Holy City Brewery--Home To Top Notch Craft Beers And A Lowcountry Landmark.

It was the party before Brewvival. The place was Holy City Brewing. In collaboration with RJ Rockers Brewery, Holy City produced a beer using cold-press coffee from Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville and dubbed the perky stout Half Calf. I was there to celebrate the preview with my good friend Brad Mallett, owner of the popular and trendy coffee shop.

Half Calf was one of four collaborations brewed for the Brewvival. The other three were with NoDa Brewing Company(Shades of Grace), Southbound Brewing Company(Sister City Saison), and Wicked Weed Brewing(Holy Weed with green tea leaves from Charleston Tea Plantation).

The enterprise is a success story of immense proportions bearing a rightly acquired name synonymous with Charleston, Holy City. A four-team venture, three of them CofC graduates, the brewery is a converted 4000 square foot warehouse originally owned by the non graduate of CofC, Mac Minaudo.

The main section of the warehouse is an efficient collusion of working space and showroom highlighted by a shiny, deep blue floor covered with a collection of brightly polished, stainless steel tanks with the remaining space dominated by a long bar transplanted from the original Cumberland's of downtown Charleston--on this day lined with patrons downing pairings of samples and full glasses of the brewery's latest collaborations in celebration of this years edition of Brewvival.

The exterior of the warehouse, like the beers brewed inside, is a Lowcountry work of art. Painted in a palette of earth colors, it is covered with scenes of the Charleston skyline, jelly fish, hammerhead sharks, marine birds, an alligator, a curious pterodactyl and a lone bicycle rickshaw--significant of the fact Joel Carl and Sean Nemitz are business partners in Charleston's rickshaw business. The establishments most prominent feature is a very long trash bin painted with a full length scene reminiscent of Charleston's beautiful waterfront with the name Holy City transparently etched in white over it.

A labor of love that began in the garage of Joel and Sean's rickshaw business where they built a 15-gallon, all-grain pilot system that produced roughly a dozen signature brews, later joined by professional brewer Chris Brown and beer enthusiast Mac, Holy City has grown into a dominant player in the craft beer market of Charleston.

Throughout the Lowcountry, the Holy City brand is as original as joggling boards and its taps are as common as the palmetto. Holy City Pilsner and Holy City Pluff Mud are two of the house beers served at my favorite Summerville stomping grounds, the previously mentioned Coastal Coffee Roasters; and the place where I was introduced to Holy City Brewing by way of the occasional beer tasting event hosted there--a fabulously frothy good time.

The day's large crowd was conclusive evidence of the brewery's success. The picnic tables were full, the tasting room standing room only. For entertainment, the Bluestone Ramblers churned out bluegrass tunes while Refueler's Mobile Cafe served up the food. With a brew in one hand and a camera in the other, the happy beer lovers took their turns documenting the occasion by posing for a memorable snapshot in front of the semi truck long, panoramic painted, one-time trash collector--including yours truly.

 

The B.I.R.D.S. Project And Summerville ROCKS--More Reasons To Tour One Of The Top Ten Walkable Downtowns In SC

This past year Summerville has gone for the B.I.R.D.S., but to make things even better, this coming March, it is going to be off its rocker, and I am not just playing with words. Year after year the Summerville D.R.E.A.M. continues to work tirelessly at dreaming up ways to make Summerville a source of pride for residents and a destination of choice for visitors. The B.I.R.D.S. project and the Summerville ROCKS initiative coincides very nicely with the fact Summerville has been chosen as one of South Carolina's top ten most walkable downtowns.

B.I.R.D.S. is an acronym for Birds in Residence Downtown Summerville. The project is a collaboration between Summerville DREAM, Sculpture in the South, and the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest to highlight Summerville's native bird species and celebrate its growing reputation as a cultural arts destination. The life-like bronze bird sculptures are being placed at various locations throughout the downtown area.

So far, I have found five. This coming March 20th, eight new sculptures will be introduced. When the project is finally completed, twenty of the bronze feathered-friends will have been placed in their permanent locations with the objective to draw visitors and residents to explore the streets, businesses and restaurants of Summerville on a bird scavenger hunt guided by the B.I.R.D.S. poem, which will contain clues.

