bringing them to a local buy, sell, trade shop where they can find a new home.
Feel Good
Are you happy now? Columbia made it on WalletHub’s list of “Happiest Cities in America.” Our happiness was determined by metrics like average leisure time and the income-growth rate.
Sports
Which South Carolina Gamecocks rivals are overpaid? Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Gamecockswith Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Festival
Save the date — Soiree on State is taking over Cayce’s State Street on Saturday, March 22, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Get ready for a fun-filled day featuring artists, bounce courses, face painting, tasty eats, live music, and so much more.See the full lineup.*
City Guide
City Guide
Putting Columbia to work
A view down Main Street from the state house steps. | Photo by COLAtoday
More than 800,000 people (and thousands of businesses) contribute to the Columbia metro area’s $58 billion economy, and 2024 was considered a transformative year. The Richland County Economic Development Office experienced slower growth than in 2023, but noted multiple local companies that will continue to grow.
Scout Motors | Automotive | Volkswagon entered the electric off-road vehicle arena under the Scout Motors nameplate and will build those cars at a new facility under construction in Blythewood. When completed, the new center will span 1.3 million sqft and create 4,000 new jobs.
The Ritedose Corporation | Medicine | This healthcare manufacturer and distributor is building a 225,000-sqft campus in Richland County.
US Brick | Manufacturing | Last year, this SC-founded business invested $5.5 million to modernize and expand its northeast Columbia facility.
TMC Transportation | Trucking | The flatbed company has been working on a new terminal in Columbia to expand its presence in the Southeast.
Integer Technology | Engineering | This research and engineering company was recognized as the fastest-growing in SC.
Unlike the weather in 1993, it looks like we’ll have some sunny weather for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Five Points festival today. I’m excited to get my day started early by catching A’ja Wilson in the parade down Devine Street. Cheers to everyone racing the 5K. May the luck of the Irish be with you.
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