Charleston Currents #12.17 | March 9, 2020
IN THE SHADOW: The cape of a statue of John C. Calhoun towers above the Waffle House Smackdown, a fun Saturday event that gave reason to chilly Charleston Wine + Food enthusiasts to watch famous chefs try to cook the Waffle House way.
TODAY’S FOCUS: The State of the RiverDogs is good, very good
COMMENTARY, Brack: Keep calm and wash your hands
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Gaillard Center
NEWS BRIEFS: The big bump in proposed per-student spending? $11
FEEDBACK: Send us a comment or two
MYSTERY PHOTO: Light and reflection
CALENDAR: Lowcountry Cajun Festival around the corner
The State of the RiverDogs is good, very good
Echols addresses a crowd.
Editor’s Note: The Charleston RiverDogs held a special inaugural “State of the RiverDogs” breakfast last week for partners, owners, staff and key community leaders. Here are some excerpts of a talk given by President Dave Echols, who in RiverDogs fashion, approached it like a State of the Union speech — red tie and all!
By Dave Echols, special to Charleston Currents | Welcome to the inaugural State of the RiverDogs. It was a fantastic 2019 at The Joe and we’re excited to share some of the changes and plans in the works for the 2020 season.
We’re so proud in Charleston to have one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country, and this time of year is always exciting as baseball begins again and the ballpark is abuzz. We’re fortunate to have a fantastic relationship with the City of Charleston, who has been a fantastic partner and landlord for more than 25 years.
In addition, I want to recognize the RiverDogs’ front office staff – which I’d put up against any in sports. There may be no greater measure of the growth in our business than the influx of new contributors to our full-time team. Fifteen years ago, we were a staff of 10, who all wore dozens of different hats every day. Today, our business has matured to nearly 30 full-time staff members who work collaboratively across departments to achieve. Since the start of 2019 alone, we’ve welcomed these 12 folks to the RiverDogs family – in many cases in newly-created roles to help meet the growing demands of our business. These new folks, along with our core of veteran team members, are the ones who constantly challenge each other with new ideas to make fun happen.
A look back
Now, if you’ll indulge me, I want to highlight the great year we had in 2019. Attendance growth is the single metric we point to to judge the overall success year-over-year and over a multi-year span. We’re extremely proud to now be operating a ballclub that consistently draws more than 300,000 fans to the ballpark each season (and well over 400,000 when factoring in non-RiverDog-gameday events). For the third season in a row – the first three times in our Club’s history – we’ve eclipsed that mark, and, yes, for those of you who keep asking, we would have set our all-time attendance record in 2019 had it not been for the statewide emergency evacuation order on the final day of our season (the hurricane finally decided to approach Charleston 4 days later).
A lot of things went well in 2019. We were nominated for three national Minor League Baseball Golden Bobblehead Awards and were named the South Atlantic League’s Club Merit award for overall best operation amongst the league’s 14 member clubs.
Our team again created memorable gameday promotions that received national and regional media attention, including Helen McGuckin Night, where we worked to WOW the real-life woman who gave the RiverDogs a 2-star rating after only driving by our beautiful ballpark, and we created multiple specialty on-field jerseys that were featured on ESPN, including our nights celebrating Seinfeld and the movie Dumb and Dumber.
Perhaps our greatest strides were in growing the impact we made in our core community initiatives. We made two key department additions in Brooke Swetenburg and Chris Singleton, whose message of diversity, inclusion, and faith we’re proud to help promote. Our charitable giving to a wide variety of causes, consistently ranks near the top of all 160 teams in Minor League Baseball, and we set a new high-water mark in 2019. We’re also proud of our small role in helping in MUSC’s extremely successful campaign to open the new Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital; what a great addition to our community.
Furthermore, in our core initiatives of youth sports and fitness and literacy in education, we introduced new programs, including the launch of what we believe to be the first multi-lingual reading program conducted by a Minor League Baseball team, in partnership with Berkeley County School District, as part of our Copa de la Diversion program to connect to Charleston’s growing Hispanic community.
