TOUR TIME: The Historic Charleston Foundation's Festival of Houses and Gardens begins March 19, and this year there are new activities that are sure to appeal to local residents. See Today's Focus for details. (Photo by Ron Rocz.)

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: New highlights at House, Garden fest

ANDY BRACK
:: Don't forget rural areas

FEEDBACK
:: Loved column on birds

THE LIST
:: Five inexpensive marketing ideas

GOOD NEWS
:: Classes, Community Day, port air, more

ALSO INSIDE

___:: CALENDAR: Coming events
___:: REVIEW: Web 2.0
___:: HISTORY: Indian mounds
___:: QUOTE: Lucas on being late
___:: BOOKSHELF: Interesting reading

UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

ABOUT US

CharlestonCurrents.com is a new online twice-weekly publication that offers insightful community comment and good news on events. It cuts through the information clutter to offer insight and news on the best of what's happening locally. More.

TODAY'S FOCUS
P. Allen Smith and new tours highlight annual festival
By LEIGH J. HANDAL
Historic Charleston Foundation
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com

MARCH 2, 2009 -- This year marks the 62nd that Historic Charleston Foundation has put on the city's annual Spring Festival of Houses and Gardens. While many traditions maintain the tours' long-standing legacy of gracious hospitality and magnificent private residences, there's plenty new on the agenda that local residents can take advantage of.

Handal

Kicking off this year's festival, as well as the Charleston International Antiques Show, will be nationally renowned garden designer and author P. Allen Smith, who will speak March 20 at the Omar Shrine Temple, 167 Patriots Point Road, in Mount Pleasant. Smith has emerged as America's most recognized and respected garden design expert, providing ideas and inspiration through multiple venues.

This spring's festival also will feature two new tours. The Architectural Gems tour, offered March 22 and March 25, will feature some of the most impressive historic houses on the peninsula. Offered for the first time this year, this tour features houses on which Historic Charleston Foundation has placed protective easements that preserve the properties' architecturally significant façades, interiors and open spaces for future generations. An easement is a legally binding agreement that protects a property against insensitive changes to its architectural integrity.

The new Secret Gardens of the French Quarter tour, offered April 11 and April 14, will begin with a garden lecture at 1 p.m., followed by a tour of the intimate, secret gardens of Charleston's French Quarter district. The featured speaker on April 11 is James Cothran, author of "Gardens of Historic Charleston." Popular local garden columnist P.J. Gartin will speak on April 14. Both lectures provide a more in-depth insight into design ideas and plant materials for local people looking to put a fresh spark into their own Lowcountry garden. This tour will also feature Charleston's Garden Gateway Walk, beginning at St. John's Lutheran Church and winding its way magically through the city's hidden niches before ending at St. Philip's Episcopal Church.

A series of special events also provides an opportunity for locals to learn more about their city's unique history, architecture and culture. "Eat and Run" luncheon lectures feature speakers on topics ranging from gracious entertaining "Charleston style" to unraveling the mysteries of the Confederate submarine Hunley. (See the list with this story for complete offerings.)

Three musical concerts will provide special opportunities to hear period instruments used in their appropriate historic settings. The year 1822 marks not only the construction of the First Baptist Church at 61 Church St., but also was the year Beethoven wrote his famous Ninth Symphony in almost total deafness. Students and faculty from the College of Charleston will perform Beethoven's works in this special setting on March 23 and April 6. Likewise, the Athens Recorder Ensemble will perform a most entertaining concert featuring everything from Gregorian chants to modern favorites on March 28. Kevin Kelly of the Hodgson School of Music will set the stage with a lively historical commentary on each piece, as well as a history of the instruments.

A glimpse into a garden on the Rutledge Avenue tour. (Photo by Carroll Ann Bowers, Historic Charleston Foundation)

Three wine tastings and a Harbor of History cruise round out the festival events this year. Two of the tastings (April 13 and April 17) are sponsored by Debbie Marlowe of The Wine Shop and feature wines paired with a delicious complement of hors d'ouevres from Circa 1886 restaurant. One of Charleston's hottest new gourmet spots, Caviar and Bananas at 51 George St., will provide the setting for the third wine tasting on March 31.

