SHIPS AHOY: Thousands turned out on the waterfront last weekend for Charleston Harbor Fest. Crowds endured steamy weather (and some long lines) to tour a variety of ships, take a sailing lesson, enjoy air shows and learn about the Holy City's place in maritime history. (Photo by Bill Thrash.)

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: Lots of activities for new park opening

ANN THRASH
:: Big Green Bus on sustainability

FEEDBACK
:: Lots of letters on Sanford

THE LIST
:: History-making home

GOOD NEWS
:: Historic home, winners, RoadWise

ALSO INSIDE

___:: CALENDAR: This week ... and next
___:: REVIEW: Send us your thoughts
___:: HISTORY: Charleston Library Society
___:: QUOTE: Mencken on freedom
___:: BOOKSHELF: Interesting reading
___:: SPOTLIGHT: Meet an underwriter

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 | Reader testimonials

TODAY'S FOCUS
Variety of activities planned for Memorial Park opening
By ASHLEY A. McKENZIE
Mount Pleasant Community Development and Tourism officer
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com

JUNE 29, 2009 -- The Town of Mount Pleasant will officially open Memorial Waterfront Park this coming weekend, and we invite the entire Lowcountry area to join in the festivities!

McKenzie

It has taken many years of planning, but the 22-acre park, located at the base of the Ravenel Bridge and just steps away from Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, will open to the public on July 3. Created as a family-friendly public park for the community, this park rivals all others and is a one-of-a-kind place in the Lowcountry.

Beyond the conventional components of a park - green space and seating - the Memorial Waterfront Park is home to the Kruger B. Smith Visitor Center, Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion, War Memorial, a playground and a fishing pier.

The grand opening festivities begin Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. with free activities for children, entertainment by Susie Summers and plenty of food and drinks for purchase from favorites Mayfield Ice Cream, T&T Kettle Korn, Charleston Festival Foods, All That's Good Italian Ice, Sticky Fingers, Gullah Cuisine, Iacofano's Italian Bar & Grill, Zeus Grill & Seafood and our very own Mount Pleasant Fire Department. The park dedication ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. on the main lawn and will honor all organizations and individuals that have made our Memorial Waterfront Park a reality.

The town's official Party Ambassadors, the East Coast Party Band, will kick off music on the pier at 8 p.m., while the Charleston Community Band will play the night away on the lawn. Nick Collins acoustic sounds will begin under the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion immediately after the dedication ceremony.

The festival ends at 11 p.m., but the celebrations are not over! Patriots Point will hold its annual Fourth of July Blast on Saturday from 4 p.m. until midnight. The event has been recognized by The New York Times as a "Top 5 Independence Day Celebration," with a spectacular fireworks show beginning around 10 p.m.

The holiday weekend will conclude with special dedication ceremonies on Sunday. Created to honor the indigenous craft of sweetgrass basket making, the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion's dedication will be Sunday at 2 p.m. with performances from the gospel group We Be Brethren and praise dancing from Highly Favored. The program is highlighted by guest speaker Emory S. Campbell, South Carolina commissioner of the Gullah/Geechee Heritage Corridor.

As our park name suggests, the War Memorial was created as a dedication to all servicemen and servicewomen from Mount Pleasant and Christ Church Parish who have perished in our fight for freedom.

A ceremony will be held Sunday at 6:30 pm to pay tribute to these honorable citizens and to unveil the 8-foot bronze statue that is the centerpiece of this memorial. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Col. Bob Howard, Maj. Gen. Abraham J. Turner and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham are featured speakers, with performances from the Parris Island Marine Band.

For more information on Memorial Waterfront Park and the opening festivities, please visit http://www.townofmountpleasant.com or call the Community Development & Tourism Office at 884-8517.

Ashley A. McKenzie is the community development and tourism officer for the town of Mount Pleasant.

CURRENTS
Big Green Bus wheels into town with lessons on sustainability
By ANN THRASH, editor

JUNE 29, 2009 - - What's green, rolls, and comes with solar panels, grease filters and a flat-screen TV? A few days ago, I couldn't have answered that question, but I can now. Believe me, when something that fits that description comes rolling past your house one afternoon, you make a point of finding out what it is.

Thrash

And it is, as the words on its back panels say, "a vehicle for change."

This is Dartmouth College's Big Green Bus, a 1989 MCI Motorcoach that's been converted into a rolling showcase of sustainability and green living. The bus has been in the Lowcountry since Tuesday, along with a crew of 15 Dartmouth students who are steering it on a cross-country trip. These accomplished young people and their distinctive bus spent the last two evenings staying with a family in my neighborhood, while their days were spent educating people about the possibilities for living "greener." They visited the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on Tuesday afternoon and had three stops yesterday: South Windermere Shopping Center, DwellSmart on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and the Piggly Wiggly in Seaside Farms.