And, in the first half of the season, we even found some modicum of on-field success – at least through the first month of the season. On our way to a First Half Division Championship, the team lost grips of a four-game lead and lost out to Lexington.
A look ahead
So, obviously, that leaves us with a lot to look forward to and grow on in 2020. Before I get there, first a quick comment on the topic on which I seem to get the most questions this offseason: The ongoing negotiation between Major and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) on the Professional Baseball Agreement, which lays out the relationship between MLB and MiLB. As you may have read, there is much talk about the possibility of Minor League teams being contracted and other potential changes. What I can say is that we don’t foresee significant changes that will impact the way we operate the ballclub in Charleston. Charleston and the community at-large have been tremendous supporters of Minor League Baseball, and we expect to continue deliver a great product for our fans and our community for a long time.
What we are excited about is when we look into the future and see the opportunities for us to continue to grow with our community. Alongside our partners with the city, we have some exciting facility upgrades to share for 2020, including new group areas, such as the “Dugout” themed group area you see here, and an overhaul of the ballpark’s telecom capabilities.
Chief among the updates is the city’s upgrading of the ballpark light structures and converting those lights to LED bulbs around the ballpark. Not only is this solution a significant improvement in energy efficiency, it also provides us with the opportunity to liven up the game day presentation.
As we look even further into the future, there’s no shortage of ideas we can continue to work on to keep the ballpark one of the best in the country, even 25-plus years after its construction. Projects like the completion of a 360-degree boardwalk-style concourse behind the outfield wall make us all excited about the possibilities of how this ballpark can serve this community.
And, of course, a new season means a new slate of outlandish promotional nights, all united under the umbrella of Make Fun, the RiverDogs’ slogan for the second consecutive season. We believe that our role in the community is to help create, or make fun, in everything that we touch.
So, a quick sneak peek here: an appearance by Stanley from The Office, Canadian Tuxedo Night, five specialty jersey nights, 13 fireworks shows, and another edition of Bobblection, where fans will “vote” on this year’s presidential race by picking a bobblehead of one of the candidates.
All of this is possible only with the support of our partners, and there are too many in the room to name. … Thank you.
(NOTE: Major partners include MUSC; Budweiser’s local distributor, Southern Eagle; Boeing; and Segra, a fiber network company whose name is now attached to the Riley Park Club.)
Dave Echols is president of the Charleston RiverDogs. The season starts April 9 at The Joe.
Keep calm and wash your hands
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The flu that you prepare for every winter kills about 100 South Carolinians every year, according to state health data.
To make sure you don’t get it, you do common-sense things: Get a flu shot, wash your hands more, cover your mouth or nose when you cough or sneeze, and stay at home when you’re sick.
While the outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus known as COVID-19 has about 100,000 cases worldwide and has started to infect some Americans, there are no reported cases as of March 6 in South Carolina. But sooner or later, it likely will get here thanks to our increasingly interconnected world. (NOTE: Since this column was first published Friday, six presumptive cases have been reported in S.C.)
As the media go into hyperdrive over a potential medical crisis with huge political implications, it’s good to keep in mind that the same things you do to protect yourself and your family from flu are what you’re supposed to do to keep safe from coronavirus. Just like the flu, the elderly and people with health problems are the most vulnerable. Just like the flu, you can be proactive to minimize your risk.
“The virus may be novel, but you really don’t need to buy anything new or special to brace for it,” The Washington Post reported this week after talking to epidemiological experts. You don’t, for example, have to rush to stores, stock up on disinfectants or horde medicine and food.
Don’t panic, experts caution. Keep calm. Wash your hands, often. (And do it the right way — with soap and water for 20 seconds like your mother may have taught you.)
In other words, use common sense. Yes, there’s a risk with this disease. But there is one every year with the flu, too.
Early Friday, the federal government’s HealthCare.gov sent the following email widely:
“You’ve likely heard about the Coronavirus (officially called “2019-Novel Coronavirus” or “COVID-19”) in the news. While the immediate health risk remains low to Americans and there isn’t a vaccine yet, there are still ways that you can help prevent the spread of this virus.
