Columbia Museum of Art - Friday, October 5, 2012 - Cola Con

I spent most of the evening at the Rock 93.5 Fall Out Festival in the Vista waiting around for something to happen. It didn't, so I hopped onto my bicycle and adventured across town to grab some coffee at Drip in Five Points. On the way, I rode through The Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina where ESPN had set up for College Gameday on Saturday in preparation for the top ten match-up between the stank nasty Georgia Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks. After walking into the coffee shop I looked down to see that my photo pass had fallen off my lanyard on my way through the madness. I told my friend sitting outside that I was going to find it and got back on the bike. And about fifteen minutes later, just as I was about to give up hope and stop looking I saw it lying in Greene St. I finally got my coffee and then rode back through College Gameday and into the Vista to return to Fall Out.

Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012

I waited around a bunch more at the concert and passed time by photographing bands on stage and in a parking garage. I felt that I needed more exercise so I rode back through College Gameday and over to Bar None back in Five Points to catch the end of the Baltimore Orioles (I'm from Maryland) first post-season game in 15 years. It appears that Columbia has an official Orioles bar. The O's won and will go on to face the New York Yankees.

Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012

Again, I jumped back on the bike and rode through College Gameday with my destination being the Columbia Museum of Art for the first night of Cola Con 2012 featuring Ghostface Killah who brought along Sheek Louch of the Lox as a special treat. I smashed my nuts into the handlebars on this part of the adventure. It sucked.

Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012

The following series of images feature Cola Con organizer Preach Jacobs who has put a bunch of work into bringing this event to life in the Soda City over the past two years. It's good to see him having a blast.

Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012

Go Gamecocks!

Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012 Ghostface Killah at Cola Con 2012

About the author: Sean Rayford is a South Carolina photojournalist living in Columbia, SC since 1997. Rayford is a 2001 graduate of the University of South Carolina and works with the New York Times, The Washington Post, Getty Images, AP NPR and others.