Choose Charleston

Yeah, yeah, we all know that there is a whole bunch of stuff available online. But sometimes you just want the weight of paper in your hands, something you can flip open and read on the beach, while you’re waiting for your table at the restaurant, or at the bus stop.

Scenario - you breeze into town and want to know what’s what: where to go for lunch, who is playing at the clubs, what galleries are showing the newest art, as well as the basic who is who and why in this here town.

Solution - you grab some “free & local” from the stacks you find in the entryways to eateries. Over the next few days, I’ll give you a run-down of some of the major players in the local free press.

We’ll start with Skirt! Magazine.

The story of how publisher Nikki Hardin launched Skirt! is something of a local legend. Basically, she began by assembling the kind of words and pictures that she and her friends loved to peruse anyway, i.e. create the kind of story that you yourself would want to read - not bad advice for any budding writer.

To say that “Skirt! caught on” is like saying that “a few customers decided that sliced bread was a good thing.” Today, there are local editions of Skirt! Magazine in Atlanta, Augusta, Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Jacksonville, Knoxville, and Savannah.

 All that happened in just a little more than a dozen years.

Grab a copy of Skirt! Magazine and you’ll be leafing through big, bold oversized pages chock-full of poetry and sassy illustration. The photography is stunning, thanks to the contributions of shutter-superstars like Marni Rothschild and Leigh Webber, and the essays make for good breezy reads. The whole thing is put together like a well-loved mix tape: equal parts fun and informative, with a definite attitude.

Those who don’t live in a city with its own print edition of Skirt! can find a nice slice of the content online.

Gentlemen ages 40 to 80 with no prior history of prostate cancer who are not currently under the care of an urologist - looking for something to do this Thursday evening?

Roper Hospital will have their Grand Lobby stocked with refreshments and health information on Thursday, July 19, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The occasion is a Men’s Night Out focused on prostate cancer awareness.

You say that you don’t have to worry about prostate cancer? There’s a one in six chance that you could be very wrong about that. And when it comes to cancer, the importance of early detection and treatment cannot be stressed enough.

Those who attend the health fair will have an opportunity to watch a demonstration of the new da Vinci surgical system.

Advance registration, by calling (843) 402-CARE,  is required.

While we were driving back from a photo shoot up in the Grand Strand, my friend’s daughter pointed to a billboard and asked, “Da Vinci at Roper? What does that mean?”

Having access to press releases means that I get to act like I’m really smart when people ask about something new in town.

Of course, if I actually were one of the sharpest knives in the drawer, I would be part of Roper St. Francis Healthcare. They are consistently on the cutting edge of medical technology and offer some of the best patient care to be found in the local area.

And given the abundance of care options in Charleston, that’s saying something.

The da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to perform procedures via micro-instruments that scale and translate their hand movements. This minimally invasive approach can mean less pain and faster recovery for patients.

When the American Cancer Society first contacted me to photograph the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Hope Lodge on Calhoun St., across from Rutledge Tower, I had not realized that I would be meeting one of the most amazing individuals in our area.

Margot Freudenberg grew up in a community of doctors and academics in her native Germany. It was there that she trained as a physical therapist. In 1940, as synagogues and human lives were being shattered across Europe, her family brought her to the United States.

She never forgot the warmth of the welcome that she received in South Carolina.

She quickly became a powerful voice for hope, connectedness, and positive change in the lives of others.

In 1970, she helped establish the first Hope Lodge, a place where cancer patients being treated at local hospitals can stay with their families. There are now 22 Hope Lodges across the nation, with 21 more being planned. The groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Charleston Hope Lodge is a major milestone for the lifelong American Cancer Society volunteer.

On August 9, the Riviera Theatre at Charleston Place will host a tribute for Margot Freudenberg, on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Regarding her 67-plus years of service to others, she says simply, “I have a debt to pay.”

This is the time of year when the long, hot summer really starts to shake off the last lingering snarls of springtime and gear up for serious business.

All the way up and down Ashley River Road, greenery is bursting out.

It’s getting to be “mow the lawn twice a day and it still looks shaggy” season - that time of year when all it takes is a few thunderstorms to give the ground a good soaking. There are vines winding up the T-posts where the laundry lines used to be that are winding skyward like a magic beanstalk straight out of a fairy tale. You can practically stand in the back yard with a tape measure and record its progress hour by hour.

If I’m exaggerating, it’s not by much.