Third Thursday's Surprise Event Will Bring A Bit Of The Dickens Out Of You-October 18, 2012

 

What the dickens is going on this Third Thursday in beautiful Summerville? While Charles Dickens has long been famous for coining some of the most creative character names in English literature and propelling hundreds of new words and expressions into our language, he is not credited with coining the word dickens. Where am I going with this and what the devil does dickens have to do with Third Thursday? If the question is leaving you somewhat "flummoxed", the answer is going to give you "the creeps." Hopefully, the partakers won't experience a case of "butter-fingers."

Summerville DREAM, our illustrious host of Third Thursday, is teaming up with Art and Soul of Summerville for the presentation of a somber procession based on a character fabricated by Charles Dickens. They will be putting to rest the money-loving business partner of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley. It will begin on Short Central near OLacey's Pub promptly at 6:00 pm. Short Central is a fitting setting for this Dickens inspired event. Its brick pavement, little shops, and local pub gives it a somewhat English flare, with a little imagination thrown in. Now, if the weather cooperates and produces a misty fog, the scene will be near perfect. The procession will proceed up Short Central and end at Richardson Square where a eulogy will be delivered and a dirge will be had at 6:30 pm. Hopefully, Marley will stay put, but I wouldn't be so foolish as to put a wager on it.

After paying your respects to Marley, take a short walk to 112 S Main Street. It is the address of  A Very Little Bookstore. When I visited this bookstore for the first time, it reminded me of  The Shop Around The Corner from the movie You Got Mail. In the movie, The Shop Around The Corner was a small, privately owned bookstore that suddenly found itself competing against another bookstore called Fox Books, a conglomerate similar to powerhouses like Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble. It was a quaint store where the owner and customer knew each other personally and was a central part of the community. The staff was knowledgeable and neighborhood children were entertained by scheduled book readings.

When I walked through the door of A Very Little Bookstore, I got the same impression. The store inside and out screamed kids. The walls were lined with cabinets of different heights and shapes and packed with books of varying sizes and colors written by many different authors. Co-owner, Natalie Sober, was out on the main floor talking to the patrons, fielding questions about book titles, and sharing her own personal viewpoint on favorites. Children were sitting at small tables thumbing through their chosen picks.

During my brief conversation with Natalie, she emphasized the popularity of children's books by local writers and the numerous requests she gets for them. The bottom line for this little bookstore, adjacent to Hutchinson Square on Little Main, is the satisfaction it gets from promoting to children the joy of reading and then seeing the excitement on their faces when they take the book into their hands.

So, take that short walk and meet the Sober's. Smell the print, feel the paper, see the story. No better time to immerse yourself into someone else's wonderland than on a Third Thursday. And bring your little dickens with you.

That's not all. Summerville DREAM has conjured up more for your entertainment. Everywhere you go, every corner you turn in downtown Summerville this coming Third Thursday, there will be a street vendor fair and performances by Summerville's Got Talent contestants. Now, all you have to do is show up and show support for our local businesses. And don't be a Scrooge about it either.

Final note: The word dickens is often used as a substitute for devil or an imp, and in reference to children usually used affectionately.

The Mysterious Side Of Charleston-Uncommon Things You Don't See Everyday

Dock Street Theater

Charleston is charming, but also mysterious. It is renowned for its old homes and church graveyards, many with bizarre tales of ghostly encounters and things that go bump in the night. The Battery Carriage House Inn has its “gentleman ghost” and the headless torso and Poogan's Porch's resident apparition is an old lady by the name of Zoe St Amand. Junius Brutus Booth, father of John Wilkes Booth, is said to appear at the Dock Street Theater and Lavinia Fisher, famous for saying, “If you have a message you want to send to hell, give it to me – I’ll carry it,” haunts the Old City Jail. Many other such tales abound throughout Charleston and its streets. Even its barrier islands tell of pirate ghosts and confederate soldiers.

I have not personally experienced any of these types of encounters, but I have seen things that border on the peculiar. While traveling in and around Charleston you could see some strange and unusual things. Not saying that Charleston is the only place in this big country you could be confronted with the bizarre and unusual, other places have their own unique blend of quaint happenings. In the Lowcountry, the farther off the beaten track you go, the more bizarre some things may get. Some of them make perfect sense and others make no sense at all. Although, to the originator it probably appears very practical.

