More than 100 powerboats expected; helicopter tours offer new way to view the event The Dam Boat Run returns to Lake Murray May 28–30, bringing more than 100 powerboats from across the country to the Midlands. This year introduces a new way for spectators to experience the event, with publicContinue Reading

The Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Chapin will hold a drop-in May 31 from 3 – 5 pm. The event honors the 35th anniversary of the ordination of the Pastor, Reverend Thomas A. Cassem. Peak Springhill Parish along with Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches Association(WELCA) will provide light refreshmentsContinue Reading

The fourth annual Black Eats Week 803 celebration returns June 22 – 28, and registration is now open for Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, caterers, private chefs, bakeries, and creameries throughout the Midlands and surrounding areas. An official Best of Black Eats Week 803 Festival and Food Competition will be heldContinue Reading

Columbia, S.C. – One of the Midlands’ most beloved summer traditions will return Saturday, July 4, 2026, as Lake Murray’s Independence Day Celebration lights up the sky with fireworks launched from Spence Island and Dreher Island. Hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board (CCLMC), the annual patriotic eventContinue Reading

By Radley West There’s something about the end of the school year that feels like a deep exhale. Schedules loosen, mornings slow down, and suddenly the structure that held everything together just . . . disappears. For a lot of people, that includes their activity. During the school year, movementContinue Reading

By Tom Poland, A Southern WriterTomPoland.net Summer 2022, St. Simons Island, I’m sitting around the pool when my niece, Harper, and her friend, Stella, ask me to tell them a story. I had seen a photo of a tuxedo cat smoking four cigarettes at a time. I make up aContinue Reading

One of the first things a new golfer hears is to “keep your head down” and “keep your eye on the ball.” While well-intentioned, that advice can sometimes be misunderstood. The player in today’s example shows many solid fundamentals, but at the top of the backswing, his face is noContinue Reading

Julie Zimmerman has officially been graduated from the CVSC’s Palmetto Leadership Academy, completing a program focused on conservation, environmental stewardship, and leadership development across South Carolina. The Palmetto Leadership Academy, an initiative from the Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC), brings together emerging leaders committed to protecting South Carolina’s naturalContinue Reading

The Drink Pink Rosé Festival returns for its 11th year with changes — new day, new time, and a new location at Boone Fox Flower Farm, formerly City Roots Farm. It will be held May 16 from 4 – 8 pm. Tickets are available at drinkpinkfestival.com. Cost is $45 -$125.Continue Reading

By Sarah Ostergaard The deadline for teachers across South Carolina to sign or reject annual contracts to teach in the same district next year was May 10. Did you know? Teachers make this decision without entirely knowing very important details: (1) salary changes (salary increases vs. insurance cost increases), (2)Continue Reading

By Radley West Every year around this time, there’s a shift. People start thinking about summer. The weather gets warmer, the layers come off, and suddenly there’s a sense of urgency that wasn’t there a few months ago.This is when things get interesting. I’ve watched people try to make upContinue Reading

Photo: Beyond the fence, an open battlefield filled with longleaf pines in 1780e. By Tom Poland, A Southern WriterTomPoland.net Old battlefields seem more like parks. Trying to imagine cannon and cries of the wounded? Difficult, but not always. Farmers’ plows unearthed so many Minié balls at Shiloh, the soil turnedContinue Reading