The Nuthatch was the first to be placed. Do you know where it is located? Finding it will bring a smile to your face. The Canada Goose, the most expensive of the installations, will eventually be installed on Hutchinson Square. You, as a resident, can assist in the expense by purchasing one of the 2013 holiday ornaments available at the B.I.R.D.S. booth on Third Thursdays as well as at Four Green Fields Gallery. All proceeds from such purchases will be donated by Four Green Fields Gallery back to the B.I.R.D.S. project. Two other ways you can participate is by being a sponsor or by making a tax deductible donation. You can do that by clicking on B.I.R.D.S.

The rocking chair is as American as sweet tea and as Summerville as the azalea and pine tree. It has a notable place in Summerville's grand history. The once-upon-a-time illustrious Pine Forest Inn housed various large parlors where people dined, read books, did needlework, drank wine, and talked about the business of the day. One large parlor was called the Rocking Chair Room. It was said to have contained a sea of over a hundred rocking chairs.

The Summerville ROCKS initiative encompasses artistically painted rocking chairs, painted by a local artist, and their placement throughout Summerville and surrounding locals. For a cost of $100.00, anyone can be a sponsor--the money goes towards the purchase of the wooden rocking chair. The sponsored rocking chair would have to be completed and displayed at its location by March 20, 2014, which is when the event begins. The event will conclude May 31, 2014. At that time, the painted rocking chair will be auctioned off to support a scholarship for a local art student and other community charities.

On March 20th, maps containing the locations of the rocking chairs will be distributed for residents and visitors to view. An example of a painted rocking chair can viewed in the lobby of the James F. Dean Theatre on South Main Street across from Hutchinson Square. For more information contact artsalliancesville@bellsouth.net

A little bird told me Third Thursday is Summerville's night to shine. The B.I.R.D.S project and the Summerville ROCKS initiative is a part of the allure. So, get up off your rocking chairs and come downtown Summerville to join the fun. While you are on Short Central, look in the alley between Four Green Fields Gallery and Eclectic Chef. Your discovery will leave you humming a tune.

"Betrayal"--Opening Night At The South Of Broadway Theater--Absorbing

Betrayal is an absorbing and intimate Harold Pinter play about three friends and their duplicitous relationships with one another over an eleven year period. The inspiration for the writing of the play came from Pinter's own personal experience. It is considered one of his best dramatic works. A notable highlight of the play is his use of an unconventional format in the structuring of the sequence of events.

The production begins with the end and ends with the beginning. Emotionally entangled in an extra-marital affair, Emma and Jerry meet at a pub two years after breaking off the adulterous affair that started 11 years earlier. During their meeting, Emma tells Jerry that her marriage to Robert was over; who is also a close friend of his with related careers. A revelation that would in due course uncover more betrayal.

The absorbing drama opened at the South of Broadway Theater on Thursday, February 13th. It was my first visit to the South of Broadway Theater and first experience with its seating in the round. The Harry Pinter production of Betrayal was the perfect introduction.

The Play's nine scenes were as open and as bare as the relationships of its characters. A window, a door, a chair, a couch, a changing table setting, and some necessary other props were all that were needed for transitioning from scene to scene. I was too absorbed with following the intimate exchanges between Emma, Jerry, and Robert to even notice the absence of walls and ceilings. Besides, walls were of no consequence because you, the audience, were endowed with the symbolic power of x-ray vision to peer through any such barriers directly into the characters private lives from all angles. Ultimately, in the end, all artifices had become stripped away.

The well-seasoned three person cast was exceptional. Kristen Kos portrayed a persuasive Emma. From the opening scene to the last, her body language, facial expressions, and voice inflections were convincingly realistic and captivating. Sitting in the audience as an observer, I at times felt the discomfort Emma was experiencing, especially the opening moments in the pub while she awaited Jerry's arrival. Equally convincing was Craig Trow's rendering of the anxious and totally-unaware-of-some-pertinent information Jerry and Larry Perewiznyk's depiction of the composed and not-so-in-the-dark Robert.

