Charleston Currents #12.42 | Sept. 7, 2020
WELL, HELLO. An Atlanta photographer snapped this photo somewhere in Charleston. We thought you’d like it as much as we do. Boy, it looks familiar. If you know where it is, let us know. Photo by Ian Schneider via Unsplash.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Two days left to enter Animal Society’s cool beer contest
COMMENTARY, Brack: A 2020 guide for protecting democracy
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SCIWAY
NEWS BRIEFS: Hollings terminal now welcomes airport visitors
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Breaking a sweat
CALENDAR: More local music is on tap
NEW BOOK: Pre-order your copy today
Two days left to enter Animal Society’s cool beer contest
Staff reports | You only have until Tuesday to enter your pet in a cool contest for a cat and dog to be on the label of a new beer. On Wednesday, you’ll be able to vote for your favorite.
Charleston Animal Society has teamed up with the Palmetto Brewing Company, Live 5 News, Charleston City Paper and Cupcake DownSouth to launch the “2020 Rescue Brew Beer” contest.
One dog and one cat will win the honor of appearing on the label of Palmetto’s “2020 Rescue Brew Beer” being released Nov. 21. Nominations to enter the contest end on Sept. 8 and voting by the public for favorites starts Sept. 9. Funds raised through the online contest and beer sales support the lifesaving work of Charleston Animal Society
Go to CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/RescueBrew to enter your pet by uploading a photo and telling us why he or she deserves to win.
“All of us at the brewery are huge dog and cat fans and it is important for our company to support programs that help pets and people,” said Collin Clark, director of Brand Development for Palmetto Brewing. “We’re excited that the contest and beer support Charleston Animal Society!”
“We could not be more excited to partner with local businesses and one of my favorite charities, Charleston Animal Society, to create a fun way to raise needed funds,” said Andy Brack, publisher of the Charleston City Paper. “We encourage all of our readers to submit their pets and vote for their favorites, just like they do in Best of Charleston every year.”
How the contest works
- Go to www.CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/RescueBrew to upload a photo of your pet and tell us why your dog or cat should win.
- A $10 entry donation benefits Charleston Animal Society.
- Show your entry confirmation to Cupcake DownSouth at either bakery location, 644 D Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant or 1213 Lincoln Street, Columbia, to receive a free pupcake.
- Nominations run now through Sept. 8.
- Voting begins Sept. 9 and ends Oct. 8.
- From the top three vote getters, our judges pick one winning dog and one winning cat to appear on the “Rescue Brew Beer” labels.
- Winners and beer revealed on Nov. 21.
Each year, Charleston Animal Society helps and heals 20,000 animals. “We can’t express our appreciation enough for these community partners who’ve stepped up to make the ‘Rescue Brew Beer’ contest a reality,” said Charleston Animal Society President and CEO Joe Elmore.
A 2020 guide for protecting democracy
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The founders of America’s experiment in democracy rebelled against monarchical rule from England because they wanted to do things their own way. They set up a map on how to govern, the U.S. Constitution, that’s become the envy of the world.
Now there’s a president in the White House who seems to view the constitution as a guideline, at best, that can be bent to his personal preferences. And an entire political party has changed, part in fear of retribution and part in the craving need to keep power, to enable the rusting of our democracy’s foundation.
If we don’t watch it in November, the promise of America could become a nightmare for millions of people without privilege and who don’t look much like Ken or Barbie. That cannot happen.
Americans fought for the right to set their own rules through civil elections for a representative democracy, not authoritarian rule. To protect that, all Americans have an active responsibility to participate in democracy. To not participate is a slap in the face to patriots who created and sustained our system of governance. Now is the time to prepare for a sustained defense of the nation’s constitutional values, as conservative columnist David Brooks wrote this week in The New York Times:
“The process of mobilizing for an accurate election outcome, before it is too late, would be a struggle to preserve the order of our civic structure against the myriad foes who talk blithely about tearing down systems, disorder and disruption. It may be how we rediscover our nation again. It’s time to start thinking about what you would do.”
So here’s a guide on how to protect America’s democracy as the presidential campaign zooms for the finish line in two months:
Register to vote. Hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians are not registered to vote. If you’re not, you can’t participate in the process and have your say, one way or another. What are you waiting for? You can register online through Oct. 4 at SCVotes.gov.
Work at the polls. Thanks to the pandemic, county election officials are shorthanded. They need poll workers and managers for election day. The job doesn’t pay much, but it’s a way to keep lines moving and promote an orderly voting process. If you want to work on election day, contact your county election office.
