Two Summerville Favorites Team Up--Azalea Bar and Garden and Historical Dining's Chef Vince Dodson

Azalea Bar and Garden at 219 S Cedar Street, Summerville's new cocktail hot spot, is the perfect place to grab a refresher plus one with your closest friends or significant other. A diversified list of craft cocktails are offered. My two favorites thus far are the Hemingway Daiquiri (White rum, lime juice, Maraschino liquor, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and lime twist for $12) and Dr. Shephard (Sweet tea vodka, ruby port, pink lemonade, and fresh mint for $12). Specialty curated wine, a selection of local craft beers, and a menu of Southern favorites round out its unique presentations.

Dr. Shepard

Since its opening, it has collected a dedicated following of Summerville residents, goal achieved. However, successful businesses always find ways of becoming better, and Azalea Bar and Garden has just upped their game.

The Azalea Bar and Garden has formed a partnership with Historical Dining and Personal Chef Vince Dodson. Starting Sunday, July 10th, The Azalea Bar and Garden will open its doors to present a multi-course tapas-type brunch. The event will feature an alternating cuisine of French and Italian. Seating time is at 10 am and 1 pm promptly.

The menu will change each week and appear on Historical Dining's website and Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages. The price per person is $35, which includes a beverage. Credit cards and cash will be accepted during brunch service.

There will be limited seating, so make your reservations beforehand at Historical Dining. Reservations for each Sunday must be made no later than the Friday before. Enter your name, email, phone number, and party size to hold your reservation. For parties larger than ten, please email tricia1823@gmail.com or chefvincedodson@gmail.com or call (919)358-0768. Other dates available for reservations are July 17, 24, and 31.

The menu for July 10 is as follows.

STARTER: A cup of carrot and curry bisque accompanied by fresh greens topped with yellow bell pepper vinaigrette.

SOMETHING SWEET: Fresh crepes topped with a white chocolate sauce garnished with fresh raspberries and slivers of roasted almonds.

THIRD BITE: Deep dish Quiche with caramelized onions, fire roasted tomatoes, and laced with goat cheese. Garnished with cantaloupe and fresh grapes. Poached salmon in Sancerre wine piped into puff pastry topped with Val-Wa sauce. This sauce is named after the queen of Spain, Elizabeth Valois, 1545-1568.

LAYERS: Honey yogurt layered with fresh strawberries.

Parting Gift: Signature roasted almond banana nut Bundt cake.

Azalea Bar and Garden article.

Historical Dining article.

Summerville Celebrates 175 Years with Concert 175 and the BritBeats

The British are coming. The British are coming. No, it wasn't the American Revolution and Paul Revere, it was BritBeats and Steven Doniger of Summerville Dream, celebrating the town's 175th anniversary.

First inhabited in the late 1700s as Charlestonians and other inhabitants of the South Carolina Lowcountry sought respite from the summer heat, mosquitos, and disease, pioneer residents from the nearby former colonial settlement of Dorchester, who were descendants of 1696 puritans also took up residence on the pine-forested ridge. The railroad's arrival in the early 1800s led to the village's incorporation. Soon after, the summer retreat became an official town in 1847. Now, 175 years later, it was time to celebrate with a festival.

Concert 175 was the festival of festivals. Three music venues were setup throughout the historic downtown district to entertain shoppers, diners, and visitors in town to celebrate its illustrious history, one at Hutchinson Square, another at Short Central, and the main event stage on W. Richardson Ave. It all started at 2 pm and culminated at 7 pm with the largest crowd I have seen for a downtown event, all gathered on W. Richardson Ave for the premier show of the day.

BritBeats is a Beatles tribute band home-based in Chicago. Their nationally acclaimed Beatles concert, with costume changes and a spectacular, stunning, and immersive multimedia backdrop accompanied by a large screen, successfully entertained Summerville's celebrating residents. The musical group was engaging and definitely a crowd-pleaser. Attendees, young and older, sang and danced to the catalog of Beatles' songs that were performed with precision and uncanny realism by the talented foursome. They began the show dressed in black suits singing I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and ended it outfitted in psychedelic colors to the lyrics of Hey Jude.

