Friday, Oct. 16, 2009

Center Stage: What's hot in the Midlands

FRIDAY, Oct. 16

Columbia Classical Ballet opens its season with two performances of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" at the Koger Center. The shows are at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Koger Center is at 1051 Greene St. $13 to $ $33; (803) 251-2222

if ART Gallery will present the opening of two solo exhibitions at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios. Philip Morsberger's "Time Travelers" and David Yaghjian's "Dancing Man" will run through Oct. 27. Both artists work in the realm of figurative art. There's an artists reception 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.

Gallery 80808/Vista Studios is at 808 Lady St. For more information, call (803) 238-2351

The Sandlapper Singers will open the season with a fantastic guest: the Dick Goodwin Quintet. The show, at 7:30 p.m. at Dreher High School, will also feature the winner of the vocal group's Katie Quackenbush vocal scholarship, Sam Grosby.

The school is at 3319 Millwood Ave. $5 to $15; www.sandlappersingers.org or (803) 381-5481

SATURDAY, Oct. 17

"Oktoberfest," the S.C. Philharmonic's Masterworks 2 concert at the Koger Center, will feature compositions by Salieri, Haydn, Mozart, Strauss Jr. and HK Gruber - and beer, as there will be a pre-concert biergarten.

The Phil's principal bassoonist, Peter Kolkay, will perform Mozart's "Bassoon Concerto." Also featured: the Columbia Choral Society and the Coker College Singers in Haydn's "Te deum for Maria Theresa."

For $10, guests can feast on German sausage with sauerkraut, peppers and onions, German potato salad, dessert and German beer. The concerts begins at 7:30 p.m., but the biergarten opens at 6 p.m.

Morihiko Nakahara, the Phil's music director, will host the pre-concert lecture series, "Classical Conversations," at 6:30 p.m. in the Koger Center's auditorium.

The Koger Center is at 1051 Greene St. $12 to $42 for the concert; (803) 251-2222 or www.scphilharmonic.com

The statistics are startling: Each year more than 19,000 dogs and cats are euthanized in the Midlands. What can you do to help? Support Project Pet, which is hosting its Fur Ball Moonlight Gala at 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. There will be gourmet food and an open bar, as well as live and silent auctions. Heart and Soul will provide the tunes.

The convention center is at 1101 Lincoln St. $100 for one or $175 for two; (803) 407-0991 or www.projectpet.com/index.asp

OK, let's just say it: Columbia is a dinosaur city. Don't take it the wrong way. The show "Walking With Dinosaurs" was recently at the Colonial Life Arena, and now the State Museum brings us "Dinosaurs: Mesozoic Monsters." The exhibit is a monster in size: 6,500 square feet of prehistoric activity.

Some highlights: A "dig a fossil" pit; a full-size Tyrannosaurus rex skull cast; and the leg bone of a deinosuchus, a 50-foot-long crocodile.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 28. The museum is at 301 Gervais St. and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. $3 to $7; (803) 898-4921 or www.southcarolinastatemuseum.org

TUESDAY, Oct. 20

WWE Smackdown and ECW will invade the Colonial Life Arena at 6:45 p.m. Stars who will flex their muscles include Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Chris Jericho and Christian.

The arena is at 801 Lincoln St. $21 to $61; (866) 472-8499 or www.coloniallifearena.com.

- Otis R. Taylor Jr.

Get The State newspaper delivered to your home. Click here to subscribe.