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Issue
4.44 | Monday, Sept. 3, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS FOOD
+ DRINK GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: About that red flower ... :: SPOTLIGHT: SCIWAY :: BROADUS: Leapin' Pteranondons :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: THE LIST: Tidbits in local postal history :: QUOTE: Labor Day traffic jams |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what's happening locally. What readers say WHERE IS IT?
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SEPT 2,
2012 -- We just arrived in Charlotte and have checked into the hotel.
Most of the S.C. delegation will be arriving this afternoon and early
evening. Even though the official part of the convention won't begin until
Tuesday there is already a busy schedule.
Getting
ready: Aug. 30 -- A week from today we will all be getting ready for
President Obama's big speech before 70,000 supporters in Charlotte. I'm
excited to be attending this not only because it will be a historic evening,
not only because I'm excited to hear what Barack Obama's vision is for
this country for the next four years, but also because it will highlight
some major differences between the Democrats and Republicans. Here are
the two big reasons that stand out to me:
8/15:
S.C. delegate profiled -- South Carolina is already making waves at
the upcoming Democratic Convention! Yesterday the official Convention
blog highlighted one of South Carolina's own delegates.
Four years
ago I was watching our future President address the nation on TV and wished
I could be there in person. I couldn't be more excited and honored to
be going to Charlotte, N.C. as a delegate representing South Carolina
this fall. I graduated from the College of Charleston in May of 2008 and
knew that Barack Obama had to be our next President. After some
deliberating I packed up my life at the end of June and spent the next
six months as a field organizer for the Obama campaign in southern Ohio.
The hours were long and the work was far from glamorous but it all paid
off in the end when we elected President Obama. As I sat in a community
center in Chillicothe, Ohio, back in 2008, I promised myself that I would
work hard to be at the next convention. I returned to Charleston after
the election and became even more involved with political process and
four years later I'm excited for this opportunity.
SEPT. 3, 2012 -- The other day at the post office, I bought three sheets of specialty Forever stamps, happy to discover they were of Major League Baseball All-Stars. Each sheet featured five stamps showing Willie Stargell, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Larry Doby.
Larry Doby? Then I remembered seeing a Doby jersey painted on the home run fence at Joe Riley Stadium. Probably because I grew up as a fan of the National League, Atlanta Braves and Hank Aaron, I didn't know much about Doby. Fortunately, the back of the stamp sheet highlighted how Doby became the first black athlete to play in the American League with the Cleveland Indians soon after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League. Doby went on to be a seven-time All-Star hitter and center fielder. He set an American League record of 164 consecutive errorless games.
So I phoned Dave Echols, executive vice president and general manager of the Charleston RiverDogs. It turns out that Bill Veeck, father of RiverDogs' owner Mike Veeck, signed a 23-year-old Doby to the Indians in 1947. Doby, a native of Camden, S.C., moved to New Jersey when he was 14 and started to play as a professional in the Negro National League when he was 18. After military service during World War II, Doby returned to baseball in 1946. The next year, he started a 13-year career in Major League baseball. By the time injuries sidelined him in 1960, he had a .283 batting average with 1,515 hits and 253 home runs in 1,533 games. Doby, who died in 2003, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. In July,
the RiverDogs hosted a Larry Doby weekend of games to honor Doby's memory
and celebrate the new stamp. Great stamp with a local connection! Don't
buy this book If you
come to the South with a bad attitude and want to find clichés,
you'll find them. As Oregon
travel writer Chuck Thompson relates in his new South-hating book, the
South still has some rednecks, tacky trailer parks, racists, government-haters,
religious zealots, fat people and guys who look cloned from the movie
"Deliverance." But so do Vermont, Kansas, Utah, Alaska and just
about anywhere you look across America.
