FOCUS: Dining with Friends returns to the Lowcountry in 2019
COMMENTARY, Brack: Pay our teachers better
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston International Airport
PHOTO ESSAY: Christmas vacation … in Vienna
GOOD NEWS: Share your legislative priorities in new reader survey
FEEDBACK: Do you have any opinions? Send them to us
MYSTERY PHOTO: A Lowcountry building decked out for the holidays
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Park Seed Company
CALENDAR: Still time to get your jingle on
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our next issue will be Dec. 31. Have a good holiday season.
FOCUSFOCUS: Dining With Friends returns to the Lowcountry in 2019
By Jason Kirk, special to Charleston Currents | Dining With Friends is back, and party hosts all over Charleston couldn’t be more excited. On Jan. 19, 2019, hundreds of people around the greater Charleston community will host dinner parties in their homes, churches or workplaces as part of a massive fundraising effort to support the work of Palmetto Community Care.
Kirk
Party hosts and their guests will then gather together for a Grand Finale celebration with drinks, desserts and dancing at Memminger Auditorium.
The great thing about this event is it’s a low-stress commitment for party hosts. They don’t have to worry about “asking their friends for money” – the invitations provided will do all the work. Hosts just fill out their specific party information on the pre-printed invitation and send them to their friends. We’ll also have electronic invitations and online fundraising tools available for our tech-savvy friends.
We know the community has missed Dining With Friends as we hear from so many past hosts and guests who have such fond memories of this wonderful event. We’re really pleased to bring back one of Charleston’s favorite and most unique fundraising events.
And when it comes to the actual dinner – anything goes! Host a potluck, a backyard barbecue or a black-tie affair. This event is all about gathering for friends and raising money for a great cause. All donations received will benefit Palmetto Community Care and its work providing complete compassionate HIV care plus prevention education to the greater Charleston area. The money raised stays right here in the Lowcountry to support neighbors living with HIV and AIDS as well as to fight the rising HIV infection rates in our community.
Funding also supports new initiatives launched in 2018:
- A PrEP program that provides those at risk for HIV with access to medication that can prevent HIV.
- The new Truesdale Medical Center in North Charleston, a community leader in innovative, high-quality medical care for people living with HIV. This center also provides primary care for non-HIV patients, making it a valuable medical resource for an underserved community.
- Our mobile testing van that allows us to reach rural areas and people who may not have access to transportation.
Dining With Friends is much more than a dinner. It really is an opportunity for the community to come together and make a real and lasting difference in the lives of so many. We hope you’re as excited as we are about the return of this hallmark Charleston fundraiser.
Sign up now to be a Dining With Friends Host. Additional information and the sign-up form are available at www.palmettocommunitycare.org/DWF. Hosts will receive their invitation and party information packet no later than Dec. 21.
Jason Kirk is director of development and marketing for Palmetto Community Care. For questions about how to get involved in Dining With Friends, email Jason at jkirk@palmettocare.org.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
BRACK: Pay our teachers better
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | This should be a no-brainer for state legislators: If you want to have better teachers, you have to provide a better salary.
South Carolina has been failing its teachers, students and parents for years. Over the last eight years, the General Assembly has steered $4 billion less to public education than state law requires. If you want to know why we keep showing up at the bottom, trying to get education on the cheap is the biggest reason of all.
Investing in education is a conservative strategy. If you pay some now, you won’t have to pay more later because you’ll get contributing taxpayers, not unemployed and underemployed citizens who are a drag on the system and need an array of social services.
Unfortunately in South Carolina, teachers are leaving the profession in droves. In the last year or so, one in 10 public school teachers – about 5,000 teachers — left the classroom, driven away by comparatively low pay, long hours, burdensome paperwork, the culture of teaching to standardized tests, lax school discipline, lack of respect, and too little support from parents and administrators. Yes, the teaching climate is a big, old mess, thanks to underfunding and bureaucracy.
Earlier this year, teachers’ frustration in West Virginia led to a chaotic strike that eventually produced a 5-percent pay raise. The movement spread to other states, including South Carolina, where teachers started new organizing efforts to be ready to face off with state legislators in 2019.
