(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Aug. 28, 2015) - - - In celebration of the college's 50^th anniversary, Columbia State Community College would like to invite the community to "Meet the Chargers" on Sept. 12. This family-friendly event will give Charger fans the opportunity to get a sneak peak of this year's athletic teams as well as reconnect with alumni.

"We want to welcome all of our athletic alumni to come out in celebration of our 50^th anniversary," said Johnny Littrell, interim director of athletics and softball coach at Columbia State. "This is also a great opportunity to show off this year's teams to the community."

The women's basketball team will kick off the event at 10 a.m. in the W. J. "Billy" Webster Athletic Center with a meet and greet and showcase followed by the men's basketball team at 10:30 a.m.

At noon, the softball and baseball teams will each toss the first pitch of their annual alumni games at the athletic fields.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase during the softball and baseball games. In addition, Charger apparel will be available for purchase during the games.

The Columbia State Athletic Booster Club will also be hosting a membership drive during the event.

Listerhill Credit Union and Sundrop will be sponsoring the event.

This event is free and open to the public. The Columbia Campus is located at 1665 Hampshire Pike in Columbia.

To learn more about Columbia State's history and upcoming events visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/50Years. Alumni and community members are encouraged to share their favorite Columbia State memories by emailing 50Years@ColumbiaState.edu.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.