The Big Green Bus was here last week.

This is the fifth summer that a Dartmouth group has hit the road on this tour, logging more than 45,000 miles, using 5,500 gallons of waste vegetable oil and sharing countless lessons about sustainability from coast to coast. But this is the first trip for this particular bus. The previous Big Green Bus was a school bus that the students have described as "a rag-tag creation of the university's engineering and Ultimate Frisbee communities." Here are a few fast facts about the new ride:

• The bus has four new SunPower 315 solar panels to provide all the energy the bus needs - enough to power its computers, a refrigerator, a projector, lighting, a TV, air conditioning and veggie pumps.
  
  
• The interior has most of the comforts of home, including bunks, tables, couches and a kitchen. "This year, the bus interior will resemble a 'green' living room," says Merritt Jenkins, co-general manager of the Big Green Bus and a member of the college's Class of 2010. "We hope to connect with homeowners by presenting environmental and economic issues facing our society today, and how individual action can help mitigate these problems."
  
  
• "The students are focusing on five areas where individuals can make an impact, and the displays on the bus bring the message home. They're all about recycling and reducing consumption; being energy efficient; promoting clean and renewable energy; making wise choices about food; and taking personal action by using the power of your vote.

The Big Green Bus will be making 40-plus stops between New York and San Francisco and, as you would expect from a smart and savvy group like these Dartmouth students, they've got everything set up so the public can follow them online in real time. Just go to http://www.changents.com/biggreenbus. The crew will be posting stories about their experiences on the road, as well as photo galleries, blogs, videos, podcasts, Tweets and more.

The local companies that are sponsoring the Big Green Bus - Alcoa, Santee Cooper and Piggly Wiggly -- deserve a pat on the back for getting behind these educational efforts. The national sponsors include Newman's Own products, Waste Management, Changents.com and Timberland.

If you missed the bus on this trip, make a point of checking it out next summer or following this year's progress online. It's a cool way to make an important point about taking care of our planet and our future. And it brings to mind another question: Don't you wish they'd had road trips like this when you were in college?

Ann Thrash, editor of CharlestonCurrents.com, can be reached at: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.

FEEDBACK

NOTE: We got several letters on Andy Brack's Thursday column on Gov. Sanford. If you want to read more, Brack said Friday that Sanford shouldn't resign. Click here. He also was quoted by The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor.

Thanks for your column on Sanford

To the editor:

Thanks for your honest and true comments on Gov. Sanford. I hope we will all give him and the family some space to figure things out on their own terms. Thanks for a good read, as always!

-- Name withheld upon request, Charleston, SC

Not as big of story as media think

To the editor:

I liked your comments on Sanford. It really is a bigger media event than a story. Imagine what his staffers are going through.

-- Tom Sweeny, James Island, SC

Poor decision by Sanford, but don't kick when down

To the editor:

Governor Sanford has had a long battle fighting for what he has believed to be the right thing for us all with regard to the stimulus package. Whatever our stance in agreeing or disagreeing with that battle, I admire his conviction. Maybe he needed time away to reconsider the disputes. In his humanness, he made a poor decision that is between he, his wife, his children and God. It's not something that seems to be a pattern for him so I imagine they will work through it. Our business with Governor Sanford is policy related. I admire his confronting the issue and dealing with it. I admire you for suggesting we all give them ( he and his family) time to heal. Not kicking a man while he is down is certainly worthwhile.

-- Name withheld upon request, Mount Pleasant, SC

New reader says Brack is reasonable

To the editor:

I completely agree, and I am glad to hear a voice of reason and decency for a change. Even NPR is in on the muck. Pathetic. Just started getting your Currents, by the way. Today is my first edition.

-- Robin Welch, James Island, SC

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
Charleston RiverDogs

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter is the Charleston RiverDogs. The Lowcountry’s leader in sports entertainment, Charleston RiverDogs baseball is an attractive, affordable medium for your group or business. The RiverDogs develop the next major league stars for the 26-time World Champion New York Yankees at one of the finest ballparks in Minor League Baseball -- Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Three short words sum up the every day approach taken by the Charleston RiverDogs front office. The brainchild of club President Mike Veeck, the nine-letter phrase “Fun Is Good” is meant to be a guideline and daily reminder of how employees should approach their jobs and in turn capture the imagination of the fans to turn them into repeat customers. Call them today at (843) 723-7241 or visit online at: www.RiverDogs.com. Next game at home: Tuesday, June 30.

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

GOOD NEWS
Get the spirit of 1776 at Heyward-Washington House

The Charleston Museum's Heyward-Washington House will offer special tours focusing on the Revolutionary War every Thursday during the month of July. The tours will begin at 4 p.m. at the house, located at 87 Church St.; reservations are not required.

