•ART
Alexandra’s Art Studio, 111 Sparkleberry Crossing Road, offers adult classes, kids classes, kids camps, and art class groups. artstudiocola.com.
•CHURCH/CHARITY
Riggs Partners will hold its 27th annual CreateAthon event to benefit nonprofit organizations October 23-24, 2025. CreateAthon is a 24-hour creative marathon during which Riggs Partners provides marketing services to nonprofit organizations on a pro bono basis. www.riggspartners.com.
•CITY
The 2025 Mayor’s Walk Against Domestic Violence will be held Saturday, October 25, Page Ellington Park, 2220 Gregg Street.
Columbia Green, in partnership with the City of Columbia, will hold the fourth educational event August 30, 10 a.m. as part of its “Beat the Heat” initiative. The event will be held at Earlewood Park, 1113 Recreation Drive. columbiagreen.org/beattheheat.
•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, 6:30 p.m., Columbia Music Festival Association, 914 Pulaski Street. Ages 12 and up are welcome. 803-216-1953.
Unbound Dance Company will present “Love is Louder” August 22 and 23, 7 p.m., Lexington 2 Performing Arts Theater, 3205 Platt Springs Road, West Columbia. Unbounddance.com.
•FAIR
The South Carolina State Fair is now accepting entries for its 2025 competitive exhibits, which will be on display during the S.C. State Fair, October 8-19. Entries are open through September 1. South Carolinians of all ages are invited to showcase their talents across a range of categories— from art and agriculture to food and flowers. Learn more at www.scstatefair.org/competitions.
•FOOD
The Gervais Street Bridge Dinner will be held Sunday, October 26, 3–8 p.m., transforming the iconic bridge into a 1,200-seat supper celebration overlooking the Congaree River. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, July 18 at gervaisstreetbridgedinner.com.
Farm to Table Dinner—Meet Your Local Farmers will be held August 24, 1:30–3:30 p.m., Ascension Lutheran Fellowship Hall, 827 Wildwood Avenue. www.ascensionlutheranchurchcolumbia.net.
•HISTORIC
Historic Columbia’s mainstage lineup for the 47th annual Jubilee: Festival of Black History and Culture Saturday, September 20, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Mann-Simons Site, 1403 Richland Street. jubileesc.org. Blue Star Museum through August 31—Free admission to Historic House Museums for active-duty military personnel and their immediate family. The Blue Star Museums program began on Armed Forces Day and ends on Labor Day. FREE admission for active-duty military members and up to five family members, with valid ID. This program is not available to retired members of the military. www.historiccolumbia.org.
•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 Wednesday, 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.
Midlands Coin Club meets the second Thursday of every month. www.MidlandsCoinClub.com
The Greater Irmo Lions Club meets the fourth Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Zorba’s Restaurant, Irmo. To learn about membership, contact Henry Gibson at 803-920-5896.
Two Notch Toastmasters (TNT-the dynamite club!) meets every first and third Friday mornings, 7–8:15 a.m., Lizards Thicket, 10170 Two Notch Road.
The Media Club of Columbia meets the third Thursday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Woman’s Club of Cayce, 701 Oakland Avenue, Cayce. www.facebook.com/MediaClubofColumbia.
Palmetto Shell Club meets the second Sunday of each month, 2 p.m., Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Lane. 1276@gmail.com.
The Rotary Club of St. Andrews–Columbia meets every Tuesday 1-2 p.m., Lizard’s Thicket, 7569 St. Andrews Road, Irmo. Bingo hosted by the St. Andrews Rotary Club–Columbia, 6 p.m., Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Lane.
Columbia Philatelic Society meets the third Sunday of every month, 2–4:30 p.m., Tri-City Leisure Center, 485 Brooks Avenue, West Columbia. www.columbiascphilately.com.
Chapin Sunrise Rotary Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Highway, Chapin.
Rotary Club of Lake Murray-Irmo meets every Wednesday (except the fifth Wednesday of a month), 7:30 a.m., Seven Oaks Recreation Center, 200 Leisure Lane. rfunderburkrotary@gmail.com.
Readers & Writers Columbia meets every third Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Lizard Thicket Restaurant, 10170 Two Notch Road. errolmaw@gmail.com.
•MEMORIAL
The Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Central SC (OCC) will hold the annual butterfly release for ovarian cancer September 18, 5:30 p.m., at the SC State House to raise awareness of this deadly disease. www.ovariancancermidlands.org.
