South Carolina Living August 2018 by South Carolina Living

Let’s CHANGEOUT ride! Carving it up at SK8 Charleston SC FE ATURE

Dredging up the past SC RECIPE

AUGUST 2018

Life’s a peach!

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THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS VOLUME 72 • NUMBER 8 (ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240) Read in more than 584,000 homes and businesses and published monthly except in December by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. 808 Knox Abbott Drive Cayce, SC 29033 Tel: (803) 926‑3175 Fax: (803) 796‑6064 Email: letters@scliving.coop

2018 | aug 16 Down in the mud Harvesting sunken timber from the muck and mire of South Carolina river beds is a tough, dirty job, but one with unique rewards.

EDITOR

Keith Phillips Tel: (803) 739‑3040 Email: Keith.Phillips@ecsc.org FIELD EDITOR

Walter Allread PUBLICATION COORDINATOR

4 CO-OP NEWS

Updates from your cooperative

Travis Ward

6 AGENDA

ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang

Trying to decide if an electric car belongs in your driveway? Here are five things to consider before you visit the dealer.

DESIGNER

Susan Collins PRODUCTION

10 DIALOGUE A shepherd’s legacy

Andrew Chapman WEB EDITOR COPY EDITOR

L. Kim Welborn CONTRIBUTORS

April Coker Blake, Jayne Cannon, Mike Couick, Tim Hanson, Hastings Hensel, Derrill Holley, Jan A. Igoe, L.A. Jackson, Patrick Keegan, Sydney Patterson, Susan Hill Smith, Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Tom Tate, Brad Thiessen, Paul Wesslund PUBLISHER

12 ENERGY Q&A Understanding appliance energy use Upgrading major household appliances can reduce energy use and lower monthly power bills—if you know what features to look for.

14 SMART CHOICE Keep it cool

Lou Green ADVERTISING

Mary Watts Tel: (803) 739‑5074 Email: ads@scliving.coop

Ah, summertime! The living may be easy, but it’s just not cool to be so hot. Here are a few ways to keep it chill when temperatures are on the rise.

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION

American MainStreet Publications Tel: (800) 626‑1181 Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication. If you encounter a difficulty with an advertisement, inform the Editor. ADDRESS CHANGES: Please send to your

local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above.

21 STORIES Carved in stone

of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor. is brought to you by your member-owned, taxpaying, not-for-profit electric cooperative to inform you about your cooperative, wise energy use and the faces and places that identify the Palmetto State. Electric cooperatives are South Carolina’s — and America’s — largest utility network.

$5.72 members,

SCENE

Home of history Explore our state’s intriguing past at the ‘new’ South Carolina Historical Society Museum.

TRAVELS

Wheels up! Skateboarders young and old are carving it up at SK8 Charleston.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

$8 nonmembers

Granite sculptor Clint Button stays true to the roots of his rare profession.

Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, S.C., and additional mailing offices.

RECIPE

Life’s a peach Take full advantage of peach season with easy-to-make recipes to enjoy summer’s sweet treat morning, noon and night.

GARDENER

Fancy, flavorful loose-leaf lettuce August is the time to start planting tasty and nutritious varieties of lettuce.

34 36 38 Member of the AMP network reaching more than 9 million homes and businesses

MARKETPLACE CALENDAR

Let’s ride!

HUMOR ME

Carving it up at SK8 Charleston

Save our Pork Chop Learn what has Jan A. Igoe’s normally peaceful neighbors acting like pigs. PHOTOS FRO M TO P : M IC SM ITH , A N DRE W CEBU LK A , G I N A MOORE

SC FE ATURE

Dredging up the past SC RECIPE

Life’s a peach!

AUGUST 2018

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS:

South Carolina’s last remaining Rosenwald Schools are historic landmarks worth saving.

Chase Toler

Go big or go home. Ford Ambrite, 12, clears the rail at SK8 Charleston. Photo by Mic Smith.

SC | agenda Is an electric vehicle right for you? ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVS) ACCOUNT FOR JUST 1.2 PERCENT

of the U.S. vehicle market, but sales are booming, growing 25 percent last year. And the cars themselves are getting better and cheaper as researchers improve the batteries that power them. In the market for an EV? Consider these factors: If you’re worried about the limited range of an electric vehicle, try keeping track of your actual daily use, advises Brian Sloboda, program and product manager at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “The range on the electric cars you can buy today is perfectly sufficient to cover almost everyone’s daily commute,” he says. “For most people, even in rural areas, that number is under 40 miles a day. Most electric cars on the market today have between a 120-mile range and some of them are getting over 200 miles. That’s a lot of wiggle room.”

EV’s battery up to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes. COST OF THE VEHICLE

Mass‑produced electric cars like the Chevy Bolt, Ford Focus EV and Nissan Leaf cost about $30,000 to $40,000, slightly higher than comparable gas-powered vehicles, Sloboda says, but electric-car prices are falling as more companies produce EVs for the general public. When offered, federal tax breaks for electric cars can reduce costs by several thousand dollars, putting EVs in reach of more consumers. Some energy experts predict there will be little or no price difference between gas and electric vehicles by 2025.

CH E V RO LE T

DAILY DRIVING HABITS

Mass-produced electric cars like the Chevy Bolt (above), Ford Focus EV and Nissan Leaf start at around $30,000 and have all the accessories and features found on gasoline-powered cars. While EVs can be charged at home from a regular wall socket, the process is very slow. Consider charging options before you buy. Not all cars come standard with a DC fast-charging port (inset) which allows rapid refueling at Level 3 charging stations.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

One of the main reasons drivers buy electric cars is for the reduced environmental impact. An electric car has zero emissions and “is cleaner than a gaspowered car, no doubt about it,” Sloboda says. Another advantage of an electric car? “You’re powering it with

DAV I D C L A RK

CHARGING OPTIONS

Topping off batteries from a regular 120-volt outlet (known as Level 1 charging) is a slow process that adds 2 to 5 miles of range each hour. Drivers may want to upgrade their wiring and install a faster Level 2 charging unit ($1,000 to $1,600 including installation) at home. Level 2 systems are capable of adding 10 to 25 miles of range per hour, a rate that can fully charge an EV battery overnight. At public charging stations, drivers can use Level 3 DC fast chargers to bring an

GET MORE Can an all-electric vehicle make a cross-country road trip? Find out as we follow Mike Smith and his son, Colin, on a 2,200-mile excursion from Columbia to Salt Lake City. Read “Driving the distance: Charging across America in an electric car” in the July 2018 issue of South Carolina Living or online at SCLiving.coop/energy. Send your EV questions to Mike.Smith@ecsc.org.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

electricity from your local electric co-op.” FEATURES, STYLE AND PERFORMANCE With the

variety of EVs already on the market (and more on the way) most drivers should be able to find an electric car with all the features, performance and style they want. The one popular choice missing for the marketplace in 2018? Pickup trucks. Sloboda says there’s no technological barrier to making an electric pickup. He even suggests possible advantages: a heavy battery in the bottom would lower the center of gravity for better handling, and at a remote worksite, the battery could run power tools. “Within the next 24 months I believe there will be a credible pickup truck on the market,” says Sloboda. “It’s just a matter of time.” —PAUL WESSLUND

ONLY ON SCLiving.coop

Smart home technologies Taking care of things at home has never been easier, thanks to the latest generation of smart home technologies—appliances that utilize mobile apps and wireless communication to give users complete control from just about anywhere they roam. Here are some of the systems you can command with a few taps on your smartphone.

Smart security This rapidly evolving area of smart home technology started with smart door locks to replace old-fashioned keys, and video doorbells, which beam images of front-porch visitors right to your mobile device. As the price of wireless cameras drops, homeowners can canvass their homes and properties to keep an eye on everything from anywhere.

Smart appliances A wide variety of devices large and small—from countertop slow-cookers to clothes dryers to your HVAC system— now allow remote operation. There are even refrigerators with interior cameras so you can check to see how much milk is left while standing in the grocery store aisle. —TOM TATE

Snakes alive! Enjoy the great outdoors even more this summer when you learn how to avoid trouble with South Carolina’s 38 species of snakes at SCLiving.coop/ snakes.

JO N ATH A N SH A RPE

Smart detectors A new breed of smoke detectors and carbonmonoxide sensors will send alerts to your phone, allow remote status checks and—perhaps most useful of all—let you silence false alarms quickly and easily.

If you love to cook with peaches, but hate peeling the skins, Chef Belinda’s popular how-to video is just for you. Go to SCLiving.coop/food/chefbelinda to see how easy it is to remove the fuzzy skins without butchering the sweet fruit underneath.

One unique yard sale

A N DRE W H AWORTH

Smart thermostats With app-enabled models, you and your family can use a mobile device to program heating and cooling for maximum savings when you’re away; maximum comfort when you’re home. The latest development is geofencing. Some systems and apps allow the homeowner to set a radius around the dwelling, and whenever you cross that boundary, your thermostat automatically goes into “away” or “return” mode, depending on your direction of travel.

