Mortgage Broker in Columbia, SC

The fireworks show will run for about 15 minutes and be set off near the State House. Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics says the setup takes four to five hours.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — People all over the world are getting ready to ring in the New Year. The Capital City Fireworks show will start at midnight in Columbia with a 15-minute display. Despite lasting minutes, this show takes hours to set up.

"At New Year's, this is, like, the perfect time for fireworks," Columbia resident Peter Kelly said.

Standing beside Naomi Stienstra, Kelly said they hope to see the city's fireworks show kick off 2024 with a bang.

"I love it because fireworks is, for me at least, a New Year's thing because we don't, back home where I'm from, we don't have Fourth of July," said Stienstra, who's from Australia. "New Year's is the only time we do fireworks."

"They're just exciting," Donna Adams, who's visiting Columbia from Georgia, said, smiling. "I love all the pretty colors, and you get to pick your favorite one, but they're all great."

Adams said her mom told her about Capital City Fireworks.

"I'm excited to see everything for New Year's," Adams said. "We have a wedding to go to and it's going to top it off after we come back from the wedding with a firework."

Irmo resident Reina Floyd said she's considering taking her kids to the fireworks after her evening church service.

"For the most part, you're watching things on TV of what's happening around the world, around the country. And everybody looks, you know, for New Year's at New York City and the Ball Drop," Floyd said. "So, it's kind of cool that they were like, 'We have stuff going on too in Columbia.' That's kind of cool."

It's a show that residents can expect to have "lots of different colors, lots of different effects," according to Guy Bouknight, the show's lead shooter.

"Timing is definitely the hardest part of a great firework show," Bouknight, a commercial outdoor pyrotechnic operator for Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics, said. "So, just getting everything timed and synced in and layering."

Bouknight said a lot of time and thought goes into preparing for the show, from the colors to the heights of the explosions to the timing.

"We have these mortar tubes that are in racks, all of the racks get stabilized, make sure there's no debris in any of the tubes. And then once everything is stabilized together, then we start dropping the pyro," Bouknight said regarding the four to five-hour set-up process. "And then, once the pyro is dropped, then we electronically match everything to a module. And then, once everything's plugged into that module, then we Bluetooth or radio frequency everything together, sync everything up, and then it's ready to go."

Bouknight said his company does shows in different states across the region in all different locations. When it comes to urban areas like downtown Columbia, he said there are a few other considerations.

"In an urban environment, of course, we try not to angle any of the effects and having them going different directions," Bouknight said. "We kind of shoot everything straight up in the air. And, of course, just make sure that there's no overhead power lines or anything like that."

Bouknight said his favorite part of the show is seeing reactions from people like Floyd, who said this might be the perfect start to 2024.

"I don't think I've looked forward to a New Year like this in a really long time," Floyd said, smiling. "I'm looking forward to like lightness and joy and contentment and, given the state of things all around the world, I'm just really looking forward to peace and calm."

The city said the best place to see the fireworks will be on the north side of the State House at Gervais and Main Streets.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Te-Hina Paopao scored 14 points and No. 1 South Carolina completed its second straight perfect regular season with a 76-68 victory over Tennessee on Sunday.

Cardoso and Paopao, both seniors, excelled on Senior Day as the Gamecocks (29-0, 16-0 Southeastern Conference) won their 47th straight regular-season SEC game, their 57th straight at home and their sixth in a row over the Lady Vols (17-11, 10-6).

A perfect season was not talked about among the team when the season began, Paopao said, only a mindset to win each time players took the floor.

“It wasn’t really a goal,” said Paopao, a transfer from Oregon. “It was just, ‘We got to win the next game and the game after that.’”

Rickea Jackson scored a game-high 29 points for Tennessee.

Cardoso played in front of her mother, Janete Soares, and older sister, Jessica Silva, after they arrived from Brazil. Coach Dawn Staley facilitated their arrival, with help from U.S. Rep. James Clyburn in getting visas approved. Cardoso put on quite a show with her family in the crowd.

She had six points and six rebounds in the first quarter. After Tennessee took a 24-23 lead, she led the way as the Gamecocks outscored the Lady Vols 17-8 to close the second quarter and take a 40-32 lead into halftime.

When Tennessee cut a 15-point deficit to 63-60 on Jackson’s jumper with 4:51 to play, it was Cardoso who extended the margin with consecutive inside shots. Cardoso, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, got a loud ovation in the sold-out arena as she went to the bench.

Cardoso finished with her 13th double-double this season and 29th of her career.

Tennessee coach Kellie Harper was proud of her team’s resolve in hanging in. The Gamecocks “just don’t have a lot of deficiencies,” she said.

