Choose Charleston

Sunday, July 8, from 6:30 - 9:30 pm in the grand ballroom of Charleston Place, a who’s who of the best chefs in Charleston will be contributing to a $150 per plate fundraiser for the nine Charleston firefighters who recently died in the line of duty.

 Not only do all proceeds benefit the families of the firemen, but those who attend will be in for an amazing night of culinary and musical delights. The 41 featured restaurants nearly run all the way through the alphabet: from Al di La to the Woodlands. Quentin Baxter & Cool John Ferguson will be entertaining. Need more? How about a live and silent auction replete with fine incentives to bid away?

 Reservations can be made through Table Maestro (843) 329-4918.

With the fourth annual South Carolina Governor’s Cup of Surfing only a little more than 6 weeks away, competition is heating up at the Washout on Folly Beach.

Despite less than spectacular waves this Saturday, local surfers continued to perfect their techniques and accumulate points while preparing for the Governor’s Cup and other major Eastern Surfing Association events.

Wind and water have, over time, washed much of Morris Island away. Once it had been stripped bare of vegetation during the Civil War, the sea island had no defense left against erosion.

If we, as a people, really did learn from the past, there might be a hint and a half for us in that.

Morris Island, as we all know, is where the Battle of Battery Wagner took place on July 18, 1863. The 54th Massachusetts regiment led that assault (this was the famous battle depicted in the 1989 movie Glory starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick).

The memory of the soldiers who fought and died there should be sufficient reason for us to protect and preserve what is left of the island. But between over-ambitious developers and the constant action of the currents, it has been an uphill battle.

The Morris Island Lighthouse in particular is in special need of care. There was a time when a combination of structural damage and lost sand nearly put paid to the 130-plus year old monument.

Just as with anything else that we value, there is no one-time-fix or permanent remedy for Morris Island and its lighthouse. Preserving the past requires the efforts of both the present and the future.

Are we up to the challenge?

A memorial service honoring the 9 Charleston firefighters who died Monday in the line of duty has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 22 at the North Charleston Coliseum.

The service in the coliseum will be broadcast live to the adjacent Exhibit Hall and Performing Arts Center due to the number of people expected to attend.

Firefighters from across the nation are expected to travel to Charleston to pay tribute to the 9 men.

Pretty much everyone who attended grade school in the greater Charleston area remembers loading up on the field trip bus for an outing at Charles Towne Landing.

It’s where a shipload of English settlers shook out their sea legs and set up camp way back when in 1670: the birthplace of the Carolinas and the first attempt at the establishment of what would become Charles Towne and eventually modern Charleston. History aplenty can be found here, both the established kind and the still-being-discovered kind. Archaeological digs proceed here alongside walking tours and educational programs.

Major renovations have given Charles Towne Landing a whole new look. Those with an interest in learning the inside scoop on the significance of the sights along the History Trail may rent MP3 players at the visitor’s center.

Considering the abundance of English-style gardens, magnolias, and live oaks in the park, it is no surprise that the place is popular for weddings, especially among those with strong family ties to Charleston.

The Animal Forest, a small natural habitat zoo inside of Charles Towne Landing, is a nice place to take a stroll and see a few otters, shore birds, bison, bears, and maybe a puma or two.

Just watch out for the alligators. They like to nibble on your ankles when you sit at the edge of the pond cooling your feet in the water.

This Saturday, June 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Animal Forest at Charleston Towne Landing State Historic Site will host Enrichment Day. There will be live demonstrations, games, and activities to show how adding various sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and textures to the habitats of the animals can encourage healthy playing and other natural behaviors.

The idea has been building for a long, long while.

The 20th Century brought many a change to these here United States, including a long-lived love affair with horseless carriages; newfangled contraptions that came to be known as automobiles, cars, jalopies. Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs. We polished them until they sparkled in the sunlight, gassed them up, and hopped inside for a trip from here to practically wherever.

They certainly were convenient when a trip between cities or states was what we needed, but gradually we grew so accustomed to riding inside of them that we would motor up even when we only needed to travel a few blocks down the road.