There's something for everyone at this year's spring Festival of Houses and Gardens, especially for local residents who want to learn more and enjoy the many special things that make their hometown unique. And, one of the best things about participating in these festival events is that all proceeds support local preservation efforts so that residents can continue to enjoy living in one of America's most beautiful and historic cities for years to come!

• For information or tickets, call 722-3405 or visit http://www.historiccharleston.org.

Leigh J. Handal is director of communications and public programs for the Historic Charleston Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to preserving and protecting the historical, architectural and cultural character of Charleston and its historic environs, and to educating the public about Charleston's history and the benefits that are derived from preservation.

CURRENTS
Lawmakers need to remember state's rural areas
By ANDY BRACK, publisher

MARCH 2, 2009 -- The state’s unemployment rate is anything but heartening. But more than half of the counties in the state would probably give some eyeteeth for a rate that’s not in the double digits.

Based on December figures, the state’s 9.5 percent jobless rate was the third highest in the country. It’s expected to get worse when January’s late numbers finally roll in. Observers are predicting a 10.5 percent statewide unemployment rate. That’s a club no county wants to be in – a place with more than 10 percent joblessness. Some 27 mostly rural counties, however, already are in that boat.

A high unemployment rate isn’t good anywhere, but it’s really hurting South Carolina’s rural areas. Just think:

• Education. Many of the areas with high unemployment – as much as 19.7 percent in Allendale County – have persistent education gaps. They’re still suffering today from decades of school underfunding because many school dollars used to be provided by local property taxes at a time when a mill of taxes in a rural area might bring in $17,000 - - 100 times less than a larger county on the coast with a big tax base. When potential employers see a struggling school system in a rural county, they often look elsewhere.
  
  
• Job shift. Agriculture used to provide lots of jobs in rural parts of the state. But with increased mechanization and the erosion of small family farms, there’s not as much farm work for rural residents.

• Brain drain. Talented young people from rural areas often don’t return because opportunities aren’t as great at home as they are in cities. So the future leadership pool to provide innovation for rural areas spirals away leaving gaps in small communities.
  
  
• Politics. In the state’s top 10 counties for high unemployment, Republicans are represented only on two of the county delegations. Democrats represent most people in rural areas, yet they don’t control what happens in Columbia at the Statehouse.
  
  
• Geography. Similarly, the power centers today are in the urban Upstate and the Charleston area, which is called home by the governor, House speaker and Senate president pro tem. Eighty years ago in hard times, the people who controlled South Carolina lived in rural areas thanks to the power of home rule. Today regardless of political party, rural areas just don’t have the power they had to be able to steer help their way.

State Sen. Brad Hutto, an Orangeburg Democrat who represents several rural communities, says rural legislators have to do a better job at getting urban lawmakers to spread some of the state’s limited resources.

When they want improvements to draw in large industry in the Upstate or Lowcountry, rural lawmakers don’t generally object, Hutto notes. Now with jobs so scarce and the real possibility that some counties may go into 20 percent unemployment, rural areas need a little help.

“Sometimes they do forget and we have to remind them,” Hutto said. “But we’ll keep at it.”

Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com. A longer version of this commentary can be found in SC Statehouse Report. Brack can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com

FEEDBACK
Eagles, buntings and more brighten up backyard birding

To the editor:

Loved your column on birds! We are fortunate to have a great variety of color in our yard (six almost-always-full feeders may account for that!) - cardinals, blue jays and bluebirds, yellow finches, red-headed woodpeckers (as well as the Woody Woodpecker variety) and yes, we have had painted buntings!

Our friend Chris at Wild Birds Unlimited (West Ashley) suggested that feeders with trays filled with millet would attract the buntings, and he was right. However, our best visitors are the pair of bald eagles that live in the area. When they swoop by and the sun is shining, it doesn't matter that they have no bright colors; they are magnificent! We think they live in the forest that will soon be destroyed by the Long Savannah/Hipp property project -- not pleased about that.

-- Janet Segal, Charleston, SC

Editor's note: Janet shared the photograph above of one of the eagles that visits her. Kim Rich took the photo.

Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send your thoughts to editor Ann Thrash. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. One submission allowed per month. Make sure to include your name and phone number. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200 words or less.

SPOTLIGHT

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter BB&T, a regional bank that has built on a tradition of excellence in community banking since 1872. BB&T is a mission-driven organization with a clearly defined set of business principals and values. It encourages employees to have a strong sense of purpose, a high level of self-esteem and the capacity to think clearly and logically. BB&T offers clients a complete range of financial services including banking, lending, insurance, trust and wealth management solutions. To learn more, visit BB&T online or drop in to talk with its professionals at the main branch office at 151 Meeting Street, Charleston. Phone: (843)720-5168.

• To learn more about all of our underwriters and nonprofit partners, click here.

GOOD NEWS
Small Business Fair to provide free workshops, expert advice

Many small businesses are facing tough economic times, and the Charleston County Public Library is making free help and advice available during its Fourth Annual Small-Business Resource Fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 19 at the Main Library, 68 Calhoun St.

Open to small business owners or those thinking of starting a small business, the fair will feature free workshops, an exhibition hall with vendors, tours of the library's business resource center, and professional counseling that focuses on low-cost ideas to help businesses run more efficiently and attract more income.

Experts will be on hand to offer guidance on topics such as understanding the realities of business finance, doing the right research for an effective business plan, pursuing federal government contracts, and using free Web tools to communicate with customers.

Among the vendors will be Small Business Development Center, the federal Small Business Administration, Charleston County Small Business Enterprise Program, the Charleston Local Development Corporation and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Also, SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives) will provide free, individualized business counseling throughout the day.

Four free workshops, each lasting an hour or less, are planned:

• Boost Your Business With Free Web Tools - 10 a.m. Take advantage of free publicity and increased productivity with social networking, open software and blogs. Presented by the Technology Learning Center.
  
  
• Government Contracting Basics - 11 a.m. Learn the basics about small-business programs, registration requirements, and where to find federal contracting opportunities. Presented by Robin Brown of the Small Business Development Center.
  
  
• Free Is Fabulous! DIY Business Research - 12:30 p.m. Build your own business-to-business mailing list, find free demographics and write your own business plan. Presented by the CCPL Business Center.
  
  
• Show Me the Money: The Myths & Realities of Funding Your Business - 1:30 p.m. Learn the realities about your business financing options. Presented by Mary Dickerson, FastTracSC Director.

For more information, call 805-6930, go to http://www.ccpl.org or send an e-mail to askaquestion@ccpl.org.

Gibbes to offer free admission on March 14

The Gibbes Museum of Art will offer free admission and activities for families from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. March 14 during Community Day. The Junior League of Charleston sponsors the Community Days quarterly to offer visitors a chance to experience the Gibbes' dynamic programming at no cost.

Art-making activities for children and musical performances will be part of the fun, and there will be beverages provided by Rising High Café. Exhibitions currently on view include "The Charleston Story," "Painters of American Life: The Eight" and "The American Scene on Paper: Prints and Drawings from the Schoen Collection."

The Gibbes is located at 135 Meeting St. Find out more at http://www.gibbesmuseum.org.

Grant to improve port's air quality, reduce truck emissions

A new public-private project at the Port of Charleston will reduce truck emissions and improve air quality while saving companies money on their fuel bills.

Funded in part by an Environmental Protection Agency grant to the S.C. State Ports Authority, the project will provide for trucks serving the port to be retrofitted with emissions-reducing and fuel-saving technologies. The truck owners may apply for a rebate to help cover part of the cost for technologies such as auxiliary power units, or smaller generators that reduce truck idling.

The SCSPA's partners include the Charleston Motor Carriers Association, S.C. Trucking Association, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the American Lung Association.

"This project is a win-win for the environment and for trucks operating out of the Port of Charleston," said G&P Trucking's Stan Nutt, president of the Charleston Motor Carriers Association.

John F. Hassell III, interim president and CEO of the Ports Authority, said, "Through this collaborative grant program, it's much more affordable and accessible for truckers to upgrade their equipment. These technologies not only improve fuel use and cut costs of running the trucks, but they also reduce air emissions, providing a broader environmental benefit to the entire community."

