9/17, full issue: Restoring power; Thanking public servants; More

FOCUS, photos:  Santee Cooper crews work hard to restore power

COMMENTARY, Brack: Be thankful for South Carolina’s public servants

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.

GOOD NEWS:  It missed us

FEEDBACK: On a national campaign for more civics in schools

MYSTERY PHOTO:  A different kind of 21 Club

S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Indigo

CALENDAR: Sign up to host a Lowcountry On the Table gathering

FOCUS, photo essay:  Santee Cooper crews work hard to restore power

Myrtle Beach crews cut trees to pull them off lines off 48th avenue. (Photos courtesy of Santee Cooper.)

Staff reports  |  Electrical power started popping off early Saturday as Hurricane Florence lingered, dumping rain throughout eastern North Carolina, the Grand Strand and Pee Dee.  More than a million reportedly lost power in North Carolina.  In South Carolina in Santee Cooper’s retail service area, more than 50,000 customers lost power in the storm.

But the utility’s crews, ready for days to jump into action, quickly got to work to restore service to homes and 21 transmission delivery points, most of which were in the North Myrtle Beach-Little River region, according to spokesman Mollie Gore.

Crews, who battled foul weather and wind for hours, were able to turn on the lights to 48,000 customers by Sunday afternoon – a huge effort after a huge storm.

“We are down to the detail work, mostly, at the point – the damages that impact small groups of customers at the end of lines,” Gore said Sunday afternoon.  “And so the numbers will drop more slowly than they have been. But crews will remain out until everyone is restored.”

Below are some photos, provided by Santee Cooper, of what crews faced as they worked to get power to return after the storm.  We thought seeing the photos would make the impact of the storm more understandable.

In misty weather in Moncks Corner, crew trucks roll out early Saturday headed to work in the Grand Strand.

Transmission workers use a Marsh Master to access a damaged pole in the Great Pee Dee Swamp near Mullins, Sunday morning.

Distribution lineworkers replace a cross arm on U.S. Highway 17 near the former Air Force base in Myrtle Beach, late Saturday evening.

Myrtle Beach crews at work near 48th Avenue in Myrtle Beach.

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

BRACK: Be thankful for South Carolina’s public servants

Santee Cooper line workers stocked trucks in Myrtle Beach on Thursday before arrival of Hurricane Florence.  Photo provided by Santee Cooper.

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher  |  Just as we are grateful for America’s men and women in the military, now is the time to thank the thousands of South Carolina’s public servants who make our state safer in this and other storms.

Ahead of Hurricane Florence, the state activated more than 2,100 guardsmen.  They joined 3,000 Department of Transportation workers and 1,200 state law enforcement officers.  At the state Emergency Operations Center in Columbia, another 400 people manned telephones, barked orders and coordinated with colleagues from Little River to Seneca.  Then came the thousands of police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and others who united in the massive effort to help South Carolinians as Hurricane Florence threatened and smacked into the Palmetto State.

It’s more than a job for these folks.  It’s a calling to keep everyone safe.

Their public service is a gift to us all.  All too often, we take for granted the sacrifices made by all government workers – from first responders and emergency personnel to teachers, librarians, elected officials, canine control officers and even the governor.

This storm, which has kept the state on tippy-toes for a week, reminds us to step back a little to recognize those who spend time away from their families during this time of crisis as well as day after day in their regular jobs.

Thank you for putting up with long hours, pay that is too low, sometimes grumpy members of the public and the government-haters who sour just about any interaction.

Thank you for teaching our children, protecting our homes and making our streets safer.  Thank you for keeping the peace, ensuring things run on time, protecting our natural resources, crafting laws that generally make sense and trying to keep us healthy.  Despite too-frequent complaints of too many regulations, too much red tape and too many delays, thank you for putting up with us without the appreciation you deserve.

If it were not for the dedicated men and women who keep the state ticking in good times and bad, imagine what life would be like.  Instead of having a team of people who make our lives easier, we’d all have to be more self-sufficient.  We’d have to take care of the educating, protecting, building and all sorts of other stuff every single day.  Without government, there wouldn’t be time for much more beyond a subsistence lifestyle.  And surely, there wouldn’t be time for the gadgets, games, phones, televisions and things that entertain us during leisure time.  In fact, there wouldn’t be much of anything called leisure time because we’d mostly be just plain tired every evening after a full day of surviving.