Thompson
has particular disdain for South Carolina, which he calls the "most
dysfunctional state in the union ... renowned for producing politicians
as slimy as the inside of a pumpkin." Then he sashays forward a predictable
list of disgraced figures from Thomas Ravenel to Mark Sanford. And then,
almost on cue, he paints everyone here as a racist. Yep, this
Thompson guy has a problem. He's a regional bigot. His irresponsible screed,
"Better Off Without 'em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession,"
willfully ignores how today's South is a far different place than the
"Dukes of Hazzard" cliché he sought. Thank goodness
that Thompson's venom is being panned by critics. "If there are good
things to be discovered about the South," Janet Maslin wrote in The
New York Times, "this book has no use for them. Nashville's music?
Not mentioned. Contemporary Southern literature? Mr. Thompson thanks the
publisher of the journal Oxford American in his acknowledgements. But
his actual text sticks to the ignoramus theory." [Check out the review
by S.C.'s Barton Swaim here in The Wall Street Journal.] Thompson's
anti-South rant is embarrassing. It spews a lot of disconnected facts
and venom but is surprisingly shallow on any real intellectual level of
trying to comprehend the South of today. Do we still have work to do?
Absolutely. But things have changed dramatically, a concept which the
dilettante Thompson only gives lip service to because his wacky see-the-world-my-way
beer goggles are in the way. Bottom
line: Do not buy this book. In fact, throw away this column or remove
it from your computer's cache so you don't have to think about Thompson's
tirade ever again.
The red flowering plant in Mr. Kaynard's photo is a Texas star hibiscus (H. coccineus). This Texas native does quite well in Lowcountry landscapes. Grow it from seed or purchase youngsters from local garden centers in spring.
Individual flowers last only one day, but if promptly deadheaded Texas star will crank out brilliant 7-inch blooms all summer long. To hide its inherent lankiness, plant at least three of them about 6-inches apart, or grow a mass planting along the back of a border for an impressive botanical statement. Once Texas star begins to fade in late fall, cut it back to the ground but count on it returning the following spring. There is also a white version named 'Alba'.
SEPT. 3, 2012 -- They say the first step to overcoming a problem is putting a name to it. Today, thanks to Katie Couric, I am able to do that. I am an overcooker. This problem has plagued me for years, but I didn't know until recently that it had a name. The light dawned the other day when I was reading a Better Homes & Gardens magazine article about Katie Couric and her fabulous house in the Hamptons (OK, that's another problem, but let's not go there today). The article described how Katie (I feel I can call her that) kept telling the landscape architect that she wanted "more flowers, more flowers" -- a real overabundance. Then came the words that might change my life: "Katie fesses up to a few other excesses. She's an overcooker, doubling and tripling recipes she sees in magazines."
So thank you, Katie Couric -- or, more accurately, thank you, magazine-article writer -- for giving a name to my problem. Now that I've named it, maybe I can conquer it, perhaps with a 12-step program. Um, make that 24 steps. Or maybe 30. Yeah, 30. Wine + Food ticket troubles Kudos to the folks at the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival for being upfront about ticket-buying issues last week and handling the situation with a dose of Lowcountry graciousness.
The e-mail went on to say, "We are also challenged by the fact that many of our events have very limited space and ticket availability. We often cannot accommodate the number of tickets needed from everyone who wants to actually attend. However, we do keep wait lists and will do everything we can to get people who need tickets connected to those who have tickets available. … If you have called or emailed us with issues or questions, please know that we will get in touch with each and every one of you - it may take us a day or two, but we will respond. The Festival couldn't exist without dedicated guests like all of you, and we hope we can assist with any and all questions you may have." Now that's how to turn what could have been lemons into lemonade.
More than 8,000 local residents are set to celebrate Trident United Way's annual Day of Caring with by participating in volunteer projects across the Lowcountry.
Once the work is done, volunteers will gather for after-parties where they can share their experiences with others celebrating Day of Caring, enjoy discounts and win prizes. Although Day of Caring happens only once a year, "This is more than one day in September. We want to inspire caring year-round," said Chris Kerrigan, president and CEO of Trident United Way. "And that's the motto of this year's Day of Caring: This is day one of 365 days of caring." In the years since Sept. 11, 2000, 58,000 people have participated in Trident United Way's Day of Caring, bringing $11 million worth of labor and supplies to area non-profits. Day of Caring supports Trident United Way's work to strengthen the Lowcountry community. Its 10-year plan for bold community change is focused on: increasing the graduation rate to 88 percent, increasing the number of people who are financially stable by 30 percent and increasing the number of people living healthy lives by 25 percent.
Help build Charleston's profile internationally We recently found a Web site that allows users to compare the cost of living in cities around the world. We were stunned that Savannah was part of the site, but not Charleston. So we contacted the head of Expatistan.com, Gerardo Robledillo, who lives in Prague, Czechoslovakia, who has now added Charleston to the list of the world's cities.
"Remember
that we need as many people as possible entering data to make the comparisons
accurate and useful," Robledillo wrote. "If you can, ask your
friends to also enter prices for Charleston. The more people that know
and help Expatistan, the better the comparisons will be for everyone!" Three
of nation's best hotels for families in South Carolina Three South
Carolina hotels are rated by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine as the
best for families in the country, according to the September issue's annual
"World's Best Awards" survey.
"We're
proud of the continued enthusiasm for our resort by families and travel
experts alike," said Frank Fredericks, managing director at Wild
Dunes Resort. "This newest honor from Travel + Leisure readers reaffirms
that we're providing guests what they want when it comes to family vacations.
It's truly rewarding to be able to create wonderful family vacation experiences
and so many happy memories for our guests." Number
4 on the list is the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, 95.29 points.
"Life at this plantation-style luxury resort seems to move at the
pace of a deep-southern drawl," according to Travel + Leisure. "But
the many diversions-a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, fly-fishing,
spa treatments, naturalist-led alligator 'hunts'-sequestered on 20,000
acres of South Carolina coastal marshland leave little time for ennui." Number
24 is the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which scored 92.33 points.
"Tobacco-stained walnut planking creaks like the timeworn floors
in an authentic antebellum mansion. Landscape architects transplanted
160 mature live oaks for the resort's entrance avenue, and Kiawah's beach
glows pink at sunset as a shrimp trawler anchors in front of the resort." Donovan to take part on Gibbes' "Art and Fame" lecture series 1960s pop singer Donovan will take part Sept. 21 in the first of a three-part lecture series that complements the Gibbes Museum of Art's fall exhibition on monumental rock and roll photography.
On Sept. 21, the Scottish-born Donovan, a pop troubadour inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, will join guest curator Christopher Murphy for a discussion about music, art, pop culture and more. Donovan will share highlights from his career while Murray, director of the Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., will explore the intersection between music and photography. Also featured in the lecture series is an Oct. 12 talk by Warren Perry, editor of "Echoes of Elvis: The Cultural Legacy of Elvis Presley." He'll discuss how Elvis's life, widespread fame and legend fit into the greater framework of American culture and beyond. On Oct. 26, Charleston Magazine music editor Stanfield Gray will moderate a discussion about art and fame with a panel of South Carolina-based musicians.
Richard
Harvey Cain was born a free person of color in Greenbriar County, Virginia,
on April 12, 1825. He grew to maturity in Ohio, where he attended Wilberforce
University. Beginning in the late 1840s, Cain served as an African Methodist
Episcopal (AME) minister. By the late 1850s he was an active abolitionist
and worked with famous activists such as Frederick Douglass and Martin
Delaney.
Cain was
also motivated by a deeply held black nationalist ideology and sought
every opportunity to give black Carolinians greater control over their
lives. In 1866 he bought the South Carolina Leader newspaper, becoming
perhaps the first African American newspaper editor in South Carolina.
