Staff reports | Explore Lowcountry South Carolina history and meet the people who promote and preserve it on Saturday during the seventh annual History Fair at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., amateur and serious historians and children who want to touch the past can mingle with representatives of about 30 well-known organizations in the Charleston area.
Staff reports | The Lowcountry Food Bank has been awarded $120,000 in community investment grants for 2019-2022 from Trident United Way, the organization announced last week. The grants will help the nonprofit agency to conduct additional fresh produce distributions, implement nutrition education and provide child hunger relief to residents in the Charleston tri-county area.
Through the proposed Healthy Foods Initiative, the food bank is expected to achieve the following objectives through these grants in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties:
* Distribute more than 4.8 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in the community through direct-to-client distributions to more than 102,000 low-income and food-insecure children, adults, and seniors;
* Conduct at least 175 farmers’ market-style fresh produce distributions annually in underserved, high-need communities;
* Provide more than 900 children each year with fresh fruits and vegetables …
Staff reports | A new 6,000 square-foot seasonal outdoor pool officially opened Friday in Hollywood to give people in the western part of Charleston County a great place to beat the heat and swim as summer begins. The $3 million complex known as the West County Aquatic Center is located at 5156 Highway 165 in Hollywood near the new Hollywood Town Hall.
By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | There are four key issues at the heart of every community. These are jobs, housing, education and infrastructure. Charleston is very fortunate to have a diverse foundation of businesses and a plethora of jobs. This is in large part due to many local business leaders, our local and state government, and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, an association put together after we lost the Charleston Naval Shipyard in the early 1990s.
When the naval shipyard, our largest employer, closed, our community heard the need and came together at a critical point in time. Leadership from all parts of the Tri-county area worked tirelessly to solve the jobs problem. We wanted strong, sustainable employment for our citizens. This effort paid off over time. Charleston is now known all over the world, and people are coming by the thousands both as tourists and new residents. We have jobs.
The other three issues though are still in the “need” stage. We are struggling with the availability of affordable workforce housing. …
Staff reports | Carolina Day, a special day for remembering a key day of South Carolina’s historical role in the Revolutionary War, will be celebrated June 28. Back in 1776, a British fleet pounded Sullivan’s Island and landed troops to take what is now Fort Moultrie, but were repelled by patriots in what became their first significant victory.
By David Burt, special to Charleston Currents | When Wando Mount Pleasant Library celebrates its ribbon cutting on June 10, it will mark a new era in our libraries and the ways in which we interact with them.
The area’s original branch library was built in the 1970s, when a library was primarily dedicated to books: storing, organizing and sharing them. Card catalogues and date stamps may loom large in our memories; however, evolving technologies have brought new opportunities and a new paradigm of the library experience.
The new 40,000-square-foot facility on the corner of Carolina Park Boulevard and Park Avenue brings the library into the modern era with connectivity driving the design. The design aligns active spaces with the roadways to activate the facades, showcasing the library’s lively programming to the community. The form is a direct response to the site’s linear shape and the adjacent wetland to the northeast.
Staff reports | Grammy Award-winning Tim McGraw and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham will explore American history through music at a special 7:30 p.m. June 11 performance at Charleston Gaillard Center that promises to be a high point of the summer.
As they publish their new joint book, Songs of America, Meacham and McGraw are giving an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating this book and their friendship as they combine their individual perspectives as writer and artist to create a unique view of the role music has played in uniting and shaping our nation.
By April Sorrow, Jefferson, Ga. | As temperatures climb into the 90s, Jackson Electric Membership Corporation encourages members to reduce energy use where possible to save money. When temperatures outside are high, heat pumps must work overtime to keep the air indoors cool.
Follow these tips to reduce energy use to save money.
Stay cool for less. Nearly half of the electricity used at home goes to condition the air inside. To impact cost, the air conditioner or heat pump needs to run less.
* Set your thermostat to 78 degrees.
* Don’t turn off the air conditioner when you’re gone; instead set it higher. Turning it off makes the system work much harder to overcome the heat built up in the house when you turn it back on.
* Better still, use a programmable thermostat. Set it to bring your home’s temperature down to 78 degrees 30 minutes before you get home.
he City of North Charleston is seeking a new artist-in-residence for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Also inside: A new bookstore in Goose Creek; A Magnolia first; Hat tip to George Benson; more.
Staff reports | With record-breaking heat arriving in the Lowcountry earlier than usual, pet owners are advised by the Charleston Animal Society, which has issued an early heat advisory, to make sure to keep their pets cool in hot weather. These tips are good any time of the summer.
Keep animals indoors and limit outdoor activities during a heat wave. People are urged to leave pets at home and not take them outside to the beach or other events. Even swimming, a dog can overheat.
“We know it’s always fun to take our pets with us, but we have to put their well-being first,” Dr. Lucy Fuller, senior director of veterinary care at Charleston Animal Society, said in a news release. “We are also reminding everyone not to leave pets in cars – even for a quick run into a store – it is just too dangerous.”
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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