Fortunately, South Carolina legislators have a lifeline as a teachers’ mutiny gains steam: The state has a $1 billion surplus brought on by growth and other factors. When lawmakers return to Columbia in January, they have a pot of money that includes almost $460 million of recurring dollars to spend to make up for years of institutional underfunding.
In other words, members of the General Assembly can pay teachers more, avoid an embarrassing public hullabaloo and keep schools moving, all without a tax increase. It’s a no-brainer. A 5-percent pay hike would cost $155 million. It would stanch the flow of teachers out of the profession and pay them the Southeastern average. Yes, that’s still average, but it’s better than continuing to ignore the problem. (As a side note, we also advocate paying state employees more with surplus funds; a 2-percent hike would cost $40 million.)
But the consequences of doing nothing – something generally pretty easy for state legislators – is dire. Not only would failing to provide a teacher pay hike squander an enormous opportunity, but it would impact parents – voters – who can expect to have their kids at home more in the spring. Why? Because without a pay hike, it is a foregone conclusion that our teachers will strike for better pay and conditions. That’s how bad morale has gotten. Teachers are about at the breaking point now.
Sumter County teacher Brandon Graves highlighted his situation in an interview this week with The State newspaper: “I have roommates. I drive a car with 115,000 miles on it. I coach track to earn extra, and I still have to pay for (supplies) out of my own budget.”
None of that is right. Teachers should be celebrated, as they were in past generations, not forced to have another job or two to make ends meet. Teachers like Graves are committed to their students, but they can only take so much.
So it’s encouraging now to see discussions and pre-filed bills that call for a Teachers’ Bill of Rights, which includes a commitment to a pay raise and better working conditions.
But make no mistake about the future: If teachers continue to be taken for granted, more will leave the profession and our bottom-of-the-barrel education system will be worse, not better.
South Carolina’s education system is at a crossroads. Don’t miss a golden opportunity. Pay teachers better or suffer long-term consequences that will relegate some of our children to third-world conditions.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
SPOTLIGHT: Charleston International Airport
Today we shine a spotlight on Charleston International Airport, which provides a first impression of the Charleston metropolitan area to over 4 million passengers a year who visit for business and leisure activities. One of three public airports operated by the Charleston County Aviation Authority, Charleston International Airport is committed to providing an unparalleled passenger experience while continuing efforts to support economic development for the Lowcountry and State of South Carolina.
Eight airlines currently serve Charleston International Airport, which have jobs that create more than $200 million in income for workers in the region. Visiting passengers also spend about $450 million a year directly in area businesses, which sustains an estimated 6,000 jobs locally. The total economic impact of the Charleston International Airport is over $1 billion dollars to the Lowcountry and State of South Carolina.
- To learn more about Charleston International Airport, please visit iflyCHS.com.
- To meet all of our underwriters, click here.
Christmas vacation … in Vienna
Charleston resident Cynthia Bledsoe sent along these great photos after jetting recently to Vienna to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the holiday season.
Thanks, Cynthia. We hope our readers enjoy these pictures as much as we did – and we hope everyone has a happy yuletide.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
GOOD NEWS: Share your legislative priorities in new reader survey
Staff reports | Our sister publication, Statehouse Report, on Friday highlighted what lawmakers want to do in the 2019 legislative session in this news story. But we’d like to give you a chance to sound off about your priorities.
Therefore, we encourage you to take a 10-question survey to share your thoughts on the state’s challenges and priorities. The survey provides an opportunity for you to rank major issues and to provide us with information that we can share with you and legislators.
The deadline to complete the survey is Dec. 19. We’ll provide results in a coming issue. Your answers will be anonymous unless you provide your contact information to us, as outlined in the survey. Thank you.
Also in Good News:
Big month. The S.C. Ports Authority had its strongest November in history with 15 percent growth over the previous November, according to a news release. The port handled 188,585 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in November. SCPA has moved 985,981 TEUs across the docks of its Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals since the fiscal year began in July, an increase of 11 percent over the same period last year.
