Five Points Celebrates 100 Years with Centennial Events, Public Works and Community Art Projects throughout 2015

COLUMBIA, SC – Established in 1915, Five Points is commemorating its 100th year as downtown Columbia, S.C.’s original village neighborhood. A longstanding and well-loved Midlands destination for shopping, dining, recreating and relaxing, the hospitality and entertainment district has already begun implementing elements of an extensive plan to celebrate all year long.

To share the Centennial spirit with the community, the leaders and merchants of the Five Points Association have teamed up with the City of Columbia and Richland County to host a series of community events and activities, civic initiatives and public works projects, celebrating Five Points’ past, present and future.

New Branding
To kick off its 100th anniversary celebration, Five Points has revamped its brand, streamlining its logo – which members of the community will see spreading across the virtual and physical landscape of the local hospitality district.

Area Beautification
Focusing on keeping Five Points beautiful, safe and appealing to locals and visitors alike, a Centennial beautification campaign will roll out throughout the year.

• All 44 trashcans in Five Points have been wrapped with Five Points Centennial graphics.
• Soon, all electrical boxes will be wrapped to match.
• Sleek, new light pole banners will be installed to line the streets and welcome visitors to Five Points.
• The train trestle over Blossom Street will receive a makeover, transforming the space into a welcoming gateway with repainted buttresses and landscaped and lighted pathways.

Revamped, User-Friendly Website
Home to 137 hospitality, retail and service businesses, Five Points has plenty of personal stories to share – and the revamped website at www.FivePointsColumbia.com is helping to tell those stories.

• User-friendly tools are already helping consumers navigate retailers, restaurants, bars and service businesses in Five Points in a mobile-compatible, responsive new format.
• Keeping track of upcoming events, browsing photos, learning Five Points’ history and getting to know the folks behind Five Points is now simple and intuitive.
• A new Listography section of the website will highlight the faces of Five Points. Users will get to know shop owners, baristas, tradespeople and more in these monthly profiles, revealing an insiders’ vantage point on Five Points.
• New categories and tags for each business make it easy to choose from one of Five Points’ ten hair salons, six sandwich shops, ten women’s boutiques or eight brunch spots, all of which is now as easy as clicking on a keyword.
• A driving route generator will provide turn-by-turn directions to a selected business, without redirecting the user to an external mapping site.
• All of Five Points’ events – past, present and future – are easy to find on the new “Things to Do” website page, where details and photos from each event will be posted, searchable and downloadable.

Updated Five Points Visitors’ Guide
To reinforce Five Points’ draw as a hotspot for tourists visiting South Carolina from all over the world, a new, Centennial version of the Five Points Visitors Guide will be distributed – complete with historic facts, photos and stories about the neighborhood from its past century – as well as guides to current Five Points businesses, attractions and events.

Fresh Centennial Events
Five Points will host several new events throughout its Centennial year, including Paint 5 Points, a “plein air” style public art event. A curated selection of the Midlands’ most esteemed fine artists will create live works of art outdoors, with Five Points scenery, businesses and passersby as inspiration. The plein air event will culminate at the Paint 5 Points Gala, to be held in Five Points on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, during the annual event, A Starry Night. The soiree will be ticketed and catered, and guests will be able to bid on the local art created during Paint 5 Points.

Additional Centennial-specific events and projects will be announced throughout the year.

Annual Five Points events will continue in 2015, including the following:

• A revamped Five After Five concert series, every fourth Thursday, April through August 2015
• The annual Summer Sidewalk Sale, August 7-9, 2015
• The Bar Stool Classic, Aug. 28, 2015
• JerryFest, Oct. 4, 2015
• The 29th Annual Chili Cook-Off, Nov. 7, 2015
• A Starry Night, Dec. 3, 2015

The leaders and merchants of the Five Points Association are thrilled to celebrate the Five Points Centennial with the Columbia, S.C. community. For more information, visit http://fivepointscolumbia.com.

About Five Points
Five Points has served as downtown Columbia, S.C.’s original village neighborhood for shopping, dining, entertainment and personal services since 1915. Extending from the intersection of Santee Avenue, Harden and Devine Streets into the surrounding residential neighborhoods and the USC area, Five Points encompasses nearly 150 businesses, many of which are locally, independently owned. Five Points is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2015 with fresh community events, public initiatives and district enhancements. To learn more, visit http://fivepointscolumbia.com.

About the Five Points Association
The Five Points Association is a nonprofit organization whose principal task is ensuring that Five Points remains an integral and important part of the City of Columbia. The Association has accomplished many major infrastructure, development and beautification projects over the years. The Association hosts annual events, such as the Chili Cook-Off and St. Pat’s in Five Points, which continue to grow each year and entertain thousands of people within the City of Columbia, as well as visitors from around the state of South Carolina and beyond. To learn more, visit http://fivepointscolumbia.com/history#association.

Five Points Online
Website: http://fivepointscolumbia.com
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