Be a truth-checker. With the Russians and others again actively working to create havoc in the elections, be a truth-checker about what you read. Make sure you use a trusted source, not just believe what you read on social media or see on television. If something sounds incredulous, it just might be, so find another source or two to confirm what you read. There are no such things as “alternative facts.” Facts are facts. Make sure what you read is true before you believe and act on it. A good resource: PolitiFact, a nonprofit website curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists.
Vote. The S.C. Senate this week approved a bill for no-excuse absentee voting to give people worried about coronavirus a chance to cast a ballot early in person, by dropping it off early or by mailing it. Members of the S.C. House should pass the bill as soon as possible. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 30, but you should do it much earlier to make sure you get the ballot and can return it by election day. If you don’t want to vote absentee, you can vote in the traditional manner — in person at your precinct on election day. Learn more at SCVotes.gov.
Be patient. Based on what’s happened in recent elections, the outcome in the presidential and some state elections may be very close. Because states are expected to process millions of more ballots than usual because more people may vote absentee, results may not be final on election night. This creates the possibility that we may not know who wins for a few days, which could lead some to say they’re victorious when they actually won’t end up winning. Be patient. Let the system work. Let officials count all of the ballots. Then we need to be orderly in accepting the results and moving forward to make America’s democracy even stronger for all.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents. Have a comment? Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
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Hollings terminal now welcomes airport visitors
Photo by Sam Spence.
Staff reports | Charleston International Airport’s main passenger terminal now has signage that designates it as the Ernest F. Hollings Terminal.
Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat who served in the United States Senate for 38 years and was the state’s governor from 1959-63, was a key overseer of aviation policy and funding while a powerful member of two committees, the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. He died April 6, 2019 at age 97.
Soon afterward, the Charleston County airport board voted to name the airport’s recently expanded passenger terminal to honor Hollings. The coronavirus pandemic interrupted a planned unveiling earlier this year. Signage went up on Aug. 28, according to airport officials.
Helen Hill, chair of the Charleston International Airport Charleston County Aviation Authority, told the Charleston City Paper that it was “So wonderful to hear, ‘Welcome to the Ernest F. Hollings Terminal at the Charleston International Airport’!”
In other recent news:
School start affects families differently. With public schools set to open this week in person or online for tens of thousands of Charleston students, families have been impacted differently by the coronavirus. In this story, the Charleston City Paper starts a series that follows how children and families have been impacted at home, work and play in their everyday lives.
State revenues down for coming year. South Carolina state revenue forecasters predicted Aug. 31 that the state’s income for the current fiscal year will shrink by 3 percent from 2019-2020 levels. The Board of Economic Advisers met last week to report the state’s gross general fund revenue was $9.793 billion for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. They say 2020-2021 could see gross general fund revenue at $9.5 billion — a 3 percent decrease in the budget, or $293 million. That puts spending potential at about the 2018-2019 spending levels. Lawmakers recently started drafting a later-than-usual budget amid the coronavirus pandemic in the Senate Finance Committee. See the revenue forecast here.
Statehouse Report’s Lindsay Street and the Charleston City Paper’s Sam Spence contributed to this section. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
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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.
Breaking a sweat
Here are some runners plodding down a street. But where? Send to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Aug. 31 photo, “Dock scene you may recognize,” should have looked familiar if you’ve ever been to Fort Sumter. It portrays the Charleston skyline across the harbor from the fort’s dock.
Congratulations to eagle-eyed readers who correctly identified the photo: Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Paul Hedden of James Island; Chris Brooks and David Lupo, both of Mount Pleasant; Don Clark of Hartsville; Jay Altman of Columbia; Joe Mendelsohn, Delia A. Smith, Carol Ann Smalley and Charles Darby, all of Charleston; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Ross Lenhart of Stone Mountain, Ga.; Harvey Glick of Sullivan’s Island; and Kristina Wheeler of West Ashley.
Peel shared a lot of interesting information about Fort Sumter, then and now:
“Today’s mystery photo is of the boat dock at Fort Sumter, the sea fort that the United States Army started building on an artificial island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor in 1829. Construction of the fort began after the War of 1812 in recognition of the importance of protecting the harbor from invading forces. The fort was still under construction when the first battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, when the South Carolina Militia Artillery Division (the Confederate Army did not yet exist) fired on the Union garrison at the fort, officially kicking off the Civil War.
“Arrival at this dock is currently the only way that visitors can embark on an official tour of Fort Sumter. Only one company, Fort Sumter Tours, is permitted to run the ferries that shuttle passengers to/from the island via Downtown Charleston at Liberty Square or from across the harbor at Patriots Point.
