If you’re looking to stay busy with all the happenings in Soda City, check out our round-up of exciting August events.

2021 Jailbreak Escape | Sat., Aug. 28 | 8 a.m. | 541 Gibson Rd., Lexington | $35+ | Participate in a 3.1 mile run featuring obstacles + crossfit style exercises to raise money for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation. Parents — there will also be a kids run at 9 a.m. 💪

Honorable mentions for Brew at the Zoo, Welcome Workers: Columbia Area Hospitality Industry Job Fair + The Revivalists with Michael Franti & Spearhead.

So many events you won’t want to miss at the link below.

#MUSTDO

TryThis

Monday Night Out | Mon., Aug. 2 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Stone River | $25+ | Enjoy live entertainment, food + drinks. 🍷

Dish

Mobile Food Monday: Mary’s Arepas | Mon., Aug. 2 | 5-8 p.m. | Curiosity Coffee Bar | Price of purchase | FYI— all arepas are gluten free and there are vegan + veggie options. 🍽️

Cause

Red Cross Blood Drive | Mon., Aug. 2 | 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church | Free | Signup for a time slot using code: saxegotha.

Trivia

Trivia Night featuring host Dan | Mon., Aug. 2 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Craft and Draft | Free | First Monday of the month trivia will feature a fresh brewery.

ForKids

Kids Summer ARt Camp | Mon., Aug. 2 | 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | AR Workshop Lexington | $195 | Fee includes camp Monday-Thursday and all activities.

PlanAhead

Pop-Punk Music Bingo | Tues. Aug. 2 | 7-10 p.m. | The Grand on Main | Price of purchase | Put on your eyeliner + show off your knowledge of Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday and more. 🎶 Ⓟ
YLS Kick-Off Event: Summer of 20-Fun | Sat., Aug. 14 | 4-7 p.m. | Steel Hands Brewery | $15+, free for volunteers | Join YLS after a morning of volunteering at MIRCI and Homeless No More with a Tiki Night at Steel Hands Brewing benefitting the United Way of the Midlands. Ⓟ

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

MORE OF THIS MONTH’S EVENTS

Just 30 minutes of reading a week can determine whether a child advances to the next grade — or even graduates on time. 🎓

United Way of the Midlands is looking for volunteers to support the Midlands Reading Consortium (MRC) — a tutoring initiative that helps pre-K through third-grade students improve their reading proficiency — for the 2021-2022 school year. MRC is a partnership between United Way of the Midlands and 27 Midlands elementary schools across Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Fairfield + Orangeburg counties.

Volunteers tutor students once a week during the school year (early Sept.-May) to help ensure they are reading proficiently by third grade, key to later success. As a tutoring session lasts for just 30 minutes, many volunteers choose to work with 2 students back-to-back for 1 hour/week to increase their impact.

And it works. According to 2020-2021 MRC survey results, 95.8% of teachers agreed that MRC increased students’ interest in reading. 👏 Ⓟ

LEARN MORE + VOLUNTEER

NEWS NOTES

Weather

91º | Cloudy | 20% chance of rain

Number

$1.2 million. The amount that UofSC will receive from the SC Research Authority for the school’s factory-to-factory networking program. This funding is part of a collaboration program designed to connect multiple institutions to industry leaders to build engagement, support innovation, and create more SC-based jobs. (CRBR)

Tech

The SC Commerce Department Office of Innovation is partnering with 2 statewide nonprofit organizations to create Develop Carolina, a 6-month, pilot fellowship program designed for new graduates pursuing software development careers. Applications are being accepted for the fall cohort. 💻 (CRBR)

State

South Carolina has extended the deadline to receive federal emergency SNAP benefits through the end of the year. Families and individuals can apply for support, which was scheduled to end on Aug. 1. The average amount awarded in SC is $177 a month. (WLTX)

Nominate

The Columbia Fireflies are accepting nominations for the new Neon Apple Awards, where 3 Midlands teachers will be recognized on Teacher Appreciation Night on Aug. 12. Each winner will receive 2 tickets to the game + a monetary donation from T-Mobile to help with classroom supplies.🍏

Drink

Indah Coffee has updated the business hours and will now be opened on Sunday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The local coffee shop located at 2238 Sumter St., will caffeinate the Soda City 7 days a week. ☕

Health

This week is South Carolina Immunization Awareness Week (Aug. 1-7) and DHEC is teaming up with the South Carolina Immunizations Coalition to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines. Find out more about where to locally get vaccines here.

WaterCooler

A former Gamecock Men’s Basketball player, A.J. Lawson, reached an agreement with the Miami Heat to officially join the NBA. 🏀 (The State)

UofSC

UofSC has issued a mask mandate for all indoor areas for anyone on campus regardless of vaccination status. Masks are required at all times inside all campus buildings, except for residence hall rooms and while eating in dining facilities. (Cola Daily

Arts

Koger Center for the Arts announced that Mary Robinson has been selected winner of The Project: A 2021 Call for Art. The exhibition, which will focus on Mary Robinson’s work + submissions from other artists, will open on May 13, 2022 and be held in the Upstairs Gallery at the Koger Center for the Arts.
Hey, creatives — last call to get your designs into our Rep Your City Design Contest. We’re announcing our first chosen design(s) on Wed., Aug. 4. (Not ready? No worries — this is a campaign we’re running for several months, selecting several designs to feature.) 🎨

Coronavirus

Last week, Lula Drake announced the popular wine bar would reserve all of the indoor seating for vaccinated guests. Il Focolare followed suit over the weekend and will also reserved indoor seating when they reopen in September. 🍷 (The State)

Job

Love brand storytelling? Have a communications background? Want to write paid content that’s actually worth reading? 6AM City is still accepting applications for our Branded Content Creator position. This remote role will generate creative campaign strategies and write content for clients across all soon-to-be 24 markets. See details + apply before it’s closed.

Travel

Since April, when the CDC announced that fully-vaccinated Americans could safely travel within the United States, Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) has seen a significant increase in passenger traffic. Here’s a by-the-numbers look. 📈 Ⓟ