The house was built in 1772 for Thomas Heyward Jr., an active participant in the events of the Revolution and one of four South Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence. President George Washington stayed at the house during a visit to Charleston in 1791.

Admission to the Heyward-Washington House is $10 for adults, $5 for children, or free for Charleston Museum members. For more info, call 722-2996, ext. 235.

Kohl's stores honor local youngsters for volunteer efforts

Three Lowcountry youths were among more than 2,000 kids honored nationwide by Kohl's Department Stores for their volunteer work. The Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program recognized David Parker, 18, and Haley Schmidt, 10, both of Mount Pleasant, as well as 10-year-old Kathryn Stagliano of Summerville, presenting each of the youngsters with a $50 gift card and a certificate.

The three local honorees are now qualified for the chance to receive a $1,000 regional scholarship for post-secondary education that Kohl's will award in July. Of the regional winners, Kohl's will then award 10 national winners an additional $5,000 scholarship for their outstanding service and donate $1,000 to nonprofit organizations of the national winners' choice. In total, Kohl's plans to award more than $350,000 in scholarships and prizes this summer.

"We are proud to recognize so many young kids that are volunteering to help benefit their communities," said Julie Gardner, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Kohl's. "The Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program allows us to reward kids who are doing selfless acts across the country."

Since its inception in 2001, the Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program has given more than $1.8 million in scholarships and prizes to recognize and reward young volunteers.

Student interns take active part in county RoadWise projects

Five students have begun working under the Charleston County RoadWise Internship Program to gain experience working on road projects funded by the Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax. The internship program is designed to provide summer job opportunities for college juniors and seniors so they can explore their majors in a variety of occupations used during road projects. County officials say the students have demonstrated an interest in pursuing careers in construction, engineering and transportation-related jobs.

The students will be working throughout the remainder of the summer with different engineering firms that are contracted to work on Transportation Sales Tax road projects. The colleges and universities they represent are South Carolina State, Clemson and The Citadel.

All the students went through an orientation last month to address what they would be doing and to ensure they understood the expectations of the program before beginning work. They're earning an average salary of $12 an hour and will work 30 hours per week.

REVIEW
Send us your recommendations

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
Charleston Library Society

The Charleston Library Society is the third-oldest institutional library in the United States. On December 28, 1748, a group of Charlestonians met to establish a private subscription library to support education and the arts and sciences. The society secured a charter of incorporation in 1755 and established a tradition in which the colony's royal governors were society presidents. This tradition lasted until the Revolutionary War. By 1778 the society's book and periodical collection numbered five thousand volumes. Society members promoted a colonial college in 1770 that eventually became the College of Charleston. Three years later, in 1773, the society started a natural science collection that became the Charleston Museum.

The Charleston fire of 1778 destroyed all but a handful of the society's books. In 1863 the society's librarian sent one-half of the library's collections to Columbia, but they were destroyed there in 1865. In 1874 Charleston's Apprentice Library Society (founded in 1824) and the Library Society merged their resources. When the South Carolina Jockey Club disbanded in 1900, it transferred its property to the Library Society. The society sold the Washington Racecourse and established an endowment that has continued to provide revenue into the twenty-first century. In 1914 the society constructed a new building at 164 King Street. Eighty-two years later, in 1996, the society expanded into a large adjacent building, which houses a children's reading room, audio and video collections, and offices.

Among the collections of the Charleston Library Society are rare books, pamphlets, a manuscript collection, and the society's records. The most significant collection is the society's newspaper files, which contain the world's largest and most complete collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Charleston newspapers. Society members have free access to the collections, including its circulating library, and nonmembers pay a daily research fee.

- Excerpted from the entry by Alexander Moore. 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.)

SISTER PUBLICATIONS

We encourage you to check out our sister publications:

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.

PUBLICATION NOTE

Just a quick note on our publication over the weekend July 4 holiday -- We'll publish this Thursday but will be off on Monday, July 6.

THE LIST
History-making home

Wilson

You know that Thomas Heyward Jr. was one of the four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence, and that George Washington "slept here" while visiting Charleston in 1791. But here are five things you might not know about the historic Heyward-Washington House at 87 Church St., courtesy of Melanie Wilson, chief interpreter for the Heyward-Washington House and Joseph Manigault House. Check out today's Good News section for info on some special Revolutionary War-themed tours of this history-making home, a property of the Charleston Museum.

1. The Heyward-Washington House was a bakery operated by the Fuseler family from 1883 to 1925.

2. The Charleston Museum bought the house in 1929 and opened it in April of the following year, making it Charleston's first historic house museum.

3. Heyward-Washington House was built in 1772. Surprisingly, two earlier houses occupied the property during the 18th century. The stable and kitchen building from the 1740s construction still remain (you can see the kitchen as part of your Heyward-Washington House tour).