The first is the blue bottle tree. While I wouldn't categorize this as being bizarre, it is unusual. You see them all over the Lowcountry, on peoples front yards, gardens, porches and even one at the corner of a busy Summerville intersection called Five Points. To the originators, slaves from the Congo, the blue bottle tree was more than a lawn ornament and the idea behind its creation made perfect sense to them. Its purpose was to protect the home from evil spirits. The blue bottle tree was placed outside, near the home. The threatening evil spirits are drawn to the sparkling,blue bottles, cobalt blue to be more exact. Once inside the bottle they can't get out. The sun rises in the morning and burns them up, as one version tells it. Another version relates the bottles being corked and thrown into a river to carry the evil spirits away. Anyway you bottle it, the home was thus protected.

Both strange and unusual are appropriate adjectives for the next entry. I first happened upon this soon to become an iconic piece of Edisto Island history some years ago while driving the roads less traveled, at least by me. It was an old mattress hanging by four ropes from a large oak tree. Admittedly, at first I thought the peculiar sight to be rather repulsive. A mattress left outdoors, subject to the heat and humidity of the Lowcountry summer, would likely become a smelly, heap of decaying fibers over time. But then, as I reflected back over the uncommon spectacle, I found it to be amusingly uncanny, and so did many others who happened upon this contrivance posing as a double-wide hammock. It was the famed "Mattress Swing" and the place at which it hung was known to some of Edisto's oldest islanders as "Mattress Point." It was an ingenious invention of practicality and southern comfort. It was audacious. So audacious, the maker and owner of the swinging quilted pad, Frank Gadsden, charged drive-bys $10 to take pictures. The "Mattress Swing" no longer hangs from the old oak tree standing at the bend in the road on SC-174. Time and unforeseen circumstances have vanquished it.

White Gables, a quaint southern community development off of Central Ave in Summerville, is patterned after the colorful row houses of Charleston. One delivery man referred to it as the crayon box houses. The main entrance drive is flanked on each side by ponds, and once you past the first stop sign, lined with live oak trees. A clubhouse straight ahead and beyond a green area with benches and gazebos, stands as a center piece and hub of activity. It is a close knit community where the uncommon is as foreign as a Steeler jersey in the Dawg Pound of Cleveland Stadium. Until one day, a friend happened upon a freakish sight sitting on the lawn of a resident and shared it with me. A mechanical conjoinment of two dissimilar objects reminiscent of the Transformers. Someone finally discovered a way to mix work and play with this amalgamation of steel and wheels. It was a bike and a grass mower fused into one.

My final entry is unusual, but not bizarre. I happened upon it while visiting one of my favorite hangouts in Summerville, the Coastal Coffee Roasters, which is a contradiction for me because I don't partake of the dark, aromatic brew. While freshly roasted coffee from organically grown beans is Coastal Coffee Roasters niche, it is much more. Spending time there is like hanging out at a neighbor's garage for a community party complete with beverages and live entertainment, and if you are so inclined you can bring your own acoustic guitar to pick a few of your own favorites. CCR calls it open mic night.

It was on such a night I saw this unusual object sitting on CCR's counter. At first glance, from a distance, it looked like an oil lamp, but when the burner was put underneath, it eerily resembled a chemistry experiment. "What is that," I inquired. Brad answered, "A Japanese coffee siphon brewer." To satisfy my insatiable curiosity, I demanded an explanation, which involved another science, the laws of physics. So, a demonstration was needed, because seeing is believing, or something like that. Brad lit the burner and we watched. The whole process defies the laws of gravity and the end result is a pure cup of brewed coffee that even I had to try.

See you around the Lowcountry and beautiful Charleston.

A One Day Visit To Enchanting Savannah, GA-Charleston's Sister City

It was a beautiful southern morning for a one day trip to Charleston's sister city to the south, Savannah. We headed up Central Ave to 17A going toward Walterboro, a sleepy old town, where we would pick up I-95. By the way, if you are a person who likes antiques and collectibles, Walterboro's old Washington Street is lined with shops filled with these items. At the present, they are renovating the sidewalks and road, but when it becomes finished, it will be a centerpiece for residents and visitors alike. But I am getting ahead of a very important controversy and challenge that arose while on our way to Walterboro.

While chatting about Savannah my traveling partner, who has never been there, brought up the name Paula Deen. She said, "Paula Deen is a big name in Savannah." Even though I tried to look like I knew what she was talking about, she caught the underlying puzzled look in my eyes and followed up with the remark, "You don't know who Paula Deen is, do you." She lives for these moments. She continued, "She has a cooking show and a restaurant in Savannah." I innocently responded, "Well, I'm drawing a blank on the name right now, but I am sure I have seen her before." I could see she was basking in the moment.