So in the days ahead after Hurricane Florence is done thrashing like a fish on a dock, give a nod or a tip of the hat to that worker in the sanitation department or the policeman in line at a fast food joint.  It will mean a lot.

Something else that’s pretty neat about any storm of this magnitude is how it ties you closer to your neighbors and community.  People are nicer.  Nastiness and politics go by the wayside.

Look at the great example in the gubernatorial campaign between incumbent GOP Gov. Henry McMaster and Democratic challenger James Smith.  During Florence, it went on hold.

A pat on the back to McMaster and his team who spent hours at the state’s command center to provide frequent briefings to remind people to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

And a big nod to Smith for leaving the campaign trail when he was called up for duty with the S.C. Army National Guard.

“I was in the room when he got word he was being called up,” Smith’s running mate, Rep. Mandy Powers Norrell, D-Lancaster, told us as the storm zoomed towards the coast.  “He immediately arranged to get his hair cut and get in uniform to go and serve.

“He went from being a candidate for governor to being a soldier in a single moment because that’s what his state needed from him. James’ life is about service and he’s proud to do this.”

Most state and local government employees in the Palmetto State have the same zeal for public service. Let them know you know what they do.

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

SPOTLIGHT:  Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost to readers.  Morris Financial Concepts, Inc., is a nationally recognized, fee-only financial consulting firm that helps you identify and align your resources, values and goals to achieve an enriched life.

We do not accept commissions or compensation related to the products and service we recommend. Our counsel is based solely on what we believe is best for each client.

• Learn about founder and Charleston Currentscolumnist Kyra Morris and more about the consultancy at: Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.

GOOD NEWS: It missed us

This week, the good news is simple:  Hurricane Florence mostly missed Charleston.  There was some wind and rain, but a huge storm surge never materialized.  We were lucky.

But our good news is bittersweet, because the storm devastated and drenched eastern North Carolina, the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee.  In the days ahead comes the aftermath..

Now, however, is the time to help those who need help – just like millions helped people here 29 years ago after Hurricane Hugo.

• How you can help now: Send money, as outlined in this story. Examples of great places to give:  the American Red Cross and the United Way.

FEEDBACK: On a national campaign for more civics in schools

To the editor:

You have suggested a great idea on revving civic education for all students in the nation.

In fact, a group of civic education organizations, civic engagement groups, with a very few inspired philanthropies, are organizing to do just what you suggest.

Please check out http://www.civxnow.org/ for the details.

Thank you for adding your voice to the growing call to restore the essential and historic civic mission of our nation’s schools!

— Ted McConnell, Washington, D.C. [McConnell is executive director of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.]

Stratford High to host special voter registration event Sept. 25

To the editor:

On Sept. 25, 2018, the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area will celebrate National Voter Registration Day with a special event at Stratford High School, 951 Crowfield Blvd., Goose Creek. Community leaders will speak about the importance of the vote.  Election information will be available, including opportunities for students and staff to register on-site. On that same date, voter registration drives will be held at West Ashley High School, and at Trident Community College, in partnership with Palmetto Project.

On Nov.6, South Carolina voters will choose members of Congress, governor and cabinet officers, and members of the state House of Representatives.  Numerous important races in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties will be decided, including school boards.

The League will provide information about VOTE411.org, its national and local comprehensive website where voters can register and find out about candidate positions and other essential election information.

Candidate forums throughout the three counties are also being scheduled.  A calendar of League-sponsored candidate forums is posted at http://lwvcharleston.org/calendar_elections.html. Candidate forums are fair and nonpartisan and open to the public; all candidates on the ballot are invited.

Anyone interested in learning more about efforts to register voters and increase informed citizen participation in democracy may contact the League at vote@lwvcharleston.org or 843-766-5416.

The League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area is proudly working every day at empowering voters and defending democracy.

— Barbara Zia and Joan Zaleski.  [Zia is director of citizen education and Zaleski is director of voter services for the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area]

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MYSTERY PHOTO:  A different kind of 21 Club          

The only hint you’ll get is the number 21 in this photo, but we can assure you it’s not the famous 21 Club and former speakeasy on West 52^nd Street in New York City.  But what and where is it?  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 Sept. 10 mystery was a little easier for folks because the previous one had been so hard.  We again showed bold, beautiful clouds and marsh, as in the Sept. 4 mystery, but these were more recognizable as a view from the westbound lane of U.S. Highway 17 from the bridge over the Ashley River. [If the photo panned a little more to the left, you’d see the round Holiday Inn and a Waffle House!]

