GOOD NEWS: Rotary holiday party raises thousands for charity

Staff reports  |  Hundreds of merry-makers braved chilly, wet weather Saturday to celebrate the season and raise some money for charity.

The Rotary Club of Charleston’s annual Holiday Parade of Boats Viewing Party went off without a hitch – except that the actual boat parade didn’t happen for the first time because of inclement weather.  That didn’t matter about 400 people who gathered at the Charleston Maritime Center to eat barbecue, quaff beverages, listen to good music and enjoy a visit from Santa.  The annual event, now in its fifth year, raised thousands of dollars for the club’s charity fund, which offers grants to local organizations throughout the year for special projects.

The annual event included the raffle of a $40,000 boat, which went to Melissa Capps, a human resources executive from Isle of Palms.  The raffle and party are the club’s major fund-raiser for the year.  If you missed out on the party or raffle, but still want to make a holiday donation that will benefit area charities, click here.

In other Good News:

MARINA MEETING: The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (will hold a drop-in style public information and input meeting for the conceptual master planning of its Cooper River Marina property. The meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 13 in the cafeteria at Military Magnet Academy in North Charleston. The purpose of this meeting is to determine community interest in recreational opportunities at the Cooper River site, taking advantage of the visual connection to water. To learn more about the plans for the 25-acre park site, click here.

ONE OF THIRTY: The U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., has selected Magnolia Plantation and Gardens as one of only 30 gardens to install temporary exhibits at the nation’s capital in 2019 when the country celebrates public gardens.  According to a press release, Magnolia’s unique design as the last large-scale Romantic-style garden in the country fits with the Botanic Garden’s mission to create an array of displays that represent a diversity of gardens, said Botanic Garden spokesman Devin Dotson. The Botanic Garden is adjacent to the U.S. Capitol Building.  The garden displays will be exhibited outside the Botanic Garden from May to October.

NEW LIBRARY: Construction of the new Bees Ferry West Ashley Library is underway. Charleston County Public Library and Charleston County government officials kicked off the construction of the new facility during a groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 4. The 20,000-square foot facility will be located off of Glenn McConnell Parkway near West Ashley High School.  The new library will include a children’s area and storytime room, meeting rooms, an auditorium, a makerspace for do-it-yourself) projects, a learning lab for computer instruction and more.  See the design.  Three other new libraries are underway in the county.  A fifth in North Charleston, is in the design phase.

FREE PARKING:  The city of Charleston and Charleston County government are offering two hours of free holiday parking at various downtown garages through Jan. 1, 2019.  You can either print the voucher or download a mobile version.  PRINT  |  MOBILE.  The voucher is valid at the following garages: Visitor Center Garage, 34 St. Philip, Concord-Cumberland, E. Bay-Prioleau, Aquarium, Midtown, Majestic Square and Queen Street.

PRE-FILED LEGISLATION:  State senators will pre-file 2018 bills on Dec. 12 and we’ll have a summary of the most important pieces of legislation as we roll out the 2019 version of our Tally Sheet.  Six days later, House members will pre-file bills.

• Click here on Dec. 12 to see pre-filed Senate bills.
• Click here on Dec. 18 to see pre-filed House bills.