Afterward, I hung out with the crew and cast to discuss some of the finer points of the play and satisfy some of my more inquisitive questions--one of the benefits of community theater. Thank you South of Broadway for the delicious treats and celebratory champagne.

You now know the ending, which is the beginning, and the obvious beginning, which is the ending, but you still don't know how it all started. For that and everything in between, you will have to experience it for yourself. Betrayal will be playing February 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 at the South of Broadway Theater and later in the month, beginning on February 27, it will have a two week run on the proscenium stage of the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville. Purchase tickets here for South of Broadway and here for the James F. Dean Theatre.

Other notables are Jason Pallay; the waiter, Jean Gaston; stage manager, Angelique Cunningham; costume design, Janet Peck; lighting design, Mark Gorman; set design, Mary Gould; set decorator, and JC Conway; director.

A Magical, Mystical Place With An Unsurpassed Beach And Southern Plantation Legends

Bleak Hall, Sea Cloud and Botany Island are names that stir ones imagination. They bring to ones mind images of foreboding estates surrounded by half-dead, moss covered, aging trees wrapped in a perpetual state of gloom, portraits of salty, blue waters and wooden tall ships and pictures of far-away, palm tree-laden inlets on secluded islands visited by treasure hunting pirates. Apocryphal and fanciful places you would expect to read about in stories and poems written by the likes of Emily Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and James A. Michener. In some respects, these are very real descriptions of a place on an Atlantic coastal island not far from where you live called Botany Bay Plantation.

Botany Bay Plantation is a wildlife preserve on Edisto Island consisting of 3,363-acres under the
management of SC Department of Natural Resources. Formed in the 1930's when Dr. James Greenway combined the two previous plantations originally owned by the Townsend family, Bleak Hall and Sea Cloud, it got its name from the barrier island that was near, but not a part of the Bleak Hall property--Botany Bay Island. Some of the island's previous names were Tucker Island, Watch Island and Clark's Bay. The last owners, John and Margaret Meyer, deeded the property to the state.

Botany Bay Island was much larger in the early days of Bleak Hall Plantation--covered with an impenetrable tropical jungle of wild oaks, palmettos, and cedars just twenty yards from the shoreline. Over the years, the ocean has encroached on the land. Now, only a narrow, pristine strip of beach two miles long and lined with a sun-bleached boneyard of weatherworn dead timber remains--loved by photographers. It was separated from the large plantation by an inlet and a smaller island named "Porky," a shortened name from "Pour-quoi." While crossing the marsh to the beach, you will pass an outcropping of trees and plants called Hammock Island.

 

So-called Bleak Hall because of its proximity to the gales of the Atlantic, just a mile away, its name was also inspired by the title of a book written by Charles Dickens, "Bleak House."--John Townsend was an admirer of Dickens. The original great mansion of Bleak Hall was two-and-a-half stories high on a raised basement. A distinguishing feature of the mansion, a cupola, was later added after the house was built so the homesick bride of one of the Townsends could look across the river to her former home on Wadmalaw Island. It towered over the surrounding oriental gardens and the now famous ice house, which still exists and is an outstanding example of Gothic revival architecture. The road into the plantations came to a fork where a turn to the right went to Bleak Hall and the one to the left went to Sea Cloud--sometimes called "Seabrook's Folly."

At the outset of the Civil War in 1861, by orders from the Confederate government, the steamboat "Beauregard" evacuated everyone from Edisto Island and the plantations. Both Confederate and Union troops used the cupola on Bleak Hall as a lookout. At the wars end, the plantations laid devastated. The valuable silver, china, and furniture that was left behind by the Townsends were carried away or destroyed by Freedmen and the Federals. When the Townsends returned in 1866, the house was occupied by former slaves. Shortly thereafter, it burned down. A new one was built in its place, but later torn down and a modern house was built nearby. Neither houses of Bleak Hall and Sea Cloud remain.

Like all Southern plantations legends abound. One involves a "bee hive well" called Jacob's well--a well surrounded by a wall of tabby with a steeple-shaped roof and the name "Jacobus Fecit" cut into one of its sides. In its early days, it was rumored to be a place where lovers secretly rendezvoused. It is believed a little gray man stands guard over the well to keep its waters pure and only allow the "pure in heart" drink from it.

