More than just turkeys on Thanksgiving.
The big TD (a.k.a. Turkey Day or Thanksgiving) is coming up and you know what that means: a feast on your plate, relatives on your couch + football on your TV. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Thanksgiving gets even better when you take time to think about all the things you’re grateful for.

While all of us at COLAtoday are certainly thankful for our cool jobs – we’re especially thankful to have an amazing city like Columbia that’s full of interesting things for us to talk about each day.

That got us thinking: What Columbia-specific things are you thankful for? Let us know by responding to this email and we’ll feature some of your answers in our newsletter on Thanksgiving Day.

#Asked: What should Columbia be thankful for?

Here are some examples:

A Mayor who’s putting our city on the map | Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin is President of the USCM – making him one of the most high-profile local politicians in the nation.

One of the most prestigious libraries in the U.S. | Richland Library received a National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2017. It also underwent multi-million dollar renovations – adding an art gallery, The Cafe, makerspaces + more – making the library system a network of community hubs throughout the Midlands.

Richland Library | Photo by @sand_and_clay

Community events that foster inclusiveness, education + togetherness | Think Indie Grits, Jubilee, Famously Hot S.C. Pride, St. Pat’s in Five Points + Columbia Greek Festival – just to name a few.

St. Pat’s in Five Points | Photo by @fivepointssc

More flights at our local airport | When y’all ask questions, CAE hears you... and they respond. Soda Citizens wanted more direct flights out of Cola – and the airport recently announced their partnership with VIA Airline, offering nonstop flights to Orlando (starting Dec. 3). Several CAE airlines also recently increased their number of flights + seats available to major hubs around the country.

Someone looking out for the health of our rivers | We’re thankful for the Congaree Riverkeeper, who is dedicated to protecting + improving one of our most important natural resources: our waterways. Keep up with what he’s doing here.

Our city’s own self-proclaimed cheerleaders | The team over at Experience Columbia SC works hard to get our city the recognition it deserves. Columbia being named on lists like “American Travel Destinations That Are About to Blow Up” (Thrillist), “The Best Small Cities in the United States” (National Geographic Traveler) + “Where to eat and drink in Columbia, SC, One of America’s Best Food Destinations” (Food & Wine) is thanks to that team’s dedication to making everyone aware of what Columbia has to offer.

Experience Columbia SC | Photo by @maryalinedunn

Impressive entrepreneurs creating cool local businesses | Like Cola hip-hop hero Fat Rat Da Czar’s Soda City Live – which provides a place for musicians to grow and learn more about the industry. And local chef and entrepreneur Sarah Simmons – who is carrying out a workforce development project through her new venture smallSUGAR by helping teach + train aspiring chefs.

So, what are you thankful for, Cola?

Whether it’s food, community or football, reply to this email to let us know.

–Sam + Gray, COLAtoday Fall Intern