COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Aside from the food and rides, the South Carolina State Fair offers more than meets the eye.

This year’s entertainment lineup includes daily shows at the Circus inside the fair and live music on the Pepsi Place and Academic Avenue stages.

Here is more information on the entertainment offered at the fair and what to expect:

Circus at the Fair

Located beside the Ellison Building near the South Gate Entrance, it includes three 40-minute free shows each day. Shows begin at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. These are some of the acts you will see during the shows:

• Wheel of Destiny (acrobatics)
• The Remarkable Renaldo and Little Lou (clowns)
• Nilson Escobar (juggling)
• Aidan Bryant (aerial act)
• Brian Miser (human cannonball)
• Abril Amore (aerial act)

Pepsi Place Stage

The following performances will take place on the Pepsi Place Stage:

• The TAMS, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.
• The Best of Everything, A Tribute to Tom Petty, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
• Dracula, sneak peek presented by South Carolina Ballet, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.
• Cloverdayle, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
• Columbia’s Praise S.C. State Fair Unity Fest, Presented by Columbia’s Praise 95.7 FM, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.
• Armed Services Veterans Band, Oct. 14 at noon
• Britishmania, Beatles Tribute Band, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
• Jason Sikes Tribute to Elvis, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.
• ABBAMANIA — Abba Tribute, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
• Tokyo Joe, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
• Eloveation, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.
• Marcel Portilla Band, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
• Melvin Crispell III for the WFMV Glory Night at the S.C. State Fair, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.

Main Street Entertainment

Palmetto State singer Carl Brunson will perform a mix of pop, variety, Motown, blues and more.

Academic Avenue Stage

At this stage, you will come across musical shows, comedians hypnosis and other shows. Some include:

• Dennis Lee Band 
• Jess Kellie Adams 
• Ron Diamond 
• Renata the Band

Netterfield Stage

The following people will be performing at this stage.

• Michael Mango (Oct. 9-13)
• J. Scott Thompson (Oct. 14-20)

Roving Acts

Acts will include performances from:

• Carrie McQueen (stilt walker)
• Marc Dobson (one-man band)
• The Amazing Aydar (unicyclist)
• The Ice Cream Comedy Show (comedian)
• Denny the Clown (clown)
• Stilt Fun with Mike Weakley (stilt walker)

Heritage Village

Here fairgoers can see reconstructed historical structures, traditional crafts and demonstrations that showcase the daily lives of early settlers. This year’s display features two newcomers to the area: “Albert A. Rasch: Veteran, Craftsman and Primitive Skills Expert,” highlighting historical reenactments and metalworking, and “Experience Traditional Woodworking with Kaleo Simmons.”

For more information on the entertainment at the fair, click here.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.

Has the shock worn off yet, Bama fans?

It hasn’t been an easy week for anyone associated with the Crimson Tide following last weekend’s first-of-its-kind loss to Vanderbilt. The Alabama defense did not show up in Nashville, and it needs to improve in a hurry if the team is going to qualify for the SEC championship game.

The Tide can turn the page on the Vandy game this weekend when they host South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is a big favorite on Saturday. Keep reading for the odds plus our Alabama vs. South Carolina prediction and best bet.

Alabama vs. South Carolina Prediction

As crushing as last week’s result was, there is too much pride within the Alabama locker room to let that feeling carry over to the next game. One loss does not mean the end of the season, especially now that the College Football Playoff has been extended to 12 teams.

Alabama (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) still has everything to play for, and it’s a safe bet that the players will give their best effort early on Saturday to set the tone against South Carolina (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS). They want to prove to the home fans and themselves that they’re still an elite team with a chance to win conference and national championships.

All those factors make the Alabama first half -11.5 a strong wager.

Both teams have shown the ability to light up the scoreboard, and this should be a good setting for both teams to do that. Alabama is likely to improve, but is one week long enough for the Crimson Tide to make major improvements? Probably not.

South Carolina (2-3 to the Over) didn’t score a touchdown in last week’s loss to Ole Miss so the coaching staff will have the offensive players’ attention throughout this week in practice. Expect that to lead to an improved performance on that side of the ball against Alabama, which is 4-1 to the Over.

If you believe South Carolina will bounce back and Alabama’s defense isn’t going to be great one week after the Vanderbilt debacle, the third pick above is a must-bet for your portfolio this weekend.

Alabama has given up at least 20 points in nine consecutive SEC games. The streak includes the previous two weeks against Georgia and Vanderbilt in which the Tide gave up a combined 74 points.

