Dracula: Ballet with a Bite: Columbia City Ballet

TONIGHT - Thursday October 27, 2011 - Saturday October 29, 2011

Already known as the coolest dance show yet to play the Koger Center, Columbia City Ballet’s Dracula: Ballet With A Bite returns with new blood for this “must see” Halloween favorite. Watch this frighteningly entertaining video!Count Dracula and his Brides of Darkness are back with new choreography, costumes and palpitating music in this cutting-edge production. Dracula is always a favorite with its haunting visuals, graphic special effects and pulsating rock/jazz musical score composed by the late Thomas E. Semanski. Visit the Columbia City Ballet website for all the gory details!

LEXINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT’S FALL FESTIVAL

Tonight - Thursday October 27, 2011 6-9 p.m.

This year's Fall Festival will feature rides, games, a costume contest and fun food. $5 per person; $15 per family. Participants encouraged to bring nonperishable food item or new blanket.

Visit the Town of Lexington's website for details.

Lexington Municipal Complex, 111 Maiden Lane, Lexington

Kick off the little ones' weekend with this family-friendly event!

Halloween at the Park: Crooked Creek Park Chapin

Friday October 28, 2011

Bring your little ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating on our outdoor trick-or-treat trail through Crooked Creek Park from 6:30–7:30 p.m. on the Friday. Inside we will have plenty of carnival games and prizes, a costume contest, a moonwalk, an inflatable slide, concessions, and all the fun you can imagine! This is a great safe and fun event for the whole family. Tickets for carnival games are 25 cents each. Visit the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission website for info!

2011 Balloons, Blues & BBQ: Blythewood

Friday October 28, 2011 & Saturday October 29, 2011

The 2011 Balloons, Blues and BBQ will kick off on Friday, October 28 at 3 p.m. The colorful and brilliantly decorated hot air balloons will light up the sky as darkness falls across the land. If you haven’t witnessed the breathtaking spectacle of a collection of giant balloons, don’t miss this opportunity.On Friday night, come for the “Sampling”. Guests will enjoy a variety of food from the BBQ contestants when they serve “Anything Butt” – meaning anything but BBQ as they prepare for the next day’s Bar-B-Que competition. On Saturday bring your kids in their Halloween Costumes for spooky stories, Trick or Treat, a costume competition (for both kids and adults) Tethered balloon rides that go 25 to 30 feet up in the air will be available Friday and Saturday. With over 8,000 people expected to attend this two day event, Saturday’s festivities begin at sunrise with “The Hare and the Hound” balloon race.The fun continues throughout the day with food, vendors, tethered balloon rides. Visit the Blythewood festival website for details.

Forbidden Dance! Columbia Baroque Soloists

Friday, October 28, 2011 and Sunday October 30, 2011

7 PM, Concert Conversations; 7:30 PM, Concert

First Christian Church on Friday | Reformation Lutheran Church on Sunday

The Chaconne, Folia and Passacaglia were considered the most sensual, passionate and dangerous dances of their time. Join the Columbia Baroque Soloists for a concert showcasing the virtuosity of ensemble members Jerry Curry, Jean Hein, Brittnee Siemon, Timothy Hein, and Gail Ann Schroeder who will lead us on a musical tour of dances from their rustic beginnings through the more stylized and courtly settings of the high Baroque. Featured composers include J. S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Francois Couperin, Henry Purcell, Dietrich Buxtehude, Girolamo Frescobaldi and others. Sample their beautiful music here. Ticket information is available online.

Head to Newberry this weekend for the ultimate cult classic!

Double Feature: Night of the Living Dead and Rocky Horror Picture Show: The Movie

Friday, Saturday and Monday October 28, 29 and 31, 2011

The Newberry Community Players bring you two favorite campy cult classics, back to back!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show includes reinactors and audience participation – do the time warp, again! Goody bags will be sold at the show. Look for more audience interaction than ever, more outrageous dressing-up than ever, a goody bag brimming with surprises, magic moments that are truly magical ...This has got to be the Cult Classic of all time! It’s packed full of terrific numbers from the madness of The Timewarp and Sweet Transvestite, to the ethereal There's a Light and I'm Going Home, by way of the rocky Whatever Happened To Saturday Night?Date: October 28, 29, 31 at 10pm Ticket price: $10 Location: The Ritz Theater (1511 Main St. in downtown Newberry SC) Visit the Newberry Community Players website for more info.