Give peaches the slip

When the S.C. State Museum decides to hold a yard sale, there’s just no telling what curious items will emerge from the storage rooms. Visit SCLiving.coop/ museum as photographer Andrew Haworth takes us behind the scenes of the 2018 event to answer the burning question: How much would you pay for a 7-foot-tall Häagen-Dazs tub?

Win $100 in cold cash

Apps allow you to set your home’s thermostat, activate the dryer’s wrinkle guard and get dinner started in the slow cooker, all with a few taps on your mobile device.

It’s been another sizzling South Carolina summer filled with triple-digit heat index days. That’s why we’re offering you a chance to win a very cool treat— a $100 Visa gift card— in our August Reader Reply Travel Sweep‑ stakes. We’ll draw one winner’s name at random from all eligible entries received by Aug. 31, so don’t delay. Register online at SCLiving.coop/ reader-reply.

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

SC agenda HIGHLIGHTS AUGUST 15–SEPTEMBER 15

YORK SUMMERFEST AUGUST 24–25

STATEWIDE BEACH AND RIVER SWEEP SEPTEMBER 15

Get involved in the state’s largest one-day volunteer event by joining the South Carolina Beach and River Sweep. Organized by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, thousands of proud South Carolinians will come together to keep our rivers, lakes, marshes and beaches clear of debris. (843) 953‑2087 (coastal region), (803) 734‑9096 (inland); dnr.sc.gov/bsrs

How popular is York Summerfest? Put it this way: The city closes off nine square blocks of downtown to accommodate entertainment stages, a dedicated kids’ area (complete with a splash zone) and row after row of food booths and craft vendors. The festival kicks off Friday with a beer garden and the crowd-pleasing music of Flashback from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The main event begins at 8 a.m. Saturday morning with a classic car show and runs until 2 p.m. with attractions for all ages. Wear comfortable shoes and come hungry to enjoy this big celebration of summer. (803) 684‑2590; yorksummerfest.com

SODA CITY COMIC CON AUGUST 25–26

Holy superheroes, Batman! The swarm of caped crusaders, comic book villains, sci-fi heroes and mythical creatures converging on the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center can only mean one thing—it’s time for Soda City Comic Con! Suit up in your best costume to compete for cash and prizes or maintain your mild-mannered civilian alter ego as you shop for collectibles, play free video games and demonstrate your crime-fighting skills in pop-up escape rooms and the archery tag arena during this two-day pop culture carnival. (803) 361‑6318; sodacitycomiccon.com

For more happenings this month, turn to our Calendar on Page 36, and see the expanded festivals and events coverage on SCLiving.coop.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

Use LED lighting features to illuminate outdoor pathways, steps and porches. They offer plenty of useful light right where you need it while using less electricity than models with incandescent bulbs. Many include features like automatic daylight shut-off and motion sensors. You can also find solarpowered lighting for outdoor spaces. SOURCE: ENERGY.GOV

GONE FISHIN’ The Vektor Fish & Game Forecast provides feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour. Minor peaks, ½ hour before and after.

Minor

AM Major

Minor

PM Major

AUGUST 16 10:52 4:52 4:22 10:37 17 — 6:07 12:52 11:22 18 — 7:37 3:37 12:07 19 — 8:52 8:37 5:07 20 1:22 9:37 10:07 5:37 21 2:37 10:22 10:52 6:07 22 3:37 11:07 11:22 6:22 23 4:22 11:37 11:52 6:52 24 — 5:07 7:07 12:07 25 — 5:37 7:22 12:37 26 12:52 6:22 7:52 1:07 27 1:22 6:52 8:07 1:22 28 1:52 7:37 8:22 1:52 29 8:22 2:37 8:52 2:22 30 9:07 3:07 2:52 9:07 31 10:07 3:52 3:22 9:37

SEPTEMBER 1 11:37 4:52 4:07 10:07 2 — 5:52 1:52 10:52 3 — 7:22 12:37 3:52 4 — 8:37 9:52 4:37 5 2:22 9:52 10:37 5:22 6 3:37 10:52 11:22 5:52 7 4:37 11:37 11:52 6:22 8 — 5:37 6:52 12:22 9 — 6:22 7:22 12:52 10 1:07 7:07 7:52 1:37 11 1:52 7:52 8:07 2:07 12 8:52 2:22 2:37 8:37 13 9:37 3:07 3:07 9:07 14 10:52 3:52 3:37 9:22 15 — 4:52 12:37 9:52 16 — 6:07 3:52 10:22

LIVING ROOM LAMPS

Shining a light on energy savings LOOKING FOR A FAST, DO-IT-YOURSELF WAY TO CUT

energy use and lower your electricity bill month after month? It’s as easy as changing your old lightbulbs to highly efficient, long-lasting LEDs. LED lights last up to 30 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, and they are available to fit most any application, says Alan Shedd, director of energy solutions for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. They still cost a few dollars more than other lighting technology options, but energy savings and longer lifespans make LEDs the best choice. To get an idea of your potential energy savings, complete a home inventory. Don’t just count fixtures—count bulbs, including those in hallways, garages and storage areas. Take notes on wattage, whether the light needs to be dimmable or three-way adjustable, and the type of bulb now in use. There’s a good chance your total bulb count will fall between 50 and 75—and most of them can be replaced by LED lights. Consider these replacement opportunities:

OUTDOORS

A 6-watt, 500-lumen LED bulb can replace a 40-watt incandescent bulb. Designed to last up to 30,000 hours, it could be a one-time switch.

In three-way table or floor lamps, LED bulbs can provide 620, 1,600 or 2,150 lumens of soft, white light for up to 25,000 hours of use before they burn out.

KITCHEN

Dimmable recessed LED conversion lights add a warm glow of up to 1,200 lumens for kitchen workspaces and add far less heat to the room. Each bulb could last 10 years.

BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS

BATHROOMS

Long-life LEDs are ideal for ceiling fixtures. A 9-watt LED produces the same 800 lumens of light as a 60-watt incandescent and uses about 80 percent less energy.

Omnidirectional LED globe bulbs are designed to provide a warm glow that is ideal for bathrooms. A 6-watt bulb produces 450 lumens and lasts up to 15,000 hours. —DERRILL HOLLEY

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SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

SC dialogue

When renovations are complete, the Rosenwald School in St. George will serve as a community center, history museum and venue for cultural programs.

A shepherd’s legacy GET MORE a reminder that not so long ago, many kids in South Carolina didn’t have much of a school to go back to. There are still those who remember the days when children living in rural parts of the state attended school for just three months a year in decaying log cabins and shanties. At a time in the segregated South when state support for educating African-American students was woefully inadequate, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, helped fund a remarkable idea. He partnered with civil rights leader Booker T. Washington to establish the Rosenwald Fund, which contributed over $4 million in matching funds to construct more than 5,000 schools, teachers’ homes and vocational shops across the South. Local communities came together and raised their share of the money, creating a sense of local pride and ownership. Through these efforts, thousands of dilapidated rural schools were replaced with well-designed and well-constructed buildings, complete with walls of large windows to maximize sunlight in areas where there was no electricity. Rosenwald Schools served as the heart of rural communities. The buildings were gathering places for agricultural and homemakers’ clubs, as well as sites for celebrations, plays, fundraisers and church services. Sadly, many of these historic structures have been neglected and forgotten. Of the 500 Rosenwald Schools built in South Carolina, just 36 remain. In the town of St. George, a time-weathered Rosenwald School that was abandoned more than 50 years ago, is well on its way to being saved, thanks to efforts of local legislators like Rep. Patsy Knight and Sen. John Matthews, and a dedicated alumni group. Douglas Reeves, board chairman of Edisto Electric Cooperative in Bamberg, is one of the community leaders shepherding this effort. He serves alongside other members of the preservation group that meets regularly to undertake the task of restoring the school. “I’m so excited when I get home from our meetings,” says Reeves. “This school was something they once had and thought they’d lost. Now they want to preserve something AUGUST IS BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIME,

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

Discover more Rosenwald

important from when they Schools with The Green were coming up and show it to Book of South Carolina (greenbookofsc.com), their kids and grandkids.” the online travel guide to The old school, which gradAfrican-American cultural uated its last class in 1954, will sites across the state. become a living artifact that families can visit and explore. The restored building will serve as a community center with two classrooms set up as a history museum of AfricanAmerican education. As a venue for cultural programs, social functions and even a branch of EdVenture Children’s Museum, the once blighted and abandoned building will be filled with children’s voices once more. The legacy of Julius Rosenwald is long-lasting and far- reaching. It’s estimated that over one-third of AfricanAmerican children in the first half of the last century attended one of the Rosenwald Schools, including nationally known figures like Maya Angelou and Rep. John Lewis. One of South Carolina’s most celebrated and best-selling authors, Dori Sanders, was the daughter of a Rosenwald school principal in York County. Like many in the rural South, Sanders’ childhood home had no electricity and relied on kerosene for light. But she often talks about the influence of that school, attributing her love of books to her time there. “I grew up reading,” she says, explaining that her father encouraged his children and his students to read, no matter their life circumstances. Julius Rosenwald’s philosophy was “give while you live,” and the impact of his giving has continued long after his death. He not only changed the landscape of education with the schools he helped fund, he left a legacy inspiring today’s community leaders to give of themselves as well.