Congratulations to a whopping 13 Sleuths of the Week:  Clinton Dunn and Chris Brooks, both of Mount Pleasant; Archie Burkel and Paul Hedden, both of James Island; Lynn Veatch of West Ashley; Bill Segars of Hartsville, Stephen Yetman and Cindi Rourk, both of Charleston; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Jean Prothro of Columbia; Elizabeth P. Stevens of Mobile, Ala.; Edie Hollowell of North Charleston; and George Graf of Palmyra, Va.

Segars noted, “This photo also has beautiful clouds.  We’re so fortunate in South Carolina to have beautiful skies, for those that take a moment to look and enjoy them.”

• 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:  Indigo

S.C. Encyclopedia  |  Indigo, a plant that produces a blue dye, was an important part of South Carolina’s eighteenth-century economy. It was grown commercially from 1747 to 1800 and was second only to rice in export value. Carolina indigo was the fifth most valuable commodity exported by Britain’s mainland colonies and was England’s primary source of blue dye in the late-colonial era.

South Carolina experimented with indigo production as early as the 1670s but could not compete with superior dyes produced in the West Indies. Cultivating and processing the plant was complex, and planters found other commodities more reliable and easier to produce. Indigo was reintroduced in the 1740s during King George’s War (1739–1748), which disrupted the established rice trade by inflating insurance and shipping charges and also cut off Britain’s supply of indigo from the French West Indies. In South Carolina, Eliza Lucas Pinckney and Andrew Deveaux experimented with cultivation in the 1730s and 1740s. Pinckney’s husband, Charles, printed articles in the Charleston Gazette promoting indigo. In London colonial agent James Crokatt persuaded Parliament in 1749 to subsidize Carolina indigo production by placing a bounty of six pence per pound on the dye.

In addition to economic motives, indigo production also succeeded because it fit within the existing agricultural economy. The crop could be grown on land not suited for rice and tended by slaves, so planters and farmers already committed to plantation agriculture did not have to reconfigure their land and labor. In 1747, 138,300 pounds of dye, worth £16,803 sterling, were exported to England. The amount and value of indigo exports increased in subsequent years, peaking in 1775 with a total of 1,122,200 pounds, valued at £242,395 sterling. England received almost all Carolina indigo exports, although by the 1760s a small percentage was being shipped to northern colonies.

Two varieties of indigo were native to Carolina, Indigofera Carolinians and Indigofera Lespotsepala, but neither produced a reputable dye. Planters preferred either Indigofera Tinctoria or “Guatemala” indigo, a hearty variety that grew well in a range of soil types, or Indigofera Anil or “French” indigo, a more delicate variety best suited for rich black soil. Prices paid for the dye varied with quality. In general dye from French or Spanish colonies sold for more than Carolina indigo, whose reputation for quality was less favorable.

The cycle of planting, processing, and marketing indigo began in March, when the fields were prepared for sowing. Planting began in early April, with a first harvest in July and often a second harvest in August or September. After cutting, the plant was carried to the processing site, a work area generally shaded by a thatched roof. Specialized equipment included three graduated vats set next to each other, in which the plants would be converted to dye. The conversion involved soaking the plants in the first vat, beating the indigo-soaked water in the second vat until thickened grains formed, then draining away that water into the third vat. The thickened mud that settled to the bottom of the second vat was the indigo paste, which was dried, cut into squares, packed in barrels, and shipped to market during the winter months. Slaves were responsible for most of South Carolina’s indigo production. Field slaves planted, weeded, and harvested the crop, and skilled “indigo slaves” worked to convert the plant to dye. Slaves who understood the art of processing the dye had greater value, as an entire year’s product depended on the talents of the indigo maker.

Carolina indigo was grown in a variety of locations and in a number of ways. In the parishes south of Charleston, most indigo planters grew the weed in combination with rice, as a “second staple.” Planters growing indigo closer to the city were split, with roughly half growing rice and indigo and half growing only indigo. North of Charleston, most planters focused solely on indigo. By the 1760s production expanded from the Lowcountry to the interior. Indigo was especially important in Williamsburg Township, where the soil was ideal and the crop was an important part of the local economy. By the 1770s, some indigo was also produced in Orangeburg and Fredericksburg Townships.

