Pictured: The Ravenel Bridge, along with the Grace Memorial and Silas N. Pearman before their destruction. Photo by Vince Streano. Story and Research by Pamela Gabriel. When the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge opened to traffic on July 16, 2005, it followed a weeklong celebration that rivaled the three days of festivities when the first Cooper River Bridge opened in 1929. … [Read more...]
The Muse is in Mount Pleasant: Local Artists Have a Labor of Love
Our beloved Lowcountry has a reputation of being an artistic city, brimming with poets, painters, writers, actors and other gifted individuals who are not only able to create a thing of beauty but spread the word and share the love with other artists. Here in Mount Pleasant and the surrounding islands, we've been bitten by the muse as well. I had the luxury of talking to just a … [Read more...]
Bird’s the Word: Chickens in Mount Pleasant
Many residents of Old Mount Pleasant are experiencing a movement of sorts. That movement is strutting around their backyards, pecking at the ground and delivering a vehement squawk or windy flap every now and again. Yes, I am speaking about chickens, living as closely as beyond your neighbor's fence if not in your own yard. These inner city hens actually are doing a world of … [Read more...]
Living Out of Doors: Lowcountry Life at its Best
The Lowcountry’s balmy, breeze-filled days give us the opportunity and the impetus to take full advantage of the steady stream of coastal sunshine. While folks in the Northeast are shoveling fluffy powder, we can be found on our patios, grilling kabobs and sipping margaritas. Several companies throughout Mount Pleasant are crafting outdoor spaces so divine, you’ll be tempted … [Read more...]
Warriors of Waste: Mount Pleasant’s Sanitation Workers
In communities great and small throughout this land, hosts of individuals and groups, both in the public and private sectors, labor tirelessly day in and day out to make our cities, towns, villages and hamlets work. These unsung heroes handle responsibilities we either cannot or choose not to handle for ourselves. In many instances, the men and women who perform these important … [Read more...]
Escaping Destruction: Surviving Hurricane Hugo
It’s been a quarter of a century since Hurricane Hugo pounded the Carolina coast, destroying everything unlucky enough to be in its path and forever etching memories good and bad in the minds of those who experienced its wrath and aftermath. Virtually everyone who was in the Lowcountry at the time and even some who weren’t can recall where they were and what they were doing … [Read more...]
Femme Fighting: Life on the Roller Derby Team
By Courtney O’Leary • aka Grace Smelly • #08 Taking a deep breath, I force myself to close my eyes and contain and control the growing nerves in the pit of my stomach. My palms are sweating and I swear my hands are trembling. I don’t get nervous often, but, right now, my entire body is humming with energy. My life as a stay-at-home mom in Mount Pleasant’s Old Village is a … [Read more...]
How Does Your Garden Grow? With a Team of East Cooper Residents
Life as a magazine writer and editor sometimes means imagining things in their prime that are still a little ways off. Take, for example, the day I visited the community garden at I'On on a January afternoon. It wasn't difficult to envision the mounds of dirt erupting for fresh vegetables and colorful flowers to burst forth, but for that particular day I had to use my mind's … [Read more...]
A Ride to Remember
I cornered my black Toyota sedan into the scenic I’On community one Saturday afternoon in June. Among the precariously-parked Range Rovers and Mercedes’ driven by distracted moms, I noticed the golf carts. They were everywhere. After nearly getting lost, I eventually pulled behind what is known around the neighborhood as “the Rolls Royce of golf carts.” It’s actually a golf … [Read more...]
Small Movements, Big Ideas – Clay Rice’s Many Art Forms
Clay Rice, a popular artist who resides on the Isle of Palms, travels all over the United States to create silhouettes – and he can snip a profile in as little as one minute. “I began cutting silhouettes and traveling to share them with others in 1982,” he told me over lunch at Triangle in Mount Pleasant. “From there, I began working with department stores, boutiques and toy … [Read more...]