GOOD NEWS: Dress up, but don’t wear spaghetti

Nuovo Italiano Cinema Film Festival will host a fun spaghetti Western fundraiser April 9 to support the festival that brings contemporary Italian films to Charleston every fall.

You’re encouraged to wear Western gear at the April 9 event on Cannon Green, 103 Spring Street in Charleston, and watch a movie classic — C’era Una Volta Il West (Once Upon a Time in the West). Prizes will be awarded for best costume. The event also will feature a silent auction, Italian and Mexican cuisine, and festive music.

“We are looking forward to hosting the community this year at the beautiful Cannon Green with a spaghetti Western fundraiser that will transport our guests back into the days of this famous film genre,” says Giovanna De Luca, the festival’s creative director and an Italian professor at the College of Charleston. “The spaghetti western genre is one that symbolically ties together Italy and America. A derivative of the American western, the spaghetti western is beloved and appreciated in both countries.”

Tickets for the event are $65 before March 27 via College of Charleston online Marketplace, (http://secure.touchnet.com/C20590_ustores/web/), or $75 at the door.

More good news:

This oil-covered bottle washed up on a Gulf Coast beach after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy. Photo by Andy Brack

More against drilling. The town of James Island became the state’s seventh community Thursday to pass resolutions opposing offshore drilling and the use of seismic airguns to search for oil and gas deposits offshore. On March 24, the cities of Charleston and Myrtle Beach will consider similar resolutions. In addition to James Island, these coastal communities have passed anti-drilling resolutions: Beaufort, Edisto Island, Folly Beach, Hilton Head Island, Isle of Palms and Port Royal.

• Learn more about the issue in this column by Hamilton Davis in our sister publication, Statehouse Report.

Howdy. A big welcome to bevello, a Raleigh-based women’s boutique that opened Friday on King Street in downtown Charleston. The store, located between H&M and Steve Madden at 285 King Street, will offer a three-hour grand opening starting at 5 p.m. April 9. Customers will get 20 percent off and enjoy free cupcakes, make-up and more. The new location is the chain’s 26th store and third in South Carolina. Says founder and CEO Chan Namgong: “Charleston has everything that I love — great culture, food, art, weather and retail. We cherry-pick our merchandise from the best brands out there. Our buyers do a great job of understanding what our clients want and, of course, our friendly staff is what sets us apart.” More.

Winners. Hats off to David Weintraub’s “Call of the Ancient Mariner,” which won the top prize and best film at the recent 6^th annual Terrace Charleston Film Festival. Much of the filming of the movie, which follows the power that sea turtles have had for centuries over mankind, was filmed in the county’s coastal communities. Honorable mention went to “America Street,” by Travis Pearson. Best short film went to “Bills Bad Day,” by Brent Ebell.

Need tax help? Check with your local library for the closest location with free tax help.

Big check. Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union employees held bake sales, had employee luncheon and gave donations to support the March of Dimes. Combined with a sponsorship from the credit union, the organization gave $8,900 recently to the charity.

“We are thrilled to have surpassed our goal for this year,” commented Jim McDaniel, Heritage Trust President/CEO. “This organization touches so many lives throughout the Lowcountry and we are proud to support such a worthy cause.”

Heritage Trust employees will celebrate their fundraising success with thousands of community members at the March of Dimes signature event, the March for Babies on April 25^th in Cannon Park.

For more information about the March for Babies event, any of the services provided by the March of Dimes or how you can participate simply visit marchforbabies.org. To find out more about the March of Dimes in our state, visit www.marchofdimes.org/southcarolina.