Spoleto Finale At Middleton Place June 9, 2013-Live Music And A Dazzling Fireworks Display

The day's forecast was calling for a 60% chance of rain. It was Spoleto Finale day at Middleton Place. I had been looking forward to this day since Spoleto began on May 24th. The Red Stick Ramblers were the featured band due to take stage at 8:30 pm followed by the traditional fireworks. Rain could change everything. The main venue was an open-air stage and water does not react well with electronics. I would be keeping my eyes on the sky.

The day was shaping up to be a hot one. I started it off at the pool. Even at that early time of the day the skies were looking threatening, but as of yet no rain. I bumped into a friend and got into a conversation about Middleton Place and the fireworks. I expressed my concern about the potential for storms and what that could mean for the days planned events. A heavy downpour at the wrong time could alter expectations.

She looked at the weather radar on her IPhone and it was looking pretty ominous. Oranges and reds were surrounding the Lowcountry. Even as we spoke, dark clouds were building in the distance, but time and the prevailing winds would prove favorable for the moment. Even after leaving the pool, I kept a weary eye on any potential development. As the day progressed through the afternoon hours the skies brightened and the dark clouds dispersed.

We arrived at Middleton Place around 7 pm and parked the truck. On the short walk through the tall trees to the ticket table and will call, I could here the music of a live band. One of the days scheduled bands were entertaining the late afternoon crowd scattered around the historic Middleton Place grounds. Our first objective was to check out the menu and purchase food tickets. A three piece chicken dinner with a biscuit was available and cost $6. For refreshments, we chose wine for $6 and a soda for $2. A fruit salad for $2 was an after thought. Picnic tables were available, but all were occupied. So, we sat in the indoor dinning area, which was thankfully air-conditioned.

So far pretty much a seemingly ordinary experience, but this was Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark. Nothing ordinary about that fact. Notably, its owners played an important role in American history. The main family residence was constructed in 1705. It no longer exists. Burned by Union troops in 1865 and destroyed by the earthquake of 1886, it is now just a pile of bricks overlooking the Ashley River. The remaining building that survived, called South Flankers, was restored and now serves as the House Museum. Middleton Place has been honored with the designation of being America’s oldest landscaped gardens and a rejuvenated 18th and 19th-century plantation stableyards that offers carriage tours to remote parts of the plantation not seen by visitors. It has a restaurant on the grounds as well as an inn.

After finishing off the food, we headed out onto the grounds to take in the extraordinary history. Gnarled and sprawling oak trees, as old as the plantation, stood like guardians in the retreating sun. The Belgian draft horses used on the plantation could still be viewed, so a few moments were spent observing these magnificent animals and peppering one of the stable workers with questions. Peacocks strutted around the stable fencing and a bird called a guinea squawked frantically when we got too close.

With the time nearing 8:30 pm, I headed towards the main stage to photograph the band making final preparations. A boisterous party crowd scattered around on blankets and fold-up chairs waited patiently for the Red Stick Ramblers to kick-off the festival finale and highly anticipated closing fireworks. Behind the stage, the original house's ruins laid seemingly frozen in time. Beyond the terraced landscape, the old Ashley River wound through the marshy landscape, once the watery highway that transported plantation residents into Charleston on the outgoing high tides and back again on incoming high tides.

The Louisiana based band began and a hearty bunch of festival goers gathered in a roped off area in front of the stage to dance. They cranked out their Cajun, country, stringband and swing style music. It was interesting music, not what I generally listen too, and if you do not know French, sometimes quite foreign. Still, the catchy beat lured you in and the desire to dance was irresistible.

In conclusion, the fireworks were spectacular. The crowd cheered with every explosion as the dazzling array of colors lighted the darkened skies. It was a great final tribute to the Spoleto Festival.


For a complete list of events at the plantation, go to Middleton Place Events.

It's Near Spoleto Time In Charleston-Join In The Fun

It's Spoleto Festival USA time and it's Piccolo Spoleto Festival time. Wait a minute, which is it? Is it Spoleto Festival or is it Piccolo Spoleto Festival? Both festivals conspicuously take place May 27 thru June 12. The question is: Are they one in the same or two separate festivals occurring simultaneously? To answer that question, we need to investigate its history.

The name Spoleto comes from an ancient city located in Italy situated in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. To put it in perspective, it is centrally located some 131 miles southeast of Florence and 78 miles north of Rome. Spoleto is home to the "Festival dei Due Mondi" also known as the "Festival of the Two Worlds" first organized and founded by Gian Carlo Menotti. The festival has developed into one of the most important cultural manifestations in Italy, with a three-week schedule of music, theater and dance performances.

Gian Carlo Menotti wanted to establish a counterpart of the festival in the USA. So, the organizers searched the US for a city that would offer the same charm and hospitality of Spoleto, Italy, and also its wealth of theaters, churches, and other performance spaces. Charleston was rightly selected and the first festival was held in 1977. Spoleto Festival USA produces its own operas, which are rarely performed masterpieces by well-known composers and also presents theater, dance and music ranging from classical to jazz. It is now one of the world's major performing arts festivals.

While Spoleto Festival USA features artists and performers of national and international renown, the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs wanted to highlight outstanding local and regional artists. Thus, Piccolo Spoleto was established and became the official companion festival, the perfect complement.

Each festival has its own official poster. The poster of the Spoleto Festival is often not well received by the native masses and this years choice is no exception. The official poster is a red, white, and black abstraction of the interior, architectural schematic of London's famed opera house Covent Garden, home of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The Piccolo Spoleto poster tends to favor local artistic tastes. Both posters are the featured images of this article. You decide for youself?

So, Charleston, for 17 days, will be full of the performing arts. Its theaters and streets will be filled with visitors and locals alike. There is scheduled something for everyone and anybody, a spattering of the diverse artistic expressions in our culture. It is by far the most popular festivals of the year. You can purchase Spoleto tickets and events and Piccolo Spoleto tickets and events. Charleston hotels and accommodations.

A couple of interesting scheduled performances:
Circa-Australia’s most innovative circus company debuts with its newest show, hailed by The Herald (UK) as “truly a circus, but with a poetic, life-affirming modern twist.” Combining heart-stopping acrobatics with contemporary choreography and cheeky humor. Memminger Auditorium June 7-12. Times and tickets. Prices $30-$45. Map location.
The Gentleman Pirate-Great fun, splendidly performed and exhaustively researched. “Grade A,” Charleston City Paper. A one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical event that brings to life the notorious Stede Bonnet. Pure Theatre, Powder Magazine, 79 Cumberland Street. Tickets: $16. Complete list of dates and times. Map location.
Award-winning South Carolina artists display their works at Marion Square, with free demonstrations each day. Marion Square, King and Calhoun Sts. Admission: free. May 27-June 11; 10am-5pm King St. at Calhoun St.