Calendar of Events

"Andrew Lippa's Wild Party"

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Workshop Theatre
• Address: 1136 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Workshop Theatre
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Adapted from a book-length poem written in and about the Roaring Twenties, Andrew Lippa's Wild Party is the story of one wild evening in the Manhattan apartment shared by Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville dancer and a vaudeville clown. In a relationship marked by vicious behavior and recklessness (mirroring the time in which they live), they decide to throw a party to end all parties.

"The Miss Firecracker Contest"

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Village Square Theatre
• Address: 105 Caughman Street, Lexington, SC 29072
• Venue: Village Square Theatre
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Friday, Saturday

by Beth Henley The place is the small Mississippi town of Brookhaven, the time a few days before the Fourth of July. Carnelle Scott (known locally as "Miss Hot Tamale") is rehearsing furiously for the Miss Firecracker Contest-hoping that a victory will salvage her tarnished reputation and allow her to leave town in a blaze of glory. The unexpected arrival of her cousin Elain, a former Miss Firecracker winner, (who has walked out on her rich but boring husband and her two small chil...

2012 Parade of Homes

• May 20, 2012
• Location: The Park at Woodcreek Farms in Northeast Columbia
• Address: 301 Club Ridge Drive, Elgin, SC 29045
• Venue: Northeast Plantation

The Parade of Homes is a single-site showing of new homes that are fully decorated and landscaped. Attendees are able to walk through each home and see the latest in building techniques and technology and enjoy beautiful home décor. More information can be found on their website.

2012 SC Book Festival

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
• Address: 1101 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
• Recurrence: Recurring daily

The South Carolina Book Festival is one of the largest annual literary events in the state and will be celebrating its 16th anniversary on May 19- 20, 2012. Events include over 70 award-winning national, regional and South Carolina authors, book signings and book sales, presentations by authors, children's pavilion with performances and storytelling for kids of all ages, summer reading station for children and over 90 exhibitors including community organizations, libraries, booksellers, authors...

Abstract Art in South Carolina: 1949-2011

• May 20, 2012
• Location: SC State Museum
• Address: 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: South Carolina State Museum
• Recurrence: Recurring daily

Abstract Art in South Carolina: 1949-2011 looks at the evolution and influences of abstract painting and sculpture in South Carolina. The exhibit includes work by pioneering artists such as William Halsey, Corrie McCallum, J. Bardin, Carl Blair and Merton Simpson, and contemporary artists currently working in communities across South Carolina today, such as James Busby, Shaun Cassidy, Enid Williams, Paul Yanko, Katie Walker and Tom Stanley, among many others. In all, work by more than 40 arti...

Be a S.T.A.R. for Charity! CCT S.T.A.R. Showcase

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Children's Theatre
• Address: 3400 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29204
• Venue: Columbia Children's Theatre

The CCT S.T.A.R. Program was created in 2012 by students who participate in our YouTheatre company and other theatres in the area. The motto of the organization is "Be a S.T.A.R. for charity!" A collaboration among Columbia Children's Theatre, young actors, and their families, the purpose of this program is to allow student actors to use their talents to raise awareness and money for local charities. For our premiere event, the CCT S.T.A.R. Program members are excited to presen...

Blooming Butterflies

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Edventure
• Address: 211 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: EdVenture Children's Museum

Come explore the world of the butterfly! Visit EdVenture's living exhibit, a 2,500 square foot enclosed habitat designed to showcase the lifespan of over 20 species of butterflies. The exhibit is filled with dozens of species of trees and plants that support hundreds of butterflies from more than 20 different species native to the Southeast. Be sure to check out the Bloom Room to observe chrysalises and emerging butterflies. Look, but please don't touch! Although it is tempting to touch these...

Bold Banners: Early Civil War Flags of South Carolina

• May 20, 2012
• Location: SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum
• Address: 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Rich. Colorful. Bold. Words that may not initially evoke images of Civil War flags but the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum's upcoming exhibit shows that many of the earliest Civil War flags were hand-crafted works of art and not simply "stars and bars." Bold Banners: Early Civil War Flags of South Carolina will be exhibited at the Relic Room from May 6, 2011 through September 29, 2012. The exhibit will display some of the earliest flags representing units fr...

Columbia Design League Selects

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art

CDL Selects is a complement installation to the nationally traveling exhibition, The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design. Drawn solely from the design collection of the Columbia Museum of Art, CDL Selects contains over 60 exceptional examples of 20th-century design in a variety of media forms-seating furniture, tables, lamps, and related decorative arts; sculpture; industrial design and in a variety of media, including ceramics, glass, and metal. Board members of the membership affiliat...

Evening of Family Ties

• May 20, 2012
• Location: 701 Center for Contemporary Art
• Address: 701 Whaley Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: 701 Center for Contemporary Art

The 2nd Annual Evening of Family Ties will highlight the programs offered by Family Service Center of South Carolina. There will be heavy Hors D'oeuvres by Blue Marlin Signature Catering, Open Bar, Entertainment and Silent Auction. Silent Auction items, including neckwear designed by local artists, can be previewed online at www.fsconline.org beginning May 1st. Tickets are $75.00 per person. To purchase your tickets, visit Family Service Center of SC online or your can download the order form a...

FAAAC presents Ella Fitzgerald VERSUS Sarah Vaughan

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art

The Friends of African American Art and Culture (FAAAC) hosts the VERSUS series, featuring a fun comparison and contrast of similar African-American art, artists and culture. This VERSUS features brunch and an afternoon of jazz honoring two great American voices: Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.  

