•ANIMALS
Columbia Animal Services is hosting an adoption special for only $25 through December 31, Columbia Animal Services, 127 Humane Lane.
•ART
Alexandra’s Art Studio, 111 Sparkleberry Crossing Road, offers adult classes, kids classes, kids camps, and art class groups. Visit cafeartcola.com.
•CITY
The City of Columbia’s Solid Waste Department will be working a regular schedule for the upcoming Christmas holiday and New Year’s. Solid waste collections will be picking up Friday, December 23, Monday, December 26, and Monday, January 2. 803-545-3800.
In observance of the Christmas holiday, the City of Columbia’s buildings and offices will be closed Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26. In observance of the New Year’s holiday, city buildings and offices will be closed Monday, January 2.
The City of Columbia will offer free complimentary parking in gated parking facilities and on-street meters throughout the city for the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays. For the Christmas holiday, on-street meters will not be enforced from Thursday, December 22 to Monday, December 26. The on-street meters will return to normal operations Tuesday, December 27. Parking gates will be raised at all gated city parking facilities Thursday, December 22, 5 p.m.–Tuesday, December 27, 2 a.m. For the New Year’s Eve holiday, on-street meters will not be enforced Monday, January 2. Parking gates will be raised at all gated city parking facilities Friday, December 30, 5 p.m.–Tuesday, January 3, 2 a.m. parking.columbiasc.gov.
•FESTIVALS/FAIRS/SHOWS
Irmo International Festival will be held April 30, 2023, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Irmo Community Park, 7473 Church Street, Irmo. www.irmoscinternationalfestival.com/home.
Columbia’s Comedy Countdown at The Corley Mill House will be held Saturday, December 31, 10 p.m., Corley Mill House, 221 Corley Mill Road, Lexington. www.eventbrite.com/e/columbias-comedy-countdown-at-corley-mill-tickets-474725515797
West Columbia’s Kinetic Derby Day, featuring iMAGINE STEAM Festival, will be held Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m.– 3 p.m. Registration is open. www.kineticderbyday.com.
Columbia Food and Wine Festival will be held Wednesday, April 19–Sunday, April 23 with eight events across the fiveday span in two counties. columbiafoodandwinefestival.com.
•GARDEN
Fifth grade students at Brockman Elementary School are rescuing poinsettias after the holidays and giving them new life. Instead of taking poinsettias to the landfill in January, students are caring for them as houseplants in the school’s greenhouse. richlandone.org.
•HEALTH
December Virtual Health Care Clinics are held every Thursday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly Street. RichlandLibrary.com.
•HOLIDAYS
South Carolina State Fair will welcome the holiday season with the return of Carolina Lights, its annual downtown drive-through holiday lights show through December 26 (closed Christmas Day) at the Lexington Medical Center Fair Park at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. SCStateFair.org/Carolina-Lights.
•JOB FAIR
Lexington-Richland School District Five will hold its 2023 Teacher Recruitment Event January 7, 8:30–11 a.m. in-person event and virtual. Candidates must register before the event at www.lexrich5.org/teach.
•MEETINGS/CLUBS
Spring Valley Rotary Club meets every Thursday, 1–2 p.m., Grand Hall of Northeast Presbyterian Church, 601 Polo Road in Northeast Columbia. To learn more about membership, contact Brian Dunphy at 803-920-4751.
The Golden K Kiwanis Club of Columbia meets every Wednesday, 9:30–10:45 a.m., Lourie Center, 1650 Park Circle. chrisemaw.2015@gmail.com.
Forest Acres Rotary Club meets the first four Wednesdays of the month, 1–2 p.m., St. Michaels of All Angels, 6408 Bridgewood Road off Trenholm Road. sandyo@sc.rr.com.
Rotary Club of Columbia East meets Tuesdays at noon at Seawell’s Restaurant near the State Fair Grounds. almjjmjlm@aol.com.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) group meets every fourth Monday, 2–4 p.m., Richland County Library, 7490 Parklane Road. For 803-782-2587 or 803-807-3436.
Rotary Club of Five Points meets Fridays, 1–2 p.m. For weekly meeting location and speaker, see fivepointsrotary.com.
•MUSEUMS
Olympia Mill Village Museum, “The Story of Olympia Mill Village Life in 1920s,” Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., 1170 Olympia Avenue. www.olympiagranbymillvillagemuseum.com.
•MUSIC
Freeman Sundays @3, featuring the USC’s renowned music faculty in fresh and vibrant chamber music programs that pair canonic masterpieces alongside brand new works, will be held January 29, 3 p.m., USC School of Music Recital Hall.
SC Philharmonic will present Wolfgang & Wine at Koger Center for the Arts January 14, 7:40 p.m. www.kogercenterforthearts.com.
USC Symphony Orchestra will present Appalachian Spring and Awadagin Pratt February 7, 7:30 p.m., Koger Center for the Arts. www.sc.edu/music/calendar.
The Carolina Jazz Society will hold a concert January 8, 2:30–5 p.m., Heyward Street United Methodist Church, 2501 Heyward Street. www.carolinajazzsociety.com.
•SUPPORT GROUPS
Promise of Serenity NAR-ANON Meeting (For families and friends of addicts) is held every Monday, 6 p.m., Angelican Church of the Epiphany, 2512 N. Beltline Boulevard. colanaraon@gmail.com or www.nar-anon.org.
ADD/ADHD Support Group of the Midlands (AttentionDeficitHelp.com)—The people involved with this local support group are parents, families, co-workers and special individuals sharing and learning about the joys, frustrations, opportunities, and challenges of ADD/ADHD. The goal is to give hope and support. Join monthly in-person and virtual meetings, www.attentiondeficithelp.com.
The SC Youth Advocate Program is available 24 hours a day for foster families. 800-882-5513 or scyap.com.
•THEATRE
Palmetto Opera’s Madama Butterfly will be performed by Palmetto Opera Sunday, January 29, 3 p.m., Koger Center for the Arts. www.kogercenterforthearts.com.
Neil deGrasse Tyson will discuss the latest discoveries of the universe at Koger Center for the Arts January 11, 7:30 p.m. www.kogercenterforthearts.com.
Comedian Nate Bargatze will perform at the Koger Center for the Arts January 15, 7 p.m. www.kogercenterforthearts.com
Jazz Girls Day will be held January 14, 8 a.m., Jazz at USC invites and inspires female-identifying middle and high school students to join the Jazz Faculty for a day full of playing and learning. www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/music/community/community_events/jazzgirlsday.php for more information.
•VETERANS
VFW Post 641, 534 South Beltline Boulevard, open 5–11 p.m., Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday; 5 p.m.–12 a.m., Friday and Saturday; hosts Shag/Dance Wednesdays, 7–11 p.m. and Karaoke Fridays, 7–11 p.m. 803-782-5943 or PostVFW641@gmail.com.
•WORKSHOPS/CLASSES
The City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities will be accepting applications for the 2023 NxLevel Micro Entrepreneur and 2023 FastTrac Growth Venture courses from January to March. In person classes will held January 26–March 30, 6 p.m., Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street. obo.columbiasc.gov.
“Debt Consolidation, Is it Time?” will be the topic for Brookhaven HOA’s first information session of 2023— January 12, 7–8 p.m., North Springs Community Center, 1320 Clemson Road. The session is open to the public and attendance is free but an RSVP is necessary hoabrookhaven@yahoo.com, subject line: Debt Consolidation.
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