Another story involves the plantation cemetery located at the fork in the road where you turn right to go to Bleak Hall or left to go to Sea Cloud. After leaving a clearing, you enter a narrow road surrounded by dense undergrowth and trees. Here you will feel the first wave of hot air hit the back of your neck, then again and again until you leave the area. The slaves believed this hot air to be the "Hags breath" and if you linger, she will cast a terrible spell that could even cause your death.

A third legend speaks of a Portuguese man wearing large gold earrings and a red bandanna fashioned into a turban who roams the shores of Botany Bay. Seven of his victims were discovered on the beach--all of them standing straight up in the sand.

Botany Bay Plantation is a magical place with a secluded beach unsurpassed on the Atlantic coast and located on Edisto Island not far from Edisto Beach. In fact, from Botany Bay's shell-covered beach you can see Edisto Beach to the right and Seabrook Island to the left. You can take a tour of the plantation featuring 15 points of interest by car. Keep an eye out for the Portuguese man and do not linger near the cemetery if you feel a waft of hot air on the back of your neck--Botany Bay Ecotours. Location: Botany Bay Rd., Edisto Island, SC--Map

 

The Lesser Known Great Plantation Along the Ashley River Down Highway 61

Just a short drive down Highway 61 from Summerville are three of Charleston's most famous plantations--Middleton Place, Magnolia and Drayton Hall. Born from the life that was Charleston past, each has a history and enchantment unique to itself and each visited by thousands of tourists and locals every year. But likely unknown by most, there is a fourth plantation unpretentiously hidden behind the mossy covered trees common to this stretch of the Lowcountry south of the Ashley River. I was totally unaware of the plantations existence, until I happened upon it while reading stories about Lowcountry folklore.

Two avenues led to the haunting estate--one of live oaks and the other with skyline hedges of Southern Magnolias. The gardens were extraordinary. There was a walk in the garden called the Alphabet Walk because the name of each tree that bordered it began with a different letter of the alphabet. Along such magical paths, under the plantation's ancient trees along Ashley River Road, wandered Edgar Allen Poe when he lived in Charleston and one finds just such mystical woodlands in his haunting tales.

The plantation has been known by three different names during its over three hundred years of history. Its oldest name was "Greenville." Later, it was named after the wife of one of the owner's and called "Sarah Place." After a fire destroyed the original mansion, the Pringle's built a new mansion and decided another name was more appropriate. The new name was inspired by a thousand year old oak on the estate located at the center of a large meadow overlooking the Ashley River. The pastoral scene reminded the owners of a property in England with a similar setting--its name, Runnymede.

Later, Charles C. Pinckney purchased Runnymede from the Pringle's son, William Bull. Pinckney mined phosphate from the property's naturally occurring deposits. In 1865, the mansion built by the Pringles suffered the same fate as the original. It was destroyed by a fire; a fire set by Union troops--likely the same troops that burned Middleton Place.

Pinckney rebuilt the home a third time. It was rumored to be one of the only country style Victorian homes in the Lowcountry. In 1995, it was purchased by the Whitfield's. The grim specter of fire revisited Runnymede again in 2002 and destroyed the home built by Pinckney. All that's left of the mansion is a partial outline of the home's perimeter, a two story chimney from the kitchen house, and a storied history interwoven with the folklore and superstitions of plantation living as big as its onetime 1,457 acres.

One story tells of an African/American burial ground located deep within Runnymede's thick centuries old forests and an age old custom of placing personal items owned by the deceased in life on their graves--a custom with African roots. Items like plates, saucers, and drinking glasses if it was a woman or tools if it was a man, but not excluding items like a favorite chair. The removal of any of these types of personal items from the graves of a dead person would result in consequences too terrible to imagine implicating swift retribution from the offended spirit. A belief implicitly held by hundreds of people living in the Lowcountry of South Carolina--including those who lived on Runnymede Plantation.

The author who wrote about the 40 year old story chillingly connected a mischievous prank with a tragic plane crash that occurred two miles outside of a North Carolina airport--a flight with a Charleston origin. The prank involved the removal of a personal item from one of the graves in the old burial ground deep within the forests of Runnymede Plantation.

