•ART
Alexandra’s Art Studio, 111 Sparkleberry Crossing Road, offers adult classes, kids classes, kids camps, and art class groups. Visit artstudiocola.com
The Columbia SC Visitors Center has partnered with One Columbia for Arts and Culture to host artist popups outside of the VC on weekends through July 28, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Sundays, 1120 Lincoln Street. www.experiencecolumbiasc.com.
The Jasper Project and Richland Library will hold Big Tiny Gallery, an art exhibition inspired by the Jasper Project’s Tiny Gallery series, opening Friday March 15, 7– 11 p.m. with closing reception Friday, April 19, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street. JasperProject.org.
The Historic Melrose Art in the Yard will be held Sunday, May 5, 1–5 p.m., with art, food and live music at a family friendly event.
•CHURCH/CHARITY
Annual Clothing and Book Sale hosted by Shandon United Methodist Church. Books, will be held March 15, 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and March 16, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., 3407 Devine Street.
Washington Street United Methodist Church (WSUMC) will present a special benefit concert for the people of Ukraine Saturday, March 16, 7 p.m., Christ Chapel at the church, 1401 Washington Street. wsmethodist.org/ukraine.
•CITY
In observance of Good Friday, the City of Columbia’s buildings and offices will be closed on Friday, March 29.
Public Works Solid Waste Division will hold a Compost Giveaway Saturday, April 6, 8 a.m.–12 p.m., City Compost Site, 121 Humane Lane.
•DANCE
Palmetto Scottish Country Dance (for all ages) is held every Monday, 6–7:45 p.m., Eastminster Presbyterian Community Life Center. 803-309-0495.
Adult Ballet Classes are held Thursdays, 7 p.m., Columbia Music Festival Association, 914 Pulaski Street. This is a beginner class, but all are welcome to come ages 12 and up. 803-269-2438.
The Ly-Ben Dance Alliance will host the Ubuntu Dance Festival April 20 and will consist of three parts: The Masterclasses will be held at the Columbia Music Festival Association, 914 Pulaski Street 9 a.m.–2 p.m., with auditions for the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive at 2:30 p.m.; “Dance Free Day” Community Dance Classes will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Park and two other centers TBD 9 a.m.–1 p.m., for ages 2 years old through adults; The Ubuntu Dance concert will be held at the Cottingham Theater on the Columbia College campus at 7:30 p.m. 803-216-1953 or www.lybenda.weebly.com
•FAIRS/FESTIVALS
St. Pat’s in Five Points is set for Saturday, March 16. More than 40 local, regional, and national acts are set to perform across multiple stages and venues, including headlining performances from Lawrence, The War and Treaty, Futurebirds, Sister Hazel, and Conner Smith, making this year’s lineup the most extensive in the festival’s history. Columbia-based recording artist, producer, entrepreneur, and hip-hop activist Master Splnta, aka FatRat Da Czar will return as this year’s host. StPatsColumbia.com
Brookhaven HOA’s Annual Spring Craft Vendor Fare will be held May 11, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., North Springs Park, 1320 Clemson Road. For a vendor application or more information, send an email to hoabrookhaven@yahoo.com, subject line: Craft Fare.
The Midlands Crafter’s Association will present the 2024 Spring Arts & Crafts Market Extravaganza Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday, March 17, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., South Carolina State Farmers Market, 3483 Charleston Highway. midlandcrafters.wix.com/
The Soiree on State will return to Cayce’s State Street Saturday, March 23 2–8 p.m. www.facebook.com/events/774953154207777
The Columbia Food & Wine Festival will be held April 24–28. Tickets are on sale now and details are available at columbiafoodandwinefestival.com.
The Shindiggity, Part I: Sham Rock Jam will be held Sunday, March 17, 1 p.m., Steel Hands Brewing, Cayce. follywoodrocks@gmail.com
The Cayce Fire Department will host Save a Life Day March 16, 11 a.m.–2 p. m., Granby Gardens Park, 800 12th Street, Cayce. This new initiative will combine important safety opportunities, like CPR and basic first aid, with fun for the whole family.caycesc.gov
SC Philharmonic will host a Food & Wine Festival March 25, 6:30 p.m., S.C. State Museum. scphilharmonic.com.
The Second Annual Community Earth Day Celebration will be held Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., McGregor Presbyterian’s Lawn and Learning Garden, 6505 St. Andrew’s Road, Irmo. janehiller@gmail.com
•FUNDRAISERS
The Big Red Barn Retreat will hold its second annual BRBR Oyster Roast March 15, 6–10 p.m., 701 Whaley Street. www.thebigredbarnretreat.org
Lower Richland Ruritan Club will hold a Fish Fry Fundraiser to benefit Venture Scout Crew 4 Friday, March 15, 4–7 p.m., Lower Richland Ruritan clubhouse, 1521 Rabbit Run. 803-602-2760.
Congaree Land Trust will host The Seventh Annual Game & Garden event Thursday, March 21, 6–9 p.m., Junction 800 in the heart of the Congaree Vista. www.congareelt.org/#events.
•GARDEN
The Blythewood Garden Club will hold its Annual Community Education Event March 21, 6:30 p.m., Blythewood High School Media Center. 803-730-3855.
The Columbia Garden Club Spring Plant Exchange will be held Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m, Talbot’s parking lot, 4809 Forest Drive.
Ikabana International Chapter 182 will host the Ikebana Exhibition and 50th Anniversary Celebration, March 22–23, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. daily, Garden Club Council Building,1605 Park Circle. www.ikebanacolumbia.org/2024-exhibition/
Columbia Green will host its 31st annual Festival of Gardens Saturday, April 27, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, 12:30–4 p.m., Hampton Ridge, off Old Woodlands Road. www.columbiagreen.org.
