Choose Charleston

The importance of going green should be mentioned as often as possible.  I always enjoy sharing other local blogs with my readers so let me tell you about a blog I found recently, GoGreenCharleston.org.  GoGreenCharleston.org is a site dedicated to sharing the importance and benefits of going green within your community.  After all, if the efforts do not start local, where will they begin? Charleston is a beautiful place, I think we should all do everything in our power to preserve the beauty of Charleston, SC.  Please, do not put this off, visit GoGreenCharleston.org for valuable tips and quality discussion of green living within Charleston. 

This may not be about your quality of life, but it may be the future generations of your family. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

      The relationship between the colonists and England deteriorated quickly. As a result, Charleston’s roll in the American Revolution was particularly important.

     Protesting the Tea Act of 1773, this personified the concept of taxation without representation; Charlestonians confiscated tea and stored it in the Exchange and Custom House. Soon after, representatives from the colony came to the Exchange to elect delegates to the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress was responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence and on the steps of the Exchange declared independence from the crown.

     On June 28, 1776 General Henry Clinton with around 2000 men tried to seize Charleston. Ultimately, it was a failed attempt as the Continental Army, specifically the 2nd South Carolina regiment fought off the attacks with success. The fleet fired cannon balls, but the explosives failed to penetrate Fort Moultrie’s thick palmetto log walls. Clinton returned in 1780 with14,000 soldiers and poised for success. American General Benjamin Lincoln had to surrender his 5,400 troops after a long night’s battle. This night would be known the “Siege of Charleston”, which was the greatest American defeat of the war. Eventually, Clinton decided to return to New York. This presented an opportunity to Charles Cornwallis to lead his 8000 Redcoats to rally loyalist and demand oaths of allegiance to the King. The British would retain control of the city until 1782. As the British left in1783, the city’s name was officially Charleston.

Want to know more about the history of Charleston, South Carolina?  If you are in the area, I strongly suggest visitng the Charleston Museum.  If you are just looking for information on the web, then read our other posts under “History” or visit Charleston History.

              In 1663, Charles II had his eight faithful friends, known as the Lords Proprietor.  After seven years of planning, the Lords finally arranged the settlement, which was named Charles Town. Charles Town was established in 1670 on the banks of the beautiful Ashley River. One of the Lord’s Proprietors, Anthony Ashley-Cooper picked the location on the promise that Charles Town would become a “great porte town”.  As the settlement grew in population, the need to move to new location forced a move to the peninsula that Charleston is currently located. 

              Not everyone was thrilled with the success of the young settlement. France and Spain attacked Charles Town routinely as they contested claim of the land.  In addition to France and Spain, Native American’s also resisted the growing community which took over the land the Native American’s once hunted and lived. In fear, Charles Town colonists put up a huge wall around the entire colony to survive the attacks from sea (Pirates) and land. The modern day Charleston features only two buildings left from the protected colony, the Pink House which was a tavern that hosted community gatherings, and the Powder Magazine, a building that stored the city’s gunpowder.

 In 16800, the Grand Modell, laid out a plan to build a “regular town” and build Charleston into the future.  Deciding the need for a Civic Square, land was set aside where Meeting and Broad Streets met which later become known as the Four Corners of Law.  St. Michael’s Episcopal Church was built on the corner in 1752 and is known as Charleston’s oldest and most famous church.  In addition to the church, the capitol of the colony was built in 1753. It was said that provincial court met on the first floor, while Royal Governor’s Council and the Commons House of Assembly met on the second floor. 

If you would like to go deeper into Charleston’s history, then visit Charleston History. Planning a vacaton to Charleston? Then I would suggest going to the Charleston Musuem!

Fine art photographers and admirers of the same, take note.

William A. Davis III will be at Alterman Studios this evening, as part of the Second Monday Lecture Series (Free, 7 p.m., call 577 0647 for more information).

This lecture will include a showing of his travel photographs from across the Northern United States (New England straight on over to Washington state) as well as from the Southeast.

Award-winning food writer Holly Herrick, perhaps best known locally for her work with The Post & Courier, has long been an advocate for local, seasonal food choices - fresh from the farm fare that only travels a few miles down the road from where it was grown to where it is sold at farmers’ markets.

Those interested in hands-on, close up and personal, instruction in the art of orchestrating showstopper meals from ingredients selected at the Charleston Farmers’ Market on Marion Square can now sign up for small (limited to four students) Saturday morning classes with Holly.

Now only do students get a slow walk through the entire process, from choosing the freshest in-season products to top flight cooking techniques, the class culminates in a savory meal complete with wine pairings.

Information on registration for classes is available online or by calling (843) 720-3109.

Every year the list of required school supplies gets longer and, tax holiday or no, that can bring a lot of hardship to low income families.

Come on, Lowcountry - we like to talk the talk about caring for the children of our community and the importance of education, right? Here’s a small something that those of us who are doing a little better can do to help:

Today, August 2, at 4 p.m. Steve Waters, a.k.a. “Steve the Guy” of the 95SX Two Girls and a Guy morning show, will be at the Summerville Publix on Central Avenue collecting school supply donations for local families in need.

Number 2 pencils are always in season. Notebooks? Needed. Paper towels? Probably so.

If you can imagine it, chances are the kids and teachers need it, and it doesn’t have to be much. Just a little something-something, one starfish tossed back in the sea makes a difference, at least to that one starfish, and all that good stuff.

Besides, drop something off and you get to groove with Steve, easily one of the coolest cats in the Lowcountry. Hey, not only does this guy gets to start every morning with Tanya Brown and Brooke Ryan, but he also puts a smile on the faces of a whole lot of folks who are stuck in the slow ooze of local traffic every weekday morning. He makes us laugh, lightens the load just a wee bit at the very start of the day.

Makes you feel better, makes you wanna do something good for someone else, makes you wanna pay that karma forward.

Those with a yen for yarn, take heed.

The Charleston Museum is once again offering a workshop on natural dyes for yarns.  On Saturday, August 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Suzanne Collins will give you the skinny on natural dyes, the what and wherefore of fibers, and the basic game plan for putting the two together.

Whether you’re in it for the indigo or whooping for worsted wool, it should be a class to remember.

These workshops sell out faster than Acme delivers to Wile E. Coyote so make sure you get your name in quick (there is also a dye workshop on August 4 but it’s too late, baby, as Carole King would say, for that one).

$25 will get you in the door should you happen to be a museum member and $35 will do the trick if you aren’t.

Register online or by calling (843) 722-2996 ext. 235.

From Friday, August 3 to Sunday, August 5, the South Carolina sales tax holiday will help back-to-school shoppers stock up on clothing, calculators, computers, and comforters as well as pens, pencils, printers, and pillows.

Wallets, watches, and World of Warcraft gold will not be eligible, sad to say.

The idea is to help working folks out with paying for the ever-expanding list of must-have supplies that school age ch’urns bring home when they receive their homeroom assignments. Whippersnappers grown high enough to head off to college rack up even more expenses for the ‘rents, best you believe, so the tax free weekend helps there also.

Need a nearly exhaustive list of what may or may not qualify? The good folks at the South Carolina Department of Revenue have been kind enough to post exactly that as well as a sales tax holiday faq.

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.

We’ve started touring colleges with my daughter. While it is stressful, it’s actually a fun experience. The colleges we’ve toured so far are all very impressive, and each has something special going for it.

So, that started me thinking about colleges in Charleston. Here’s a quick list of places of higher learning in our town: