6/25, full issue: On frugal fun, freedom and Carolina Day

FOCUS: Frugal ways to have some summertime fun

COMMENTARY, Brack: Don’t be gullible and let your freedoms slip away

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston RiverDogs

GOOD NEWS: New citizens to be sworn in June 26 at Middleton Place

WHAT WE LOVE: Food, beach, history and more

FEEDBACK:  Send us your thoughts

MYSTERY PHOTO:  Where it looks like Halloween all of the time

S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA:  Carolina Day recalls Battle of Sullivan’s Island

BROADUS:  Georgia Peaches

CALENDAR, June 25+:  History Fair set for July 7

FOCUS: Frugal ways to have some summertime fun at county parks

By Charleston County Parks  |  The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission is making it easy to find affordable fun for the whole family. The Frugal Fun campaign highlights more a dozen affordable recreational activities at various Charleston County Park locations this summer.

Visitors to the county parks can choose from a wide range of activities that are available for five dollars per person or less (park admission fees sometimes apply). Many activities are also offered free with park admission.

Low-cost Frugal Fun activities at Charleston County Parks include:

• Spectating ($1) or skating ($3) at SK8 Charleston skate park
• Renting bicycles at James Island County Park (JICP), Wannamaker County Park (WCP) or Palmetto Islands County Park (PICP) ($4 per hour, plus refundable deposit)*
• Renting a two-person pedal boat at JICP, WCP or PICP, or a kayak at JICP ($4 per half hour, plus refundable deposit)*
• Fishing at the Mount Pleasant or Folly Beach Pier ($3 for kids and seniors, $4 for active military, $5 for adults; equipment not included)
• Enjoying the kid-friendly Summer Entertainment Series, select dates through August, at James Island and Wannamaker County Parks ($5 per child or $4 in advance; chaperone free)
• Trying the archery range at Johns Island County Park ($1 admission per person; equipment not included)
• Exploring the equestrian and walking trails at Johns Island County Park ($1 per person or $5 with horse)
• Riding the mountain bike trails at the Wannamaker North Trail ($1 per person)

*Plus $2 park admission fee

Frugal Fun activities FREE with $2 per person park admission fee:

• Playing disc golf at JICP or WCP (equipment rental available for $5 fee)
• Taking Fido to enjoy running off leash at the dog parks at JICP, WCP or PICP
• Watching outdoor movies at Wannamaker County Park on Aug. 11
• Enjoying Yappy Hour and live music with your dog at James Island County Park on Sept. 13 or Oct. 11
• Cooling down at James Island County Park’s Spray Play and Wannamaker County Park’s Sprinkler
• Enjoying the playgrounds at JICP, WCP or PICP

For details on these activities, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com/FrugalFun or call 843-795-4386.

• Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com

BRACK: Don’t be gullible and let your freedoms slip away

Part of “Rockwell’s “Freedom from want”

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher  | Americans shouldn’t have to be reminded about core values.  But with all that’s roiling in Washington, let’s go back to the beginning.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident:  that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Those were Thomas Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776.  They’re filled with a courage found just days earlier on June 28 as South Carolina patriots defended a fort on Sullivan’s Island at the mouth of Charleston harbor from a massive land and sea attack by the British.  It was the first major patriot victory of the Revolutionary War. Word spread quickly and gave colonists the

“Freedom of speech”

courage to declare independence.

Through the years, that independent spirit forged values that became known as American all over the world — the continuing commitment to fairness and truth, the zeal to promote opportunity and the American dream through hard work, the passion of shared sacrifice to enhance the common good, an ongoing vow to do the right thing at home and abroad.  These ideals are intrinsically American, recognized in the image of America as the “shining city on a hill” as shared during presidencies from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan.

In a farewell address, Reagan shared the importance of America as the beacon of opportunity that began in the 1630s by John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony:

“In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.”