President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina MIKE COUICK

EMPOWERING VISION With our low-cost, reliable electricity and choice industrial sites, Santee Cooper is working with the South Carolina Power Team to help new businesses picture a better future – and to power South Carolina toward Brighter Tomorrows, Today.

www.scpowerteam.com • www.poweringsc.com

SC energy Q&A

Understanding appliance energy use BY PATRICK KEEGAN AND BRAD THIESSEN

Several of my appliances are getting old and will need to be replaced soon. Will the appliance choices I make have much impact on my energy bill?

GET MORE For additional tips to save energy, see these stories at SCLiving.coop/energy: Energy upgrades for a happy home—Boost your home’s efficiency on your next home improvement project. Efficiency upgrades for bathrooms—Learn the surprising options for boosting your home’s energy efficiency when remodeling bathrooms. Remodeling tips for an efficient kitchen— Upgrade to energy-efficient appliances during your kitchen remodeling project and reap savings year after year.

EnergyGuide labels will help you calculate the initial cost of an appliance against long-term savings. label numbers are estimates. Actual costs will be determined by how often you use the appliance and your local utility rates. Some appliances will also have a blue Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This indicates the appliance is substantially more efficient than the minimum standards. Energy Star-rated products cost more to purchase, but they have the greatest potential to lower your monthly energy use, especially if you use the appliance often. To learn more about the EnergyGuide and Energy Star labels, visit energystar.gov. Reviewing these labels may yield surprises. In some cases, the configuration of the appliance can also make a substantial difference in how efficiently it uses electricity. According to the latest Energy Star ratings (available at energystar.gov/products), a side-by-side

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

W H I R LPOO L

Your energy use varies month to month based on multiple factors, so it can be difficult to see exactly how much difference an appliance upgrade makes on your monthly power bill. But in general, yes—today’s newer, more efficient appliances use signifi cantly less electricity than older units. When shopping for new appliances, it’s best to view the purchase over the lifetime of the equipment. Think about the upfront cost and the lifetime energy savings. In a recent Consumer Reports test of new refrigerators, the editors calculated that the most energy-efficient model reviewed could save a homeowner $68 a year on power bills compared to the least efficient model. Multiply that difference over a decade or two, and you begin to see the potential return on investment. Almost any major household appliance on the market today will use

considerably less energy than a comparable model from a decade ago, thanks to efforts by manufacturers to meet or exceed U.S. Department of Energy standards. By some estimates, these standards save American consumers $60 billion each year. For a better idea of how much money you can save from a specific appliance, consult the yellow EnergyGuide label that shows the estimated energy use and operating cost per year. These labels will help you compare different models and calculate the initial cost against the longterm savings. Just remember that these

CLEANING UP ON ENERGY COSTS According to the 2018 ratings at energystar.gov/products, the most efficient clothes washers and dryers are frontloading models.

refrigerator/freezer uses about 70 percent more energy than models that stack the refrigerator and freezer. The most efficient clothes washers and dryers on the market today? The front-loading models. How you operate appliances can also make a difference. Here are easy ways to save: u Refrigerator/Freezer. Set your refrigerator at 35 to 38 degrees and your freezer at zero degrees, and keep both relatively full for the most efficient operation. Make sure there is adequate airflow between the wall and the back of the unit and keep the coils clean. u Stove/Oven. Use the correct size of burner to fit the pan. In warmer months, use smaller appliances like microwaves or slow cookers instead of the oven, when possible. u Dishwasher. Use the most energy- efficient and shortest setting that gets your dishes clean. Wait to run a load until the dishwasher is full, and allow dishes to air dry rather than using the heated dry function. Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or email energyqa@scliving.coop.

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SC smart choice

Keep it cool

BREEZY AND BLADELESS

The Dyson Cool desk fan is not your father’s fan. Without blades, it’s safe to put anywhere—no worries about the kids or the dog. The fan oscillates to cool a wider space, comes with its own remote, has a sleep timer and is so quiet you won’t have to yell over it. Larger models also available. $300. (866) 693‑9766; dyson.com.

Ah, summertime! The living may be easy, but it’s just not cool to be so hot. Here are a few ways to keep it chill when temperatures are on the rise. BY JAYNE CANNON

COMPUTER COOLER

Just like you, your laptop doesn’t have as much get-up-and-go when it’s overheating. Be kind and use a Mind Reader Laptop Cooling Pad. Fans circulate air into your device to keep it from shutting down when the heat is on. Think of it as a cold drink for your computer. $23. (800) 843‑2446; overstock.com.

WE ALL SCREAM

Is there anything more welcome on a scorching day than a dish of homemade ice cream? In just 20 minutes, you can create your favorite flavor of ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet in the Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker—and skip a trip to the ice cream shop. $60. (800) 462‑3966; bedbathandbeyond.com.

COOL AIR WHEREVER YOU GO

JUST CHILLIN’

Bottles of ketchup and pitchers of tea mixed among the wines you so carefully selected? Perish the thought. The Frigidaire 34-Bottle Wine Chiller has a see-through door, adjustable temperature settings and LED interior lighting—all the better to grab the right bottle. $279. (800) 445‑6937; lowes.com.

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

It looks like a watch, but the Embr Wave Wristband is really a personal cooling device that creates a cold spot on the sensitive skin of your wrist. The idea is to trick your mind into thinking you’re comfortably cool. Will it work when the heat index hits triple digits? We don’t know, but it probably can’t hurt. From $299. embrlabs.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

It sounds like a dream on a sweltering summer day: “Alexa, turn the air conditioner up.” The Frigidaire Gallery 12,000 BTU Smart Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier and Wi-Fi Control cools the room you need it to cool, and it works with Alexa and Google Home apps to make your life easy and, yes, cool. $500. (800) 430‑3376; homedepot.com.

Prices and availability are subject to change. Inclusion in this column is not an endorsement by South Carolina Living or any S.C. electric cooperative.

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Down in

the mud 16

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

says of the logging business, which transforms recovered logs into high-end wooden furniture. “It’s when you might be hooking up with a 40-inch cypress, and you wait for it to show its face.”

THE BOAT RIDE TO THE SECRET

spot takes nearly half an hour. Under cloudless skies and against a brisk November breeze, the two boats snake through the black tidal waters of the Waccamaw River, then turn up a smaller creek, and come to rest at last in a side cove. If it weren’t for the two pontoon barges anchored there, the casual observer probably wouldn’t pay much notice to the location. The little cove, in all its primitive beauty, is typical for the Waccamaw. Moss-bearded cypress trees rise from the still black waters. Deer and wild hogs occasionally graze the soft mud banks. Catfish and bass lurk below the surface. In the warmer months, alligators nest there, alongside an abundance of great blue herons, ospreys, brown water snakes and moccasins. But Tom Collins, Steve Vereen, Joe Chandler and Crystal Morgan are anything but a casual group of nature-gazers. Together they make up River Wood LLC—a licensed aqua-logging business that owns a permit to pull up historic submerged logs from this spot. Upon arrival, Vereen shimmies into his wetsuit and slips down into the cold water. With his toes squishing in mud, he goes about the business of feeling for a mud-sunk log—pine, oak, poplar, cypress—that loggers, at the turn of the 20th century, left there. “These old trees, you can’t find them anywhere unless you pull them out of the river. The mud keeps them totally preserved,” explains Collins. “There’s no oxygen. So, when you pull up a log, it looks like it did when they cut it down.” Vereen keeps plodding along and prodding, almost as if in a kind of dance. Above all, he’s hoping his feet might graze a pointy nodule like a small bump, and he’ll know it’s the mark of cypress bark. Suddenly, he stops and calls for the winch. What follows is an acrobatic scramble on the pontoon as Collins hands Vereen a pair of lifting tongs attached by metal chain to the winch. Underwater, Vereen clamps the tongs onto the log, and Morgan cranks upward, trying to break it free from the mud. The pontoon angles downward as if about to sink, and thousands of bubbles begin rising to the surface. “This right here is my favorite part,” Chandler

Gone fishing

Harvesting sunken timber is a tough, dirty job, but one with unique rewards BY HASTINGS HENSEL PHOTOS BY MIC SMITH

It makes sense that aqua- loggers talk a lot like fisher men, saying things like “hooking up” with a log and “bringing it to the surface” in a “secret hole.” After all, Vereen, Collins and Chandler grew up fishing and skiing and diving on the Waccamaw River. But they also sound, at times, a lot like archaeologists or historians. Their talk often turns to a faceless, nameless “they”—the turn-of-the-century lumberjacks and lumber barons who turned Georgetown County into the largest lumber operation in the eastern United States. For instance, Collins explains, “Before the railroads came in, they’d have boats come in from Winyah Bay at the high tide. The tide would bring them all the way up here. They’d stop and load that ship up with logs, and then go back downriver. When railroads came in, in the 1900s, the ship thing ended and it all became moved by railroad.” He goes on: “They’d run the tracks all the way to the end of the land, then float it over to this hole. And once they got it there, they could get it to the railroad.” Although the logging industry left almost no written records, you can still see remnants of its operation. Collins has found the old railroad tracks. He discovered neglected gravesites with the names of what he believes are the loggers. There’s the brick ruins of an old sawmill and a burnt wooden pier at

BOARD FEET Having located by toe-touch a long-submerged log in the mud, Steve Vereen, opposite, helps maneuver it into position for recovery. A pile of logs, above, awaits the next move to a sawyer. Tom Collins, in front at right, and Steve Vereen head up the Waccamaw River to their secret cove.

