Full weekend of exceptional events

If you live in or around Columbia County and can't find anything to do this weekend, you should probably have someone check your pulse.

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In fact, this weekend's events in the county probably could be considered an embarrassment of riches: There's too much going on to catch everything.

In addition to not just one but two cross-town football rivalry games Friday night - Harlem at Grovetown for the first time ever, and Lakeside at Greenbrier for the first time since the two were put back in the same region - the weekend begins that evening with the annual Art of Chocolate.

It's a tremendous fundraiser for Child Enrichment, which provides help to abused and neglected children in our community. Tickets cost $75, and are available at the door for the event that starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

Then, Saturday morning all eyes turn toward Harlem and its annual celebration of its famous favorite son with the Oliver Hardy Festival. Beginning with a parade at 9 a.m., the all-day street festival is the largest single-day event each year in Columbia County.

In fact, it might be even bigger this year: The newest edition of Southern Living magazine includes the festival as one of its featured events for the month of October.

Later Saturday afternoon, the CoCo Wine Festival - known in its four previous years as the CSRA Wine Festival - returns to Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

This event routinely astonishes visitors with the tremendous variety offered, a tribute to the tremendously hard work of organizer Pat Goodwin in coordinating among all the wine distributors and vendors each year. It begins at 1 p.m., and costs just $35 to attend - $15 for designated drivers - with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.

Finally this weekend, the county's two Episcopal churches hold the annual Blessing of the Animals.

Holy Comforter, on Furys Ferry Road, blesses all creatures great and small at 10 a.m. Saturday, while Our Savior, on Columbia Road, welcomes restrained and caged companions at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Nothing to do? Not around here.