Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Fun Things To Do in June on the Coast

by

In the Coastal Companion Calendar of our TV show “I Know Jax” broadcasting on CW17 on Saturdays at 11 pm,  we take a look at what’s happening on the coast in the area.  

Savannah Asian Festival in June

One of the most popular cultural festivals on the coast is coming up in June, the Savannah Asian Festival. This yearly one-day festival attracts about 60,000 people, so you know it’s a popular event.

Here you can sample exotic cuisines from across the continent. Local restaurants, will be cooking up favorite dishes from Polynesia, China, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. In addition, there’s a variety of martial arts and dance performances, and live music on stage from artists representing different countries.

There’s also traditional arts, crafts, fashions and treasures unique to each nation. From hand made jewelry to calligraphy sets, paintings, hand-beaded clothing, henna body painting, and even a workshop on Asian and Middle Eastern Tea Ceremonies. The festival takes place on June 23 at the Savannah Civic Center, located at Montgomery and Liberty Streets. Parking at the Civic Center is free for the day. Read more about Savannah Asian Festival here.

Greek Festival

Greek Landing Day Festival – St. Augustine, Fl

Maybe you already know that St Augustine, Florida has a strong historic tie with Greece and Greek culture. In June the community celebrates the 244th anniversary of the arrival of the first colony of Greeks in North America. Hundreds of Greeks, Menorcans and Corsicans arrived in St. Augustine on June 26, 1768 and went on to establish what was called the New Smyrna Colony.

If you haven’t tried greek food before, this is your chance. My favorite is baklava, but I also enjoy spanakopita and mousaka.

Visit the so called “Glendi” for a celebration of music, food and dancing during the Greek Landing Day Festival June 22 – 24, 2012. Admission is free.

The St. Photios National Greek Orthodox Shrine is located at 41 St. George Street in St. Augustine.

For more information, call 904-829-8205

 

Daufuskie Day in South Carolina

Another heritage festival in our area is the annual Daufuskie Day in South Carolina. This festival was organized by islanders to preserve the gullah heritage. this year it’s the 36th year for the festival where you can taste authentic Gullah cuisine, and learn more about the culture.

You can take a boat from Savannah or from Hilton Head Island.  Daufuskie day takes place on June 23.

For more information visit www.daufuskieislandfoundation.com

National Get Outdoors Day – Free Admission

by

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.* This is part of the promotion to get families outdoors more often, so maybe this would be a good time for you to pack a picnic and go visit a park with your family or group of friends. National Get Outdoors Day takes place on June 9, 2012, you can visit some of our parks for free. 

Please check with each park for operating hours and event schedules.

South Carolina
Fort Sumter National Monument

Florida
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Gulf Islands National Seashore

Georgia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Frederica National Monument
Fort Pulaski National Monument

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

Read More:

National Outdoors Day at Fort Pulaski in Savannah, GA

Things to do in South Carolina – April 2012

by

It is spring, and actually Summer is right around the corner. The weather is beautiful, and it’s perfect to spend time outdoors. Luckily for us, there are plenty of events and festivals in the coastal South Carolina area to choose from. Here are some of the upcoming events for the month of April 2012.

Charleston has lots of events this month

First Friday on Broad – Charleston, S.C.
April 6, 2012
Stroll from one gallery to another on Broad Street and take in the Southern charms of blooming hidden courtyards and gardens, and old architecture.
Participating merchants include: Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, Hamlet Fine Art, Edward Dare Gallery, COCO VIVO, Mary Martin Fine Art, UTOPIA, Spencer Galleries, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, Martin Gallery, SCOOP Studios, Bernie Horton, Lambert GrayFine Art Studio, Jake’s, Blind Tiger and the Oak Steak House.

Farmers Market – Hilton Head Island, S.C.
April 6, 13, 20, 27
This farmers market is located at Honey Horn and is open on Fridays. April 6, 2012, is the opening day for the season and the mayor is coming out to ring the bell at 8:30 am and declare the farmers market open.

Hat Ladies Easter Parade – Charleston, S.C
April 7, 2012
The Hat Ladies will stroll down Meeting Street, between Broad and White on April 7th, 2012 at 11:00 am. Sounds like a great photo op!

The Farmers Market is open for the season

Charleston Farmers Market
April 7, 14, 21, 28 2012
This market is open from April 7 – December 16, 2012 at Marion Square in downtown Charleston. It is the perfect place to come and hang out, have a cup of coffee, watch people pass by and enjoy the downtown atmosphere.

2nd Sunday on King Street
April 8, 2012
Food, music, shopping and fun from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Sunday, April 8, Queen Street to Calhoun.
Gary Erwin of Shrimp City Slim fame and one of the best blues musicians around will grace 2nd Sunday along with Austin Fitzhenry, The Honeybees, South Carolina Broadcasters, Dan Mackey, Bianca & Page and Peter Kiral of Charleston Virtuosi.

Ken Burger will be on hand at the 2nd Sunday Info Tent at Wentworth to talk Charleston and sign copies of his latest book, Baptized in Sweet Tea.