Something fishy. Charleston is ranked second in the nation on the list of fishing cities, according to FishingBooker, the world’s largest website for booking fishing charters. Other larger cities at the top: Boston (1), San Francisco (3), Corpus Christi (4) and Minneapolis/St. Paul (5).
Drilling lawsuit. The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) has filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of allowing seismic testing for oil exploration and drilling on behalf of 16 coastal municipalities and the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce. “I am disappointed that National Marine Fisheries Service authorized serious impacts to the critically endangered right whale, along with hundreds of thousands of other species of marine life, in order to allow for unnecessary seismic blasting,” said SCELP executive Director Amy Armstrong. The coast has spoken loudly and repeatedly against seismic airgun surveying and offshore drilling. But the current administration refuses to listen. I hope that the courts agree with us that this activity would be unnecessary and illegal.”
New lawyers. Congratulations to 47 students at the Charleston School of Law who graduated Saturday after a lot of hard work. Since the first class of graduates in 2007, the school has graduated almost 2,000 students with law degrees.
Big gift. Thanks to William Means Real Estate for donating $10,000 during the holidays to the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Health pediatric palliative care program, which will fund research to help families and children at the end of their lives.
FEEDBACKUpbeat issue that provides great information
To the editor:
Your Currents today (12/10) was VERY upbeat and I am excited to see an update on the progress of the bus transit concept running up and down Rivers Avenue!
Twenty years ago when I worked downtown at The Post and Courier, my drive home was smooth until traffic started backing up with cars heading to Summerville. That slowdown usually happened about when I was turning off on Remount to go home in Hanahan.
Now only two decades later, that bumper-to-bumper congestion at quitting time extends all the way back to downtown most days of the week. Yeah, glad to hear something is in the works!
— Chuck Boyd, Hanahan, S.C.
We haven’t heard from you lately; Send us your thoughts
We’d love to get your impact in one or more ways:
Send us a letter: We love hearing from readers. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information. Send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. | Read our feedback policy.
Tell us what you love about the Lowcountry. Send a short comment – 100 words to 150 words – that describes something you really enjoy about the Lowcountry. It can be big or small. It can be a place, a thing or something you see. It might the bakery where you get a morning croissant or a business or government entity doing a good job. We’ll highlight your entry in a coming issue of Charleston Currents. We look forward to hearing from you.
MYSTERYMYSTERY: A Lowcountry building decked out for the holidays
This week’s mystery comes to us from a loyal reader who said the building almost screams Christmas – even without the wreathes on the front of the building. Hint: It’s in the greater Lowcountry area and we expect it might be a tough one. Send your guess to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Dec. 10 mystery, “Clues in photo might give away where it is,” had enough clues to get a lot of correct guesses from alert readers. They knew the photo showed the Charleston Maritime Center along the bank of the Cooper River near the S.C. Aquarium.
A hearty holiday congratulations with sugar plums to these fine sleuths: Chris Brooks and Carroll Schweers, both of Mount Pleasant; Chalmers Mikell of Orangeburg; Adam Collias, Justin White and Archie Burkel, all of James Island; Diane Scher, Carol Fishman, James McMahan, Mike Sottak, Kristina Wheeler and Kerry Pate, all of Charleston; Chuck Boyd of Hanahan; Roger Kirby of Johns Island; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Zach Story of North Charleston.
Burkel provided more context: “I believe the building is technically called “The Maritime Center.” It is the area from which sightseeing boats pick up and drop off passengers. Its outside area is often used as an event venue. Offices pertaining to maritime issues are on the second floor, along with a room for large meetings.”
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
HISTORY: Park Seed Company
S.C. Encyclopedia | Founded in 1868 by George Watt Park, Park Seed Company is an example of true American ingenuity. It started when Park, then fifteen years old, gathered seeds from his mother’s Pennsylvania garden and sold them to his neighbors. From this beginning, Park started Park’s Floral Magazine, which eventually had a circulation of more than 1 million and the Park catalog, which grew to more than 5 million in circulation.
