GOOD NEWS: Celebrating azaleas, history and sweet tea in Summerville

Staff reports  | The Rev. John Drayton Azalea Chapter of the American Azalea Society and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens will host the society’s 2019 convention on March 14-16 in Summerville.

“We are honored to have some of the top azalea experts coming to Summerville to experience the beauty of the gardens we have in the Charleston area,” said Tom Johnson, Magnolia’s executive director who also is president of the local azalea chapter.

The Rev. John Drayton Chapter hosted this convention five years ago in Charleston. This is the first time the convention is being staged in Summerville.  The convention, themed “Azaleas, History, and Sweet Tea,” is being held in Summerville because it is certified as an Azalea City and known as the home of sweet tea, according to a press release. .

The convention, which will have nationally-recognized horticultural experts, will include a plant sale and garden tours of Middleton Place, Mepkin Abbey, the Charleston Tea Plantation and Magnolia. The Wyndham Garden Hotel and the Hampton Inn are the convention hotels.  The convention is open to the public. To register, go to www.azaleas.org.

In other Good News:

New news tool.  South Carolina is already an epicenter of 2020 presidential politics as candidates are here every weekend introducing themselves and, well, politicking across the Palmetto State.  If you want to be able to keep up with all that’s happening, check out a new daily news clipping service offered by our sister publication, Statehouse Report. It’s called 2020 Early State News and offers headlines and summaries of what’s happening in S.C. related to presidential politics — plus a few national stories throwin in for good measure.  You can subscribe for free by email.

New record.  The Lowcountry Food Bank’s 20th annual Chefs’ Feast gala on Feb. 10, set a new record at  $450,000 for donations that support the fight against childhood hunger. More than 750 community partners and guests attended the annual event. Three generous supporters donated $20,000 each to commemorate the 20th year of Chefs’ Feast. Chefs’ Feast is a collaboration between the Lowcountry Food Bank and nearly 30 of the community’s most celebrated chefs who offered up delectable bites for guests to enjoy. Guests also participated in a live auction and met the Lowcountry’s own celebrity chefs as they served up signature dishes.  For photos from the event, please click here

Successful food drive.  In a related story, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens ended its recent holiday food drive to assists the Lowcountry Food Bank with a record-breaking 9.5 tons of non-perishable food. The amount of food donated by Magnolia’s guests has increased each year since Magnolia launched the food drive seven years ago. This year’s total was 5,000 pounds more than the previous year.

Big grant.  SCRA has been awarded approximately $750,000 in federal grant funding by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the 2018 Regional Innovation Strategies Competition. The grant will fund the creation of the South Carolina Medical Device Alliance to invent and develop products and bring them to market. This partnership, comprised of Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and industry leaders, will form a regional innovation cluster to grow the economic impact of the medical device industry through job creation and startup formation, as well as to attract international businesses to establish a presence in South Carolina.