Fill the Red Truck Event

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Neighborhoods across Columbia
• Address: Heyward Street, Columbia, SC
• Recurrence: Recurring daily

Neighbors from Shandon, surrounding Columbia neighborhoods and the greater Midlands are invited to benefit the City of Columbia Animal Shelter by donating pet food and supplies and The Animal Mission through monetary donations at the fourth annual Red Truck event.  Because of the event’s success and public participation in three previous years, this year, highly visible red pickup trucks will be located at more Columbia neighborhood locations than ever. Three Red Truck drop-off points...

Gallery Tour: Highlights of the Museum's Collection

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art

A docent-led tour provides an overview of the Museum's collection of European and American art. This tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, as well as the Museum's new American galleries. This free guided tour is courtesy of BlueCross BlueShield of SC. 

Historic Columbia Foundation’s Dollar Sunday Admission

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Purchase tickets at the Museum Shop, 1616 Blanding Street
• Address: 1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Robert Mills House & Gardens
• Recurrence: Recurring monthly on the 3rd Sunday

Residents of Richland and Lexington Counties are invited to take a guided tour of one of our historic house museums for just $1! Visit the Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion or the Mann-Simons Site. General admission prices apply for any house tours after the first.

Kritikal Chokolate Sundays

• May 20, 2012
• Location: T&T Uptown Lounge
• Address: 3003 Colonial Dr, Columbia, SC 29203
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday

KRITIKAL CHOKOLATE SUNDAYS hosted by Mike Stone and the Kritikal Band (MSKB) at the all new T@T Uptown Lounge, located at 3003 Colonial Dr (across from the old SCE&G). Each week we'll be providing a wide range of entertainment with featured artists, a blazing open mic, themed parties and events. Experience Kritikal

Make Your Move! Strategic Play Through the Centuries

• May 20, 2012
• Location: EdVenture Children's Museum
• Address: 211 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: EdVenture Children's Museum
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

This returning exhibit will feature new additions and enhancements you won't want to miss! From simple amusements to complex exercises in strategic thinking, games have been a part of our lives since ancient times. Make Your Move! explores the origins of the world's best-loved games in an exhibit featuring oversized game pieces and play areas that give children a chance to explore the fun of strategic play in a new dimension.

Meet the Designers: Runaway Runway

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Get up close and personal with outfits from the 2011 Runaway Runway fashion show and learn about the conceptual and construction process behind each outfit. From a bubble wrap gown to a Mad Hatter spin-off, these creations feature post-consumer materials, range in theme and materials and are wild eco-friendly fashions!  

Moneyville

• May 20, 2012
• Location: EdVenture Children's Museum
• Address: 211 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: EdVenture Children's Museum

You'll see money-and math-in a whole new way. You'll discover that money is really all about making choices-with the power of math. Money isn't just dollars and cents. The ancient Aztecs used chocolate for money, and Yap Islanders used 500-lb. stones! So what is money and how does it work? You and your family can explore the history, science, math, and economics behind money in Moneyville.

Raleigh Ringers presented by Arts at Shandon

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Shandon Presbyterian Church
• Address: 607 Woodrow St, Columbia, SC 29205

The Raleigh Ringers is an internationally acclaimed, advanced community handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since its founding in 1990, The Raleigh Ringers has been dazzling concert audiences with unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music, including famous rock ‘n’ roll tunes arranged just for handbells. “The Raleigh Ringers combine a zeal for musical expression with sensitivity to not only the entertainment, but also the edification of the audien...

Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies - Guided River Trip

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Get Your Gear On
• Address: 208 Candi Lane, Suite A, Columbia, SC 29210
• Venue: Get Your Gear On
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Friday, Saturday

Paddle through the largest colony of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies at the Saluda/Broad River confluence. The Spider Lily river trip allows participants to see and experience the magnificence of the endangered Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies that make their home in the middle of the local rivers. The rare flowers enter peak blooming period for only one month (May to early-June). So, please join Get Your Gear On and experience this event. All trips start at the GYGO store, transportation to put-in and...

Sit Right Down

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art

National Art Honors Society students display three dimensional design skills by creating model chairs while students in CMA's One Room School House program use a print making technique to design upholstery fabric. These 3D and 2D works make for an engaging exhibition on furniture design! Different chair designs are available for your sitting pleasure - tell us which one is your favorite with our interactive survey. Design your own chair at our young artist station and have a seat on a toadstool...

Sunday Brunch & Jazz Series

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Senate's End
• Address: 316 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Senate's End

Enjoy Southern Gourmet Brunch beginning at 10:30, followed by live jazz, food and beverages throughout the afternoon. Think Jazz Orchestra and the Capital City Big Band play from 1:30 to 5 with a $4 cover. TJO is the resident group of newly formed Think Jazz Columbia. An 8-piece group playing hard swinging jazz that just might make your feet start moving!

The Arpad Darazs Singers Concerts

• May 20, 2012
• Location: First Presbyterian Church
• Address: 650 Summers Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29115

The Art of Recovery

• May 20, 2012
• Location: SC State Museum
• Address: 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: South Carolina State Museum
• Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Art by clients of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health will be on display in this exhibit, put together from competitions open to people receiving services through the department. The Art of Recovery project showcases the talents of people living with mental illnesses and the role that creative processes like art can play in the recovery process.

The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design

• May 20, 2012
• Location: Columbia Museum of Art
• Address: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201
• Venue: Columbia Museum of Art

Most chairs encountered throughout the day define themselves fairly simply - a place at the family table, a comfortable spot with a great view of the river, a seat of corporate power. When looking at the 43 chairs selected for The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design, however, there is much more to see than simple pieces of furniture. These works of art have compelling stories to tell about our national history, the evolution of American design and incredible artistry and craftsmanship....