Halloween Celebration! Belladonna's

Saturday October 29, 2011

Join Belladonna's for their annual Halloween celebration. 10am to 7pm!! They've moved into a new beautiful spacious location on Saint Andrews Road near I-26 (Ashland Park Shopping Center) and welcome you! Come in costume, and receive 20% off your entire purchase. Trick or Treat for the kids, free chair massage, tarot readings, special events, food and beverages served all day long! Visit the Belladonna's website for details.

THE SANDHILL HORROR: Village at Sandhill

Saturday, October 29, 2011 From 3-9 p.m
Come out for a very special event! The Sandhill Horror will feature magic performances by John Tudor, Alternacirque, Columbia Marionette Theater and Gentleman of Distinction dance troupe performing “Thriller.” (803) 351-6070; For details, visit the Village at Sandhill website. The Village at Sandhill is located at Two Notch and Clemson Roads in northeast Columbia.

Tricks and Treats at the State Museum

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Chills, thrills and frightful fun!
Watch out for ghosts, ghouls and goblins as the museum presents its annual Halloween event for families, “Tricks and Treats at the State Museum!”

Offering safe Halloween fun the last two Saturdays of October, children will enjoy:

• “Peanuts” characters from Carowinds on Saturday, Oct. 22;
• Piggly Wiggly’s Mr. Pig (both weekends!);
• Haunted Halloween Party with “goblin games” and spooky prizes for everyone;
• Haunted gallery scavenger hunt with prizes;
• Balloon art by Nick Propst with his Catalina macaw, Trixie;
• “Creepy” crafts and coloring;
• Face painting ($2);
• Pumpkin painting ($2);

All activities are FREE with Museum admission or Membership unless otherwise noted.
Come in costume for “Tricks and Treats” and receive $1 OFF regular Museum admission. Don’t miss it! Visit the State Museum website for details.

Beakers & Broomsticks: EdVenture Children's Museum

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Calling all mummies, daddies, and kiddies! Enjoy a harvest of Halloween fun ALL DAY at the 2nd annual Beakers & Broomsticks celebration on Saturday, Oct 29!

It’s Halloween with a science twist. Mad experiments, creepy labs, mysterious slime, Frank N. Bugs, glow graffiti, costume contests and trick or treat stations will be back this year! New Halloween festivities include costume characters, a Halloween portrait station, glowing tonic geyser, magic static wands, festive face painting and the exciting Pumpkin Vomit spooky science demonstration! Using an old fashion guillotine, children will enjoy an inaugural Pumpkin ‘Smushin’ that will send Jack ‘O Lanterns screaming. This Halloween spectacular is open to the public and free with museum admission!

Will O' The Wisp: Saluda Shoals Park

Saturday October 28, 2011

This fun Halloween celebration is for children ages 2–8. Take a hayride to the boardwalk at the Wetland Preserve where Trick-or-treaters will hear animal sounds and see night creatures as they stroll along the boardwalk gathering candy. Nature Interpreters along the way will have nocturnal animal facts to share. Play Halloween games, listen to a storyteller, decorate a cookie, make s’mores, and enjoy some hot cider! Come in costume and bring a flashlight. Visit the park website for all the info.

Trick or treating and more at Dutch Square Mall on Monday October 31!

Trick or Treats at Dutch Square Mall

Monday October 31, 2011

Calling all ghosts and goblins to Dutch Square Mall's Halloween Festival and Haunted House! From 6 - 9pm, kids will enjoy a costume contest, carnival games, stage entertainment, trivia, & more! Visit the mall website for more information.

Halloween Night Costume Bash at 701 Center for Contemporary Art

Monday, October 31, 2011

Join hundreds of fellow art lovers for a concept art costume contest w/local celebrity judges, incl. Mayor Benjamin, on MONDAY, Oct. 31 @ 701 Whaley! ! Plus: full cash bar, horror film by The Nick, Pop-Up Studio portraits, Food Truck Food Court, Jasper Magazine ghost story salon, SC Biennial exhibition, & more! 701 Whaley St. Tickets $15/$10 advance. Benefits 701 CCA. Discount tix 12 for $100! Buy now: visit the 701 CCA website.

Enjoy a special evening at Columbia's favorite Asian restaurant!