So, to account for my apparent lack of knowledge on the matter, I quickly formulated a plan for redemption and presented a challenge. I contested, "When we get to Savannah, I bet you the first man I stop on the street and ask if he knows who Paula Deen is he will draw a blank just like me." "I'll bet you they will know who Paula Dean is," she reaffirmed. The challenge was on.

A hour and ten minutes later we crossed the Savannah River into Georgia and in a few moments were making our way to the heavily touristed Bay Street. Our first objective-finding a parking spot. It was a Saturday, so locating a parking spot could have been difficult, but we were fortunate and found one quickly. Our first stop was the ticket office for the River Queen located on the historic and very popular River Street near the Hyatt. We bought two tickets totaling $85.90 for the Saturday Luncheon Cruise. Boarding would begin at 11:30am. Since it was 11:00am, we had time to walk around and do what Keri does best, shop. There were already plenty of tourists milling around on the street and in the stores.

We boarded the old riverboat and selected our table on the restaurant deck. It was elegantly decorated with fancy dressed waiters. We noticed the drinks being brought to an older couple seated next to us and I inquired about their selection. Her drink caught my curiosity. Conversation continued from that point. The couple was on a three month vacation traveling up the East Coast.

I decided it was now time to put my challenge to the test. I asked the older gentleman if he had ever heard of Paula Dean. I was feeling pretty confident I had this one in the bag seeing he was an older man from Iowa. He smiled, but his wife answered, "Funny you should ask. We have plans of going to her restaurant called The Lady and Sons for dinner." I looked at Keri, now grinning from ear to ear. She toasted her victory with the declaration, "See. I was right." I quickly sought a recovery. The waiter had just then arrived with our drinks. I asked him, "Do you know Paula Deen?" Wrong person to ask. So, I figured it was time to put the controversy to rest and accept the defeat.

It was time to eat. The buffet had a selection of honey glazed barbecue pork loin, Southern fried chicken, Chef's special, creamy squash casserole, fresh fruit, assorted salads and deserts. The Captain related the history of Savannah and the riverfront as we cruised up and down. The food was excellent and the warm sun on the upper deck was great. Most of the scenery was uninteresting, consisting mainly of old docks and rusted warehouses, except for the section along Old River Street, which was more picturesque. You can take a picture of The Waving Girl Statue as the boat passes by. It honors the bittersweet life of Florence Martus, Savannah's legendary "waving girl." She had a tradition of waving at all the ships that passed by her cottage with a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. She did it for 44 yrs. It remains a mystery as to why she did this, but there are unsubstantiated stories of a lost love with a sailor that never returned to Savannah.

After the cruise, we spent a considerable amount of time checking out all the old stores and candy shops along the riverfront and up on Bay Street. We did some wine tasting at a shop that sold wine from the Horse Creek Winery in Nashville, GA. I bought a bottle of strawberry wine called Red Jewell and Keri bought a bottle of blackberry wine called Blackjack. We had some brews at the Moon River Brewing Company on W. Bay Street. Very rustic atmosphere and attentive bartenders. Regrettably visited Paula Deen's restaurant and asked the question one more time. Kissed Paula Deen goodbye. More shopping in the City Market, a four-block area of restored warehouses and shop fronts adjacent to Ellis Square. Listened to some live entertainment while having a free beer on a rooftop bar. There is a story associated with the free beer, but I'll save it for another time. Walked through some of Savannah's famous squares taking pictures.

We ended the day back on River Street where it was packed with people enjoying the lights and nightlife. Ate at the Exchange Tavern. More shopping and picture taking. Bought a t-shirt at the Blue Parrot. Watched a trumpet player annoy a bride with the "Wedding March" song. Solo musicians playing for tips are common along the waterfront at night.

What I learned-There are two things you will see plenty of when you visit the shops and stores of Savannah, Paula Deen and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", a movie filmed in Savannah and directed by Clint Eastwood. You can even take a tour called "A Walk Through Midnight". Sadly, there is also a "Paula Deen Tour". Savannah has been rated by Walking Magazine as "one of the 10 Best Walking Cities in America." A city of tree-lined streets, beautiful squares, and magnificent parks.

It was a fun day visiting the sister city of Charleston. Two very different and very similar cities of the South.