Come to the Information Tent for your free parking vouchers, good in most City Garages downtown. (click here for the voucher)

Charleston International Film Festival in April

Charleston International Film Festival
April 11 – 15, 2012
Every year the city of Charleston, South Carolina, holds a film festival in the dowtown area. This festival offers a variety of programs for the cinema enthusiast as well as the film maker. Lots of independent films, short films, animations and documentaries. Check out the full program at www.charlestoninternationalfilmfestival.org 

The World Grits Festival – St. George, SC
April 13 – 15, 2012
The little town of St. George is world famous for its grits consumption. This festival celebrates grits in all its forms. You can have grits for breakfast, lunch and dinner at this event, participate in grit eating contests and most importantly roll in grits. Read more about the World Grits Festival here.

Plantasia 2012 – Charleston, SC
The Horticulture Society of Charleston holds Plantasia Friday, April 13, 11am -5pm. and Saturday, April 14, 8am – 2pm. at Wragg Square, 342 Meeting Street, in front of Second Presbyterian Church. Horticulturally-trained garden docents and volunteers will be available to help with plant selection and answer questions. Workshops will be offered every hour on the hour from topics ranging from basic garden to having chickens in the city. In addition, a wide selection of “Member’s Favorites”, plants grown and donated by Charleston Horticultural Society members, will be on sale at bargain prices. There will be a “Real Yard Sale” featuring previously loved garden items such as pots, furniture and ornamental items. “Member’s Favorites” and “Real Yard Sale” will only be available for purchase Saturday. For a complete listing of events, workshops, tours, and vendors, please check out our website at www.charlestonhorticulturalsociety.org.

Festival of House and Gardens
The 65th Annual Festival continues until April 21, 2012. This spring festival celebrates Charleston’s magnificent spring season. Right now, the city is in full bloom. During this event you have an opportunity to go on garden tours and visit some of the most beautiful Charleston Homes. Find out more here.

Colleton County Rice Festival
April 27 – 29, 2012
This festival in downtown Walterboror, S.C., is a celebration of the rice planting heritage that helped found Colleton County. The focus is family entertainment that includes a fireworks display, live entertainment, arts and crafts, food concessions, cultural displays and performances depicting our local heritage. Call 843-549-1079 for more information.

 

Mt Pleasant, SC
Dance the night away in Mount Plesant, SC

Shaggin’ on the Cooper
April 28, 2012
This is the first Shaggin’ of the season. Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready for summer and Shaggin’ on the Mount Pleasant Pier. Live music will fill the air with local bands performing throughout the season at the Mount Pleasant Pier. Gates open at 7:00pm and the music begins at 8:00pm. All ages are invited to let loose, breathe in the ocean breeze and dance the night away under the stars. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. 

Art & Craft Show – Hilton Head Island, SC
April 28 – 29, 2012
The Art Market at Historic Honey Horn, a juried fine art and craft show, is set for April 28 and 29, 2012 on Hilton Head Island. The Coastal Discovery Museum will jury in artists in media that includes: clay, wood, fibers, metals, glass, jewelry, watercolors, oil, mixed media and photography. All work will be on display and for sale.
This event host artists from 13 states annually and well-known local artists share the spotlight during this weekend-long event, as they compete for prizes.
The show is open to the public on Saturday, from 10 am until 5 pm and on Sunday, from 11 am until 4 pm. There is a $6.00 per car parking donation, while admission to the show is free. Demonstrations throughout the weekend will be held in glass, pine needle basketry, clay and much more. Food and beverage are for sale during the event. . Show admission is free, parking is $6 per vehicle.
The Art Market is presented by the Coastal Discovery Museum.

Town of Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival
April 29, 2012

This spring festival takes place at the new Memorial Waterfront Park at the foot of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. About 12,000 people attend this festival every year. The festival takes place Sunday April 29th from 11:30 am – 6:00 pm. for more information, please call (843) 884-8517

Camellias at Middleton Place – Charleston, SC

by

The beautiful Camellias are blooming in the middle of winter at Middleton Place in Charleston, SC. The camellias enhance the Middleton Place Gardens with thousands of blossoms, from white to all shades of red and pink. The Camellia is a southern landscape favorite, and it show off an amazing variety of color throughout the winter months. It is said that the French botanist Andrè Michaux gave the Middletons some of the first camellias to be planted in an American garden. Some 50 years later, in 1838, a Middleton daughter wrote, “Papa called me to the terrace to admire the Camellias which I found in great beauty both the white and variegated…”

Now, the gardens at Middleton Place has over 3,500 camellias including many rare varieties as well as one of the four original Michaux plants, fondly referred to as the “Reine des Fleurs” or “Queen of Flowers”, and during this time Middleton Place offers special Camellia Walks to learn more about the fascinating plant. 

Enjoy the beauty of the blooming camellias while learning more about its history during a Camellia Walk. These tours are held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday beginning February 11th and continuing through March 24th, 2012. The special guided tours will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Garden Market & Nursery and last approximately an hour and a half.