“To prevent the spread of this illness or other illnesses, including the flu:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water,
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze,
- Stay home when you’re sick, and
- See your doctor if you think you’re ill.”
Dr. Linda Bell, the state’s epidemiologist, testified similarly to the S.C. Senate Medical Affairs Committee on March 5 on dealing with this strain of coronavirus.
“The Centers for Disease Control notes that while the potential threat to the public health in the U.S. and worldwide is high, an individual’s risk is dependent on exposure and remains low for most Americans,” she told state senators. “Those people with a greater risk of exposure are travelers from affected areas, health care workers and the close contacts of COVID-19 cases.”
She said ways to slow the illness on a group level included social distancing, which means limiting large group gatherings, closing buildings and cancelling certain events. Individuals can help, too.
“DHEC’s recommendations for prevention are
- to get the flu vaccine if you have not already done so during this flu season,
- to wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds,
- to practice good respiratory hygiene, such as covering your cough and sneeze and disposing your tissues promptly that may be contaminated with respiratory droplets, (and)
- to stay home from school and work and other places where people have close contact with each other if you are sick to avoid exposing others.”
Other measures, according to various reports:
Stop touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth. We do this much more than we realize (two dozen times an hour, according to one study). If you have a facial itch, cover your fingers with a tissue to scratch. To curb touching your face, keep your hands busy.
Clean surfaces and objects you frequently touch — doorknobs, refrigerator handles, remotes, phones, countertops, machines and appliances, steering wheels and the like.
Keep away from people who are sick.
More resources:
- S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control summary
- Centers for Disease Control coronavirus website
Andy Brack is the editor and publisher of Charleston Currents and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Charleston Gaillard Center
Charleston Gaillard Center provides the Lowcountry with a world-class performance hall, elegant venue space and vibrant educational opportunities that inspire dynamic community throughout the area through the power of the performing arts. The Center’s vision is to enrich the diverse community of Charleston with artistic and cultural experiences that are accessible and unique, and to serve as an educational resource for generations to come.
Did you know that the Charleston Gaillard Center is a 501c3 non-profit that works with over 25,000 students each year from the tri-county area? Promoting education is one of the core values of the Charleston Gaillard Center and an integral part of our mission. By broadening the reach of arts-education in the Lowcountry the Gaillard Center encourages learning through the arts and serves as a powerful tool for student achievement and personal development while providing people of all ages with the opportunity to cultivate and grow their talents and appreciation for the arts. To learn more about our education initiative, click here: www.gaillardcenter.org/outreach.
For more information, click the links below:
- Buy tickets and see our great events
- Become a member today
- Plan your event at the Charleston Gaillard Center
- Learn about our education and community programs
- Contact the Gaillard Center.
The “big” bump in proposed per-student spending? $11
Staff reports | In a year when the state has about $1.8 billion in record increases of revenues, a draft of the state budget boosts per-student spending by a whopping $11 per student.
The S.C. House today will begin deliberations on its $9.6 billion spending plan, which shorts public K-12 students nearly $600 each compared to what the state’s mandated base student cost is, Statehouse Report correspondent Lindsay Street reported.
The House Ways and Means Committee increased the base student cost from $2,489 in 2019-2020 to $2,500 in the proposed budget, an increase of $16 million. The state formula for base student cost, however, requires $3,164 for it to be fully funded, which would cost $652 million, according to committee staff.
At an early budget hearing at the Blatt building on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia Wednesday, Hopkins Democratic Rep. Wendy Brawley asked why it’s not fully funded. K-12 education budget subcommittee chair Bill Whitmire, R-Walhalla, responded: “That’s all the money we had. We had to choose: $3,000 [each] for teachers or the base student cost not being as high.”
The proposed across-the-board, state-funded teacher pay raises will cost $213 million, in addition to regular pay raises for years in a teaching position.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
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Send us a letter: 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.
Tell us what you love about the Lowcountry. Send a short comment – 100 words to 150 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 be 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.