And now five presidents later comes Donald Trump, who plays fast and loose with the rules and truth, who is placing economically-disadvantageous tariffs on American goods that likely will dampen the growing economy, who so wants an expensive border wall that he split kids from their parents and tried to blame others.  As this president tweets with selfish abandon, Congress plods. Too often, the media play along, looking at whatever new shiny thing Trump holds in one hand while the other is used to obfuscate, dissemble and trample the hard work of millions of Americans, especially those who do not look like him.

“Freedom of worship”

We should be outraged, not gullible.  We must protect the freedoms, human rights and values  championed in a 1941 speech by President Franklin Roosevelt:

Freedom of speech and expression.  Today’s “fake news” is nonsense infecting the country and dampening this basic First Amendment freedom.  Americans should not put up with lies and misrepresentations of verifiable facts.

Freedom of religion for people to worship how they choose.   It is unacceptable and un-American to demagogue red-blooded Americans who observe religions other than Christianity.

Freedom from want.  Artist Norman Rockwell portrayed this freedom as an iconic Thanksgiving dinner.  Roosevelt called for “economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants.”

Freedom from fear.  Roosevelt framed this basic freedom as a reduction in armaments to reduce war and violence.  Today, it translates into quelling the nuclear arms race. Trump gets credit for engaging North Korea (although we worry he’s been played).  But he fans the flames of fear by killing an arms treaty to denuclearize Iran and, more recently, announcing the withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council.

“Freedom from fear”

America is a land of promise, a place that has thrived on shared sacrifice for the common good.   It’s hope and opportunity over deceit and greed. It’s love and helping others versus oppression and bigotry.  It’s about working out problems and moving forward, not embracing the sins of the past. It’s an ideal that freedom-loving people have aspired to since the days of Jefferson.

We need to move beyond an electorate that’s angry, a milquetoast Congress scared of its own shadow, out-of-control agencies and a president who struggles with truth daily.  Let’s not let the nattering nabobs of negativism, naysayers, greed-panderers and plutocrats fracture our shining city on the hill.  We must do better.

• Have a comment?  Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com

SPOTLIGHT:  Charleston RiverDogs

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. This issue’s featured underwriter is the Charleston RiverDogs, whose ballplayers had a great regular season.

The club celebrates its 25th season in 2018 (that’s 175 years in “Dog” years!!  Last year, the team had 77 wins and made its second consecutive postseason appearance in the playoffs. While the season is now over, it’s not long before the 2018 starts.

• Learn more about the RiverDogs.
• The 2018 season is underway!   Check out the 2018 schedule!
• The next home series is June 27 to June 29 when the RiverDogs take on the Rome Braves.

The Lowcountry’s leader in sports entertainment, Charleston RiverDogs baseball is an attractive, affordable medium for your group or business. The RiverDogs develop the next major league stars for the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees at one of the finest ballparks in Minor League Baseball — Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Three short words sum up the everyday approach taken by the Charleston RiverDogs front office. The brainchild of club President Emeritus Mike Veeck, the nine-letter phrase “Fun Is Good” is meant to be a guideline and daily reminder of how employees should approach their jobs and in turn capture the imagination of the fans to turn them into repeat customers.

GOOD NEWS: New citizens to be sworn in June 26 at Middleton Place

New citizens being sworn in during a 2013 ceremony in Mount Pleasant. (CC Archives)

Staff reports  |   A special June 26 naturalization ceremony at Middleton Place plantation in Charleston by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will welcome 50 of America’s newest citizens.

The  ceremony is part of USCIS’ annual Independence Day celebration. This year, USCIS   celebrates the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our nation’s birthday by welcoming more than 2,300 new U.S. citizens in more than 30 Independence Day-themed naturalization ceremonies across the country, according to a press release.

The Charleston ceremony will be 10 a.m. June 26 at the historic landmark, which is located at 4300 Ashley River Road in Charleston.