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

his hole. His best guess is that a great fire broke out, probably caused by lightning, and the entire industry moved elsewhere, leaving these logs in place. Thus, he estimates that most of the cypress is 600-700 years old and has sat for 100 years of that time naturally preserved in the water. As he’s talking, Collins looks at the river, which must look the same as it did a hundred or a thousand years ago. Maybe that’s why Collins starts talking of the past in the present tense. “Henry Buck over there, around the corner,” he says, even though Henry Buck died in 1902, “he’s pulling up a million, two million, board feet a year. But I believe this particular hole has the best cypress of all of them.”

Swimming with snakes With his logs, Collins makes furniture—mainly mantels, conference tables, bar tops and ceiling wood for restaurants. It can be a lucrative venture if you know what you’re doing, but it’s not a business any Tom or Joe can enter. For starters, there’s the hard work involved. These logs can weigh up to 2,000 pounds out of the water. While diving, Collins has been entangled in commercial fishing nets. He regularly swims near alligators and snakes. To get a log up from the muddy bottom, then downriver, then onto the trailer, then to the sawyer, and then to the woodshop requires many days of heavy lifting. For another thing, sinker log recovery is a 18

‘These old trees, you can’t find them anywhere unless you pull them out of the river. The mud keeps them totally preserved.’ —TOM COLLINS

HEAVY LIFTING Tom Collins and Crystal Morgan operate the winch from the pontoon while Steve Vereen makes sure the chains are secure.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

business regulated and overseen by James (Jim) Spirek, State Underwater Archaeologist for the Maritime Research Division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, a part of the University of South Carolina. “Historic submerged logs may only be recovered from state waterways with an exclusive license issued by SCIAA,” Spirek explains. “My role is to supervise the recovery of these logs and to ensure that archaeological information about these logs is also recovered.” Historic submerged logs can provide critical knowledge about the early period of logging and the naval stores industry in South Carolina. Thus, to obtain a permit for pulling out these logs, some of which have “cultural manifestations” like ax marks, requires thorough documentation. Recovery divers must provide information on the location of their finds, species of logs, length of logs, the presence of any lashings from old log rafts, cat faces or chevron cuts in pine logs (evidence of the turpentine industry), ax cuts or, says Spirek, “anything else of interest.” “The thing about it is,” says Collins, “to go from A to Z in this, it’s a huge deal. It takes equipment and a little bit of money, but most people, they’re not going to be able to do it.” River Wood, though, has always been a determined group. After all, what other job could you spend half the year exploring the river, and the other half of the year in your woodshop? And what

Dow n

other job could you see your product go all the way from start to finish—from river bottom to table top?

Starting at the bottom

THE FIRST CUT Ax marks indicate that turpentine was once harvested from this log. The River Wood partners take their recovered bounty to third-generation sawyer Charles Moore, a member of Horry Electric Cooperative, who cuts the logs into slabs that are then stacked and dried.

mill into slabs that he then stacks and dries. The soft woods like pine and cypress take six months to dry out, and the hard woods like oak take a full year. Then, in the winter months, when it makes less sense to dive down into cold water, the team members spend most of their days in their woodshops, located in the bays of an old chicken farm in Murrells Inlet. Like any woodshop, these places are dusty, sawdusty and filled with all kinds of tools and lumber in various states of use. Some of the wood is still being dried. Other wood has been planed and stacked. And still other wood has been varnished and constructed into coffee tables, chess boards and mantelpieces—all of it naturally colored, Chandler says. “People always say, ‘What kind of stain do you use?’ ” He laughs. “We don’t use any stain around here. This wood does its own thing.” To demonstrate, he pours butcher block mineral oil on a rag and begins working it into a slab of cypress, talking about the wood as if it were alive; he’s “waking it up” by “feeding it.” The cypress

H A STI N GS H ENSE L

When the River Wood partners started their business in 2007, they knew the biggest challenge would be finding sinker logs to harvest. Sonar detection would only identify logs on the surface, not buried in the mud, so they turned to local anglers. “A fisherman told us about this spot,” Collins says of the team’s most reliable honey hole. “We pulled up in here one day and were poking around with a little stick. We were like, ‘Holy ….’” “The first time Tom and I pulled out, we pulled out a hundred logs at one time, which was more than anyone has pulled at one time out of the river,” says Vereen. “Which we were kind of proud of.” In the early years, the company struggled, sometimes giving wood away or selling it by the board foot. Things took off when they paired up with an interior decorator who persuaded restaurants to go with locally sourced source wood for bar tops, wall siding and ceiling planks. Today, you’ll find their pieces in private collections, as well as restaurants and stores all along the Grand Strand. Depending on demand, River Wood now pulls up between 50 and 100 logs out of the river a year, but not all logs end up in living rooms. Some end up in museums, Collins says. “Last spring, I pulled out a 40-inch-diameter cypress, which had the ax chops on the end,” he says. “When I showed it to Jim Spirek, he asked if I’d be willing to donate it, just to cut off an end piece, to the Maritime Museum. Of course, I did.” The rest of the wood, though, gets hauled out to Aynor, where a third- generation sawyer, Charles Moore, cuts it with his saw-

em ud

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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Dow

As such, the team knows exactly where they have staged one of their most significant logs—a pine with a “cat face” mark in it—a log that Spirek designates as “archaeological.” The cat face is made up of two chevron marks, indicating the tree had been drained of its sap to make pine-pitch, or tar. The team motors over to this secret spot within Past and present the secret spot, and in minutes brings the tree to the surface. The end is ax-hewn, making the whole Back on the river, with the team staring at the thing look like a gigantic pencil in need of sharpensurface, the bubbles begin to increase in number and speed. This means that the log is about to ing. And there, unmistakably, are several ax-chops come up. that do indeed look like a cat’s whiskers. “Come on,” Vereen cries in the water. Everyone grows quiet for a moment. “Show me something!” It’s as if the ax marks have forced everyThe log plops up like a manatee, one to think about the old loggers who muddy and dense. The team inspects the worked tirelessly, chopping and cleartree, and it’s not a cypress but a pine. ing this river land amid thick heat, thick “This wood, when we pull it out and snakes and thick insects. Or maybe let it dry, it’s very stable,” says Collins. they’re thinking about the work that’s “But cypress and pine are both soft still to be done. woods, so they dry pretty quick. Pine “They’ve been sitting there, and no begins to rot immediately, so you have to one’s touched them since 1910,” says GET MORE For more information on get it to a dark space.” Collins reflectively. “It’s kind of like trash permits, regulations and reporting requireInstead of pulling the log out immethat never got cleaned up. We’re going ments for recovering historic logs, contact State in, and we’re taking that resource and diately, the team re-sinks it for recovUnderwater Archaeologist Jim Spirek at the South turning it into a usable resource. We’re ery at a later date—a process they call Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, (803) 576-6566; spirekj@mailbox.sc.edu. basically recycling. Every tree that we “staging.” In their hole, they have hunpull up, hopefully that will save a tree dreds of logs staged and ready to extract To reach River Wood LLC, contact Tom Collins at from having to be cut down.” when the time is right. (843) 222-9808; ctcartworks78@gmail.com. immediately deepens in a patina whirl of color, and it is easy to see how the whole process is indeed a living continuum—a modern repurposing of the work the lumberjacks did over a hundred years ago, and the latest moment in the centuries that the tree took to grow in the swamp.