After Cain changed its name to the Missionary Record, the paper covered
religion, literature, and politics, becoming an important voice for black
Carolinians. From his
earliest days in South Carolina, Cain was involved in politics. He was
an honorary delegate to the November 1865 Colored Peoples Convention in
Charleston, which was one of the earliest forums where black Carolinians
demanded equal civil and political rights. In 1867 he helped organize
the state Republican Party, and he later served as party chairman for
Charleston County. As a delegate
to the 1868 constitutional convention, Cain was an outspoken advocate
of universal male suffrage. He worked hard to promote landownership among
the landless. He opposed the convention's call for a debt moratorium,
instead believing that planter indebtedness would force sales to the working
class. Cain was an architect of the South Carolina Land Commission, designed
to help small farmers purchase land, and later served on that commission.
Cain also
purchased land north of Charleston, which he resold to freedmen. The settlement
evolved into the black town of Lincolnville. Cain served in the S.C. Senate
from 1868 to 1870 and was twice elected to Congress, serving from 1873
to 1875 and from 1877 to 1879. In state politics he was considered a reformer
who frequently railed against corruption within Republican ranks. While
he was in Congress, his most public efforts were on behalf of the Civil
Rights Act of 1875, the country's first federal public accommodations
law. The demise
of Reconstruction in South Carolina took Cain's career in new directions.
In 1877 he encouraged some black Carolinians to seek their fortune in
Africa and supported the Liberian Exodus movement. In 1880 he was among
the first three men elected bishops in the AME Church from the South,
and he was given responsibility for Louisiana and Texas. In Texas he served
as founder and president of Paul Quinn College in Waco. Cain moved to
Washington, D.C., in 1884 and died there on Jan. 18, 1887.
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Going postal This caught our eye the other day in the legend of a map of a postal history of Charleston: "1771: Deputy Postmaster General DeLancey killed in duel." After digging a bit, we learned a little more from a footnote in the Papers of Henry Laurens. DeLancey, the deputy postmaster general for the Southern District of North America and the Bahama Islands, was killed in a duel Aug. 15, 1771, "as the result of a duel with Dr. John Haly." Two days later, the state's lieutenant governor issued a proclamation for his apprehension. The doctor was convicted of manslaughter on Oct. 21, but Gov. Montagu pardoned him on Oct. 30. Who knew Charleston had such a colorful history related to postal events? (Of course, you probably did, what with a museum about Charleston's postal history as part of the post office at the Four Corners of Law.) Seriously, here are some interesting postal dates related to Charleston:
"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend. "
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(NEW) Fiber artist exhibit: Open daily Tuesday through Sunday now through Oct. 28, City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Charleston. Curator Cookie Washington has curated "Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore: A Fiber Arts Exhibition." It features the works of more than 50 of the country's premiere African-American fiber artists including internationally-known artists Donna Chambers, Marion Coleman, Arianne King Comer, Michael Cummings, Dr. Deborah Grayson, Dr. Kim Hall and Patricia Montgomery. John Shelton Reed: 6:30 p.m., Sept. 6, Bond Hall, The Citadel. Reed, a nationally-known authority on Southern identity, will discuss his forthcoming book, "Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s." The Last Flapper: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 7, 8, 10, 14 and 15; 3 p.m. matinee on Sept. 16, Park Circle (1080 East Montague), North Charleston. The South of Broadway Theatre Company will offer this one-woman show based on the writings of Zelda (Mrs. F. Scott) Fitzgerald following a successful January run. Tickets are $18. More. SOAR on Folly: 8 a.m., Sept. 8, Folly Beach. SOAR on Folly is a 5K family fun run that will benefit Special Olympics South Carolina. The cost in advance is $25 for adults; $15 for kids under 12. More. Shaggin' on the Cooper: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 8, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. Coastrunner will offer live classic oldies and beach music as shaggers dance the night away. Only 800 tickets sold; cost is $10. For more on this and several other September events, go online to: www.ccprc.com CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON (NEW)
War of 1812
program: 6:30 p.m., Sept. 12, Charleston County Public Library,
main branch, 68 Calhoun Street. Dr. Nic Butler will repeat a recent popular
program, "Charleston during the War of 1812." The discussion
will highlight local military preparations, fortification building and
privateering in Charleston between 1807 and 1815. More.