Applications for the rebates are available online at www.pledgeforgrowth.com and will be accepted until March 30. Truck owners selected will be notified in May.

United Way distributes emergency food, shelter funds

Trident United Way has distributed $408,227 in federal funding to local agencies that help people in need. Through the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program, 25 agencies, including 14 that are new to the program, will receive a share of the money.

The totals include $216,922 for Charleston County, $109,599 for Dorchester and $81,706 for Berkeley.

With the unemployment rate as high as 8.2 percent in the Lowcountry, even formerly middle-class families are struggling to meet their basic needs, the United Way says. The agency has seen a 50 percent increase in calls seeking housing help by people unable to make payments on their homes, and the demand for food at the Lowcountry Food Bank has increased more than 20 percent since last year.

REVIEW
Web 2.0' offers good tips on formulating social media plans

"Web 2.0: A strategy guide" is a good introduction for users new to the Web 2.0 world. Amy Shuen encourages the audience to ask relevant questions before embarking on a social media plan. How will we draw people to our site? Can we learn from users as they visit us? What is the target group? How will it change our business practices? Shuen gives an overview of well-known applications, such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, along with implications for their use. Web 2.0 tools make it difficult to control content, but more likely to generate interest from users because of its interactive nature. After finishing this book, the reader should be able to begin implementation of a Web 2.0 plan.

-- Tina Arnoldi, Mount Pleasant, SC

• HAVE A REVIEW? If you have a review of a book, movie, restaurant or local arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to editor Ann Thrash. Make sure to include your name and full contact information.

HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
Indian mounds

Dotting South Carolina's streams and rivers are vestiges of her prehistoric past. These mounds offer fragmentary evidence of the cultures that thrived before the Europeans arrived. Five of South Carolina's Indian mounds are listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Adamson Mounds (Kershaw County), Blair Mound (Fairfield County), Lawton Mounds (Allendale County), McCollum Mound (Chester County), and Santee Mound (Clarendon County).

At least sixteen Woodland mounds and nineteen Mississippian mounds have been identified in South Carolina that are at least 50 percent intact. Another eleven known sites have been destroyed or are underwater. Woodland period mounds are located primarily along coastal rivers, while Mississippian mounds are found along inland rivers near the fall line. Beaufort County has the largest concentration of mounds, followed by counties located in the Midlands. Similar mounds are found in Georgia and North Carolina.

In the late prehistoric period and early contact period, some of South Carolina's mound builders were part of vast Mississippian chiefdoms. South Appalachian Mississippian ceramics indicate that a similar culture embraced South Carolina, Georgia, and neighboring areas. These mounds, built between C.E. 1200 and 1500, were ceremonial, cultural, or administrative in nature and at times were associated with villages and burials. Some of them were also associated with the Pee Dee, Lamar, or Irene culture that flourished circa C.E. 1400-1700.

Historical evidence suggests that as many as 150 mounds were present in South Carolina at the time of European contact. In 1540 Hernando de Soto encountered the mound dwellers of Cofitachiqui on the Wateree River. The accounts of his journey are important documentary sources for understanding the mound dwellers. During the Revolutionary War, the British recognized the strategic potential of the mounds. They built Fort Watson on the Santee Mound, which patriot forces captured in 1780. Erosion and looting threaten the survival of South Carolina's Indian mounds.

-- Excerpted entry by Alexia Jones Helsley. To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)

CREDITS

CharlestonCurrents.com is provided to you twice a week by:

• Editor: Ann Thrash, 843.494.4468
  
• Publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
  
• Address: P.O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413

© 2008-2009, Statehouse Report LLC. All rights reserved. CharlestonCurrents.com is published every Monday and Thursday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261, Charleston, SC 29413.

THE LIST
Five inexpensive marketing ideas

Five inexpensive marketing ideas
Research indicates that businesses that advertise in a recession usually come out of it ahead of competitors who cut advertising. If money is tight, there are other ways to keep your business visible, but creative thinking is required. Here are five suggestions from Eskimo Advertising, which has offices in Charleston and Atlanta:

1) Join social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.