Runnymede Plantation is located between Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation. Unlike its more popular counterparts, it is not open to the public. But it is open to scheduled weddings, private events, and concerts. It doesn't have the beautifully terraced landscape of Middleton Place, the magical gardens of Magnolia, and the masterfully preserved architecture of Drayton Hall. But it does have a thick, untouched canopy of century old trees, numerous ponds and creeks, an unobstructed view of the Ashley River, remnants of a plantation, and a unique place in Charleston's ancient and colorful plantation history.

Click on Runnymede Plantation today to see images of the Plantation ruins.

The Flowertown Players Open Their Grounbreaking Performance Of Rent-A Portrayal Of Love And Loss

The Flowertown Players sailed into unfamiliar waters Friday night with the opening of their
presentation of the rock musical Rent and navigated their ship successfully into the Port of Phenomenal.

Whether you agree or disagree with the moral implications of the play, it dives into the harsh and heartbreaking realities a group of struggling-to-find their-way-in-life young musicians and artists are forced to deal with while living in New York City's Lower East Side during the thriving days of Alphabet City and the Bohemian lifestyle. The harsh reality of struggling with the lack of money just to pay rent and the heartbreaking reality of finding love in the face of the AIDS virus. It was a world Johnathan Larson, writer of music and lyrics, was familiar with and that is what it is all about.

Congratulations to the director(Mark Gorman) who, for this ground breaking step by the Flowertown Players, pulled together from the available pool of talented local actors and actresses a cast that realistically mirrored the raw passion of the original play's characters and presented a vocally powerful performance.

The complicated choreography of the play, from my point of view, was executed flawlessly, especially during the scene of the party at the Life Café - my favorite. I liked the bare bones look of the background and the different colors from the lighting accentuated the atmosphere on stage.

The live musical ensemble, which I believe to be the foundation of a musical like this, was burdened with a heavy responsibility. If they make a mistake, the whole flow of the play could be in jeopardy. But they did not miss a beat and greatly attributed in a large way to the play's successful opening night.

I first met Cody Smith back when he played the vicious villain in Wait Until Dark and his acting impressed me. Then I saw him play Danny in Grease where I experienced his vocal skills for the first time and I thought he was great. But as the struggling musician trying to find that one inspirational song, Cody(Roger) blew the roof off the house with his explosive vocals. Andrew Turnball as Mark was equally strong and harmonized well with Cody. Equal to the task was Giulia Marie Dalbec(Mimi), Michelle Smith(Maureen), Jason Marion(hauntingly believable as Angel), Kevin J. Thorn(Collins), Alexandria Rashanko(Joanne), and Tyler Reed(Benny).

There were many highlights to speak of and in the end drew a resounding standing ovation. Here are a few of my picks. The tender but hesitant exchange between Roger and Mimi in Light My Candle was beautifully portrayed by Guilia Marie and Cody. You could feel the intensity of the emotions build as the scene progressed toward the climatic reluctant rejection. Guilia Marie additionally executed a superb dance routine when the beautiful Mimi attempted to seduce Roger in Out Tonight. Michelle drew a huge applause from the audience with her humorous and provocative performance of Over the Moon. The entire cast was riotously outstanding when all the friends gathered at the tables to celebrate their Bohemian lifestyle.

Commendations to JC Conway, Heather Pallay and staff for boldly going where you hadn't gone before. You have set the bar high with this one. It will be a tough act to follow, but I have confidence you will meet the challenge.

Purchase tickets for the next performances.

Exceptionally North Of Excellent-S.N.O.B.

It is often said, "Nothing is perfect." We say this in keeping ourselves well grounded and in maintaining a reasonable balance concerning our expectations of things and rightly so, because speaking from a human standpoint, perfection is an unattainable standard. But despite our misgiving to label anything perfect, we do use the word to describe exceptional experiences, from a human standpoint. Therefore, I have no trepidation in using perfection to describe my experience earlier this week in Charleston, which I will now explain in detail.