REVEALING BEAUTY Joe Chandler, with saw, and Crystal Morgan put a clean edge on a cypress board. Mineral oil brings out the patina of the wood. “We don’t use any stain around here. This wood does its own thing,” says Chandler.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

SC stories

Carved in stone You could say Clint Button’s passion for sculpting granite is in his DNA, but it may be truer to say it’s in his psyche. Most of the true granite sculptors left are centered in Vermont, where Button is originally from, but even though the painstaking work may be a dying art, he maintains it’s worth saving in this country. “We can still do this in America.” He bought his first wood-carving knife on his 6th birthday, but was warned against following relatives into the granite industry because of the hazards, including the dust exposure unprotected sculptors and stonecutters like his grandfather often endured. He became a chef, apprenticing at The Piedmont Club in Spartanburg in the 1990s, where he seized the opportunity to sculpt ice for parties. His culinary career took him many places, including the famous Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, yet also led him down difficult personal paths. “It’s a really hard schedule,” he says. “It’s really hard to stay sober. It’s really bad on marriages.” By 2000, he accepted Christ and a calling back to Vermont, where he learned granite sculpting in a master’s studio, working under a cousin. Three years later, he returned to South Carolina, started a family and opened his own studio in Boiling Springs. Much of his work is in memorials, each unsigned project as perfect as Button can make it. In his shop, he points to a headstone for a veteran and speaks of the importance of correctly rendering the intricate detail of the Marine Corps emblem, right down to the twists of the anchor rope. While he says pieces may take months or years to finish, the results can be transcendent. “The work is beautiful because God lets me do it and I don’t interfere.” —SUSAN HILL SMITH | PHOTO BY MILTON MORRIS

A.C. “Clint” Button II AGE:

51.

Industry-trained granite sculptor—possibly the last in the South. LIVES IN: Boiling Springs, not far from where he moved at age 13 with his family. Native of Vermont. SIDE PROJECT: A motorcycle enthusiast, he helps organize Chesnee’s annual Antique Bikes on Main festival. COOL FACT: Button honed his talent by ice sculpting. WHY HE WORKS IN GRANITE: “All the stone does is tell you the truth. It tells you exactly what I did.” CLAIM TO FAME:

GET MORE: Learn about Clint Button’s work at carolinascuplturestudio.com. SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

Home of

HISTORY

Explore the past at the ‘new’ South Carolina Historical Society Museum BY TIM HANSON

TI M H A NSO N

The renovated Fireproof Building at the corner of Meeting and Chalmers streets will reopen in September as the South Carolina Historical Society Museum, displaying some of the society’s rare documents and artifacts, including this 1779 letter from George Washington.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

HAVING ONCE WORKED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES, Faye Jensen was not exactly a stranger to seeing rare historical artifacts. But one afternoon more than a decade ago, shortly after assuming her duties as director of the South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston, she opened at random one of hundreds of the organization’s gray archival boxes, curious to see what it might contain. Inside the box was a small, single sheet of paper dated Dec. 31, 1779. Written by hand, it listed the names of officers and soldiers in the 2nd Regiment of the South Carolina Infantry, commanded by Lt. Col. Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War hero and guerrilla fighter who later would be promoted to brigadier general and become forever known as The Swamp Fox. As a historian, Jensen was thrilled. She read over the names of the men who helped fight for American independence and let the implications of that historical record wash over her. After a moment, she replaced the document and then selected another box at random. This time, she pulled out a letter written by one of this country’s founding fathers and the second president of the United States—John Adams. Jensen blinked. “I was in awe,” she says. “Just in awe that these items were just sitting in a box like everything else.” What the new director would soon learn was that those items were just two of many thousands of historical gems waiting to be discovered by researchers in the society’s

SC scene

massive collection of books, photographs, plats (maps or plans), letters and other documents. Part of that collection will be on display in the new South Carolina Historical Society Museum, opening Sept. 22 in the recently renovated Fireproof Building in downtown Charleston. Six state-of-the-art galleries featuring interactive touch screens and other user-friendly devices will convey South Carolina history based on letters, journals and other docu ments often written by the people who experienced the events themselves. The first gallery focuses on the exploration and settlement of South Carolina and showcases items including a Bible from 1658 owned by the Rev. Archibald Stobo, founder of one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in the state. A second gallery examines the American Revolution and antebellum life. Francis Marion’s powder horn is displayed

A N DRE W CEBU LK A

‘ We are trying to show how all those diverse people who were here in the late 1600s and early 1700s came together and created a wonderful culture that is very unique to South Carolina.’ —FAYE JENSEN, DIRECTOR, SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PHOTOS TH IS PAG E BY TI M H A NSO N

here, along with an array of other items, including a letter written by George Washington. The third exhibit is devoted to the state’s secession from the United States, the ensuing Civil War and the reconstruction that followed. The Charleston Renaissance, the fourth gallery in the series, looks at life after the great 1886 earthquake, which devastated much of the city. Visitors also will be able to view a seven-minute film focusing on the development of art and culture in Charleston and efforts to preserve the city’s remaining landmarks and historical buildings. A fifth exhibit examines the evolution of cultural diversity in South Carolina. “We have a Gullah case, a worship case, a literary arts case and then a whole wall of visual arts in that room,” Jensen says. “We are trying to show how all those diverse people who were here in the late 1600s and early 1700s came together and created a wonderful culture that is very unique to South Carolina.” The sixth gallery, Jensen says, is a rotating exhibit (she would like to see visiting organizations use the area to present their own historical items), but the initial display is devoted to “agriculture, foodways and the conservation of natural resources throughout the state.”

Faye Jensen (top), executive director of the South Carolina Historical Society, and her team of archivists hand-selected items for the six opening exhibits, each profiling different eras of Palmetto State history. Virginia Ellison examines a prized artifact for the American Revolution exhibit, a powder horn that belonged to Patriot leader Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion.

With the museum scheduled to open on Sept. 22 (tickets go on sale Aug. 1), Jensen and her staff have worked extremely hard to showcase the society’s extensive collections, including the papers of Henry Laurens, the Charleston native and statesman who served as president of the Continental Congress. l l

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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The society also acquired the papers of John Rutledge, an American lawmaker who served in the late 18th century as a U.S. Supreme Court justice and as chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, says Virginia Ellison, the society’s director of archives and research. “We have about 3,000 manuscript collections varying in size,” Ellison says. “A manuscript collection can be one letter on up to 40 or 50 boxes.” The society also has some 10,000 maps and plats, as well as 35,000 pieces of art and related items that span the Colonial era, the Revolutionary War, the antebellum period, the Civil War, the Charleston Renaissance and present-day South Carolina. The Fireproof Building, which houses the museum, is itself a treasure. Designed in the early 1820s by architect Robert Mills to house government offices and official records, the building opened for business in 1826. Mills, who also designed the Washing ton Monument, was keenly aware of the ever-present danger of fires that frequently plagued the city, and so when he sat down at his drafting table he went to great lengths to make sure that fate would never befall the building he was about to design. When it was finished, the building’s walls were nearly 2 feet thick, window shutters were metal and the structure was made of bricks—more than 900,000 of them—instead of wood. The building’s

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The South Carolina Historical Society Museum is located in the Fireproof Building at 100 Meeting Street in Charleston. HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is scheduled to open to the public Sept. 22. Tickets go on sale Aug. 1. ADMISSION: $15 for patrons over age 13 and $7 for children ages 3–12. Admission for children age 2 and under is free. DETAILS: (843) 723-3225; schistory.org/museum.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

A N DRE W CEBU LK A

In a mixing bowl, combine 4 ounces of Clemson Blue Cheese Krumbles, 1/4 cup of toasted walnuts (or pecans) and 1/4 cup of dried cranberries. Set aside. Peel and cut lengthwise 3 ripe pears. Remove cores and seeds. In a small baking dish, arrange pears core side up. In a second bowl, combine 1/2 cup of apple juice, 1/4 cup of port wine, and 1/3 cup of honey. Pour half the mixture over the pears and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. For a refreshing salad dressing, whisk the remainder of the mixture with 1/4 cup of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange 6 ounces of baby lettuce on 6 plates, and add a warm pear. Drizzle with dressing. Top with walnuts or pecans and Clemson Blue Cheese Krumbles.

SC scene

Designed by Robert Mills, the South Carolina architect who also designed the Washington Monument, the Fireproof Building itself is one of the gems in the society’s collection.

location at the corner of Meeting and Chalmers streets, with the other two sides facing Washington Park, ensured a wide firebreak on all sides. The Fireproof Building withstood hurricanes, the Civil War, the Charleston earthquake and the ravages of time. In the 1940s, after moving from one temporary location to another with its growing collection, the South Carolina Historical Society moved into the old building and set up shop. The society eventually purchased the building from the county in 1980 and for the next three decades continued to add to its collection. But as the years passed, the sheer amount of material gathered by the society actually started to place noticeable stress on the foundation of the old building. And fluctuating temperature and humidity levels clearly were not a good recipe for long-term storage of its collection. In 2014, the collection was moved to the preservation-friendly environment of the College of Charleston. The move allowed Jensen and her staff to press ahead with plans to renovate the Fireproof Building and create the South Carolina Historical Society Museum, an undertaking that carried a price tag of $6.8 million. “This exhibit has been a huge project, but it has been fun,” Ellison says. “I think this is going to be great, and I think this is going to be a wonderful experience for our patrons.”