The 2012 Southern Living Taste Of Charleston Served Up A Platter Of Food And Fun

Historic and beautiful Boone Hall Plantation is an appropriate backdrop for the Taste of Charleston. From the moment you enter the plantation gates, driving under the canopy of the broad and spacious Avenue of Oaks leading the way to the house, you sense the grace and charm that is the trade mark of the Charleston experience. The event is a celebration to the culinary expertise of Charleston's renowned chefs and famed restaurants overshadowed by its historic roots. A perfect confluence of the past and the present.

The day promised to be overcast with the possibility of rain. It was humid, but the clouds kept the temperature at a comfortable degree. Despite the grey skies and unsure forecast, Charlestonians and visitors were not going to be deterred from partaking in the culinary festivities. I arrived around 11:00am and the cars were beginning to line the driveway and extend down Long Point Rd. The parking of the cars appeared to be going smoothly. I grabbed my camera, exited the car and headed toward the entrance. I paid the fee. I could already hear the music and smell the food just beyond the treeline.

Once you navigated the gauntlet of raffle ticket selling and simulators, a long line of tents stretching across the expansive plantation grounds, divided in the middle by the Beer Garden, awaited your consideration. I paid my homage to the main sponsor of this wonderful event and took a few moments to watch a cooking demonstration at the huge Southern Living stage. I entered a contest where you had to get a post card stamped by four different travel hosts representing South Carolina Parks, Baldhead Island, and Charleston's sister city, Savannah. I had been to Savannah the week before and bought a t-shirt that was a big hit with the Savannah tent. Next, I had my picture taken for the cover of the Southern Living Magazine and it was now time to move on to satisfy my hunger.

A ticket tent offering souvenirs was to the right and a large stage was set up directly across from the restaurant tents. Before I made my first food selection, I walked from one end to the other to get a quick overview of what each restaurant was offering. I made a close observation of what others were eating as I went and listened for any helpful comments. A trip to the ticket tent was next, 2$ for one ticket.

Bricco Bracco's tent was my first stop. The fried ricotta and fried mozzarella caught my eye. I grappled a bit with this first selection but settled for the fried ricotta. The ricotta was, well ricotta, but the tomato sauce made the dish and the tiny tomatoes were delectable. It was off to a good start. Next, I wanted to seek out a restaurant I was not familiar with, not that I never heard of it, but one I had not previously dined at. My decision did not come easy. It was between Poogan's Porch and Queen Ann's Revenge. I love the dog story and Blackbeard is a popular Charleston pirate. I hope Zoe didn't take offense, but I went with the chicken salad at Queen Ann's Revenge. It was the right choice. The chicken was great and the dressing accented the salad perfectly. I was stopped by quite a few people who were curious about my opinion on the salad. With so many excellent restaurants featured, it wouldn't have mattered who you chose, they all are the best Charleston has to offer. You can only reasonably spend so much money.

Homemade Wine provided the musical entertainment. When you succeed at getting people up to dance, you must be doing something right. They rocked the house.

The Waiter's Race was a highly anticipated event and it didn't disappoint. Plenty of precious wine from the Biltmore Estate was spilled in this one. Jason Alderman from 82 Queen won.

Other highlights of the day was watching a copter camera take off and fly over the crowd, swooping down for closeups. If you were fortunate enough for it to hover over you, you got a reprieve from the humidity by way of a strong breeze. Finally, it was entertaining to watch a group of guys work their artistic wonder on a ice sculpture dedicated to Southern Living and the Taste of Charleston.

White Gables of Summerville was represented very well by our friends and neighbors with their own tent strategically set up near the WEZL van and the stage. I thank the group for inviting me in for some pictures and conversation. They know how to have fun. It was a blast.

Things That Bring You To The Lowcountry-Taste of Charleston And The Scrumptious Summerville Kitchen Tour

Isle of Palms

When I tell people I am from Ohio, the subsequent response is always, "What brought you to Charleston?" I have to admit, before the first time vacationing on the beautiful Isle of Palms, I didn't give much thought to the idea of leaving Ohio. Well, maybe a passing thought or two. Having lived near Lake Erie all those years, water and the beach were always a part of my life along with the excellent fishing Ohio waters provided. But Ohio summers pass by quickly and the long Northeastern Ohio winters curtail such activities. The sun is seldom seen from November to March due to the Lake Erie affect.

Fall, indisputably, is a pretty time in the North with the patchwork of colorful leaves and pleasant days of Indian Summer, but spells of cooler weather are a reminder of the bone chilling cold not far away in the North Coast lake-effect winter. Leaving for work in the morning was always a chore, hacking the ice off the car and driving the slippery roads. Sometimes my face got so cold my lips could barely move to speak. The melting snow that would freeze on my mustache often left me looking like a walrus. To sum it up, given a choice between frostbite and sweating, I'll take the sweating any day of the week. Frostbite is painful, sweating is not. Stick your fingers or toes into a fire ant mound and you will get a slight hint of just how painful frostbite can be.

