Choose Charleston

Davidson won the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament for the third year straight.  College of Charleston beat The Citadel in the first round but ran out of steam against Elon in the semifinals of the 2008 Southern Conference Basketball Tournament. I attended all the games from Saturday until the finals on Monday night. I could have scripted how this tournament would end (Davidson 2008 Champs) but to the credit of Elon- good try! Davidson must be able to the Charleston as they are headed to the big dance once again! I hope some of my readers were able to come out to this great even in North 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.

A great event for a great cause will be going on March 8th, The 2nd Annual Sailing For The Future Benefit Regatta.  This gives opportunity to our Charleston youth to get involved in a great local event.  The harbor start will be at 1:00 pm but feel free to come early and get to know some of the local Charleston sailors!  The race will be followed by a reception that features a cash bar and light food and then awards.  Registration fee is $100 and will need to be completed by March 7th.  What a great event this will be!  Come out and show support everyone! 

For more information, go to CharlestonCommunitySailing.org

If you are planning on touring Charleston then I would suggest doing so by horse and carriage. Whether you are on a vacation to Charleston or planning a romantic outing, a horse carriage ride in Charleston is a great method to see what the city of Charleston has to offer.  Are you are ready to ride in elegance? Great! Old South Carriage Company is one of the more popular carriage services in Charleston.  Olde Town Carriage Company has been in business for over 25 years providing professional tour guides to vistors, they even can handle special events and large groups.  Carolina Polo and Carriage Company is a local family owned company that specializes in providing romantic adventures and is a great option if you are planning a wedding in Charleston.  Lastly, Classic Carriage Tours provides rides for couples and wagons for large groups.  All of the companies have unique offers and experiences.  I would suggest visiting the websites of each to gather a better idea of what they have to offer and if they will fit within your budget.  Enjoy your ride and view of the great city of Charleston! Don’t forget to give the horse a treat!

Now that the hot, dry winds of summer are settling back a bit, the October scares are starting to settle into place.

Creative Spark Center for the Arts, the National Park Service at Fort Moultrie, and Poe’s Tavern are working hand in claw to produce a creepy thrill in the catacombs this Halloween season. Poe: Back from the Grave will feature live actors from PURE Theatre and Cabaret Kiki. Saturday, October 13. 7, 7:30, 8, and 8:30 PM. $25. For more information, call Creative Spark (843) 881-3780.

And don’t forget the ghosts of Charleston proper.

 Charleston Lore & Legends Ghost Theatre is debuting a brand new show for the season. Check them out one block south of the Market, at 161 Church Street, Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 10 PM, and Sunday, 12 PM to 8 PM, if you dare. Shows every hour and a half. Adults $9, Children 4-12, $6, and children 3 and under, Free. For more information, call (843) 937-0916.

Music fans yearning for some soulful songs about the South Carolina Lowcountry can skip on over to Morgan Creek Grill tonight on the Isle of Palms. Carroll Brown and Clay Rice will be on the upstairs deck (enclosed) starting at 7 p.m.

Seafood, ribs, and songs over the water. That ought to do you for a Friday night.

The South Carolina Aquarium does a fine job of portraying the natural diversity of the Palmetto State, all the way from the Blue Ridge escarpment upstate to the estuaries, beaches, and ocean way down here in the Lowcountry.

Through August, the aquarium might be your best bet for schlepping around to see some brownwater swamp. The building is air conditioned and harbors far fewer mosquitoes than the great outdoors, after all.

Of course, there being nothing like the real thing, the miles and miles of beaches between the Lowcountry and the Grand Strand are active as all get out as of late.

For beating the heat, beaches, barrier islands to kayak toward, and boating excursions all do the job well.

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.

This Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5, the Washout on Folly Beach will once again host the South Carolina Governor’s Cup of Surfing.

That’s two whole days of competition featuring the best of the class from all the way up and down the Easten seaboard. Wahines wade in from the Outer Banks and Menehunes migrate from Myrtle Beach to show their stuff at this top wave event.

Arrive early to catch a good parking spot.

Keep in mind that South Carolina is one of only two states with an official Governor’s Cup dedicated to the sport of surfing (the other is California). Governor Mark Sanford, well known as a champion of coastal and environmental causes, is himself an avid surfer.

So the Governor’s Cup is a point of pride for Sandlappers.

Speaking of which, the summer 2007 issue of Sandlapper: The Magazine of South Carolina features a cool article on the Governor’s Cup and the Folly Beach surf crowd, if you’re interested in some background research before you show up on the beach.

As well, the summer issue of Garden & Gun has an article on the local wahines and the July 2007 Charleston Magazine has an article on Folly Beach in its golden age (check out the sailing adventure by the ever adventurous Ida Becker in the same issue).

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.