2) Add a sign-up button at your Web site and send specials, events or news to your customers via e-mail.

3) Design a postcard or brochure with an offer for your business. Distribute at trade shows, networking events, to local convention centers, visitor bureaus, concierges, area businesses, inside event gift bags, etc.

4) Get involved with a nonprofit. You will get great press while giving back to the community.

5) Read the fine print at the end of newspaper and magazine articles. Writers are always looking for ideas and suggestions for stories. Pitch an idea and you might get free press.

QUOTE
On being late

Lucas

"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."

-- English writer E.V. Lucas (1868-1938)

CALENDAR: THIS WEEK

(NEW) Young Professionals Social: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 4, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf. The Charleston Young Professionals, a networking group for business professionals ages 22 to 39, will meet for "Fishy Business," a program looking at the aquarium's conservation efforts, green practices and the Sustainable Seafood Initiative. Those who bring donations for the aquarium's sea turtles will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sea Turtle Hospital, and there will be recycling stations for cell phones, screw-top soft-drink bottle caps, and disposable, power-tool and rechargeable batteries. Details/registration.

Kids and Global Education: Noon to 1 p.m. March 5, Memminger Media Center, 20 Beaufain St., Charleston. "What Can A Global Education Do For Your Child?" is a brown-bag lunch and open house at Memminger Global Studies, a University Partnership School, focusing on global education and how it prepares students for the future. Speaker: Amanda Weingarten, College of Charleston School of Languages, Culture and World Affairs. Tour of the school and overview of its plans for the 2009-10 school year will follow the discussion. More info: Principal Anthony Dixon, 724-7778.

BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival: March 5-8, various venues. The fourth annual festival highlights Charleston's distinctive restaurants, culinary history and cuisine while allowing guests to meet stars of the food world from around the nation, including chefs, authors, wine makers and pitmasters. Events include dinners, a gospel brunch, tastings of food and wine, cooking demonstrations (including a burger demonstration with Food Network star Bobby Flay) and more. MUSC's Children's Hospital is the signature charity for the festival. Details, tickets and more info: click here.

Local Food Block Party: 6 p.m. March 7, Ted's Butcherblock, 334 East Bay St., Charleston. Sponsored by Ted's and Lowcountry Local First, a Charleston nonprofit that promotes shopping local, the event features food, beer and wine from local and regional purveyors, along with live local music. Cost: $25 (includes a plate of food, beverage and samplings). A portion of the proceeds will benefit Lowcountry Local First's Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, which works to strengthen local farms and producers by creating partnerships with local restaurants, institutions and the community.

CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON

(NEW) National Anthem Tryouts: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 10, behind home plate at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Charleston RiverDogs will hold tryouts for vocalists and instrumentalists who want to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" during the upcoming baseball season. More info: Lavon Alls, 723-7241.

(NEW) Film Series on Jim Crow: 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays, March 10-April 4, Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St. In conjunction with the exhibit "From Slave to Sharecropper: African Americans in the Lowcountry after the Civil War," the museum will host a four-part documentary film series, "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." The Peabody Award-winning documentary, offers a comprehensive look at race relations in America between the Civil War and the civil rights movement. Cost: Free with general museum admission of $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-12. For details on specific shows and schedules, call 722-2996 or go here online.

RiverDogs Job Fair: 9 a.m. to noon March 14, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Apply for game-day working positions, including ushers, ticket-takers and Kidz Zone staff, with the RiverDogs, the Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. More info: Jake Terrell, 723-7241.

Gospel Choir Fundraising Concert: 5 p.m. March 14, Ashley River Baptist Church, 1101 Savannah Highway. The Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Gospel Choir, featuring new music director Sandra Barnhardt, will present African-American sacred songs. Tickets: $10 per person. Available at the Gaillard Auditorium Box Office (cash only), 77 Calhoun St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the church beginning one hour before the performance.

Photographing Your Baby: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 15, Charleston Center for Photography, 654 King St., Suite D, Charleston. Portrait photographer Julia Lynn will lead this workshop, giving demonstrations and teaching students how to choose the right location for shooting, properly position the baby and get a great exposure every time. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lens selections will be discussed as well. Cost: $125. Register here.