THE BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: The Lady Vols will have to find some scoring punch outside of Jackson if they hope to make another deep run at the SEC Tournament like a year ago, when they fell to South Carolina in the final.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks used a different opening lineup, with freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley getting her third start, and a different rotation off the bench. Still, it was more than enough for a second straight perfect record heading to postseason play.

BEARING GIFTS

While Paopao received a framed jersey and a loud cheer from the crowd beforehand, her family brought gifts from their Polynesian culture, giving the team decorative, flower necklaces that Staley wore to her postgame session. It is similar to the “net-lace” Staley wears after her team wins a postseason title.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: At SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

South Carolina: At SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

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What they're saying about the Rivals in Red Tour at Williams-Brice Stadium

“This event offers a rare opportunity to watch in person two of the best Premier League teams right here in Columbia. As a lifelong European football fan, I look forward to joining tens of thousands of spectators at Williams-Brice Stadium for a great match.”

“We are excited to host two of the greatest sports brands in the world at Williams-Brice Stadium. We look forward to having this wonderful and historic match, bringing soccer fans to attend from all over our state and region to the Midlands. This event highlights the collaborative spirit between the University, the city and the state.”

“We had an incredible time during last year’s visit to the US and we are pleased to be returning with the men’s team to prepare for the 2024/25 season. The popularity of English football is continuously growing in the US, and we’ve come to expect passionate and enthusiastic support from our US fan base. They didn’t disappoint last year and everyone at the club is looking forward to reconnecting with those fans again this summer. Having secured some of the best sporting facilities the US has to offer, the club will create the optimum environment for the team to reconnect after their summer break, and work on match fitness before the start of the Premier League season. The quality of opponents lined up to play is at the highest level, giving the players an opportunity to gain valuable playing time, and for fans to see some of the most famous teams in world football playing live. As is the club’s tradition during preseason, we’re expecting this tour to not only help prepare our first team players, but also give some of our exciting up-and-coming Academy talent the opportunity to experience training and playing within a first team environment at some of the most impressive and historical US stadiums”

“Our supporters are in for a real treat, with two massive games against two of our greatest rivals, these will be fantastic occasions in amazing settings and we can’t wait. “Our clubs are the three most popular Premier League teams in North America, a fact underlined in our televised game with Arsenal in December, which became the most watched Premier League game in US history. “We know there are millions of super passionate American fans who love this club and what it stands for, many are members of one of the 67 official supporters clubs spread across the States.”

“This historic match between two of the world’s most prestigious soccer clubs will bring tens of thousands of fans to our state and further strengthen South Carolina’s international profile. Thank you to the University of South Carolina and all those involved in bringing the Premier League and the international spotlight that comes with it to South Carolina.”

“As a City, we are extremely excited about the Premier League’s decision to partner with the University of South Carolina, Experience Columbia, the sports council and others to bring the World’s top soccer teams and players to play matches before thousands of fans in Williams-Brice Stadium in downtown Columbia! This collaborative effort benefits a Community, our City and the Palmetto State.”

“We’re thrilled to host the clash between two historic clubs, Manchester United and Liverpool, in Columbia at Williams-Brice Stadium on August 3rd, 2024. This historic event not only marks the first time our city welcomes such a prestigious game but also the inaugural international match at Williams-Brice Stadium. It showcases the excellence of the University of South Carolina, our world-class facilities, and passionate fan base, making Columbia an ideal host. This celebration highlights our city’s growing prominence, emphasizing collaboration between the University, city, and state.”

“Experience Columbia SC Sports is honored to be “The Official Destination Partner” of this once in a lifetime event. When approached with the opportunity to assist TEG Sports and the University of South Carolina with bringing this match to Columbia, it was an immediate yes for me. As a huge sports community, we have wrapped our arms around large events in the past, but the global reach and fanbase surrounding this sport and these teams generates the potential to make this the most impactful sporting event ever hosted in Columbia. We look forward to showcasing our destination to the fans of Man U and Liverpool and can’t wait to Paint the Town Red together come August 3rd.”

We are thrilled to be able to bring three of the top soccer teams in the world to the U.S. this summer to Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Columbia. We’ve had a lot of interest from fans wanting to know when tickets go on sale, so we encourage anyone interested in attending the matches live to make your arrangements to enjoy the action as soon as possible.

Expect to see the streets filled with people, football kits (that’s soccer speak for team jerseys) as far as the eye can see. Heavy traffic. New faces at your favorite restaurants. Menu specials and more.