The Revolutionary War disrupted production, although the Continental army used Carolina indigo to dye some of its uniforms. Production appeared to recover after the war, as 907,258 pounds of dye were exported in 1787. But indigo exports declined sharply in the 1790s. No longer part of the British Empire, South Carolina indigo growers lost their bounty and market as England turned to India to supply its indigo demand. Carolina planters soon after turned their attention to cotton, another crop that fit neatly into the plantation economy. Indigo was produced and used locally throughout the nineteenth century, but by 1802 it was no longer listed among Carolina’s exports.

— Excerpted from an entry by Virginia Jelatus.  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.)

CALENDAR:  Sign up to host a Lowcountry On the Table gathering

Staff reports  |  You’re encouraged to host a small-group discussion in your home, at your church, in a local restaurant or in a library anytime on Oct. 4 to take part in Lowcountry On The Table, a citizen-driven process to identify issues and suggest solutions.

Organizers of the tri-county event, the Library Foundation of the Lowcountry, are hoping to engage thousands of area residents in what could be considered a huge local focus group to provide input to local nonprofits and governments on what people believe really matters in the Lowcountry.

Open to the public, the day-long event invites thousands of residents and “table hosts” to break bread while discussing and recording ways to make the Lowcountry a better place. Top ideas and recommendations from Oct. 4 will be awarded Spark grants to enact change, made possible from the Library Foundation of the Lowcountry.

Determine a location for friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to meet for a mealtime conversation on Thursday, Oct. 4. This could be at a restaurant, over a home-cooked meal, a potluck, cups of coffee or whatever works for a (recommended) group of 8-12 people.

Visit www.lowcountryonthetable.org/hosting to register as a host, subscribing for weekly updates on how to deliver a meaningful experience. Hosts will be encouraged to gently guide their table’s discussion to wherever their guests want to go, while providing materials to record key topics.

• For more information visit lowcountryonthetable.org, call (843) 608-1223 and follow updates on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. The official hashtag for the event is #OnTheTableSC.

Also on the Calendar:

Mamma Mia!  Month-long run at Charleston Stage ends Sept. 23, Dock Street Theatre, Charleston.  The popular musical is the opening show of the 41^st season of Charleston Stage.  The show runs through Sept. 23 at a variety of times with tickets ranging from $33.75 to $70.75.  Click here for tickets and more info.

Wine Down Wednesday: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sept. 19, Old Town Creek County Park, West Ashley.  Explore Old Towne Creek County Park, one of West Ashley’s hidden gems, during the second of this four-part springtime event series. Guests will enjoy wine, live music from Shane Clark, and food truck fare from Tamashii. Wine and a commemorative glass are included with admission. Food truck fare is a separate fee. For more information, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com. Fee: $20, or $15 in advance.

Shared racial history:  6 p.m. Sept. 20, Burke High School, Charleston, Deputy ACLU Legal Director Jeffrey Robinson will deliver a talk about the country’s shared racial history and how to unite America as a nation.  Robinson also is director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality, a project focusing on criminal justice reform. More.

ACLU SC celebrates 50.  6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sept. 27, Republic Garden & Lounge on King Street, Charleston.  The South Carolina office of the ACLU will hold an anniversary celebration with a keynote speech from Faiz Shakir, national political director of the ACLU.  He is expected to provide updates on national community engagement efforts. More.

Latin American Festival: Noon to 6 p.m., Oct. 14, Wannamaker County Park, North Charleston. Dive into the vibrant Latin American culture for a day this popular that will feature Latin American music, dance, art, food and children’s activities. Plena Libre will headline this festival followed by various musical performances and demonstrations by Latin America’s best artists.  More info.

PSC ratepayer public hearing:  6 p.m., Oct. 15, Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building, 4045 Bridgeview Drive, North Charleston.  The S.C. Public Service Commission hold a hearing for South Carolina Electric & Gas customers to air grievances over nuclear surcharge rates. More about the meeting.

Georgetown Wooden Boat Show:  11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 20; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 21, Georgetown, S.C.  Celebrate wooden boats and boating at this community-wide festival that features one of the Southeast’s best wooden boat exhibits with more than 140 classic wooden boats displayed on land and water, children’s model boatbuilding, knot tying, maritime art and crafts, food and music.  Free.  Learn more online.

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. through the end of September 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.

• 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 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.

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Charleston Currents is provided to you weekly by:

• Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
• Contributing photographer: Michael Kaynard
• Contributing editor, common good, Fred Palm
• Contributing editor, money: Kyra Morris
• Contributing editor, Palmetto Poem: Marjory Wentworth

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