South Carolina Iris Society will hold its 60th South Carolina Iris Society Flower Show Happy Iris Cinco De Mayo May 4, 1–4 p.m., Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, 1005 Asbury Drive. sjbhi@yahoo.com.
Wingard’s Market will host its annual Spring Fling Friday, March 15, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., 1403 N. Lake Drive, Lexington.
The 12th Annual Herb Festival hosted by The Herb Bunch will be held Saturday, April 6, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., on the grounds of Lexington County Museum, 231 Fox Street (Hwy. 378), Lexington.
•HISTORIC
Historic Columbia’s March events include Wavering Place Tours, Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Wavering Place, 427 Adams Hayne Road, Eastover; Free Sunday at the Mann-Simons Site, Sunday, March 17, 1– 4 p.m., Mann-Simons Site, 1403 Richland Street; Renovation Rodeo Millwood Avenue, Thursday, March 21, 5:30–7 p.m., ticketholders will receive the property address the day prior to this event; South Carolina’s Jewish Merchants Webinar, Sunday, March 24, 5–6 p.m., Virtual Event; Palladium Tour Landmarks and Landscapes, Sunday, April 4, 1– 6 p.m., Wales Garden. historiccolumbia.org.
•MARKET/SALE
Midlands Clay Arts Society Spring Sale will be held Thursday, April 4, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday, April 5, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; and Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street. Follow Midlands Clay Arts Society on Facebook and Instagram.
Blythewood High School FFA Plant Sale will be held Friday, March 22, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m., 10901 Wilson Boulevard, Blythewood.
Dutch Fork Elementary’s Compost Sale pick-up week will be March 25–28. Pre-order by March 15, 7900 Broad River Road, Irmo. aumberge@lexrich5 or 803-600-1586.
•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.
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.
Lower Richland Ruritan Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., Lower Richland Club House, Rabbit Run, Hopkins.
The Busby Street Community Center hosts the Aces Bridge Club every Monday, 10 a.m., 1735 Busby Street. 803-476-0933.
The Golden K Kiwanis Club of Columbia meets every Wednesday, 9:30–10:45 a.m., Lourie Center, 1650 Park Circle. andrewchase@bellsouth.net.
The Rotary Club of Columbia meets every Monday, 12:30–1:30 p.m. at Seawell’s Restaurant across from the State Fair Grounds. annewalker@aws1962.org
Ikebana International Chapter 282 meets the third Wednesday of each month, September through May, 9:30 a.m., Garden Club Council Building, 1605 Park Circle. 803-799-7368.
Survivors of Suicide Loss (SOS), a peer led group, not a place for someone who is in crisis of suicide, meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7–8:30 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church 1715 Broad River Road. 803-622-1512 or SOSColumbiaSC@gmail.com. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741.
•MUSEUMS
Olympia Mill Village Museum, the story of “Life in the Olympia Mill Village in the 1920s.” Free admission, Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.–4 p.m., 1170 Olympia Avenue. Museum includes the Olympia School Annex, the Mill House Museum, and 15 outdoor exhibits. www.olympiamillvillagemuseum.org
•SPORTS/OUTDOORS
Congaree National Park’s 2024 Synchronized Firefly Viewing Event will be held May 16-25, offering the public opportunities to witness this magical natural phenomenon. Passes will be required to enter the park on event nights and will be awarded through a lottery system hosted through Recreation.gov. This year’s pass lottery will begin at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 4, and will remain open for one week, ending at 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 10.
The Vista Neighborhood Association (VNA) will host its Second Annual Alley Golf Tournament Saturday, April 6, 2–6 p.m. This unique event will feature three mini-golf holes strategically set up in different Vista alleyways. 864-616-8836.
•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.naranon.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.
•TEENS
The FBI Columbia Field Office is accepting applications for the annual Teen Academy this summer, June 26–27, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., FBI Columbia headquarters, 222 Caughman Farm Lane, Lexington. The Teen Academy program allows rising junior and senior high school students to experience a comprehensive look into today’s FBI. Students will receive presentations on topics including terrorism, cyber crime, public corruption, violent crime, evidence response, SWAT, and other day-to-day FBI field office operations. Those interested in participating in the FBI Columbia Teen Academy must have parental approval before applying and must meet the eligibility requirements as follows—must be a United States citizen; must reside in South Carolina; must be a rising high school junior or senior; must be enrolled in an accredited high school or home school environment recognized by your school district; must have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher. www.fbi.gov/file-repository/columbia-teen-academy-2024-1.pdf/view.
•THEATRE
NiA, Columbia’s nomadic theater arts company, will present Pass Over March 22–30, 8 p.m., USC’s Theater Lab, 1400 Wheat Street. www.purposepeople.company.
•WORKSHOPS/CLASSES
The 2024 StoryCorps Mobile Tour will visit 10 cities nationwide, including Columbia March 21–April 19, South Carolina Public Radio. Participants will have the option of recording in person or remotely, using StoryCorps’ free recording tools. On the Mobile Tour, facilitated recording sessions are offered to the public free of charge, and can be booked online at storycorps.org/mobile-tour.
New Morning, a South Carolina-based nonprofit organization working to expand access to affordable contraceptive and family planning services across the state, will host its 6th annual Access for All: A Reproductive Health Summit April 25–26, Columbia Marriott. www.newmorning.org/conference.
•VOLUNTEERS
Family Connection of South Carolina is seeking professionals to serve in volunteer leadership positions for its LOOK! and Buddy Walk fundraising events. The LOOK! 2024 opening ceremony will take place Sunday, June 2, the Richland County Library. Buddy Walk, a part of the activities honoring Down Syndrome Awareness Month each October, will be held On Sunday, October 27, Saluda Shoals Park. www.familyconnectionsc.org or 1-800-578-8750.
Leave a Reply