GOOD NEWS: Documentary about turtles wins local film festival

(photo credit: D. Weintraub)

The winner of the 6^th annual Charleston Film Festival was David Weintraub’s Call of the Ancient Mariner, a documentary that follows the power that sea turtles have held over man for thousands of years.

The documentary, which will open for a limited run at the Terrace Theater on James Island on May 29, was filmed at several locations, including Kiawah, Seabrook and Isle of Palms

Organizers say they the film will be shown for at least a week because they believe “film festivals are for the movie-going public and those movies celebrated at our festival deserve to reach as broad and diverse audience as possible.  Every year, the Terrace looks forward to this unique set up.    Call of the Ancient Mariner is sure to be a crowd-pleasing film.” Learn more here.

Weintraub is expected to be at the May 29 opening to meet viewers and answer questions after the screening. More details and show times.

Forums to be held this week on new West Ashley senior center

The City of Charleston and Liollio Architecture will two community forums on Tuesday and Wednesday about the new senior center in West Ashley. There will be a brief presentation about the project followed by time for participants to provide feedback on various topics.

• Tuesday, May 19, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Bees Landing Recreation Center, 1580 Ashley Garden Blvd, which is located in the Grand Oaks subdivision on Bees Ferry Road.
• Wednesday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., St. Francis Hospital, Mall Classrooms, 2095 Henry Tecklenburg Blvd.

According to a press release, the Senior Center will be built on the campus of Roper/St. Francis Hospital off of Glenn McConnell Highway and will be approximately 15,000 sf. The City of Charleston will build and own the building, while Roper St. Francis will staff and operate it.

The building is planned to include areas for fitness and aerobics, arts and crafts, cards and games. There will also be dividable multi-purpose rooms, a small kitchen, and an outside walking path. Liollio Architects will design the building. They have extensive experience in designing senior and community centers.

Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2016.

Local poetry contest winners hail from New York, Indiana

Stacy Pratt, an assistant professor of English at Jefferson State University of New York in Watertown, won first place in the adult division of the second annual Garden of Romance Poetry Contest, sponsored by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The prize for his poem, “A Soldier’s Wife at Magnolia,” was $500.

The other winning entries in the adult division are Paula S. Osborn of Johns Island, S.C., second place, $300, “Magnolia,” and Brian Slusher, of Greenville, S.C., third place, $200, “On Blackwater.”

In the youth division, Lauren Koch, a student at Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Ind., received the first-place prize with “At the Garden of Magnolia.” She won an iPad. The other winning entries in the youth division are Ashley Spoleti, of Mount Sinai, N.Y., second place, $200, “The Garden That Brings Love,” and C.J. Cleland, Ridgeland, S.C., third place, $100, “The Beautiful Gardens of Magnolia.”

Entries in the adult division were judged by Katrina Murphy, vice president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina, and Dr. Jacquelyn Markham, an award-winning poet. Youth division poems were judged by Donna Adams, reference and young adult librarian, Otranto Road Regional Library in North Charleston, and Willette Wilkins, creative writing teacher, North Charleston Cultural Arts Department.

Magnolia is America’s last large-scale romantic-style garden. The contest was open to poems that emulate the style of romance poets William Wordsworth, Ashley Tennyson and Percy Bysshe Shelley. More than 120 poems were submitted between Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 and March 31. The winning poems are posted at magnoliaplantation.com.

June knife-sharpening event will help local charity

Have some dull knives and want to help a local charity at the same time? Mosey over to The Coastal Cupboard from June 11 to June 14 and you can get knives sharpened for $1 each and help the store raise $5,000 for East Cooper Meals on Wheels.

In five previous knife-sharpening events, the store has raised more than $30,000 for the charity.

“We are celebrating our 10-year anniversary this year, so we want to make a huge impact with this event to thank the community for their amazing support over the years,” said store owner Brad Pitner. “It only takes four sharpened knives to feed one person for a day. Our goal is to raise $5,000, which will feed 1,250 people with food for a day.”

Celebrating its 30th year, East Cooper Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals twice a day, seven days a week, to homebound residents in the East Cooper area.

“Our mission is to keep people in the comfort of their own home,” said Chris Brooks, director of community development of ECMOW.

• For more details, plus tips on ways to transport your knives safely to and from the event, visit www.thecoastalcupboard.com.