Mary Barratt, whose family lived in what is now South Greenwood, was a county home-demonstration agent who wrote Park asking for some free seeds. He replied that he could not give away his seed, but he could give free advice. Thus began a two-year correspondence that ended with Park’s coming to South Carolina, where he married Barratt in 1918.
Today Park Seed Company uses not just catalogs, but also the Internet to bring annual flowers, vegetables, perennial plants, bulbs, and gardening supplies to American gardeners. The company is known for being first with new varieties and for having one of the most extensive listings of flowers and vegetables of any retail gardening company in the United States. In 1975 Park extended its product line by purchasing Wayside Gardens, a nursery catalog that sells shrubs, trees, hardy perennials, and bulbs. This made Park seed the largest family-owned retail gardening company in the country.
The Park Gardens, located north of Greenwood on Highway 254, are the largest trial grounds in the Southeast. Though open to the public year round, they are at their peak in June and July, with thousands of flowers, hundreds of vegetables, and scores of container plants.
— Excerpted from an entry by Karen Park Jennings. This entry hasn’t been updated since 2006. To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The South Carolina Encyclopedia, published in 2006 by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)
ON THE CALENDARCALENDAR: Still time to get your jingle on
Staff reports | The Johns Island Farmers Market will hold a special holiday market Dec. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to provide great local wares and goods to purchase plus fun festivities to celebrate the season. Location: Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island.
You’ll be able to find those final gifts that are one-of-a-kind from local creators who are doing the right thing. There will be food, beer, games, pony rides and even soap-making classes. More info is online here.
Also on the Calendar:
Gaillard holiday events. These holiday events are headed to the Charleston Gaillard Center, including the School of the Arts Symphony and Singers on Dec. 17, Vienna Boys Choir on Dec. 21 and Charleston Symphony Holiday Pops on Dec. 22. Learn more here.
A Christmas Carol: Performances through Dec. 18, Dock Street Theatre, Charleston. Audiences say the holiday performance is the best way to start the Christmas season. Presented by Charleston Stage, the holiday favorite returns with the company’s imaginative take on the Dickens classic. Tickets are $29 to $70.
Charleston Christmas Special: Several shows through Dec. 23, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St., Charleston. Producers Brad and Jennifer Moranz have worked all year to create a brand-new holiday show that’s nothing short of spectacular. Tickets are on sale now.
Holiday Festival of Lights. The Holiday Festival of Lights is in full swing at James Island County Park every evening through Jan. 1, 2019. This spectacular light show, now in its 29th year, is one of Charleston’s most beloved holiday events, featuring an estimated two million shimmering lights. The Holiday Festival of Lights is every evening at 5:30 p.m. nightly and closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. More info: http://www.HolidayFestivalofLights.com
Guevara art show: Through Jan. 11, 2019 (Tuesdays through Saturdays), Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., Charleston. Redux will present new work by fiber artist Camela Guevara in a show titled “Care Work.” Click to learn more.
MLK tribute concert: 5 p.m., Jan. 19, St. Matthew Baptist Church, 2005 Reynolds Ave., North Charleston. The City of North Charleston Cultural Affairs Department will sponsor a free concert by Lowcountry Voices to honor the memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and singer Aretha Franklin.
Chaplin/Amble art show: Through Jan. 31, 2019, North Charleston City Gallery at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston. Paintings by the current City of North Charleston Artist-in-Residence Quintin Chaplin, as well as photographs by local artist Richard Amble will be on exhibit More.
Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw: 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session. Registration not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
AREA FARMERS MARKETS
SATURDAYS: Johns Island Farmers Market operates each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round with more than 50 local farmers and vendors, food trucks, music and more. The market is located on the campus of Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island.
- If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.
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OUR TEAM
Charleston Currents 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.
- Mailing address: O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413
- Phone: 670.3996
Charleston Currents is provided to you weekly by:
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Contributing editor, common good, Fred Palm
- Contributing editor, money: Kyra Morris
- Contributing editor, Palmetto Poem: Marjory Wentworth
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© 2008-2018, Statehouse Report, LLC. All rights reserved. Charleston Currents is published every Monday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261, Charleston, SC 29413.
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