(NEW)
Free family
law clinic: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 13, Dorchester Regional
Branch Library, 6325 Dorchester Road, North Charleston. The S.C. Bar Pro
Bono Program will offer a free clinic on family law issues -- divorce,
custody, support and visitation -- featuring attorney Rita J. Roache.
Open to all. (NEW) CSO Gospel Choir opening: 6 p.m., Sept. 22, Calvary Baptist Church, 620 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston. The choir will open its 2012-13 season with "The Myth -- 40 Acres and a Mule: An Epic Story Chronicling African-American Land Preservation." The performance will be under the direction of artistic director Isaiah McGee as a benefit for the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation. Tickets: $20 advance; $25 at the door. More. Benefit concert:
1 p.m., Sept. 23, Awendaw Green, 4879 N. Highway 17, Awendaw. Awendaw
Green and assorted local artists will conduct a benefit for local guitarist
Nick Collins, who was injured in a car accident earlier this month. Performers
include Sol Driven Train, Fowler's Mustache, The Reckoning, Ten Toes Up,
Danielle Howle with Firework Show, Killer Whales, Stained Glass Wall and
Sara Cole and the Hawkes. Food and drinks will be available for purchase
at this all-day event. More.
Bubbly and Brew: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 28, Harborside East, Mount Pleasant. My Sister's House will present the 4th annual Bubbly and Brew fundraiser with champagne and lots of tasty food, as well as live music, a silent auction and a live auction. Tickets are $60 in advance, $75 at the door. More. More shagging: 7 p.m., Sept. 29, Mount Pleasant Pier. Charleston County Parks has added an additional "Shaggin' on the Cooper" concert that will feature Groove Train with its classic R&B, pop and rock favorites. Tickets are $10. More. Bird walks: 8:30 a.m. to noon, every Wednesday and Saturday. This is the time of year that a great variety of migrating birds fly through the Lowcountry so what better time to take part in one of the regular early morning bird walks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel. Pre-registration is suggested. Cost is $5. Learn more online. (NEW) Free notary public training: 6 p.m., Oct. 22, Building 920 Campus Center, Trident Technical College, 7000 Rivers Ave., North Charleston. The Secretary of State's office will offer a free regional seminar for anyone interested in being a notary. This seminar will address state laws governing the duties and responsibilities of notaries. The unauthorized practice of law will also be addressed in a joint session with a representative from the South Carolina Bar. To register in advance, contact Renee Daggerhart online. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
FOCUS ARCHIVES 12/3: LaFond: Health directives 11/26:
Stevens:
Thank you letters 10/29:
Herrick:
Saucy new book DOUG
BOSTICK: 11/19: "Satan's
Kingdom" ANDY BRACK 12/3: 1-526 hoodwinking 11/26:
Guilty
pleasure 10/29:
16
days, Gov. Haley? 9/24:
New
TravelOrMove site More Andy Brack in the archives ANN
THRASH: 8/6:
On
John Martin Taylor GREG
GARVAN: 8/13:
Bank
on Charleston LIST
ARCHIVES 12/3: Great kid gifts 11/26:
Giving
back winners 10/29:
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Earlier
we got a sneak peak at where the SC delegation will be sitting inside
the convention hall. Check out the picture at right.
Let's
all admit it, Romney is boring guy. On his best day, there is no way Romney
could draw that kind of crowd to hear him speak. President Obama inspired
us all with his bold vision in 2008. Now after four years of hard work,
keeping his promises and vowing to continue to fight for the middle class,
another wave of people are gearing up to listen to our president and be
inspired to go out and volunteer in the remaining few weeks before the
election.
8/7:
Online welcome -- During the actual convention (Sept 3-6) the blog
will be updated several times a day with posts from within the convention
hall as well as the other events surrounding the convention. If you've
got thoughts, comments, or suggestions for posts feel free to leave a
comment!