In other Good News:

Runoff races. Also  Tuesday, voters across the state will be asked to return to the polls to settle several runoff races.  Charleston County will have runoffs in three Republican races.  Here is a list of candidates on ballots this week:

• Republican runoff for attorney general: S.C. Rep. Todd Atwater and incumbent Alan Wilson;
• Republican runoff for governor: incumbent Henry McMaster and Greenville businessman John Warren; and
• Republican runoff for S.C. House District 110: C. Rep. William Cogswell and challenger Russell Guerard.

About voting:  If you voted earlier this month in the Republican primary, you can vote in the runoff elections.  If you voted in the Democratic primary, you can’t vote.   If you didn’t vote in either primary, you can vote June 26.  See all candidates in runoffs.

Launch of Palmer Club.  Congratulations to the Charleston Gaillard Center for a successful launch of its new Palmer Club, a new network of young community leaders who are  joining together to experience the performing arts through a selection of exclusive programs, events, tours, receptions and more.  Membership is just $99 per year for young professionals.  Click here to learn more | Read about the June 21 launch here.

Hurd portrait.  The Charleston County Public Library last week unveiled a portrait of Cynthia Graham Hurd to honor the 31-year library employee who died in the Emanuel AME church shooting in June 2015. Hurd was manager of the St. Andrews Regional branch at the time of her death.  The portrait, unveiled at the Cynthia Graham Hurd/St. Andrews Regional Library,  was funded by the Charleston Friends of the Library.  Noted the organization’s executive director, Brittany Mathis, ““Cynthia Graham Hurd had a lifelong love of reading and learning and shared that with everyone.”

Metros dominate U.S. economic growth. Columbia produces the most goods in terms of dollars than any other metropolitan area in South Carolina, according to a new report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In 2017, Columbia had $41.6 billion in gross product versus $40.7 billion in gross product by Charleston-North Charleston. The report warned that labor shortages could end the economic joyride, however (see our main story for how the state’s hospitality industry is facing a crisis). Read the report here.

WHAT WE LOVE:  Food, beach, history and more

Jennifer Cashel of Charleston loves a lot about the area, as she recently shared:

“The delicious flavoring of food. Having a cold drink from the beach and laying a hammock under Folly pier, watching the moon’s reflection on the waves. Always a breeze off the Atlantic.

“Our historic district, preserved architecture–history encapsulated by art and beauty all by the water. Tall sailboats peeking out of the morning fog. Flame entryways blazing at night beneath the hanging Spanish moss. A strong sense of family community in James Island and a great educational system overall.”

Thanks Jennifer.  We couldn’t agree more!

• Tell us what you love.  Send a short comment – 50 words to 100 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.
• Click here to tell us what you love.

FEEDBACK:  Send us your thoughts

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.

MYSTERY PHOTO:  Where it looks like Halloween all of the time

Here’s a spooky picture for a sun-splashed June.  Where is it in South Carolina?  Send your best guess – plus your name and hometown – to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.  In the subject line, write: “Mystery Photo guess.” (If you don’t include your contact information, we can’t give you credit!)

Last issue’s mystery

More people correctly guessed the location of our June 18 mystery than any mystery in recent memory.  For serious history buffs, it was a little easier than usual.  The photo was a closeup of Drayton Hall along Ashley River Road in Charleston.

Congratulations to this week’s outstanding sleuths:  David Savard, Rebecca Manning Davis, Stephen Yetman and Jim McMahan, all of Charleston; Ross Lenhart of Pawleys Island; Bill Segars of Hartsville; Paul Hedden of James Island; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Deborah Getter of Johns Island; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant; Michael Kaynard and Kristina Wheeler, both of West Ashley

Graf, as usual, provided some context for the photo:  “According to draytonhall.org, ‘little is known about John Drayton’s life prior to purchasing the tract of land in 1738 on which he would construct Drayton Hall. Born into one of South Carolina’s leading colonial families around 1715, Drayton is virtually absent from the public record until his purchase of the property. His wealth was facilitated by the institution of slavery. While no documents survive from this period to provide the exact number of enslaved individuals owned by John Drayton, he owned more than 100 commercial plantations totaling approximately 76,000 acres of land, and the figure is likely in the thousands.”