Nature Photography Workshop: March 18-March 21. Through the Charleston Center for Photography, nature photographer Kenny McKeithan will lead a workshop called "Nature of the Lowcountry." Participants will travel around the greater Charleston area photographing various sites. Sessions include hands-on instruction for each student along with critiques. Cost: $300. Details/registration: http://www.ccforp.org or 577-0647.

(NEW) Human-Resources Workshop: 7:30 a.m. to noon March 19, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, Suite 100, North Charleston. "Tough Economic Times Never Last, Resilient Companies Do!" is a human-resources workshop to teach businesses about organization design, proper and legal employment practices, new labor-related legislation and the impact of changes in government leadership. Cost: $95 for chamber members, $125 for nonmembers. Details/registration.

Penguins 'n' Pajamas Family Sleepover: 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. March 20, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Sleep with the penguins at the aquarium on the night that the new Penguin Planet exhibit opens. Family sleepover will offer special chances to watch the penguins dive underwater, learn about penguin colonies and discover what makes them march. One adult required per two children attending the event. Reservations and advance payment required. Cost: $30 per member child, $40 per member adult; $40 and $50 for nonmember child and adult, respectively. Reservations: 577-3474. More info.

Mom to Mom Sale: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 21, National Guard Armory, 245 Mathis Ferry Road, Mount Pleasant. Sponsored by three Mount Pleasant MOMS clubs (Moms Offering Moms Support), the sale will offer new and gently used children's, baby and maternity items from 80 different consigners. Ten percent of proceeds will go to Windwood Farms, a local group home for boys ages 5 to 16 who have been removed from their homes because of unstable family situations. Cost: $1 entry fee for sale. Details.

Walk for Water: 9 a.m. March 21, Cannon Park, downtown Charleston. Join Water Missions International for an educational, 3.5-mile walk inspired by the experience of women and children who are responsible for fetching water for their families every day. Walkers are encouraged to form teams and recruit as many supporters as possible. After the walk, enjoy refreshments and family-oriented activities and entertainment. More info.

Mount Pleasant Arts Festival: Noon to 4 p.m. March 21, Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. Festival is sponsored jointly by the town and Towne Centre to celebrate the arts in Mount Pleasant. Features live entertainment, performing arts, a juried art exhibit, Mount Pleasant Artists Guild entries, roving entertainment, games and activities for kids. Free admission and parking. More info: 884-8517.

(NEW) Economic Outlook Conference: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 26, Charleston Place Hotel. The Charleston Metro Chamber's Annual Economic Outlook Conference and Luncheon includes the 18- to 24-month forecast for the key economic sectors of the region. Keynote speaker Jeffrey M. Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will present the views of the Federal Reserve on the state of the national recovery and the outlook for future economic conditions. Also speaking will be College of Charleston President P. George Benson, who will speak about the challenges facing South Carolina and our ability to compete in the global economy. Cost: $95 for Chamber members, $125 for nonmembers. Details/registration.

Pet Fest: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 and noon to 4 p.m. March 29, Palmetto Islands County Park, Mount Pleasant. Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission's annual pet event expands to two days this year. Dock diving will be featured for the first time, along with past fest favorites such as Lowcountry Dog magazine's "cover model contest," a dog show, Frisbee dogs, a microchipping clinic and several dog contests. Cost: $5 or three Greenbax for adults, per day; free for kids age 12 or younger, leashed pets and Gold Passholders. More info or 795-4FUN.

ON THE BOOKSHELF

In this section, we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:

• A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
• A Turn in the South, V.S. Naipaul
• The Book of Marie, Terry Kay
• Charleston Jazz, Jack McCray
• Going Deep: 20 Classic Sports Stories, Gary Smith (review)
• I'll Be Sober in the Morning: Great Comebacks, Putdowns, and Ripostes, Chris Lamb (List)
• Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, Merle Miller
  