Light and reflection
A reader sent in this phenomenal photo showing a South Carolina scene. Where is it? For bonus points, identify the particular event for this scene. Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our last Mystery Photo, “Historic photo,” showed the ruins of the Charleston Lighthouse on Morris Island in 1863. The photo was from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Smithsonian Institution recently released millions of old pictures for public use and available for download through its website.
Congratulations to those who recognized the image: George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Jay Altman of Columbia; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Altman wrote: “This is an observation tower built in the 1860’s on the ruins of the Morris Island lighthouse. Confederate troops destroyed the lighthouse in 1862 to prevent Union troops from using it as an observation post. Union troops occupied Morris Island in 1863, and built this observation tower.”
Graf shared this info, according to onlyinyourstate.com: “At least four light structures have been built on Morris Island, but it’s likely there were a total of five. The one shown was erected [in 1863] during the Civil War on top of the remains of the light destroyed by the government. It was an effort to destroy all lights along the southeast coast at the start of the Civil War to prevent Confederate troops from getting control over the lights.
“The Union troops reported the Morris Island Light totally destroyed in 1862. Just prior to that, the lighthouse keeper was reportedly banished and ordered to leave the state entirely. Technically, the first navigational assistance was placed on Morris Island in 1673. It was a simple raised metal pan, filled with pitch and set afire at night. In 1767, the first light structure was erected. It was 40-feet tall.”
Peel gave a lot of detail about the actual photograph: “Today’s mystery photo is one created by Philip Haas (1808-1871) and Washington Peale (1825-1868) in August 1863, and shows the crude light and observation tower built by the Union Army on the site of what was once the original (circa-1767) Morris Island Lighthouse, on Morris Island, S.C.
“When South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860, it took control of all of the lighthouses along its coastline so as to limit the Union’s ability to mount an attack from the sea. The Confederate Army of Engineers removed the Fresnel lens from the Morris Island Lighthouse, and the tower was converted into an observation post. In April 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired over Fort Sumter and by July 1983, General Quincy Gilmore had laid siege to Morris Island, destroying the original lighthouse and erecting a crude observation tower in its place.
“During the war, Haas and Peale had been tasked by the Union Army to document the lives and activities of the Union forces in South Carolina. Much of their work, including the photo featured today, was made using an early ‘wet glass plate negative’ technique, which at the time was described in Do-It-Yourself (DIY) manuals as ‘a simple method for creating lasting photographs consisting of just ten easy steps (!)’.”
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.
Lowcountry Cajun Festival around the corner
Staff reports | Get ready to eat crawfish and listen to zydeco. The 29th annual Lowcountry Cajun Festival returns noon to 6 p.m. April 5 to James Island County Park.
This ragin’ Cajun Festival features a full day of zydeco music, authentic Cajun and Creole food, children’s activities and more! Charleston’s best Cajun restaurants, caterers and food trucks will cook up a variety of delicious foods. Attendees will discover a variety of dishes for sale including jambalaya, alligator, etouffee, andouille sausage and of course, crawfish! Those who prefer a tamer menu will have the option to enjoy some Lowcountry favorites including seafood, Southern barbecue and traditional festival foods such as hot dogs, snow cones, funnel cakes and more.
After tasting all of the delicious food, festival-goers can dust off their dance moves and get dancing to non-stop Zydeco and Cajun music, performed on stage throughout the day. The 2020 Lowcountry Cajun Festival entertainment lineup is:
- 1 p,.m. to 2:15 p.m.: Battery Brass Band
- 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Johnny Ace & Sidewalk Zydeco
- 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band
Admission is $15. No pets. For more information, call 843-795-4386 or visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.
Also on the calendar:
Local photographers on display: Through March 31, North Charleston City Gallery in North Charleston City Hall. The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department will showcase photographs by Dawnita Hall of North Charleston and Nicole Robinson of Charleston in an exhibit that runs for the month.. The artists will host a free public reception for their concurrent solo exhibitions at the gallery on March 5 at 5 p.m.