•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.
•MUSIC
The Loose Canon Recorder Consort meets every Tuesday, 10 to 11:30 a.m. to play a variety of music including baroque, Irish, and contemporary. Advanced beginners and more advanced players are welcome to join the group. loosecanonrecorders@gmail.com.
Endless Summer Band will perform September 20 at the A.C. Flora Class of 1970 class reunion at the Forest Lake County Club. 803-404 9178 or 803-237 0949.
Carolina Jazz Society will hold a concert Sunday, September 7, 2:30–5 p.m., Heyward Street United Methodist Church, 2501 Heyward Street. www.carolinajazzsociety.com.
Ensemble Eclectica will present Tapestry of Sound at Harbison Theatre August 23, 7:30 p.m. www.ensembleeclectica.org/upcoming.
•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.
•THEATER
WOWStudioOne will present Love Lies September 12–14, 7:30 p.m., Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College. www.wowstudioone.com.
Lexington 2 Performing Arts Center will host a new “Live After Five” series, with five to seven concerts and other events over the course of the year featuring a mix of local, regional, and national artists. The series kicks off September 5 with the local group Columbia Rat Pack, performing “The Music of the Rat Pack—A Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.,” 7 p.m. Among other announced performances are “Divas of Soul,” October 17 and “Blank Space: The Unofficial Taylor Swift Tribute,” November 1. Lexington Two’s Performing Arts Center is located at 3205 Platt Springs Road, West Columbia. l2pac.lex2.org
•VETERANS
The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is once again participating in the Blue Star Museums program. Through September 1, all active-duty military personnel and up to five family members will be admitted for free. www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums
•WORKSHOPS/CLASSES
The Speakers Bureau was recently launched by the Shepherd’s Center of St. Andrews (www.shepherdscenterofstandrews.org). The bureau features a roster of Shepherd’s Center popular speakers who will come to your meeting place to share their research, life experiences, and passions via an interactive PowerPoint presentation. All presentations are offered free of charge; groups and organizations need only provide an HDMI connection to a TV or a projector and a mic if needed. The Center, headquartered at Ashland United Methodist Church, 2600 Ashland Road, has introduced this new resource as an outgrowth of its three eight-week Adventures in Learning sessions that run from September through November. It is free for the asking to interested groups in the community. To schedule a presentation, contact Larry Brown via shepspeaker@gmail.com. For additional details about Shepherd’ s Center of St. Andrews classes and activities, visit www.shepherdscenterofstandrews.org.
The University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and Google will offer a free AI workshop for local businesses, “Make AI Work for You” August 26, 9 a.m., Pastides Alumni Center. https://g.co/grow/Columbia.
USC String Project Registration for Fall 2025 is open— Beginning Students: third–fifth grade students with no prior experience are welcome to register online and learn more about the program. They are also invited to the Instrument Petting Zoo September 2, 6 p.m., String Project Building, 813 Park Street, USC campus—a fun, hands-on event to help students choose their instrument (violin, viola, or cello). Students with Experience and Adult Learners: USC String Project offers a variety of orchestra classes, group instruction, and private lessons for students with at least one year of experience, as well as a robust program for adult learners. sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/music/community/community_music_school/string_project/
The ColaJazz Academy is launching a four-week course on Jazz Improvisation Monday, September 29 and runs through October 20, 6–7:30 p.m., ColaJazz Office, 2123 College Street. ColaJazz.com.
Shepherd’s Center of St. Andrews Fall Session of Adventures in Learning begin September 16. The center, an interfaith learning program for active adults aged 50 and above, meets Tuesdays onsite at center headquarters, Ashland United Methodist Church, 2600 Ashland Road, and Wednesdays and Thursdays via Zoom for the eight-week session. Subject courses and activity classes range from chair yoga to “The Hidden History of the Celts.” You can also step into the world of “Famous Amos: The Minor Prophet, not the Cookie;” learn about life enhancers that provide “Adrenaline for Living Well;” or drop into the “Men’s Corner,” a shared dialogue about being an older man in today’s world. And you can study Spanish (three levels), join the “Strumming Fun Jam” for uke, banjo, guitar, and mandolin, or succeed at Mah Jongg, all while improving your skills in quilting, crochet, bridge, line dancing, and watercolor. shepherdscenterofstandrews.org.
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