CFB Week 7 Alabama vs. South Carolina odds

Point spreads available before last weekend’s games had Alabama favored by more than 21 points. Following Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt, some online sportsbooks lowered the spread to under 21 points, but those numbers didn’t last long.

Now, Alabama is a 21- or 21.5-point favorite across the board. The over/under is listed anywhere from 50.5 to 51.5.

Alabama vs. South Carolina moneyline odds analysis for Week 7

Why Alabama could win as the favorite

Best odds: -1700 odds at Caesars Sportsbook

As much as it hurt Alabama to lose to Vanderbilt, at least the game wasn’t played in Tuscaloosa. Returning to the friendly atmosphere of Bryant-Denny Stadium will be a major advantage for Alabama against South Carolina.

The Tide led the SEC with a 65-3 record in home games over the last 10 seasons and are 3-0 this year. One of those wins was a thrilling victory over Georgia two weeks ago.

The Alabama football world is not ending under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide are going to be fine. They have a supremely talented roster with an elite QB in Jalen Milroe who can guide the offense to a level South Carolina cannot match even if the defense continues to struggle.

Why South Carolina could win as the underdog

Best odds: +1100 at FanDuel Sportsbook

Like Alabama, South Carolina is coming off a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks can expect

There is so much parity in the SEC, that few outcomes are a surprise.

For instance, South Carolina blew out Kentucky at Kentucky. Kentucky beat Ole Miss at Ole Miss, and then Ole Miss beat South Carolina at South Carolina. It’s almost like playing at home is a disadvantage.

Could that bode well for the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa? Don’t count out any team in this unpredictable era of college football.

If Alabama’s defense doesn’t right the ship, South Carolina has a good enough offense to keep up on the scoreboard. The Gamecocks have scored at least 30 points in two SEC games.

Like Alabama, South Carolina is coming off a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks can expect to perform better than they did last week against Ole Miss.

If they make it a game in the fourth quarter against Alabama, will the Crimson Tide players tighten up thinking about the potential of another crushing loss?

A Broadway dancer — who performed in the hit musical “Hamilton” — has been missing for over a week, with police finding his car abandoned near a 500-mile-long trail in a popular South Carolina National Park.

Zelig Williams, 28, was last seen leaving his mother’s Columbia, SC., home on the morning of Oct. 3 and was reported missing when his family hadn’t heard back from the beloved dancer the next day, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.

Williams was spotted driving around Congaree National Park after being reported missing, prompting authorities to comb the area.

Police said his car was then discovered in a parking lot near an entrance to the Palmetto Trail, a 500-mile hiking trail that runs across the state, near the Congaree National Park on Oct. 4.

It’s unclear exactly where his car was located in the national park.

The Post has contacted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Williams stands at 6 ft. tall, has short black hair, a birthmark on his throat, and skin pigmentation on his legs and hands. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, and brown slides.

The dancer’s aunt, Christine McLaughlin Barber, told WACH on Monday that the family began to fear something was wrong minutes after Williams left his mother’s home over an odd “SOS ping” from his phone.

“Around 9:50 Thursday morning, he left just normally as he would,” Barber told the outlet. “About ten minutes later, we received an SOS ping from his phone from one of his friends in New York, indicating a crash.”

The family did not find any evidence of the crash, she told the outlet.

The 28-year-old’s family is now pleading with the public for any information on his whereabouts.

“Words can’t express what our family is going through right now,” McLaughlin Barber wrote on Facebook on Friday. “Please continue to pray pray pray for Zelig to come home safe. WE LOVE YOU ZELIG.”

Concern for the beloved dancer’s safe return has even been echoed by one of Broadway’s brightest stars.

Actor Hugh Jackman pleaded with the fans on his Instagram to come forward if they have any information on what happened to the dancer.

“Please… if anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of ZELIG WILLIAMS, please reach out to your local authorities,” the two-time Tony-winning performer wrote on his Instagram story along with a photo of Williams. 

“ZELIG we love you and are praying for your safe return.”

Williams had recently moved back to South Carolina from New York City after pursuing his dream of being on Broadway.

Williams starred in Broadway’s “MJ Musical” from Feb. 2022 to Dec. 2023 and performed in the hit musical “Hamilton” from 2016 to 2017, according to his Playbill profile.

Williams’ performing career began in fourth grade in a school production of “The Wizard of Oz,” Dramatics, a publication of the International Thespian Society, an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students, reported.

“He went on to Broadway to perform in some very large shows and recently moved back home to share his experiences and help others,” another of William’s aunts, Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs, told WACH.