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SC travels

Let the good times roll at SK8 Charleston BY SUSAN HILL SMITH | PHOTOS BY MIC SMITH

GROWING UP, BURT HUGHES AND HIS

younger brother dreamed about California skate parks they saw on TV and otherwise made the best of parking lots and their backyard half-pipe ramp. The town of Florence didn’t have any better options for skateboarders, and neither did most of the East Coast during the ’80s and early ’90s. When life led him in other directions, Hughes put up his skateboard around age 14. Flip from 14 to age 41 with Hughes now pushing his limits at SK8 Charles ton, a premier park that reignited his skateboard passions when it opened in March 2017. He skates here at least two to three times a week, often with his 40-year-old brother, 4-year-old nephew and 7-year-old niece. While he currently lives in Charleston, a 20-minute drive away, the smile bursting from his graying red beard suggests he would travel greater distances to get here. With the jump in activity, he lost 17 pounds, and he’s “having a ball” achieving feats on his board he didn’t expect. “I can say I’m beating the 14-year-old version of myself, which blows my mind, really.”

! p u Wheels 26

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

A supportive community of regular skaters emerged, one that welcomes all ages and ability levels. A welcoming community The advocacy group Pour It Now lobbied more than a decade for a first-class skate facility in the area, and Charleston County Parks delivered, spending $4.8 million and engaging construction partners such as SGA Architecture and Team Pain Skate Parks, which designed and created the skateable elements. The American Society of Civil Engineers in South Carolina named SK8 Charleston as its Project of the Year. During its first year, the park’s attendance surpassed 28,000, and a supportive community of regular skaters emerged, one that welcomes all ages and ability levels. “We’re definitely getting a lot of people that haven’t skated ever out here, and we’re getting a lot of people out of retirement,” says operations aide AJ Walker. Walker, 24, learned the sport at smaller skate parks in the Charleston area, but “nothing of this caliber.” After college, he landed his dream job at SK8 Charleston. “It has been amazing ever since.”

Room to skate Situated on the upper Charleston peninsula between elevated sections of Interstate 26 and the marshland leading to the Ashley River, the park provides 32,500 square feet of skateable terrain, mostly concrete, with bowls adorned with Tedder Stone pool coping, the gold

standard for skate parks. Noticeably clean and uncluttered, SK8 Charleston is encompassed by fencing and natural features with a single point of entry. The park provides lights for night skating plus a raised skate shop, concessions and viewing area, where parents can see all the action as well as brilliant sunsets on the Ashley River. “We got what I consider prime real estate,” says SK8 Charleston manager Josh McFadden. Walker gladly shows off the park’s diverse mix of skating features as 25 or more skaters pop, glide and whir around, able to go faster on concrete than they would on asphalt and with less worry about nasty scrapes. “One thing that’s really awesome about this park is that it has a lot of flow,” Walker says, “so you can start on one end and make it all the way to the other end without ever having to push, and a lot of street skaters will really enjoy that.”

Something for everyone Skaters gravitate to different features based on ability, past skating history and personal preferences. Similar to a frozen ocean, the 200-foot elongated pool they call the Snake Run holds special appeal

GRABBING SOME AIR SK8 Charleston offers 32,500 square feet of skateable terrain where locals and out-of-town visitors like Landen Buffington (opposite page), from Atlanta, can demonstrate their skills and show off their custom boards. Skaters can “drop in” to any of the “bowls” and glide from one end of the park to the other.

for surfers who cross over to skateboarding. “It’s like a continuous concrete wave,” Walker explains. Then he points out “the Tombstone,” an extension that juts above the Snake Run, offering about 3 feet of “straight vertical” aka “vert” for tricks. “If you can get a trick on that— yeah, you know what you’re doing.” Behind the Snake Run, two bowls appeal to seasoned skaters who are used to doing tricks in drained swimming pools. The intermediate bowl, with a 7-foot deep end and 5-foot shallow end, is more

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

SC travels

Lowcountry mom Rhett Ambrite frequently visits with her family. Parents also enjoy the action— and the sunset—from an elevated viewing deck.

forgiving, while the pro bowl has an 11.5foot deep end with 18 inches of vert. Running along the park’s other side, a 315-foot-long street course offers skateable art, ledges and marble elements with the feel of New York City skate plazas. Beginning skaters usually start on this side before working their way up to

GET THERE SK8 Charleston 1549 Oceanic St., Charleston, upper peninsula (Exit Rutledge Avenue off I-26) MARCH THROUGH DECEMBER HOURS:

Monday to Friday, 2–10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY HOURS:

Monday to Friday, 2–8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. BMX DAY: Tuesdays are limited to BMX bike riders only. Skateboarders, in-line skates and quads welcome the rest of the week. ADMISSION: $3 daily for skaters and BMX riders; $1 for spectators or free for spectators who are Charleston County Parks Gold Pass members or children 2 and under. SK8 Charleston annual passes available for $40. SAFETY: Helmets required and available to rent for $5 with $25 refundable deposit. Full pads encouraged. Waivers required. Etiquette rules listed on website and posted at park. Children 12 and under must be supervised. DETAILS: (843) 795-4386, charlestoncountyparks.com/skatepark

the bowls, but the street side also offers challenges like the “bump to bar.”

Aug. 30 - Car Hauler’s Parade and Racefest Party Downtown, 6-10pm @ the Public Square Aug. 31 - Radio Vibe at the Bringing Downtown Alive! Free Concert, 7-10pm @ Liberty Lane Sept. 1 - Sport Clips VFW 200 Race, 3:30pm Sept. 1 - Southern 500 Parade, 7pm Sept. 2 - Bojangles’ Southern 500 Race, 7pm

‘A real blessing to our family’ Ford Ambrite, 12, is practicing the bump to bar after clearing the element for the first time a few days before. His video of that moment includes other skaters tapping their boards afterward in applause. Skating is clearly a confidence builder for him and many others. “When you conquer your fear, that’s a really good feeling,” says Ford, a rising seventh-grader. Ford visits SK8 Charleston frequently with his 10-year-old sister, Madeleine, and their parents, who also skate. Josh and Rhett Ambrite are happy for their kids to be outside, active and off their devices. The parents also appreciate SK8 Charleston’s emphasis on safety, though they realize the pastime is not injuryproof. In spite of her helmet, Ford’s mom, Rhett, suffered a concussion, but returned and even visits the park without the family because she enjoys it so much. Josh says they have been inspired to visit other skate parks in the Southeast, and laughs that it’s their own version of travel sports. But with annual passes at SK8 Charleston costing only $40 apiece, he says they are getting a bargain, especially considering the time they’ve spent together at the park. “It’s been a real blessing to our family.”

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

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Aug. 25 – Apple Festival Pageant Sept. 4 – Rotary Golf Tournament Sept. 6 – Apple Baking Contest Sept. 7 – Arts & Craft Show Live Entertainment Quilt Show Rotary Club Luncheon Apple Festival Parade 28th Annual IPRA Rodeo Sept. 8 – Arts & Craft Show 28th Annual IPRA Rodeo

• Music • Food • Arts and Crafts • Kiddie Rides • Fun Run Race • Parade • Children’s Activities • Rodeo • Quilt Show • Classic Car Show

For more information call the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce (864) 647-5316

www.scapplefestival.com

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SC recipe

Life’s a peach BY BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN

One of the joys of a summer is South Carolina ers’ markets rm fa stopping in at et of ands for a bask and roadside st ese Th ened peaches. sweet, tree-rip vanad cipes take full easy-to-make re u yo g season, allowin tage of peach is to enjoy th and your family r breakfast, fo it versatile fru er. lunch and dinn

PEACH-GLAZED BAKED CHICKEN SERVES 4

This glaze can also be used as a baste on a whole roasted chicken. 8 chicken pieces, rinsed and patted dry All-purpose seasoning or salt and pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil ½ cup peach preserves 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce J teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper

PEACH CRUMBLE SERVES 8

This recipe can also be prepared as a “crisp,” one of the regional pie variations invented by early American settlers. The difference is in the topping. Crisp toppings would also contain oats and nuts.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season chicken with seasoning.

TOPPING

PEACHES

5–6 cups peaches, peeled and sliced ½ lemon, juiced 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla

K A REN H ERM A N N

1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch, salt ½ cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt and butter. Using clean hands, rub ingredients together until mixture sticks together in small clumps. Arrange peaches in a deep pie dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar, flour and vanilla and toss thoroughly. Spread topping evenly on the fruit. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and juices are bubbling up through the topping, 45–50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil and brown chicken on all sides. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine preserves, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, mustard, salt and pepper. Reserve half of the glaze to serve with chicken. Brush chicken pieces with the remaining glaze. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting every 15–20 minutes or until the temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads 165 F. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with reserved glaze.