Congratulations to Steven Doniger and the Dream Team for their hard work in organizing these kinds of events that highlight the great things Summerville has to offer its residents and visitors and for bringing people to the downtown district in support of the town's much appreciated local businesses. Enjoy the pictures. You may see yourself having a great time.

Home of Charleston's Sand Sculpting Contest--The Ever Popular Beach Mecca, Isle of Palms

It was the first beach I stayed at when vacationing in the Charleston area. A famous inlet separating it from a neighboring island is my favorite place to kayak at low tide. Sand islands appear offshore, where you can park to hang out and watch the kite surfers on a breezy day. The island is called the IOP by locals, and the inlet is Breach Inlet.

The Isle of Palms boasts seven miles of wide, pristine beaches great for swimming, lounging, fishing, biking, and kayaking. An equal amount of estuary waters connected to the Intracoastal waterway grace its backside like an unconquerable maze. It is an excellent place for kayaking and paddleboarding.

Once a year, the island's main stretch of sand called Front Beach is transformed into an ocean art show when it hosts the ever-popular Piccolo Spoleto Sand Sculpting Contest. It was the 33rd year for the event, and News2's Rob Fowler has been a regular judge through those years.

Participants include teams of families and individuals, children and adults from all over the Lowcountry. Hundreds of happy beach-goers strolled back and forth for three hours to watch the transformations rise from the sand, attempting to guess the object and the theme of the sculpture. The overall winner of the contest this year was a play on words and a sign of our times, Pain in the Gas. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Enjoy the pictures.

The Best of Edgar Allan Poe--Piccolo Spoleto's Spellbinding "Cognac and Roses" at Threshold Repertory Theatre

You could see it in his eyes. You could see it reflected in his demeanor's shadow. Dark was the medium of his world, the source of his intellectual power. His words were a palette of shades of black. The chill of dusk was the beginning of his day, and the warmth of dawn was its end. Thus was the story and life of Edgar Allan Poe, and what a poem he brushed, what a picture he versed.

Edgar Allan Poe left his imprint on Charleston, particularly the sands of Sullivan's Island, where he served in the military for 13 months at Fort Moultrie. The Gold Bug, his most famous story written 15 years after leaving the Lowcountry, takes place on the island.

It is believed his ghost walks the beach of Sullivan's Island, as recounted in a 2005 encounter with a 26-year-old woman on a family vacation. While picking up shells, she noticed a gentleman, standing fully clothed, watching the ocean waves break on the shore. She found his appearance to be odd. He wasn't dressed for a day at the beach, and his long dark hair and very dark eyes made him stand out in her mind as a unique presence. He approached and spoke to her about the shell she was holding in her hand. Bending down to pick up another to inquire about it, the gentleman vanished. While at Poe's Tavern that evening, she identified the mysterious man by the portrait on the restaurant's wall.

The Baltimore Sun's Laura Lippmann wrote an article in 2000 about an individual who would become known as the "Poe Toaster." From around 1949 until 2009, this somebody—or somebodies—toasted the famous author, who was born a hundred years earlier in 1849. They usually came sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. Even though a small group of onlookers watched his ritual, no one ever tried to unmask the visitor. The traditional uniform of the "Poe Toaster" was an all-black outfit with a white scarf and big hat. This somebody would leave three red roses and a bottle of cognac on his grave.

The story of the "Poe Toaster" is the basis for Threshold Repertory Theatre's presentation of Cognac and Roses: A Toast to Edgar Allan Poe. A dark and dreary night of dramatic retellings of Poe's most famous works of literature will be presented, including The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. Expect performances so dark and terrifying they will have your heart beating so hard you'll be sure it was buried under the floorboards. The cast includes Paul O'Brien, Ernie Eliason, Andrea Catangay, Tara D Holwegner, and Jonathan Quarles, all orchestrated by veteran director Chrissy Eliason.

