Party at the Point, May 31, 2013-An Entertaining Night With Occasional Milkshake and Southwood

An Occasional Milkshake is good for you, especially when it is served up by Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish, Hank Futch of Blue Dogs and Gary Greene of Cravin' Melon. At the Party at the Point, they stayed true to their mantra last night and it is simple: play music for fun with laughter as the key ingredient. There was no rigorous play list. Spontaneity was the rule of law on stage. Whatever moved them in that moment, they played. Bluegrass, punkabilly, and everything in between. They sang about hot dogs, beer, homegrown tomaters, and threw some Sponge Bob into the mix for the kids. The whole gig was smooth and sweet, pure fun.

They were preceded by Southwood, a group who put a show on of their own. The group closed out the night at Buffalo Wild Wings on Coleman Blvd. Hank Futch was there and stated this observation to me about Southwood, "These guys are good." A few songs later Hank verified his delight by stepping onto the Wild Wing stage and joined Southwood for one song. It was great. Buffalo Wild Wings is a great music venue for the after party. Half of it is open to the outside and half is enclosed with the main bar and a raised stage and dance floor splitting the two sides.

I arrived around 6:30 pm. Cover charge for the night was $7-it usually varies between $5 and $7 depending on the bands. I purchased my refreshment tickets and made my way onto the sandy beach and to the stage. Southwood was already warming up the crowd. At this point, I generally take a walk on the pier to get a feel for the crowd and to soak in the beautiful view of Charleston Harbor and the Resort to set the mood. The Party at the Point is the complete package-salt water, sandy beach, music, and atmosphere. A kid and pet friendly event on top of it all. A bring your fold-up chair and sit back and soak in the beach ambiance and music event.

The night was Charleston beautiful and got even better when I found out my two favorite ladies were on site enriching the already beautiful scenery-Chelsea Summers and her mom, Aura Lee. Chelsea is an aspiring singer/songwriter with many successful gigs under her belt and a rising popularity in Charleston. She was there for Southwood, having met the bass player at a previous engagement. We kicked off our sandals and kicked around some sand, but it was at the afterparty we made some serious dance moves. Chelsea will be at Molly Darcy's on Friday, June 14th. Come on out and join the fun. As Chelsea's number one groupy, I will be wearing my Chelsea Summers t-shirt.

Only four left in this season's schedule. The next Party at the Point, June 7th, Stop Light Observations with Fowlers Mustache are scheduled. Join the fun-this event is the premier happy hour concert series in Charleston at the Charleston Harbor Resort-5:30-9:30 pm and one heck of a beach party.

"Get To The Point"-North to South, It's All A Great Time For Everyone

When someone we are engaged with in conversation rambles on about where they are going on a particular subject matter, we often say, "Get to the point." If you are from Ohio, like myself, getting to the point could mean something entirely different. "Get to the Point" was also an advertising slogan for Cedar Point, a world class amusement park located at the tip of a peninsula on Lake Erie in Sandusky. When I lived in Ohio, going to Cedar Point was a tradition I eagerly looked forward to every year.

We lived about two hours driving time from the park, so it was a always a full day excursion. We would get up at the crack of dawn to leave with enough time to make it for the opening and would stay until near closing. A complete day of flips, dips, over the top high-speed gut-wrenching plunges, and tennis shoe water-soaking rides accompanied by an entertaining dose of shows, games, and attractions.

Cedar Point has been around long time. It opened in 1870. It is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States. It features a world-record 72 rides, including 15 roller coasters making it the park with the third-most roller coasters in the world. It is the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than 200 ft - Magnum XL-200 at 205 ft, Millennium Force at 310 ft, Wicked Twister at 215 ft, and Top Thrill Dragster at 420 ft. It received the Golden Ticket Award for "Best Amusement Park in the World" from Amusement Today for the past 15 years. It is the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World". This year it will open with a 16th roller coaster called the GateKeeper at 174 ft. If you are a roller coaster enthusiast, Cedar Point is a must do.

I no longer live in Ohio. It has been some time since I have been to beautiful Sandusky and Cedar Point. I now live in South Carolina and beautiful Charleston, but getting to the point is still a priority, that is to say Patriots Point. There are no world class roller coasters on this point. Patriots Point is home to Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum and a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, including the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The old carrier has become one the state's major tourist attractions with more than 270,000 visitors each year.

Patriots Point also has a golf course, a hotel, and a collegiate athletic complex. The hotel is the Charleston Harbor Resort. It is host to the main reason I get to the Point, the Party at the Point.

The first installment of the weekly event for 2013 begins April 26th. The beach party offers you an opportunity to stick your feet into the cool sands of the resorts waterfront beach, revitalize yourself with a cool drink after a long day of whatever, and enjoy some music with Charleston Harbor as the backdrop. A long pier stretching out into the bay is perfect for taking a relaxing stroll to soak in the gentle, salty ocean breezes and viewing the shipping activities of one of the largest and busiest ports in the United States. Maybe, you will catch a glimpse of one of the many huge container ships passing close by.

  
The featured band on April 26th will be Blue Monday. The band is a 5 piece female fronted band performing music from the cool and fun music of the 80's. Music from bands like Journey, U2, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and others. The band relocated from New York City after a successful 10 year run. The bands hard hitting classics will take you back into a 30 year old time machine. It is billed as a tribute to the MTV revolution of music. On May 3rd Daggermuffin, a Folly Beach based trio, will be the featured band along with Old You. May 10th will be the CofC Graduation Party with Long Miles. For the complete schedule go to Party on the Point.

This is a family friendly event. The gates open at 5:30 pm, and the bands start at around 6:30. Bring cash for admission and for the bar, and bring your friends too. See you on the beach.