GW ÉN A Ë L LE VOT

M ICH A E L PH I LLI P S

PEACH PECAN SCONES MAKES 1 DOZEN

Scones are like dense biscuits and can be served for breakfast, tea time or a snack. These peach scones go very well smeared with lots of honey butter and decadent homemade peach preserves. 1 egg 1 lemon, zested 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 medium peaches, peeled and chopped, about 1 cup ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped ¼ cup milk, for wash Fine sugar, for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. (This step can be done in a food processor.) Combine buttermilk, egg, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir into flour mixture with peaches and nuts until just combined. Using a rolling pin, roll dough ¾-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares, using a cookie cutter; then cut each square diagonally, resulting in 12 wedges. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.

What’s cooking at SCLiving.coop GIVE PEACHES THE SLIP Learn the surprisingly easy way to get perfectly peeled peaches every time with Chef Belinda’s latest how-to video at

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G I N A MOORE

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup butter ½ cup buttermilk or heavy cream

GRILLED TILAPIA WITH PEACH SALSA SERVES 4

This recipe works with any thick-flesh fish, including cod, halibut, swordfish or turbot. 4 tilapia fillets Kosher salt Lemon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups peaches, chopped 1 red bell pepper, diced ½ red onion, diced

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon honey Pinch, red pepper flakes (optional) Lemon wedges, for garnish

Season fillets on both sides with the salt and lemon pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine peaches, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, mint, lime juice, honey and pepper flakes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. In a grill pan on top of the stove, grill tilapia over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side until opaque and flaky. Transfer to a serving platter and top with salsa. Serve with lemon wedges.

SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

SC gardener

Fancy, flavorful loose‑leaf lettuce

AUGUST IN THE GARDEN

BY L.A. JACKSON

n Allow a few plants of such freeseeding herbs as dill, basil and chives to mature and produce seeds in the garden, which will readily resprout next spring.

EVEN THOUGH SUMMER IS REACHING

its sizzling peak, August is the time to start planting cool-season vegetables. One of my favorites to add to the late garden is loose-leaf lettuce. Sure, there are other types of lettuce, but loose-leaf is quite tasty and very nutritious. It is also readily found in garden centers and matures quickly. Need a bonus reason? It’s good-looking, too.

n Hollies and pyracanthas (aka firethorn shrubs) will benefit from being watered during extended heat waves. If stressed by hot, dry conditions, they could drop their immature berries. n Time to crank up that compost pile! Toss any lawn grass clippings or spent plants from garden clean-ups into the bin and continue mixing in organic “fuel” from the coming autumn’s leaf fall.

The trick to growing lettuce from seed is to plant them, not bury them.

TIP OF THE MONTH Most varieties of roses—the main exception being many hybrid teas—will develop rose hips after their blooms fade. If these small fruits are clipped off, a rose won’t waste energy on their development, and that means increased future flower production. How‑ ever, rose hips are not only edible but packed with vitamin C. Their tart flavor has often been used to add a zesty snap to teas, syrups, jellies and sauces, so think about letting a few clusters develop until late autumn and then harvesting them for culinary experiments. Just be sure they haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. If this first jump into the rosehip eating experience has you hopping for more, consider planting a few Rugosa roses—they are the champs when it comes to delivering impressive harvests of plump fruit.

L . A . JACKSO N

When blooms fade, Rugosa rose bushes yield an abundant burst of flavorful rose hips.

To get a jump on the growing season, sow loose-leaf lettuce seeds in indoor starter pots starting in early August. Not in a hurry? Wait until the beginning of September to directly set seeds or, when they are available, young, store-bought plants. The trick to growing lettuce from seed is to plant them, not bury them. Translation: light actually helps the seeds germinate, so simply sprinkle them on top of the soil and then gently press them down into the dirt. The garden site should be a sunny, well-worked, fertile location. For best results, thin or space young plants about 6 inches apart. Lettuce has very shallow roots, so if the rains don’t come, supplemental watering is a must. Additional plantings every two weeks deep into September will ensure a steady supply of garden-grown crunchies for autumn salads. Smart harvesting of loose-leaf lettuce begins with picking the outer leaves first. This gives the developing inner leaves time to mature and reach their full, tasty potential. The ol’ veggie patch is an obvious spot to grow loose-leaf lettuce, but, as I mentioned, it can be a rather pretty little plant, so try introducing it in

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

L . A . JACKSO N

n Feathered garden friends enduring this summer’s heat will appreciate it if you keep the bird feeder well-stocked and the bird bath filled with fresh water.

A tasty bouquet of Red Sails (foreground) and Green Oak loose-leaf lettuce can dress up an autumn planter.

ornamental borders to add some fancy foliage flashes. Also, since this edible eye-catcher likes good drainage, it makes an interesting choice for extra visible vibe to fall planters. Just remember to avoid using pesticides unless they are formulated for use on vegetables. As far as particular picks that combine visual zing with savory flavor, many loose-leaf cultivars fill the bill. Even the most common selection, Black Seeded Simpson, has glowing green foliage that will light up any mixed planting. Another old standard, the heirloom Green Oak, sports handsome, deeply lobed leaves, and it also has a crimson-tinted counterpart called Red Oak. Need even more zing? The easy-to-find Red Sails cultivar displays crinkly foliage that is deeply saturated with sultry shades of maroon. L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.

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SCLIVING.COOP | AUGUST 2018 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

SC calendar AUG 9 – SEPT 15

Upstate AU G U ST

9–19 Restaurant Week Greenville,

participating restaurants, Greenville. (803) 252‑7136. 17 Turtle Trail Naturalist Hike for Families, Paris Mountain State Park, Greenville. (864) 244‑5565. 18 Anniversary Commemoration, Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, Clinton. (864) 938‑0100. 18 Cruisin’ for a Cause Boat Run, Lake Greenwood, Greenwood. (864) 942‑8900. 18 The Olde South Ball, Spartanburg Marriott, Spartanburg. (864) 244‑2732. 24–25 Spring Water Festival, Mineral Spring Park, Williamston. (864) 847‑5743. 25 13th Annual Flight of the Dove Cycling Event, Bailey Memorial Stadium at Presbyterian College, Clinton. (864) 833‑6287. 30–Sept. 9 Upper South Carolina State Fair, Greenville Pickens Speedway, Easley. (864) 269‑0852. 31 Finally Friday on the Square, Main Street Square, Laurens. (864) 984‑2119. SE P T E M BE R

1 Frontier Encampment, Oconee Station State Historic Site, Walhalla. (864) 638‑0079. 1 Musgrove Mill Battlefield Guided Hike, Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, Clinton. (864) 938‑0100. 1–2 Dacusville Farm Show, Turner Field, Easley. (864) 350‑0483. 5 Dock Diving Happy Hour, Astro Kennels, Simpsonville. (864) 297‑9636. 6 Couture for a Cause, Southern Bleachery, Taylors. (864) 884‑1786. 6–8 South Carolina Apple Festival, Main Street, Westminster. (864) 647‑7223. 7 First Friday Walk with David Bradshaw, South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson. (864) 656‑3405. 8 Annual Friends of Jocassee VIP Clean-Up Day and National Public Lands Day Volunteer Event, Devils Fork State Park, Salem. (864) 944‑2639. 8 John Conlee, Walhalla Civic Auditorium, Walhalla. (864) 638‑5277. 13–15 SpartOberfest, Jesus Our Risen Savior Catholic Church, Spartanburg. (864) 576‑1164. 14–15 The Enchanted Chalice Renaissance Faire, Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Greenville. info@ theenchantedchalice.com.

SCLiving.coop/calendar

SEPTEMBER

Our mobile-friendly site lists even more festivals, shows and events. You’ll also find instructions on submitting your event. Please confirm information with the hosting event before attending.

14–16 2018 Anderson Greek Festival Plus, Civic Center of Anderson, Anderson. bill296621@yahoo.com. 14–16 Indie Craft Parade, Southern Bleachery Marketplace at Taylors Mill, Taylors. (864) 406‑6253. 15 McCormick Gold Rush Festival, Heritage Gold Mine Park, McCormick. (864) 852‑2835. 15 Railfest, City Park, Greer. (864) 968‑7005. 15 South Greenville Fair and Antique Tractor Show, Simpsonville City Park, Simpsonville. (864) 430‑1412. 15 Upstate Splash Charity Open Water Swim, Lake Jocassee at Devils Fork State Park, Salem. (864) 400‑9967. O NG O ING

Every other Wednesday

Music Sandwiched In, Spartanburg County Public Library, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020. Third Thursdays ArtWalk, downtown cultural district, Spartanburg. (864) 582‑7616. Fridays Starry Nights, Roper Mountain Science Center, Greenville. (864) 355‑8900.