So, the obvious answer to the aforementioned question could be, "The weather." Not so fast. The very first time I came to the Charleston area and stuck my feet in the sands of the Wild Dunes beachfront on the Isle of Palms and later set my feet on the rooftop of the Boathouse Restaurant looking out over Breach Inlet, the weather is no longer so obvious of a response. Needless to say, I was won over by the sheer beauty of its beaches, marshes and barrier islands.

Shem Creek

Folly Island

So, the answer now becomes, "The weather and coastal beauty." Not so fast. I took the short trip from the Isle of Palms to the the heart of Charleston, the Old Market. Market Street was crowded and lined with horse drawn carriages. I paid the fee and boarded the carriage assigned by a colored ball to travel through the French Quarter and the Battery along the waterfront. The ride introduced me to the charm and history that permeates every cobblestone, brick and iron gate of Charleston's past. A past that is intricately woven into the present. Love the story about the house designed with an architectural split personality and the one with a mortar shell still in its attic.

Battery house

Charleston has an abundance of everything I like, but there is more. Apart from all the water activities, coastal beauty, and wealth of the kind of history I enjoy, Charleston is a vibrant party town. There are events and festivals scheduled year round, all outfitted for showcasing the best that Charleston has to offer and highlighting why so many Northerners have made it their home. After all, Charleston is the number one destination of choice by vacationers.

This beautiful time of year when the temperatures retreat to a comfortable range offers a grand selection of events that cater to the five senses. Beginning today, The Boone Hall Plantation, America's most photographed plantation, will be hosting one of those yearly events showcasing the Lowcountry's finest restaurants. The Southern Living Taste of Charleston, hosted by the Charleston Restaurant Association is a 3-day event beginning Friday, September 28 and ending on Sunday, September 30. The Main Event on Sunday will feature 50 casual and fine dining restaurants serving sample size portions plus beer and wine. There will be a specialty and imported beer tasting tent, live entertainment, the legendary “Waiters’ Race” and the children’s area. Gates will open 10:30am. For more information go to Taste of Charleston.

Another event highlighting the Lowcountry's superb culinary delights, just down the road from Charleston, is The Tenth Annual Scrumptious Summerville Kitchen Tour scheduled for Sunday, October 7, 2012. The Kitchen Tour has an additional feature. Besides sampling gourmet treats prepared by premiere LowCountry chefs, you will have the unique opportunity to tour some of the grand homes, cottages and gardens in Summerville. Also, local musicians are scheduled to perform in each home or garden and area florists will grace the interior decor with floral arrangements. The homes may be toured from 1:30 to 5:30pm. The proceeds will benefit Children In Crisis, Inc. Tour is along West Carolina Avenue.

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"The 39 Steps" Will Tickle Your Funny Bone-Now Playing At The James F. Dean Theater In Summerville

Scene changes are very challenging for any stage play and even more so when the characters are very mobile. It is a challenge not only for the set designer leading up to opening night but also the stage crew once the show begins. Through the progression of the play, it is vitally important to ensure a non-stop enjoyable viewing experience for the audience. Alfred Hitchcock's film, "The 39 Steps", takes you on an adventure where the main character, Richard Hannay, starts at a theater, ends up being chased by the police, jumping off a train, jumping through windows, riding in a vehicle, fleeing to a house, staying at an inn, and ending up at a theater after all is said and done. Now, adapt all of  that changing of geography to a stage production and a need for creativity is essential.

The Flowertown Players were successful at meeting this challenge in their comedic adaptation of "The 39 Steps" employing only two scene changes, a furnished room and a theater back stage. In addition, stage props, such as giant wooden letter blocks, were incorporated to address Richard Hannay's ability to get from one place to the other. Since the main actors would be playing multiple roles, different hats were utilized. Also, to maintain a non-stop comedic experience, the stage crew was integrated into play in various ways. An added musical feature I enjoyed was the use of a piano throughout the play reminiscent of the silent era of films. Victoria Malone, on the piano, did a superb job in keeping up the tempo of action and creating anticipation. At one point, she thew some Andy Griffith into the mix.