Somewhere along the way, a few forward-thinking minds thought: “Enough!” They shook one leg, then the other, revisited a few stretches that they learned in gym class many a moon ago, and rediscovered the art of walking. For slightly more distant travels, they dusted off bicycles.

And they soon found that they felt better. Not just in the cardiovascular sense, but also in the sense of noticing things about their towns that they had previously zipped right past.

When the James Island Connector spanned the mighty Ashley River, not only did our marvelous medical students gain affordable island housing that was suddenly just a quick trip over the water, but they also gained a great jogging path with a scenic view.

When the great Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge replaced its older cousins above the Cooper River, a walking and bicycling path was a key component in its design. Walking, running, or bicycling that path has fast become one of the most popular outdoor activities for locals and visitors alike.

Today, it seems like everyone with a bridge nearby wants in on that feel-good fit feeling. A meeting is scheduled for the end of the month at Charles Towne Landing to discuss how the North Bridge, linking West Ashley with North Charleston, could benefit from a dedicated walking and bicycling path, among other improvements.

If this blending of bridges and physical fitness continues, who knows where it might lead? Next thing you know, we might even have to launch a major annual international 10K… hm? What’s that? Oh… that’s right…

A relief fund has been established by the City of Charleston to assist the families of the nine firefighters who lost their lives yesterday.

Those wishing to make a donation may do so at any branch of Bank of America or by mail to:

City of Charleston Fireman’s Fund  c/o Bank of America  P.O. Box 304  Charleston, SC 29402.

4-3 may not be a landslide decision, but it did the job.

The 12,500 acres that a recent Dorchester County Council proposal had suggested dropping from the Ashley River Historic Overlay District will remain protected from high-volume development.

Preserving historic areas and vital wetlands from unchecked development has no one-time fix, though. Like keeping blackspot off susceptible roses in the rainy season or keeping a garden well-weeded, it requires constant vigilance, keen foresight, and the willingness to work.

Ashley River Road is well known as not only a national scenic highway but also as home to historic treasures such as Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Place.

 Top that off with the road’s position along the ecologically vital Ashley River and the necessity of maintaining a greenbelt for the area and one might think that this would be the last place anyone would dream of gouging out acres of old growth oaks and replacing them with new subdivisions.

Of course, as we all know, the battle to preserve Ashley River Road just goes on and on.

How bad is it already? Try to drive from Summerville to Charleston, or even just from Bees Ferry Road to the peninsula, during rush hour. The cars and trucks are lined up, bumper to bumper, for miles. How much worse will it be if developers are allowed to add even more high density subdivisions along the road?

A few sighs of relief came when the Ashley River Historic Overlay District was created, but now there is a proposal to reduce the size of that district.

Those who wish to make their opinion known on this should attend the meeting: Monday, June 18, at 7 p.m. County Council, St. George.

It amazes me, every so often, not only how quickly change can occur but also how quickly we adapt to change.

Just yesterday, I was swapping e-mail messages with a local editor about just how many of our daily tasks are now done in front of a computer these days. Everything from casual correspondence with friends to browsing for books, submitting a resume, paying taxes,  and ordering dinner can be done with just a few deft strokes to the keyboard.

Not so long ago, while swiping my debit card at the local grocery store, I remembered reading - way back when in my high school days - a newspaper article about how we were beginning to move toward becoming a cash-less society. Back then, I thought, “Ridiculous!”

Time proved me wrong!

Modern technology has even re-aligned how we connect with others and share our stories. Remember when pen pals swapped anecdotes with pen and paper? Remember licking stamps?

Today, I can follow the lives of boatloads of local bloggers with ease. I can discover not only how people react to the latest stories in the Post & Courier, Charleston City Paper, Skirt, and Charleston Magazine, I can also catch a glimpse of the daily life of a downtown pastry chef, read the reflections of a retired photojournalist, walk with a charming lady, and see Charleston through the eyes of an Englishman still somewhat new to our shore.

It’s a whole new way of approaching the old time sitting on the porch and chatting up the neighbors thing.