14 Stephen Siller Tunnel to

Towers 5K Run & Walk, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia. jaime@eggplantevents.com. 15 Holistic Wellness Fair, H.O. Weeks Activity Center, Aiken. (803) 640‑0785. ONGOING

Daily “Requiem for Mother Emanuel,” S.C. State Museum, Columbia. (803) 898‑4921.

Lowcountry AU GU ST

14–15 PAW Patrol Live! The Great

“Requiem for Mother Emanuel,” an ongoing exhibit of paintings by artist Leo Twiggs at S.C. State Museum in Columbia, pays tribute to those slain at the “Mother Emanuel” AME Church in Charleston in 2015. 25 Twilight Paddling, Chester State Park, Chester. (803) 385‑2680. SEPTEMBER

Midlands AUG UST

18 Guided Historical Walking Tour: First Fort Congaree, 12,000 Year History Park, Cayce. (850) 322‑5636. 18 Jailbreak Escape Urban Challenge Run, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington. (803) 799‑4786. 18 Resurrection — A Journey Tribute, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616. 18 Try Watercolors with Marcia Kort Buike, Center for the Arts, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787. 24–25 Sandy Oaks Pro Rodeo, Lazy J Arena, Edgefield. (803) 480‑0045. 24–25 Summerfest, Congress Street, York. (803) 684‑2590. 25 Flower Arranging with Angie Clinton, Center for the Arts, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787. 25 Family Fishing Clinic, Aiken State Park, Aiken. (803) 737‑8483.

1–30 Brittany Starnes Exhibit,

Aiken County Visitors Center, Aiken. (803) 642‑7557. 1 September Monthly Gospel Singing, Midland Gospel Singing Center, Gilbert. (803) 719‑1289. 1–3 Chapin Labor Day Festival & Parade, Beaufort and Clark Streets, Chapin. (803) 575‑8039. 8 Family Fishing Clinic, Santee State Park, Santee. (803) 737‑8483. 8 Martha’s Market, Union United Methodist Church, Irmo. (843) 737‑1741. 8 Quilling Paper with Debbie Baumgart, Center for the Arts, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787. 10–12 Watercolor on Almost Anything with Deborah King Scherer, Santee State Park, Santee. (803) 854‑2408. 11 Run for Our Troops 5K, W.M. Rish Riverwalk Park & Amphitheater, West Columbia. (803) 814‑5858. 14 Art on Tap, Gettys Art Center, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

Pirate Adventure, Florence Center, Florence. (843) 679‑4525. 15 The Absolutes, The Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston. (843) 641‑0011. 16–19 Flowertown Players’ Next to Normal, James F. Dean Community Theater, Summerville. (843) 875‑9251. 17 Moonlight Mixer, Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach. (843) 795‑4386. 18 History You Can Eat: Foodways at McLeod, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 795‑4386. 19 Parent/Child Challenge Course, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 795‑4386. 21 Paddle with a Ranger, Edisto Beach State Park, Edisto Island. (843) 869‑4430. 23–26 Flowertown Players’ Next to Normal, James F. Dean Community Theater, Summerville. (843) 875‑9251. 24 Full Moon Stand Up Paddleboard, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 795‑4386. 25 Bird Walk for Beginners, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852‑4200. 25 Moonlight Canoe Float on Lake Juniper, Cheraw State Park, Cheraw. (843) 537‑9656. 25 Race for the ARK, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Summerville. (843) 471‑1360. 28 Adult SUP Surf Camp, Folly Beach County Park, Folly Beach. (843) 795‑4386. 31–Sept. 2 Edisto Beach Music and Shag Festival, Bay Creek Park, Edisto Beach.

1 Cast Off Fishing Tournament, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795‑4386. 1 Defending Charles Towne, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852‑4200. 1 Sand Dollar Show Series, Mullet Hall Equestrian Center at Johns Island County Park, Johns Island. topsailequestrian@aol.com. 6–16 Greater Pee Dee State Fair, Florence Civic Center, Florence. (843) 385‑3180. 7 A Night For New Beginnings Gala, Gaillard Center, Charleston. (843) 747‑4099. 7–8 Aiken’s Makin’, downtown, Aiken. (803) 641‑1111. 8 Dog Day Afternoon, Splash Island Waterpark at Palmetto Islands County Park, Charleston. (843) 795‑4386. 8 Shaggin’ on the Cooper, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795‑4386. 8 Southern Fried Chicken Challenge, North Charleston Riverfront Park, North Charleston. (843) 277‑0609. 9 Dog Day Afternoon, Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark, North Charleston. (843) 795‑4386. 14 Moonlight Mixer, Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach. (843) 795‑4386. 14–23 SOS Fall Migration, Ocean Drive Beach & Golf Resort, North Myrtle Beach. (919) 215‑6875. 15 Aynor Harvest Hoe-Down Festival, Aynor Town Park, Aynor. (843) 358‑1074. 15 Blessings: An Evening with Rene Marie, Charleston Jazz, Charleston. (843) 641‑0011. 15 South Carolina Beard Club’s Beard and Mustache Competition, Common Ground Bar, Murrells Inlet. (843) 340‑6564. 15–16 Native Sons Salt Games, Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, Myrtle Beach. (843) 448‑0585. ONGOING

Tuesdays through September

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, Pavilion at Moultrie Middle School, Mount Pleasant. (843) 884‑2528. Fourth Tuesdays Wash Day, L.W. Paul Living History Farm, Conway. (843) 365‑3596. Thursdays through Sundays in August Music at the Marina,

The Marina at Edisto, Edisto Beach. (843) 631‑5055. First Saturdays History in the Landscape, Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 546‑9361.

SC humor me

Save our Pork Chop BY JAN A. IGOE

WHEN FRIENDS RECOMMEND A PET

sitter, you feel safe leaving your beloved canine companions with her. I check pet sitter credentials as carefully as I used to vet my kids’ baby sitters. Of course, that was mostly out of concern (or fear) for the sitter’s safety. My pets have never lassoed anyone to a chair and called my favorite restaurant to have me paged the way my daughter did. She wouldn’t specify why the sitter couldn’t come to the phone. She only said, “She’s tied up.” It didn’t sound metaphorical. But dogs don’t do that—one of the many reasons I prefer them to humans. When I went away for two weeks, my pups had to stay home. So I called Milly, who came with ample referrals and testimonials. But somewhere along the line, mild-mannered Milly mistook herself for Super Woman and accepted three pet sitting jobs at the same time. A few days after I left, a friend called to say my dogs were spotted running wild on the golf course, my back door was wide open and there were ashtrays full of cigarette butts in every room. Being thousands of miles away, I had to scramble to secure the house, find a safe place for my dogs and fire the caped crusader—all by phone. When I returned, painted paw prints covered my sofa, the place smelled like a bonfire and there was substantial evidence that the dogs hadn’t been walked very much before their escape. Deranged pet sitters aside, dogs have it much easier around here than Pork Chop, a potbellied pig who has never gotten loose or ventured anywhere near a tee. He walks politely on a leash, doesn’t bark and never bothered anyone until the HOA concluded farm animals were overrunning the neighborhood. Pork Chop has to go, the board declared. Immediately, neighbor turned against neighbor as they staked out 38

People who never knew there was a Pork Chop suddenly formed irrevocable opinions about him. positions on the swine invasion. The community has a website that gives everyone a platform to help their neighbors and make referrals, but it’s also useful for calling each other names and trading insults. People who never knew there was a Pork Chop suddenly formed irrevocable opinions about him and were deeply offended by anyone who disagreed, even though their extensive pig knowledge probably consists of ordering a side of bacon with breakfast. Potbellied pigs are said to be sensitive, smart and perfectly happy in the house. You can train them to use a litter box. (So far, pigs sound way better than dogs.) Although they love to root for food, any pile of balls, newspapers, stuffed animals, or hay will make them

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | AUGUST 2018 | SCLIVING.COOP

happy as a pig in that other stuff. But the HOA sees pigs as gateway animals that will inevitably lead to herds of Clydesdales, dairy cows, off-leash chickens and possibly giraffes running loose. Their position was clear: Pigs are swine. Swine is livestock, and livestock is strictly prohibited. His owners say their little Pork Chop is not swine, since he’s neutered, domesticated and only weighs 100-something pounds, which is teensy as pigs go. Pork Chop’s adoring family would rather move than lose him. Rumor has it they’re already searching for swinefriendly zoning and neighbors who won’t suggest relocating their potbellied pet to a barbecue grill. When it’s time for a pet sitter, they can ask fellow pig people for recommendations, preferably vegans. Just no capes, please. JAN IGOE doesn’t care about captive pigs living under the radar in the suburbs. She’s just worried about all the cranky people running around off leash. Share the laughs at HumorMe@SCLiving.coop.

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