Columbia will give the Manchester United and Liverpool soccer teams, and their fans, a very warm welcome when they come for the friendly match as part of their U.S. “Rivals in Red” tour at Williams-Brice Stadium Aug. 3.

“We’re going to dress the town in red,” said Scott Powers, executive director of Experience Columbia’s sports tourism arm.

When another major sporting event landed in the city, officials put up 128 street pole banners to celebrate hosting the opening rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament in 2019, plus large welcome signs and balloon arches, while also enlisting dozens of businesses to host their own special events themed for the tournament — anything to make the teams and their fans feel at home in South Carolina’s capital city.

And Columbia will put its best foot forward again for the Premier League European football clubs’ special match here in August, meant to promote soccer fandom in the U.S. and to give existing fans something to get excited about.

Hosting two of the biggest names in international sports is a big deal to the athletics community in the Southeast, but Powers and other Midlands leaders say it’s so much more than that for Columbia and the region.

Fans waited in online queues by the thousands to buy tickets when they went on pre-sale at the start of this week, and within just a few hours of the general sale opening a day later, all 76,000-plus tickets to the match were sold out.

“This was their Taylor Swift,” said Tomasz Kluszczynski of the soccer fans who waited for tickets. Kluszczynski is the director of girls’ soccer for the South Carolina United Football Club, and he said he never imagined a match with two of the biggest teams in England would come to Columbia.

“Charlotte? Yes. Atlanta? Yes. But Columbia? Zero chance,” he said.

Columbia, in fact, is in the company of Los Angeles and Philadelphia as hosts for the three-game “Rivals in Red” tour, which also features the Premier League’s Arsenal club. Those two cities have populations roughly 27 times and 11 times the size of Columbia, respectively.

The University of South Carolina and Southeastern Conference’s “rabid fan base” and loyal alumni, plus the atmosphere of USC’s Williams-Brice football stadium are a few reasons Columbia was a contender to host the match, Hugh Nicholson, one of the event organizers, previously told The State. So far, that bet is paying off.

“Taking it somewhere where people are going to be proud of it,” Nicholson said. “To show off what they have. To show off their community. To show off their building… that’s what we look for.”

Indeed, Columbia will be glad to show off its goods for the nearly 80,000 fans who will come for the game.

“It puts us on the map for a whole different population,” said Aditi Bussells, an at-large Columbia City Council member.

Kluszczynski said he thinks locals will be surprised by how much of a soccer fanbase already exists in Columbia and the Southeast.

“I think it’s going to open quite a few eyes,” he said.

Columbia has successfully put on large-scale events in the past. Hosting games for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2019 was a historic victory for the city, which hadn’t hosted a March Madness tournament game in 49 years before that. Beyoncé and Jay-Z came to town the year prior for a blockbuster concert at Williams-Brice Stadium.

And at least seven times a year, Carolina football fans come to Williams-Brice by the tens of thousands.

The Premier League match “can certainly be a catalyst (for more exposure), but I would actually argue that the momentum has already started,” Bussells said. “This is just an example of what happens when we’re making a conscious effort to put Columbia’s story out there.”

Putting its story out there is something Columbia leaders agree the city has struggled with in the past. Some have called it a self-esteem issue. Columbia is always being compared to Greenville and Charleston. It lags those cities in new development, and locals could debate for hours about where this city ranks for entertainment, shopping, dining and more.

But Columbia leaders have worked hard to change that tune.

“We’ve had a little bit of a pride issue, where people would undersell their own hometown — maybe because we may take it for granted or maybe because it’s kind of that old mentality of ‘this is all we can be,’ and I think that’s changing,” Bussells said.

The city has revived its Main Street, more and more housing is being built downtown, the city hosts James Beard-nominated restaurateurs, and efforts are underway to further capitalize on the region’s three rivers.

“They’re talking about Columbia 10 years ago” when people make critical comparisons to other parts of the state, said Britt Poole, executive director of the Central Midlands Council of Governments.

In Columbia — but also nearby Lexington, Cayce, Forest Acres, West Columbia — “there’s all these great spaces for coming together as a group or having a night out,” Poole said. “I’ve seen over the last decade a significant investment by a lot of jurisdictions … and it’s really resulted in something special” in the Midlands.

Poole himself is a soccer fan and has traveled to Atlanta for matches. People expect major cities to have what it takes to host an event like this. But he said it will be fun to see people from Atlanta coming to the Midlands for a change to see what Columbia has to offer.

The 2019 NCAA tournament games brought in $11.3 million in direct economic impact between Richland and Lexington counties, Powers said.

Gamecocks athletics have an annual economic impact of at least $200 million in Columbia.

