Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

3-Days: Picks for the weekend

THURSDAY: Back in the game

Tis the season for tipoffs. Join the Gamecocks men's basketball team in an exhibition home game against Kentucky Wesleyan at 7 p.m.

Details: (803) 777-4274

FRIDAY: Operatic love story

"The Light in the Piazza" might have won the 2005 Tony for best musical, but its structure is more like a grand opera. Set in 1963 in Florence and Rome, "Piazza" is the story of a young American tourist who falls in love with an Italian boy, despite her mother's objections.

Opera at USC tackles this tale in the opening show of the season.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Sunday at Drayton Hall on the University of South Carolina campus.

Tickets are $5 to $18. Details: (803) 777-0058

SATURDAY: Tear it up!

Go see the smashing pumpkins - literally.

Watch animals at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden toss, destroy and mangle pumpkins as part of an enrichment activity.

The demolition derby begins with the tigers at 11 a.m., followed by an aquarium dive at 12:30 p.m.; hyenas at 1 p.m.; elephants at 2:30 p.m.; and the Ground-Hornbill at 3 p.m.

The zoo is at 500 Wildlife Parkway. Details: (803) 779-8717

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