“Before August 2019, some locals had found a way to visit the park without paying the $24 fee normally required to visit the site. Unbeknownst to most visitors, there is technically no charge to enter Fort Sumter itself. Instead, the fee is to pay for the ferry service to and from the fort. It turns out that a short distance from the fort is a small sandbar, popularly known as ‘Pine Island’ by weekend-party boaters. Some locals would anchor their boat off of the sandbar, and take a short walk through the low waters to Fort Sumter island. Alas in August 2019, the National Park Service (NPS) officially closed access to the fort from the sandbar beach in an attempt to limit overcrowding and the number of inebriated guests who visit the national monument. It seems that sometimes the NPS can be a real party-pooper!”
- 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.
Safe Sounds concerts are back: Saturdays through Oct. 31, Firefly Distillery, North Charleston. The distillery’s socially-distanced concerts are back starting Sept. 5 with its fall Safe Sounds series. The first concert will feature On the Border, a tribute to the Eagles and Haley Mae Campbell.There also will be a special performance on Oct. 2 from the Grammy Award-winning Del McCoury Band. Tickets can be purchased in advance at citypapertickets.com.
Lowcountry Listens: 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 30, online. The Gaillard Center offers a third round of free music performances with the continuation of Lowcountry Listens. Next up: The High Divers on Sept. 9. Formed in 2014, the band hit the ground running playing shows regionally around South Carolina, recording its debut album, “Riverlust”, and building a fan base that quickly fell in love with their raucous live shows. Perhaps the band’s most well known work was 2019’s “Ride With You” EP produced by Jason Isbell guitarist, Sadler Vaden, who is credited with “Getting the band out of it’s comfort zone, and into some close to the vest songwriting”, according to bassist and singer, Kevin Early. Ahead:
- Nathan & Eva | Sept. 16
- Sideshow Americans | Sept. 23
- Charlton Singleton and Contemporary Flow | Sept. 30
Dog Day Afternoon: 10 a.m. to noon; and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 13, Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark, North Charleston. Space is limited in each of the two sessions for this fun day in which dogs can cool off at the waterpark at the end of summer. $12 per dog. Pre-registration required.
Vintage market: Noon to 3 p.m., Sept. 13, via Instagram. Holy City Vintage Market will hold a virtual event to allow shoppers to view hundreds of items for purchase over three hours. How it works: Watch HCVM’s Instagram story as we repost items for sale from 20 local vintage, secondhand, and artisan vendors. Shoppers can DM individual shops to arrange purchase and no-contact shipping, drop-off, or pickup details. More.
“Connections” on display: Through Oct. 24, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston. The exhibition of works by Gret Macintosh features looks at physical connections between places, such as waterways, roads, and bridges that the artist has experienced over the last 15 years of living in the Charleston area. The exhibition is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays; and by appointment. More.
From Etchings to Pastels: Through Nov. 29, Lowcountry Image Gallery, The Charleston Museum. The museum has partnered with the Pastel Society of South Carolina to present new interpretations of etchings stemming from the Charleston Renaissance Movement about 100 years ago. Learn more.
Online offerings:
- Gibbes Museum. You can enjoy lots of local art offerings through the website and social media accounts of the Gibbes Museum. At 10 a.m. on weekdays, the museum posts virtual readings and workshops on Facebook. Find more online.
- Avian Conservation Center. Access videos and live streaming presentations online to learn about what’s going on at the Center for Birds of Prey.
- Around the world. You can visit 500 museums across the world online through this Google amalgamation of sites.
If you have any online events, drop us a line (editor@charlestoncurrents.com) and make sure to put “Online event” in the subject line. Similarly, if you’ve got cool ideas for stuff to do while in isolation at home, send them our way.
Pre-order your copy today
Copies of a new book of historical facts about Charleston, aptly titled 350 Facts About Charleston, will be in Lowcountry-area bookstores in the next two weeks, but you can pre-order a copy today.
The staff at our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper, pulled together fun and arcane information about the Holy City to illuminate its deep, rich history from its founding in 1670 until this year. (That’s, umm, 350 years!)
Included in the 224-page book are details on early settlers, the wars (Revolutionary and Civil) and the struggle for civil rights by descendants of enslaved Africans. You’ll learn about food (Charlestonians have loved to drink wine for centuries), books, people, music, culture and much more.
Bonus: Talented South Carolina cartoonist Robert Ariail offers 12 illustrations that should make a great calendar someday.
- Preview the book by visiting CharlestonFacts.com.
As more people stay home to deal with the coronavirus crisis, people are looking for things to do. You can find some fun things to do online in our calendar section below, but let us also encourage you to FORWARD your issue of Charleston Currents to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. It’s got a great price, as you know: Free! We hope they’ll enjoy our coverage.
- DONATE. Now also would be a great time to contribute as we deal with the crisis. In advance, thank you.
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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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