• 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: Carolina Day recalls Battle of Sullivan’s Island

Engraving shows British ships firing on Fort Sullivan in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.  Engraving via the Library of Congress.

S.C. Encyclopedia  |  The Battle of Sullivan’s Island was the first major patriot victory in the Revolutionary War. In February 1776, after British plans to capture Charleston were revealed, South Carolina patriots began construction of a fort on Sullivan’s Island close to the main shipping channel at the mouth of Charleston harbor. Colonel William Moultrie was given command of the island’s forces and ordered to supervise the fort’s construction.

The unnamed fort was to be a square with five-hundred-foot-long walls and a bastion at each corner. It was built of thousands of palmetto trees cut to make two parallel log walls sixteen feet apart and more than ten feet high. The space between the walls was filled with sand. By late June only the two walls and bastions facing the channel were complete; thirty-one cannons were in place, and fewer than four hundred soldiers garrisoned the incomplete fort. At the other end of Sullivan’s Island, three hundred soldiers were positioned at Breach Inlet to block the British from crossing from Long Island (Isle of Palms) and attacking the fort from the rear.

A British fleet, which arrived on June 1, included nine men-of-war mounting almost three hundred cannons. On June 8 a British surrender demand was rejected, and the next day British infantrymen landed on Long Island. On June 28 the British ships advanced to attack the Sullivan’s Island fort. By 11:30 a.m. six warships were in position and opened fire. The fort’s guns soon responded. Not long after the bombardment began, three more British warships attempted to move into position between Sullivan’s Island and the mainland, fire into the fort’s unprotected rear, and block patriot troops from reinforcing the fort. But the movement failed when all three ran aground on the sandbanks in the harbor’s mouth. Two later freed themselves, while the third remained hard aground.

The bombardment continued into the evening, but the fort withstood the pounding from the British heavy guns. Its palmetto-log and sand walls absorbed the solid shot and shells, resulting in little structural damage. At the same time, patriot rounds tore into the wooden warships. During the afternoon when the British on Long Island attempted to cross Breach Inlet, patriots on Sullivan’s Island were able to turn them back.

At 9:00 p.m. the British ceased their attack and pulled out of the fort’s range. Several warships had been damaged, and more than two hundred sailors were casualties. Inside the fort fewer than forty patriots had suffered the same fate. The next day the British set the grounded ship on fire, which exploded when the flames reached the powder magazine. The British soon withdrew, leaving Charleston free from attack until 1780.

Shortly after the battle, the fort was named Fort Moultrie in honor of its commander. Fort Moultrie is administered as part of Fort Sumter National Monument, a unit of the National Park Service.

Today, South Carolinians remember the Battle of Sullivan’s Island as “Carolina Day” every June 28.

• Eight things to know about Carolina Day, by Jeff Quinton

— Excerpted from an entry by Richard W. Hatcher III.   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.)

BROADUS:  Georgia peaches

The flavor of summer, for many, may be sweet, juicy, fresh peaches.  Editor and publisher Andy Brack snapped this photo last week in the Georgia mountains at a fruit and vegetable mecca, Jaemor Farms in Alto, Ga. And yes, the peaches were as tasty as advertised!

• Editor’s Note: “Broadus” is a Gullah-Geechee word from the Carolina and Georgia coast that means “something given as a bonus.”
• Have a neat picture? Send it to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com

CALENDAR, June 25+:  History Fair to return July 7 to Magnolia Gardens

Staff reports  |  Want to explore local history and meet the people who promote and preserve it? If so, visit the 6^thannual History Fair on July 7 at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.