There is no additional fee for the Camellia Walks but reservations are required. Adult admission is $25, students are $15, children (6-13) are $10 and 5 years old and under are free. For reservations and additional information, call (843) 556-6020 or visit www.middletonplace.org.

The camellia will also be the topic of a Free Seminar to be held at the Middleton Place Garden Market and Nursery on Saturday, February 18th at 1:00 pm. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the care of camellias, when and where to plant them and what varieties work best in the southern garden. Sidney Frazier, VP Horticulture will conduct the informative seminar.

02/14/2012
02/16/2012
02/18/2012
02/21/2012
02/23/2012
02/25/2012
02/28/2012
03/01/2012
03/03/2012
03/06/2012
03/08/2012
03/10/2012
03/13/2012
03/15/2012
03/17/2012
03/20/2012
03/22/2012
03/24/2012

Blues on Broad – Charleston, SC

by

Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street is gearing up again this year to present “Blues on Broad” on February 3rd from 5 -8PM, with music starting between 5 and 6 pm. During this First Friday on Broad artwalk, join us on Gallery Row for a gumbo of live music & fine art. Galleries will be filled with a mélange of roots music (Blues, Soul, Jazz and Rock n Roll) and artwork inspired from all of these genres.
Hamlet Fine Art Gallery will feature South Carolina blues artist Shrimp City Slim (aka Gary Erwin) (piano/vocals). Erwin was originally from Chicago but has lived in Charleston since the 1980s. He is known as the originator of “Lowcountry blues & original songs”, has released seven CDs to date, and is the producer of the celebrated Lowcountry Blues Bash (festival), which will have its 22nd edition this February 8-21. His various locally-themed tunes such as “Gone With the Wind”, “Phosphate Woman”, “Lowcountry Mama”, “Charleston Strut”, and others have entered into Charleston music history. Expect lowdown blues, crisp coastal shuffles, and plenty of exuberance from this well-known South Carolina blues artist.

Sax at Dusk, 24 x20 Oil on Canvas by Jim Darlington

Edward Dare Gallery will feature Blues inspired works in oil by Jim Darlington and photography by Ron Rocz while visitors are entertained by the guitar duo, Ace and the Sultan. Figures have long been one of the favorite subjects of Darlington, and his blues series continues to be a source of enjoyment for collectors of his work. Stop in to see the musical side of Darlington as he and Minimum Wage band member Brandt Saunders entertain us as the duo, Ace and the Sultan, with their interpretation of blues favorites and other soul shaking, foot tapping musical renditions. This music is the perfect ambiance for Rocz’s Mississippi Delta Blues Collection. These sepia-toned photographs convey a sense of what life was like in the early days of the blues, surrounded by cotton plantation life and work. As he often tells his viewers, “if weren’t for the cotton, there would have been no blues.” His photographs include old share cropper cabins, cotton gins, rural churches, juke joints, get-a-way railways, and local blues players. Rocz’s blues photography collection has been well received at art shows in major cities across the nation.
COCO VIVO Fine Art & Interior Design will present musical guest Tim Church III as a pre-event to Charleston’s 22nd Annual Low Country Blues Bash. COCO VIVO will also host Charleston fashion clothes designer Alena Fede and her new spring collection, Spring Flowers by Alena Fede; the artwork of one of America’s finest designers of natural pearl and hammered silver jewelry, artist Christine Peters Hamilton of Maine; and sculptor Kevin McLean introduces new bronze sculpture, blending classical processes and techniques with a raw and expressive style.

The Ellis-Nicholson Gallery entertainment will be provided by the homegrown Charleston talent of young singer/songwriter Irene Rose. Her music is a soundtrack of the south as she wistfully sings about family, small towns, sweet tea, grits and God. “I like to sing the songs that make people smile and nod because they know exactly what I’m talking about.” Irene Rose and her sister Lydia went on a music tour to Nashville where she was invited to sing in multiple honky tonks on Broadway. She has celebrated two album releases, “Irene Rose” and “How it Ought to Be”. In January Irene Rose was chosen to be played over 30 radio stations in South Carolina in the Discover and Uncover New Artists Series sponsored by IheartRadio.

The Ella Walton Richardson Gallery will feature their newest Dutch paintings. Contemporary artists highlighted include Simon Balyon, Johannes Eerdmans, Frits Goosen, Rene Jansen, Niek van der Plas, and Frans van der Wal. The variety of subjects include still life works, architectural scenes of Charleston, and Dutch landscapes.

Mary Martin Gallery will feature musical guest Don Olson who will perform Appalachian songs on Viola for the evening at their new beautiful location at 103 Broad Street. Spencer Fine ArtI, II and now III (!) will also have entertainment and a wonderful variety of soulful art for art lovers and collectors.
For more information on the artists featured during Gallery Row’s Blues on Broad event, visit www.charlestongalleryrow.com and click on your favorite gallery or phone 843-722-1944.