Miyo's Special Dinner for Two

Miyo's is known for its outstanding Asian cuisine, and Michelle and staff really show off their culinary skills with their menu items labeled "specialty entrees". The selection rivals that of any gourmet menu in town, and Michelle invites you to celebrate a special night at any Miyo's | M Cafe locations for a special price of $35.95 per couple. Order your favorite bottle of wine for $10 off. Then warm up with a delicious homemade soup. Then select from mouth-watering entrees including Black Bean Salmon, Sesame Beef Tenderloin, Seafood Szechuan, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Szechuan-Style Spicy Braised Eggplant, Hong Kong Style Ginger Salmon, Sauteed Ginger Soft Shell Crab, Crispy Jumbo Prawn, Bacon Wrapped Scallops and more! Click for the offer details and included entrees.

Deal of the Day
A Special Email Offer from The Little Gym

The Deal of the Day is sent to subscribers of The Little Gym's newsletters and one day of each week you will have an opportunity to save money at The Little Gym. It could be discounts on camps, pro-shop items, birthday parties, Parents' Survival Nights, gift certificates, etc!

The offer will only be good for that one day when the email is sent out and it is posted to Facebook. All offers will be available to members and non-members, so be sure to spread the word by forwarding our emails, sharing our Facebook posts and retweeting our Tweets!
So click here, sign up, and watch your inbox for some great incentives to take your children to one of the happiest spots in all of Greater Columbia! Forest Acres and Lexington locations.

Mini Warehouses: West Columbia

Do you need storage for personal items or for your business? I just visited a super convenient storage facility off Sunset Boulevard (US 378) between I-20 and I-26. It's on Cromer Road just a block off Sunset. The gated facility is open to tenants 24/7 and has management onsite from 8am - 5pm, Monday - Friday. 10' ceilings in all 222 units as well as electric lights and security cameras. The new owner, Rick Riley, showed me around and explained his plans for the future of this business... exciting and well-planned. If you are looking for truly convenient space at a great price, give Rick a call at 356-0634.

Fabulous Ongoing Events, Upcoming Events, News and Special Offers!

Through Fiery Trials: Religion in the Civil War | South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum
Now - May 12, 2011

An estimated 3,694 Union and Confederate chaplains served during the Civil War with an estimated 150,000 Confederate conversions or baptisms during the war and a similar number of revivals on the Union side. “Through Fiery Trials” will examine the experiences of chaplains, soldiers and citizens while challenging guests to assess the similarities in the role that religion played for both Northerners and Southerners during the War. The exhibit will highlight Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish faiths and feature rare religious objects owned by some of the most storied figures from the war. Among the exhibit’s items are bibles that belonged to generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, a crucifix carried into battle by general George Pickett of the famous Pickett’s charge, a Jewish sweet meat bowl and a soldier’s bible that was struck by a bullet and has the resulting hole through it and much more. Visit the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum's website for more information.

August Osage County: Trustus Theatre

Now Onstage!

Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. A vanished father. A pill-popping mother. Three sisters harboring shady little secrets. When the large Weston family unexpectedly reunites after Dad disappears, their Oklahoman family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you've got a major new play that unflinchingly—and uproariously—exposes the dark side of the Midwestern American family. This show will leave you breathless as it unfolds before your eyes! Shows at Trustus Theatre in the Vista on Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Friday & Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM. Tickets Prices: Thursdays $20 Fridays & Saturdays $22.50 Sundays $17.50

Oktoberfest Lake Cruise: Spirit of Lake Murray

Friday October 28, 2011

Hearty German cuisine is the main attraction on this special dinner cruise aboard Lake Murray's only dinner-cruise yacht, the beautiful Spirit of Lake Murray! The menu includes Cucumber Salad, Sauerbraten-Roast Beef, Mustard Pork Chops, Boiled Potatoes, German Style Green Beans and Quark Pudding for dessert! A cash bar will allow diners to treat themselves to their favorite beer (including specialty craft brews), wine or cocktail. Cruise the lake for 2.5 hours and enjoy a lovely sunset, see the moon and stars reflect in the water and feel a refreshing breeze! You're going to love it! Visit the Spirit of Lake Murray website for details.

Save the Dates! The Craftsmen's Christmas Classic returns to the State Fairgrounds!
Friday November 4 - Sunday November 6, 2011

This national-award-winning event has been a true Columbia holiday tradition for 36 years! Voted by artists and craftsmen nationwide as the #2 show of its kind in the state, the Christmas Classic is also the second largest event annually at the Fairgrounds, next only to the State Fair itself.