The free fair is features well-known organizations in education, religion, social services, the arts and tourism, including the planned International African American Museum at Gadsden’s Wharf where nearly 40 percent of the captured West Africans brought to Charleston first stepped on American soil.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’ll have an opportunity to meet representatives of 34 historic groups. The event is designed for amateur and serious historians and children who want to touch the past.  Among those available are storyteller Kitty Wilson-Evans, who portrays an 18th century enslaved worker named Kessie; master brick maker Rick Owens will demonstrate early brick-making techniques near the Peacock Café; and a presentation on living history by the Slave Dwelling Project’s Joseph McGill, Magnolia’s history consultant.

The History Fair will also be a time to show appreciation for South Carolina’s public and private school teachers and college and university faculty. Magnolia will offer free garden admission on July 7 to teachers and their immediate family. Valid identification is required. While the fair is free, guests who purchase the $20 general admission to the gardens will have access to a storyteller, brick maker and a living history program.

• For more information and a list of the presenters, go to magnoliaplantation.com.

Also on the Calendar:

Disconnected: Works by Christine Bush Roman: Now through Aug. 5, City Gallery, 14 Prioleau St., Charleston.  The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs will present this show in which the artist combines transfer techniques with painting, drawing and collage to give glimpses into the intricate and contradictory nature of modern life.  The works explore postpartum depression, mental illness, and a life out of balance, while examining the web of issues that lead to detachments from one another and the natural world. More: www.charleston-sc.gov/citygallery.

Uncle Sam Jam: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., July 4, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant.  Get your tickets early! Celebrate the Fourth of July on the Mount Pleasant Pier! Dance to Carolina beach and party music performed by Ellen Drive, at an excellent venue for viewing fireworks displays throughout the Lowcountry. Beverages will be available for purchase. Outside alcohol, beverages and coolers are strictly prohibited. Tickets $8 in advance and are limited; advance purchase is recommended.  More.

Music Under the Oaks: 11 a.m. on July 7 and Aug. 4, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, 1254 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant.  On June 2, NIA Productions will feature African drumming and dance; On July 4, the show will feature singer Ann Caldwell while the Plantation Singers will perform Aug. 4.  Bring sunscreen and insect repellant.

Historic Charleston house tours.  10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., every Tuesday through Aug. 7 at the Nathaniel Russel House, 51 Meeting St., Charleston, and every Thursday through Aug. 9 at the Aiken-Rhett House, 48 Elizabeth St.  To learn more about the event and fees, click here.

TEDxCharleston:  The annual day of ideas in Charleston is accepting applications through August 27  for participants to speak or perform on issues related to the theme for April 10, 2019: Currents.  The theme will explore “What trends are rising to the surface? How are science, art, culture and conversation making waves and evolving to meet the needs of future communities? What changes are happening that parallel and challenge our history?”  Learn more  |
sign up.

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: The  Charleston Farmers Market, is back in action from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday through Nov. 24 at Marion Square.  A holiday market will be open Dec. 1, 2, 8. 9, 15 and 16.

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.

SATURDAYS: The Town Market on James Island are again open.  Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday at the James Island Youth Soccer Club, 871 Fort Johnson Road, James Island.

TUESDAYS:  The Town of Mount Pleasant’s Farmers Market is every Tuesday from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the market pavilion at Moultrie Middle School, 645 Coleman Blvd, in Mount Pleasant.

WEDNESDAYS.  The West Ashley Farmers Market, 55 Sycamore Ave.,  is open every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  in Ackerman Park.  More.

THURSDAYS.  The Sullivan’s Island Farmers Market, 1921 I’On Avenue, is 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. through June 28.

• If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to charlestoncurrents@gmail.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.

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Charleston Currents is an underwriter-supported weekly online journal of good news about the Charleston area and Lowcountry of South Carolina.

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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 photographer: Michael Kaynard
• Contributing editor, careers: Ben Fanning
• Contributing editor, common good, Fred Palm
• Contributing editor, money: Kyra Morris
• Contributing editor, Palmetto Poem: Marjory Wentworth

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