The annual Masters golf tournament in Augusta creates one of the best weeks of the year for hoteliers in the Midlands.

Leaders expect the upcoming soccer match to make a similar splash.

“This is a big deal,” said Carl Blackstone, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a huge bonus to bring this type of exposure to Columbia. … It’s an international sporting event being played in the Deep South in the middle summer when we don’t usually get international sporting events.”

A normal Gamecocks football game will draw fans mostly from within 100 miles, Blackstone said. But this match will draw spectators from across the Southeast and likely even beyond because it’s so rare for these internationally-known teams to play state-side.

“And let’s be honest, it’s not an inexpensive endeavor,” Blackstone said. “A lot of folks that can afford to come will come and spend more when they get here as well.”

The international appeal of the soccer match means a lot more people than Gamecock football fans will be paying attention to Columbia and the Midlands. It also means that a lot of the people coming for the match will almost certainly be out-of-towners who will need a place to stay overnight.

That creates a huge ripple effect for hotels, restaurants, retail shops, rental car providers and more.

On average, more than 15 million people visit Columbia every year, according to the tourism bureau. In 2022, that resulted in an extra $130 million in state and local tax dollars and an overall economic impact of $2.6 billion.

But the problem has been that most of those visitors don’t stay overnight.

Bussells said she hopes the soccer match will be an opportunity to market Columbia as a getaway destination and will entice fans to stay a day or two before or after the match.

Powers is counting on it.

Organizers for the 2019 March Madness games had special activities lined up for fans to keep them occupied and to show off Columbia before and after games. He anticipates doing something similar in August.

“We want (fans) to be able to have an opportunity to see what Columbia has to offer, on Thursday, Friday, Sunday — however long they stay” before or after the match, Powers said.

Beyond the immediate economic impact, leaders think the more people that get their feet on the ground in Columbia, the better the changes for other big-ticket events, or even future developments.

Could Taylor Swift make a tour stop in Columbia one day? Could a professional organization with a conference of 100,000+ attendees find room in Columbia?

Bussells thinks yes, and believes more and bigger events like this soccer match will help make the case, and not only to organizers but to developers and other city leaders.

If someone has a good experience in Columbia or in Lexington, Cayce or beyond, they’ll probably want to come back. And then maybe they’ll want to move here, or they’ll want to move their business here.

“It just is a domino effect,” Blackstone said.

It’s been more than two months since the new internet company Lumos was made to halt all of its work laying cable in Columbia after contractors hired by the company caused half a dozen gas leaks, numerous water line breaks and the evacuations of homes in the city. The company has still not been permitted to resume its work laying promised fiber optic cable in Columbia.

In the meantime, though, the company is moving ahead with work in Lexington County.

Lumos, a North Carolina-based fiber optic internet company, was digging to lay fiber in various Columbia neighborhoods this fall.

But the Columbia-Richland Fire Department issued a stop work order Nov. 14 halting Lumos from continuing work in Columbia after numerous gas line breaks caused the evacuation of homes in the Elmwood Park neighborhood and led to a closure of the busy Elmwood Avenue the day prior.

Hazmat crews swept the neighborhood following the gas line breaks to ensure there were no lingering leaks.

The company also hit at least two 6-inch water mains in different locations in the city: one on Chevis Road in the South Kilbourne neighborhood and another behind the Veterans Affairs hospital off Garners Ferry Road, according to Columbia officials.

Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said the fire department had never experienced a situation in which one company caused so many leaks in such a short time frame, Jenkins told The State after the November incidents.

Lumos is still not permitted to resume work in Columbia, the Columbia-Richland Fire Department has confirmed. The company was required to submit detailed plans to the fire department for how it would resume work without causing similar damage, but Columbia officials have not yet determined if or when the company can resume work in the city.

Lumos has been working in other Midlands jurisdictions, including in the Cayce and West Columbia area.

A spokesperson for the city of Cayce, Ashley Hunter, said Cayce has experienced a few minor water line breaks from Lumos’ work, but nothing to the degree that occurred in Columbia. Cayce has allowed the company to continue its work following those incidents.

Lumos announced in late September that it had received the proper franchise agreements with Columbia, West Columbia and Irmo to start laying 1,200 miles of fiber optic cable between Richland and Lexington counties. The company promised to invest $100 million between the two counties, while expanding “high-speed internet access to many unserved and underserved residents and (providing) an added boost to economic development in the area,” the company declared in a press release Sept. 27.

Lumos is active in North Carolina and Virginia, in addition to expanding into South Carolina. The company has also announced a $100 million investment in Greenville County.