Fireflies Introduce New Alternate Identity: The Carolina Grits

COLUMBIA, SC – The Columbia Fireflies today hosted a press conference to reveal a new alternate food identity: The Carolina Grits. The Carolina Grits identity pays homage to the strong historical and cultural ties that grits have in our region, our state and our city. 75% of all grits sold in the United States are sold in the south, so it seemed only fitting for the Fireflies first food identity to be the Grits.

Grits gained popularity outside of the Southeast region when the combination of shrimp and grits was introduced to the world by South Carolinians. Grown from humble beginnings, grits have become a beloved staple, placed on tables across our region every single day. Grits are so embedded in the history of our state that in 1976, a motion was passed to make grits the state food of South Carolina, quoting them as “a symbol of its diet, its customs, its humor, and its hospitality.” In 1952, the Charleston News & Courier declared "Given enough of it [grits], the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of grits is a man of peace.”

”Our team is thrilled to unveil this fun new Carolina Grits identity,” said Fireflies Team President, Brad Shank. “We have been working on this brand package and identity for nearly two years, so this launch is a culmination of a lot of hard work by our fantastic team in partnership with Confluence Design in Atlanta. Food is such a big part of the ballpark experience and ultimately food, and namely grits, has brought people together at the breakfast, lunch and dinner table, so why not let grits bring people together at the ballpark too.”

Grits are not unfamiliar to Soda Citizens, as one of the main staples in the Soda City skyline is the Adluh Flour building, located right in the heart of downtown Columbia. The plant has been a part of the Vista since the early 1900s, originating as a grain and feed company before becoming Adluh Milling Company in 1914. The iconic building etched in the skyline was built soon after in 1920. The company was bought by the Allen Brothers Milling Co in the mid 1920’s, who decided to keep the already established Adluh name. The Allen family still runs the mill today, now in the 4^th generation of Allen leadership in their family business.

The Fireflies will transform into the Carolina Grits six times during the 2024 season, launching the identity on-field during their inaugural Grits Weekend April 26-28th. The identity will continue to be worn throughout the season for ‘Food Fight Games’, with the Fireflies playing as the Grits once a month. 2024 Food Fight Games, outside of Grits Weekend in April, will be May 16, June 18, July 1, August 8 and September 6.

Grits Weekend festivities will include the following:

• Friday, April 26: Kick off Grits Weekend with a Grits Character Figurine Giveaway. The first 1000 people through the gates will take home the first ever Carolina Grits giveaway, complete with a bobble spoon.
• Saturday, April 27: Grits Weekend continues Saturday with baseball and a post-game firework show presented by Adluh Flour
• Sunday, April 28: Grits Weekend concludes on a Sunday Funday with pre-game player autographs and post-game Kids Run the Bases presented by Bang Back Pinball Lounge. Grits Sunday is also the first of two Faith & Family nights this season, featuring a pre-game concert by Jeremy Rosado. Gates will open early at 3:00pm, with the concert going from 3:30 to 4:30pm. The concert is free with the purchase of a ticket for the game.

The Carolina Gits branding includes a Grits wordmark, that will be seen across the jerseys worn by the team, with the dot of the ‘I’ in Grits being a piece of butter. The marks also include a throwback style Carolina Grits Baseball Club sleeve patch, as well as the addition of a Grits character mascot. The full brand kit and on-field hat and jersey were designed by W. Todd Vaught and Daniel Levey of Confluence Design in Atlanta.

Carolina Grits merchandise will be available for purchase throughout the season, with the full array of Grits merchandise, including jerseys and the on-field cap, hitting the shelves during Grits weekend, April 26-28. Grits merchandise will go on sale exclusively in-store only that weekend at the Mason Jar Team Store. At the conclusion of Grits weekend, Grits merchandise will be available on the online Mason Jar Team store.

Limited select items, including tees for both youth and adults, are available now for pre-sale purchase. The pre-sale will be live today and last through midnight on Sunday, March 31st. The pre-sale can be accessed online here.

Outside of the on-field identity, grits will become a staple at Segra Park in a variety of other ways. All season long, fans can enjoy local Adluh grits by visiting our brand new ‘Grits, Y’all!’ food cart located on the concourse by the SCU Kids Zone. The Grit’s, Y’all specialty food cart will be serving up four grits dishes, including plain cheesy grits, loaded grits, chicken and grits, and shrimp and grits. Fans will also have the option to get any of the above served in a souvenir Carolina Grits mini helmet.

A special webpage has been created to house all things Carolina Grits, including everything mentioned above and more. That page can be found online here.

The Fireflies 2024 season begins Tuesday, April 9 against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at 7:05 pm. Tickets for the season are on sale now. Go to ColumbiaFireflies.com for more information about promotions and ticket pricing for this summer.