4. In 1781, the house was pelted with brick and "every species of nauseating trash that could offend or annoy" when Elizabeth Mathews Heyward, Thomas Heyward's wife, refused to illuminate her windows with candles to commemorate the one year anniversary of the fall of Charleston.

5. Another famous family has owned this house. In 1794, Thomas Heyward sold the house to John Faucheraud Grimké, a former Continental army officer and father of prominent abolitionists Sarah and Angelina Grimké. The Grimké family resided in the house until 1803.

QUOTE
On freedom

Mencken

"I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air - that progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave."

-- American writer and editor H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

CALENDAR: THIS WEEK

Archaeology of Charleston's Colonial Fortifications: 6:30 p.m. June 30, Charleston County Main Library, 68 Calhoun St. Members of the Mayor's Walled City Task Force will review the findings from the recent dig on East Bay Street. See images and artifacts and hear about the latest discoveries of Charleston's early waterfront fortifications. More info: 805-6930.

(NEW) 'Humours of Folly': 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 2, Plum Elements, 161-1/2 King St., Charleston. Opening of an exhibit of Folly Beach photographs by Frank Melvin Braden, who will be on hand to sign copies of the new book "Humours of Folly," which features the photographs. The exhibit runs from July 2 through Aug. 2. More info: 727-3747 or info@plumelements.com.

Fourth of July Blast: 4 p.m. to midnight July 4, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. Hosted by Patriots Point and the Town of Mount Pleasant, the 13th Annual Fourth of July Blast is a free event with live music, a play area for kids, a 40-foot Ferris wheel, food, drinks and more. Fireworks show over the harbor begins at 10:05 p.m. and will be set to patriotic music. Admission to the Yorktown will be reduced to $5 after 5 p.m. Festival-goers are asked to bring a canned food item to benefit local charities.

(NEW) Botany Bay Camping, Girls Only: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 7, Botany Bay Island. Join South Carolina Aquarium educators on an unforgettable overnight girls-only camping adventure to Botany Bay Island. Enjoy nature walks in the maritime forests, test your marine life knowledge through seining and beachcombing, learn how to build a fire and set up a tent, and spend the evening being enlightened about loggerhead sea turtles, including a night walk on the beach in search of female loggerheads and maybe even hatchlings. Open only to girls ages 13 to 18. Trip begins on July 7, and campers will return on July 8. Cost: $30 members, $45 nonmembers (includes boat rides to and from Bohicket Marina to Botany Bay, tents and food). Registration: 577-FISH.

People of the Land Exhibit: Through July 15, Charleston County Main Library, 68 Calhoun St. The work of Lowcountry native and documentary photographer Vennie Deas Moore will be featured. Moore has devoted much of her career to exploring the vanishing traditions along the S.C. coast, and her photographs show the connections between cultures, the value of work and the symbiotic relationship between the black and white communities. On June 28 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Moore will discuss her photographs and her new book, "Home: Portraits from the Carolina Coast." More info: 805-6930.

CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON

(NEW) Palette and Palate Stroll: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 17, downtown Charleston. The Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association's Fourth Annual Palette and Palate Stroll features art and food "pairings" at 13 downtown galleries. Tickets: $30 per person; reservations required. Call 819-8006 or go online.

Flip Flop Ball: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 18, Gold Bug Island, foot of the Ben Sawyer Bridge (Mount Pleasant side). The Fourth Annual Flip Flop Ball will benefit Wings for Kids, a program that helps children who grow up in poverty learn the skills needed to succeed in life. Charleston Bay Gourmet will serving barbecue, and Two 3 Ways will provide music. Open bar and beer kegs available. Tickets: $35 in advance, $40 at the gate. More info/tickets: http://www.wingsforkids.com.

Shagging on the Cooper: 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 25, Mount Pleasant Pier at Memorial Park, foot of the Ravenel Bridge in Mount Pleasant. Shag under the stars at the new pier. Music provided by The Sneakers (four-piece party band playing beach music, jazz, funk and blues). Beverages available for purchase on-site. Tickets: $8; only 800 tickets will be sold and must be purchased at the event (no advance sales). More info: 795-4386.

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
• The Book of Marie, Terry Kay
• Charleston Jazz, Jack McCray
• 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

9/3: Deaton: Thrive Prize
8/31: Rawl: Charting courses
8/27: Jurcova-Spencer: Creatives
8/24: Brooks: Rural Mission
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

• More of Focus in the archives

THRASH ARCHIVES

9/3: Cold comfort, more
8/27: Being a fan
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

• More Thrash in the archives

BRACK ARCHIVES

8/31: This and that
8/24: SC's treasures
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?

• More Brack in the archives

LIST ARCHIVES

9/3: Free legal clinics
8/31: CofC Class of 2013
8/27: Citadel Class of 2013
8/24: 7 stores, 7 days
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

• More Lists in the archives