Mr. Memory played by Chad Estel

"The 39 Steps" was a major British film. In keeping with the integrity of the original production, the actors had to employ varying accents, mainly British. I was satisfied with their application, but if you were to ask a truly British native, they probably would have a problem trying to place the accent to a region and most likely would find it to be "just a bit muddled". Deacon Gerard gets a "thumbs up" for his multiple renditions of the varying tongues of Great Britain.

One of the more notable scenes of the play was where Richard(Patrick Hawkins) and Pamela(Joanna Cretella) are being taken away by two policemen in a car, played by Deacon Gerard and Chad Estel. They had the audience laughing with their sound effects and hijinks. Other comedic scenes of note involved the murder of Annabella Smith(Joanna Cretella), the train scene, some sheep, and the scene where Deacon and Chad change characters and hats in rapid fire.

Joanna Cretella, Deacon Gerard, Patrick Hawkins, and Chad Estel

Joseph Ruta, in his youth liked playing with wooden letter blocks, is the director of this comedic parody. Jason Olsen is the assistant director. The two of them did a fine job in putting it all together and creating a fun time not only for the cast and crew, but more importantly the audience. Last but not least, he stage crew played a vital part in the plays success. So, hats off to Alex Baily, Chris Berry, Olivia Bolt, Kayla Callahan, Liz Gouge, Darcy Herilihy, and Andriana Melendez. Olivia Bolt played other various parts as well as Darcy Herilihy, who also played Margaret.

Stage crew

The audience laughed throughout the play. There was a young man sitting next to me laughing and when you succeed at getting the younger generation to laugh at an older Hitchcock production, you have done well. It is absolutely worth taking an evening out of your busy schedule and drive to the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville to find out the meaning of the 39 Steps. You will laugh too.
Purchase tickets.

First Sweet Tea Festival In Summerville Was A Huge Success On Third Thursday

"How sweet it is." This was a favorite saying of my Uncle Glen, probably one of the most likable people I have ever known. He would say it after victory. I now use it in reference to the drink that is considered the table wine of the South, sweet tea. Before moving to Charleston, I only knew of iced tea as either sweetened by adding your own sugar or simply the way it was commonly served up North, unsweetened. I fondly remember tearing those little sugar packets you get at restaurants apart to sweeten my serving of iced tea. I was totally unaware of the existence of sweet tea. Simply but truthfully, outside of the southern states most people have never even heard of sweet tea.

Summerville celebrated its first Sweet Tea Festival this past week during the Third Thursday festivities. Several Summerville restaurants participated in a sweet tea challenge. Attendees could purchase a commemorative Sweet Tea Mug for $5 and try all the various restaurant's sweet tea drinks for free. After sampling all of the contending restaurants, you could vote for your favorite one at the Summerville D.R.E.A.M. table. I do not know the results, but my vote was between Oscars and This Whole House. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming response, there was a shortage of mugs. I had to settle for a $1 plastic glass to sample all the entrees. Judging by the crowd in town that night, the festival was a success.

 

It was time to pick a restaurant for a bite to eat. We stepped around the corner from Hutchinson Square unto W. Richardson. As you head up W. Richardson, the first restaurant you encounter is the Continental Corner Greek Restaurant. Since I had never eaten there, the choice was a no brainer. Although outside seating is very limited, there being only two tables, one table was available, so we took it.

The server greeted us and placed the menus on the table with a drink list. A debate arose concerning the correct pronunciation of gyro? I used to think it was gyro with a "g" but a few years ago I was told the "g" was silent. How do you answer?

We chose the wraps, one with lamb and the other with beef. As we ate, we watched the crowds walk past and listened to the ambiance of the night. A Cinderella Carriage passed by several times, Chelsea Summers was singing at her mother's store, and the Montreux was gearing up for the late night crowd.

The time passed by quickly. The wraps were very good. The beef was tender and the lamb more tender. Our bill was around $30 including drinks and wine. There was just enough time to do a limited amount of shopping on Short Central before heading back to Hutchinson Square.

The activity on Hutchinson Square was winding down. All the various tables and tents were in the process of packing up. Many of the businesses had already closed or were closing up, except for Summerville's Third Thursday hot spot, Accent on Wine, where the after crowd mingled for some light conversation and vino. Inside and out, the tables were filled. We joined them and saluted the night with a drink of our own.

It was a successful night for all the business establishments in Summerville. It was also opening night for "The 39 Steps" at the James F. Dean Theatre. "The 39 Steps" is a comedic twist on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film. I will be attending the show on Friday, September 21st. Stay tuned for my review. And don't forget to purchase your tickets.