With confirmation and camera in hand, we made the short trek from the Vendue Range parking garage to East Bay Street. It was relatively quiet. I have seen it busier. Not a surprise, it was a Monday night. By now the Old Market crowd had dispersed and all the galleries and small shops were closed. Like us, fellow patrons were making their way to the various restaurants located in this part of the French Quarter, which all appeared busy, seeing Charleston's Restaurant Week was already underway. After having spent some browsing time shopping on Charleston's popular King Street earlier, we were cutting it close - reservation was set for 6:15.

Our destination was the eclectic restaurant Slightly North of Broad or better known by the acronym S.N.O.B., which was proudly displayed on various objects outside its double-door entrance. Once inside, we checked in at the hostess's desk, confirmed our reservations, and were shown to our seating arrangements - a small, intimate table for two by a window and a view of the kitchen. A significant component of this restaurant is a large, brick archway with a viewable kitchen just beyond. Even though I could see the kitchen staff busy at work from where I was seated, it was not distracting.

The restaurant's elegant, bright-red menu was placed before us. Our server introduced herself. Upon noticing my partner was wearing black, Natalie offered to exchange the white napkin on the table for a black napkin, so my partner wouldn't get any lint on her clothes. The thoughtful gesture did not go unnoticed by me. She allowed us a few moments to peruse the extensive wine list and cocktail offerings. When I saw Charleston Cocktail on the list, a drink containing Sweet Tea Vodka from Firefly Distillery, my mind was made up. Menu selections were next.

Since it was Restaurant Week, we had a choice of an appetizer, entree, and desert for $30. As I looked the selections over, a few terms were unfamiliar to me and required some explanation. I asked numerous questions of Natalie. Most of my queries centered around the appetizers, which featured Italian dishes - such as Beef Carpaccio and Heirloom Tomato Crostini, to name two. She patiently and knowledgeably fielded each question with a smile. As a result of her assistance, I comfortably chose the Crostini - house made focaccia, butter bean puree, and grana padano. My partner selected Charleston Crab Soup - blue crab meat, sherry, and chives.

Next, focus was on the entrees, particularly the Pan Seared Tilefish. "What is a tilefish?" I asked. She explained, "It is similar to grouper in taste except a bit sweeter." I accepted the explanation. The Pan Seared Tilefish would be served with Anson Mills polenta, braised artichokes, tomato broth, and olive tapenade. My partner chose the Grilled Sirloin with Joseph Fields Farm red potatoes, broccoli, port wine reduction, and herb compound butter. Anson Mills and Joseph Fields Farm are Lowcountry growers. As for the desserts, they contained no Italian terms, needing no further explanation. Wholly Cow Mud Pie Ice Cream is simple, straightforward English.

We sipped our drinks, munched on the delicious complimentary bread offerings, and engaged in idle small talk while we waited for our food. Our server thoughtfully delivered two slices of crostini for me to sample as a preview. Shortly thereafter, the appetizers arrived. My favorite part of the Heirloom Tomato Crostini was the butter bean puree. Its texture reminded me somewhat of guacamole. Once we finished off the appetizers, the main entrees arrived in a stacked arrangement. Covered with the braised artichokes and olive tapenade, the Pan Seared Tilefish was laid on top of the polenta and floated in the tomato broth. It was a pleasant partnership of flavors. The tomato broth sweetened the tilefish and supporting polenta. It was heavenly.

As I now sit before my laptop preparing this review, reflecting back on my visit, I sincerely can not think of a single glitch in the pitch. My S.N.O.B. experience was a flawless marriage of food and service. The presentation of the various dishes from appetizer to dessert was both visually appealing and timely.

Natalie, our server, was very personable and attentive, checking in often through the meals progression. She was helpful in assisting us with making informed decisions pertaining to our selections. As the meal transitioned from appetizer to entree to dessert, she was  conscientious concerning the smallest of details, from proper positioning of silverware to keeping the table cleared of emptied plates and spent utensils.

I give Natalie and S.N.O.B. the highest marks. They will be a tough act to follow and a standard I will be using in judging other Charleston restaurants on food and service. Slightly North of Broad is located at 192 E Bay Street.

After further research, I discovered tilefish is sometimes known as "the clown of the sea."