CofC Faculty Jazz Ensemble: 7:30 p.m., March 9, Recital Hall, Simons Center for the ARts, 54 St. Philip St., Charleston. The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present the ensemble which will perform jazz standards, arrangements and originals. Admission is $15 general / $10 students. More info and tickets are available at go.cofc.edu/secondmondaymusic. Tickets also will be sold at the door. Seating is on a first-come, first-served.
Ahead at Gaillard Center: Enjoy something a little different soon at the Charleston Gaillard Center on Calhoun Street:
The music of Ray Charles: 7:30 p.m., March 10. Performers Take 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum, and Clint Holmes will celebrate the music of Georgia native son Ray Charles in this special show. Tickets are $33 to $66.
Ranky Tanky with the CSO: 7:30 p.m., March 12. Sold out. In just over one year since the release of their debut album, Ranky Tanky has taken America’s jazz scene by storm. Fresh off of performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Ranky Tanky is joining forces with the Charleston Symphony to play their unique brand of Jazz-Gullah-R&B fusion—this time with an orchestral backdrop. Ranky Tanky is the Gullah term for “get funky,” which is exactly what we plan to do for this exciting Lowcountry collaboration.
Wine, Women and Shoes: 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., March 12, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston. This annual fun event benefiting Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina brings together outstanding footwear, a fashion show, and great wine and food. For ticket info and more, go to: WineWomenAndShoes.com/FloCrit.
Trolls: 6”30 p.m., March 13, Medway Park, 2069 Medway Road, James Island. The Charleston Parks Conservancy will offer Movie Night in the Park with games and activities before the showing of “Trolls” at dark (approximately 7:27 p.m.). Food truck Street Bird will have food and drinks available for purchase. Rated PG, “Trolls” is the story of Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch who set off on a journey to rescue Poppy’s friends and the Troll Village. More: facebook.com/CharlestonParksConservancy
Walk for Water: 9 a.m., March 21, Riverfront Park, 1061 Everglades Ave, North Charleston. Thousands will rally for Water Mission’s 14th annual Walk for Water, which encourages participants to carry buckets along the three-mile route to simulate the daily trek millions of people make to collect water in developing countries. Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for youth, children 4 and under are free. Register online.
Visual Vigil: March 21 to May 3, City Gallery, Prioleau Street, Charleston. The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Visual Vigil, a new exhibition by artist Susan Perkins. The show is designed to be an active conversation on the effects of mass shootings; the installation is made up of contemplative pieces that represent the lives lost and communities affected by mass violence from 1903 through present day. An opening reception will take place March 20 at 5 p.m. An artist’s talk will be held on 2 p.m. March 28. A community discussion about gun violence and gun reform will be held 6 p.m. April 21. More info.
Pet Fest 2020: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 21, Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. This year’s Pet Fest will feature a day of exhibits, demonstrations, experts, contests, adoptable pets, and more at Charleston’s premier pet festival. Pet Fest attendees who adopt a pet from the Charleston Animal Society at the event will receive an Individual Park Pass (value $30) to select county parks. Admission to Pet Fest is $8 per person.
Quintet to perform for parks: 5:30 p.m., March 21, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, James Island. A quintet of the Charleston Symphony will perform “LIsten to Spring” as a fundraiser for the Charleston County Parks Foundation. Guests are invited to enjoy popular music under the stars at the historic site from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Charleston Symphony Brass Quintet will take attendees on a musical journey from New Orleans to Broadway, with detours to Europe and South America. Tickets are $75. Proceeds will go to support the foundation’s Pass It Forward Project. Tickets are available at CharlestonCountyParksFoundation.org.
Charleston 350 Series: 6 p.m., April 2, Charleston Museum, Meeting St., Charleston. Dr. Daniel Littlefield, Carolina Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, will speak about the first enslaved people that were brought to Carolina and why the institution eventually thrived as it did in the colony. Registration is encouraged but not required. More info.
ONGOING
Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley. Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction. The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online. Tickets are $11-$26. Parking is easier now. For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.
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 is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
- If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.
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