Choose Charleston

The Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will be in Charleston this weekend.   March 7th will be the first day of games and two local colleges, College of Charleston and The Citadel will battle that evening.  I think the game should be roughly around 7:30 but it depends on the games ahead of them. (Overtimes!?)  Either way, the Southern Conference Tournament offers a great opportunity to watch some high quality hoops!  Davidson has won the tournament the past two years, beating out our own College of Charleston Cougars  in the finals last year by the score of 72-65.  If you would like more details, visit SoConSports.com.  What are you waiting on sports fan?  March Madness is coming to Charleston.

This weekend is looking to be a great time to catch up on indoor activities, fun out of the sun. What can you do in Charleston this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without crisping up like a fried pork rind? Here’s a half-dozen possibilites:

1. Catch Merle Haggard at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center ($45.50, Friday, August 10, 8 p.m.)

2. Take the ch’urns to the Charleston Museum for an “Around the World” multicultural adventure ($10 adults, $5 ch’urns, Saturday, August 11, 10 a.m.)

3. Sit down with Southern author Josephine Humphries at the Charleston County Library to learn the whats and wherefores of being a novelist (Free, Saturday, August 11, 10:30 a.m.)

4. Go for a Sunday drive in the country with the windows up and a/c cranked. Use binoculars to catch a close-up of roadside attractions and historic markers (Don’t laugh - I have seen people in RVs doing exactly that).

5. Go see a foodie flick on the big screen - Ratatouille for the young or young at heart foodies, No Reservations for the romantic foodies, The Simpsons for the Quik-E-Mart foodies.

6. Alternate reading your favorite book with catnaps and Fudgesicles all weekend until reality returns Monday morning.

For someone with wee ones who is new in town, this publication is handier than a sack full of moist towelettes and Zweiback.

If you’re looking for the skinny on summer day camps and mom-friendly businesses, this recently relaunched glossy will steer you right. Formerly a much slimmer and smaller periodical, Lowcountry Parent got all shined up and polished when it was purchased by the Greenville News. Today, it sports a bright, clean look and a plethora of handy tips on the theory and science of rug monkey raising.

Got kids in one of the local schools? No need to try to find a place where you can pick this one up - the schools hand them out.

Odds are you can find a recent copy of Lowcountry Parent by rooting around in the 50 to 100 pounds of papers, books, notebooks, and supplies the young’ins are lugging around in their backpacks these days.