Ice skating, concerts will keep students busy during upcoming break
It’s Thanksgiving again, that lovely holiday between Halloween and Christmas dedicated to stuffing our faces and spending time with our families. While getting three days off from school is nice, there’s only so much college football and turkey sandwich–eating one person can handle.
If you stay in Columbia for the break or return out of boredom, plenty of events in the capital city can keep you busy during your time off.
MUSIC
If rocking out is your thing, there’s no shortage of shows in Columbia this weekend. Catch United Kingdom rockers Morning Parade with local acts Death of Paris and Cover of Afternoon, as ROCK 93.5 presents Turkey Palooza at Jillian’s on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
If Five Points is more of your scene, check out Brian Conner, lead singer of Weaving the Fate, with his band made up of other Columbia musicians, including Nicole Hagenmeyer of the South & Goldmine and Travis Lempesis of Finding Solace. The group will play 5 Points Pub on Friday. Doors open at 9 p.m. for a 10 p.m. show. Tickets are $7.
Columbia soul/rock act Dr. Roundhouse will take the Conundrum Music Hall stage Friday at 8 p.m. The band will be joined by local rockers RoofTop Flyers and Americana group the Pentodes. Tickets are $5.
MOVIES
Thanksgiving is one of Hollywood’s most profitable holidays and a time reserved for releasing some of the year’s biggest blockbusters. However, if you’re looking for something a little less mainstream than the final “Twilight” installment, Columbia’s Nickelodeon Theatre is screening several movies this week. “Liberal Arts,” starring Josh Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen, and Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer” are playing through Wednesday.
The theater is closed Thanksgiving Day but will open back up Friday with “The Sessions,” starring John Hawkes and Helen Hunt. The film runs through Nov. 29. Visit nickelodeon.org to find showtimes and to buy advance tickets.
ART
Need a quiet way to spend the afternoon? If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, “Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade 1940–1950” is still on display at the Columbia Museum of Art. The Rothko exhibit runs through Jan. 6, 2013.
In Gallery 15 on the museum’s second floor, visitors can view “Face Jugs: African-American Art and Ritual in 19th-Century South Carolina.” The collection, on display through Dec. 16, features clay pottery created by South Carolina slaves.
The museum will also be screening “Films from MoMa: Josef Albers” Saturday at 1 p.m. Admission to the 30-minute film about the German artist is free with CMA membership or regular museum admission. The museum will be closed Thanksgiving Day and has abbreviated holiday hours on Friday, when it will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
DANCE
If you’re looking to get a head start on celebrating Christmas, Carolina Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” runs this week at the Township Auditorium. Performances are Wednesday at 10 a.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Ticket prices vary. Visit thetownship.org for more information.
RECREATION
You don’t have to be a professional athlete to hit the ice at Main Street Ice, Columbia’s first outdoor ice skating rink, which opens Thanksgiving Day. The rink, located in Boyd Plaza outside of the Columbia Museum of Art, will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. on Turkey Day and will stay open until Jan. 6, 2013. Admission is free Thanksgiving Day but will be $10 for adults and $8 for children 8 and under for the rest of the season. Regular hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.