But
why, I wondered, was his image on the outfield wall in a Charleston ballpark?
I seemed to recall a South Carolina connection, but what was it?
Come
to think about it, it's probably not too hard for anyone visiting Oregon
to find salmon-wrestling lumberjacks who wear cowboy hats. Or maybe someone
who looks like Thompson's book jacket mug shot -- an effete, coffee-drinking,
wannabe hipster who dreams lazily of spending more time on a skateboard
while decked out in the latest fleece sweater.
Once
established, this dependable herbaceous perennial is fairly drought tolerant,
although expect it to droop in extreme afternoon heat. All it needs is
full sun. If planted in the slightest amount of shade, it will not reach
its full height and spread of about 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide,
and it will absolutely refuse to bloom.
So
that's what you call what I do! My husband always calls it "making
way too much food, Ann," but we're not medical people, so we never
knew there was a technical term to describe it. Now, though, we can say
it: I overcook. We're not talking simple leftovers, either. Leftovers
are great -- once - but this is beyond that. At least once or twice a
week, Bill will walk in the kitchen when I'm cooking supper and say something
like, "When will the other 16 people be here?" My explanation
-- call it a rationalization if you must -- is that I hate running out
of food, not just when company's coming, but any time, even when I'm just
cooking for the two of us. The idea that someone would want more of something
and that there wouldn't be any left -- well, let's just say it just makes
me very, very anxious. Like someone once said -- I think it was Mae West
-- "You never know what's enough until you know what's too much."
Tickets
went on sale at 9 a.m. Aug. 30, and, as usual, there was a rush to buy.
This year, though, the problems must have gotten out of hand, because
shortly after 3 that same afternoon, the festival staff sent out an e-mail
titled "Ticket Sales Launch: Thanks for Your Patience." It said,
in part, "We are amazed and humbled by the incredible response when
Festival tickets went on sale this morning. We know that many of you were
waiting dutifully by your computers, ready to purchase tickets when the
clock struck nine. And many of you were disappointed and frustrated by
the issues our ticketing company was experiencing due to the massive volume
of people trying to purchase tickets. We're sincerely sorry for any and
all challenges and frustrations. Our ticketing system was not prepared
for the rush of eager Festival fans trying to buy tickets - and it should
have been."
Mount
Pleasant writer and editor Ann Thrash can be reached at: 
"No
community in America has embraced this day of volunteering like ours has,"
said Lisa Mitchell, president of Hagemeyer North America and chair of
Trident United Way's 2012 Day of Caring. "A larger percentage of
our population participates in Day of Caring than anywhere else, and the
result is a tremendous contribution to non-profit organizations and the
people they serve."
But
before the Charleston section is operational, Robledillo says several
people who live in our community first must insert realistic prices for
things like rent, a gallon of milk and more. Until then, there won't be
any information for viewers to compare Charleston to other great cities
around the world.
Coming
in at number three in the country is Wild Dunes Resort with a score of
95.46 out of 100. The online readers' survey was based on rankings made
between Dec. 1, 2011 and the end of March this year.
The
"Sound and Vision" exhibition, which will run Sept. 21 through
the end of the year, will feature images of iconic rock and roll, blues
and other musicians. It will explore the connection between art and fame
as well as the impact of portraiture in popular culture. 
During
the Civil War, Cain was pastor of a church in Brooklyn, New York. In May
1865, to his great delight, he was transferred to South Carolina as superintendent
of AME missions for the state. Cain was responsible for building Emmanuel
AME Church in Charleston, which is considered the state's most historic
AME congregation. By 1866 its membership had grown to more than two thousand.
Cain approached his responsibilities with considerable zeal, organizing
churches throughout the countryside. Contemporaries credited him with
much of the church's success in the immediate post-Civil War era.
1815:
Old Exchange Building becomes home to Charleston's post office with
Thomas Bacot, who George Washington appointed postmaster in 1791. 