  
• Suggest a book to us

FOCUS ARCHIVES

8/20: Yarian: New local music CD
8/17: Fisher: Uses of social media
8/13: Hall: Time for renovations
8/10: Morris: Dog days at Drayton
8/6: Lindbergh: Gifted school
8/3: Jackson: Insurance tips
7/30: VanBogart: Singles
7/27: Stewart: Get it clean
7/23: Rosenberg: Elect women
7/20: Nathan: Turtle release
7/16: Johnson: Online school
7/13: Thiers: Protect skin
7/9: Lee: Scoring supplies
7/2: Shockley: Company wellness
6/29: McKenzie: Park opening
6/25: Jones: Cheer on US rugby
6/22: McGahey: Young pros
6/18: Ridder: Dress for Success
6/15: Bender: Patriots Point
6/11: Gerardi: Furry Affair
6/8: Arnoldi: Reducing stress
6/4: Mathos: Field to Families
6/1: Moniz: Book burning event

• More of Focus in the archives

THRASH ARCHIVES

8/20: Good, bad, spineless
8/13: Locals on Runway
8/6: Cookie contest
7/30: Vote on car tags
7/23: True confessions
7/16: New way of tithing?
7/9: Lookout for manatees
6/29: Big green bus here
6/18: New Mt. P. promo
6/11: WDAV at Spoleto
6/4: Protecting your computer
5/28: Thoughts on hurricanes
5/21: Special weekend at home
5/14: Zucchini pie
5/7: Charleston cookie contest
4/30: Age spots
4/23: Mt. P. Farmers Market
4/16: Charleston library honored
4/9: First vegetable garden
4/2: Markets, mushrooms
3/26: Feeding the need
3/19: Waddling in
3/12: Great Food + Wine Festival
3/5: Provocative poem
2/26: Seeking colorful birds
2/19: Grab-bag of thoughts
2/12: The candy map
2/5: Shem Creek park input
1/29: Controversy over fireworks
1/22: Talking about oysters
1/15: Help bald eagles thrive
1/8/09: Local man moves up in contest

• More Thrash in the archives

BRACK ARCHIVES

8/17: RIP to old clunker
8/10: Lots to squeeze in
8/3: On flying Delta
7/27: Conspiracy theories
7/20: Protect carriage animals
7/13: Economic thaw here?
6/25: Sanford shouldn't resign
6/22: Lots of questions
6/15: Mosquitoes, water park
6/8: Think big
6/1: On public television
5/25: Shorten the session
5/18: A last supper
5/11: Legislature: do something
5/4: Spring is in the air
4/27: Mortgage discrimination
4/20: Carriage regs
4/6: Fun at the ballpark
3/30: Southern tour
3/23: Cultural appreciation
3/16: Hodges leaves great legacy
3/9: Being positive about economy
3/2: Remember rural areas
2/23: Looks at three books
2/16: What tourists see
2/9: PDAs, Phelps, layoffs
2/2: Whales vs. Dolphins
1/26: Dear Ellie ...
1/19: Lift hood on "reform" efforts
1/12: Truman book is great pleasure
1/5/09: Manning band is inspiring

• More Brack in the archives

LIST ARCHIVES

8/20: You know you're from...
8/17: On the school menu
8/13: Wines for grilling
8/10: First Day Fest facts
8/6: Sales tax holiday
8/3: Twittering tips
7/30: Fall planting
7/27: 5 for teens
7/23: Consignments
7/20: Beach reads
7/16: Save the books
7/13: Hot plants
7/9: Staying cool
7/2: Old Exchange 5
6/29: Historic house
6/25: Mosquito list
6/22: Hot stuff
6/18: Five to bid on
6/15: Last of Spoleto
6/11: Fun in the sun
6/8: Enviro-minded
6/4: Out go the lights
6/1: 5 on duck race

• More Lists in the archives

SISTER PUBLICATIONS

We encourage you to check out our sister publications:

SC Statehouse Report -- a weekly legislative forecast that keeps you a step ahead of what happens at the Statehouse. It's free.

SC Clips -- a daily news compilation of South Carolina news from media sources across the state. Delivered by email about the time you get to work every business day. Saves you a lot of money and time. Sign up for a free trial subscription today.

Georgia Clips offers a similar daily news compilation for the scores of newspapers in Georgia's 159 counties.

GwinnettForum -- an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.