Paul O'Brien and The Raven

Paul O'Brien set a high bar for the evening with a dramatic opening tribute to the "Poe Toaster" and followed it with an emotionally superb rendering of the Raven. Without missing a beat, the rest of the cast delivered absorbing, passionate renderings with the metaphorical power to arouse Poe from his grave to bestow his approval with a standing ovation.

Tara D. Holwegner and The Lake

Andrea Catangay and Dream Within a Dream

Ernie Eliason and The Black Cat

Jonathan Quarles and The Tell Tale Heart

If you love Edgar Allan Poe, this is a must see, spellbinding through and through. Remaining shows are June 10 at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, with a final performance June 11 at 3:00 pm--purchase tickets.

You can see Poe today, though neither in the flesh or the spirit. Go to Poe's restaurant on Sullivan's Island, stand before his mesmerizing portrait painted on one of its walls, and if you dare, look him in the eyes. Take care you do not get sucked into one of his nightmares.

Summerville's Most Famous Porch Swing--An Entertainingly Interesting Story

There are stories, and then there are the stories. You know, the kind that flirts with the boundaries of the unbelievable, leaving the reader wondering how the outcome could even be in the realm of possibility. Summerville holds within its historical archives such stories. What you are about to read is not a mind-blowing revelation, but it is entertainingly interesting.

It was the Golden Age for the inns of Summerville. Sara Woodruff had just purchased a 65-year-old house located on the corner of Richardson Ave and Palmetto Street. She watched with curious interest as the influx of visitors from Charleston and places beyond created potentially profitable opportunities and stimulated Summerville's local businesses. The Pine Forest Inn, Carolina Inn, Halcyon Inn, and others were all thriving as a result. She envisioned the house, with its three servants' cottages, as a potential source of income for the future. She would call her new purchase White Gables. Then, one unsuspecting day, an opportunity came rocking on her porch.

Upon coming out her front door, she found a man sitting on her porch swing. He had been walking around town looking for a place to stay, got tired, and took a seat on the swing. He introduced himself as Henry Clay and related how he had been sent to Summerville by his doctor to take advantage of the turpentine-rich air. He was an asthmatic. Sara left Mr. Clay with a glass of lemonade and an invitation to talk when she got back, which they did, and Mr. Clay became her first boarder.

The story's most captivating feature is about to be revealed. Mr. Woodruff was a regimented man and did things to a particular schedule, habits of a railroad employee. Except for his own rooms and the first-floor parlor, he never went into any other part of the house, nor did he show any interest in the day-to-day matters of the household, which he left to Sara to govern. As part of the strict terms laid out by Sara, Mr. Clay agreed to stay in his room during the evening hours, only venturing downstairs during the day. Mr. Clay was a paying guest on the third floor of White Gables for almost four years, which brings us to the most astonishing part of this story. Mr. Woodruff never knew of Mr. Clay's presence in all those years.

Now, you have to wonder, in all that time, the two of them never once crossed paths. Believe it or not, that is the way the family tells the story. It was Sara's profitable little secret.

From 1914 to 1939, Sara's White Gables was famous for Summerville hospitality. Ten months out of the year, many visitors from Charleston and some nationally famous people rented the three cottages on the property and boarded rooms in the house. It became the financial success she envisioned and the security she scrupulously and shrewdly planned for herself and her family.

White Gables had changed over the years since its glory days under the ownership of Sara Woodruff. Future owners altered the rear porch, and added a brick chimney that blocked one of the house's back gables. During recent years, the structure has been restored back to the house Sara Woodruff fell in love with and turned into a beloved Summerville inn. Today, the emblematic porch swing she found Mr. Clay sitting on that providential day remains in place.

White Gables today.