Every year since I can remember, the last Sunday in April has been blocked off on my calendar for the Blessing of the Fleet. My dad’s band has been a headliner in the shindig for nearly three decades, and I’ve grown up with a fond affection for the shrimp, good friends, sunshine and music that make Mount Pleasant so, well, pleasant. And celebrating our local shrimpers makes the … [Read more...]
Set Apart from the Rest of the Sailing World – 2018 Sperry Charleston Race Week
Sailing competitors and enthusiasts from 26 states and over a dozen foreign countries will assemble in April in the Charleston area for the largest keelboat regatta in the Americas: the 2018 Sperry Charleston Race Week. I caught up with Event Director Randy Draftz on his way to Florida for a meeting of the U.S. Sailing Leadership Forum. A lifelong sailor and ambassador of … [Read more...]
Oyster Roasts to Attend This Year: A Shucking Good Time
Oyster roasts are about as synonymous with the Lowcountry as Bill Murray or The Pineapple Fountain. Mollusks, fished out of salty tributaries, find their way to wooden-planked counters and dinner plates every winter. Oyster seekers brave blankets of quicksand-like pluff mud, all in the name of culinary adventure. When the temperatures dip, folks gather to crack, shuck and … [Read more...]
The Winters of My Discontent: Learning to Live Without Baseball
As October drifted into November, I watched the Houston Astros claim their first championship ever, outdueling the title-starved Dodgers in one of the most scintillating, heart-stopping World Series’ in recent memory. The seven-game battle royal between baseball’s best featured just about everything a real fan of the greatest game could hope for: a veritable barrage of home … [Read more...]
Wine (Down) Under the Oaks: A Holiday Tradition
Sipping wine, listening to live music, sampling savory local dishes, spending time with friends surrounded by the timeless beauty of the Lowcountry – Wine Under the Oaks at Boone Hall Plantation has taken the top pleasures in life and rolled them into one fabulous afternoon. What started as a casual gathering 12 years ago on the front lawn at Boone Hall in Mount … [Read more...]
Making Their Communities Proud: Clemson and Carolina Football Players
There are kids who play sports in high school – and then there are high school athletes. The difference has less to do with their skills or love for the game but instead with the determination and sacrifice it takes to truly pursue excellence. For most, their time on the field ends on graduation day, having given it their all, enjoyed their time and hopefully, made memories to … [Read more...]
A Harvest of Harmonies: Get Your Fall Music Fix
Ah, music. At times it’s our connection to others and often our excuse to car-dance with wild abandon while we wait in traffic on the Ravenel Bridge. This fall, as the weather cools down, our concert calendar heats up. Catch acts that will leave you re-inspired and recharged. And, as you debate whether to purchase a ticket, I urge you to recall the pure joy that comes from … [Read more...]
A Country Boy Can Survive: Hank Williams Jr. in Daniel Island
In 1975, Hank Williams Jr. almost met his maker. Rock climbing in Montana, he fell nearly 500 feet onto snow-covered rock and landed in the hospital with skull and facial fractures. But, like the brazen, fire-bellied man he is, he refused to let this incident define him. You see, Williams isn’t one to allow circumstances to derail his journey, creatively or … [Read more...]
The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association: Teaching the Next Generation
The 12th annual Sweetgrass Festival will offer fun, food, entertainment and education, but it also will provide local residents and visitors with the opportunity to learn about important issues that affect the local African-American community. Visitors to the Festival, scheduled for June 3 at Memorial Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant, will have the chance to purchase … [Read more...]
Netflix Original Features The Bridge Run: Naked and Not Afraid
Take a hit Swedish romantic comedy; tweak it as a remake set in a wildly popular U.S. city and cast as the lead one of the funniest members from, arguably, the most successful African-American family in show business today. Then fold in elements of the classic “Groundhog Day” and place key scenes in and around the most famous 10K bridge run in the South. What you’ll have is a … [Read more...]