It fills two buildings with more than 300 of the country's finest artists and craftsmen, presenting thousands of their totally original designs and creations in pottery, jewelry, fine art, glass, toys, photography, sculpture, wood, musical instruments, metalwork, furniture, clothing and much more, including specialty foods. There are choices for every style, taste and budget, from contemporary to traditional, functional to whimsical. Every holiday gift list and wish list can be fulfilled with a visit to the Craftsmen's Christmas Classic! For all the happy details, visit the Craftsmen's Christmas Classic online!

Opens November 4, 2011! Plaid Tidings: Town Theatre

This show is dedicated to the “good guys”; to the guys who wheeled the projector carts for the AV club; to the guys who saved their allowance to give their parents a special night on the town for their anniversary; to the guys who carried an extra handkerchief; to the guys who never went beyond first base, and if they did, they didn’t tell anyone. We salute you!

The Forever Plaid sequel is a show for the entire family. The holidays with our “dream team” – Kyle Collins, Rob Sprankle, Tracy Steele and Frank Thompson – will feature pop songs from the 50s that have all been “Plaid-erized.”

Created after 9/11 when we all needed a little joy and a little cozy holiday fun to lift spirits and with the ensuing years bringing joys and tribulations for our world, our country and our loved ones, Plaid Tidings will put you in the mood to appreciate all the good stuff that is always around us! For dates and ticket info visit the Town Theatre website.

Looking for a Job? Looking for New Staff?

The Midlands Job Fair is returning to Columbia to connect job seekers with local employers on November 5, 2011! The event, to be held at Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC, is expected to draw hundreds of eager candidates, along with well-known and home-grown businesses who are actively seeking to fill open positions. At the last Midlands Job Fair in February 2011, more than 1,250 job seekers spent time talking with business representatives and owners. Doors to the November event open at 11am and close at 2pm; however, a special VIP Pass is available to those who complete a Job Fair Workshop Series at their local Midlands Workforce Center (details available at www.midlandsonestop.org). This VIP Pass will allow entry to the event at 10am. Job candidates are encouraged to research companies prior to attending, dress professionally, bring copies of their resumes, and interview with all companies for which they are qualified! Details on which employers will be attending will be made available online as the job fair approaches.

For more information, please visit www.midlandsonestop.org. Employers may contact Carrie Powell at cpowell@midlandsworks.org.

Save the Date! Saturday November 5, 2011

Legal Moonshine & Muscadine Wine: SC State Museum

“Everything old is new again.” So goes a famous saying, and it could certainly apply to a couple of the latest darlings of the adult beverage world: legal “moonshine” and muscadine wines. A new spin on some old favorites will be offered Saturday, Nov. 5 from 6 – 9 p.m. as the South Carolina State Museum explores the Palmetto State’s heritage of moonshining and homemade wine-making in an exciting new ticketed event for adults called “Moonshine and Muscadines.”
Dark Corner Distillery of Greenville, which opened in September as the state’s first legal moonshine micro-distillery, will be on hand to offer samples of hand-spirited un-aged corn whiskey. September Oaks Vineyard of Ridgeland and Hyman Vineyards of Conway, both specializing in fine muscadine wines, will conduct tastings of their wines. Hyman will offer bottles for sale. Americana musician Angela Easterling of Greenville will offer her distinctive brand of folk and roots music throughout the evening, providing the perfect musical backdrop for a great evening of unique libations and delicious nibbles. For details, visit the SC State Museum website.

Make Your Reservation! Tribute to Women in Industry Luncheon

Wednesday November 16, 2011

The TWIN Award is a distinguished honor presented to women whose outstanding achievements mark them as leaders and role models in business and in the community. Since the inception of the TWIN Awards in 1980, over 480 businesswomen have been honored who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and/or community. Held at the Columbia Marriott downtown. For ticket info visit the Palmetto Center for Women website.

42nd Annual Marion du Pont Scott International Steeplechase Colonial Cup
Saturday November 19, 2011

The Colonial Cup is an annual event, this year held on November 19, 2011 in Camden at the Springdale Race Course. The race has become a South Carolina tradition, and normally draws a crowd of over 70,000 spectators. The "Cup" is a premier social sporting event. Each year the CCRA donates all net proceeds to charity, with KershawHealth being the major beneficiary. Marion duPont Scott deeded the Springdale Race Course property to the State of South Carolina in 1983. Visit the Colonial Cup webpage for detailed information.