South Carolina Living March 2023

Pieces of history

The Charleston Museum celebrates 250 years as ‘America’s First Museum’

THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS

VOLUME 77 • NUMBER 3

(ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240)

Read in more than 600,000 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

EDITOR

Keith Phillips

Tel: (803) 739-3040

Email: Keith.Phillips@ecsc.org

FIELD EDITOR

Josh P. Crotzer

PUBLICATION COORDINATOR

Raphael Ofendo Reyes

ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang

DESIGNER

Trevor Bauknight

PRODUCTION

Andrew Chapman

WEB EDITOR

Chase Toler

COPY EDITORS

Jennifer Jas, Jim Poindexter

CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Couick, Hastings Hensel, Jan A. Igoe, L.A. Jackson, Belinda Smith-Sullivan

PUBLISHER

Lou Green

ADVERTISING

Mary Watts

Tel: (803) 739-5074

Email: ads@scliving.coop

NATIONAL REPRESENTATION

American MainStreet Publications

Tel: (512) 441-5200

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.

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

© COPYRIGHT 2023. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 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.

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13 Pieces of history

Dinner for two

Everyone from young couples just starting their lives together to empty nesters who are ready to downsize can appreciate these just-for-two recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan.

22 HUMOR ME

Death by dishwasher

Humor columnist Jan A. Igoe reports from the front lines of the dishwasher wars. And it isn’t pretty.

Borick, director of The Charleston Museum, explores the exhibits and artifacts found inside “America’s First Museum.”

Photo by Mic Smith.

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

SC | agenda

Tasty homegrown tomatoes

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL for South Carolina gardeners dreaming of that first bite of a tasty, homegrown tomato this year. As any experienced tomato gardener will tell you, growing those delicious heirloom varieties we all love so much is an endeavor filled with as much heartache as harvest. Heirlooms offer great flavor, but they aren’t very resistant to insects and plant diseases.

Tasty tomatoes

In our 2023 gardening guide, horticulturist Chase Smoak recommends bypassing heirlooms for newer tomato varieties that have been specially bred and field tested for a combination of great taste and superior resilience. He also dishes the dirt on a three-stage gardening plan that treads lightly on the environment while putting more tomatoes on the table.

Sponsored by our friends at Park Seed (parkseed.com), don’t miss this free PDF guide, including:

u How to plan, prepare and protect your tomato garden for maximum success.

u Six award-winning tomato varieties that offer South Carolina gardeners great flavor and robust resistance to pests and disease.

u Professional advice on how to prevent blossom-end rot, blight and verticillium wilt.

u Tips on container gardening.

Money for college

Women returning to school to earn college degrees may now apply for financial assistance from the 2023 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship program. Sponsored by Women Involved in Rural Electrification (WIRE), a service organization associated with South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives, the scholarship is a one-time award based on financial need and personal goals. To learn more and apply online, visit ecsc.org/wire.

ONLY ON SCLiving.coop

Spring festivals and events

If you’re bored and can’t find anything to do this month, don’t blame us. South Carolina is practically bursting with festivals, events, concerts, lectures, plays and shows this spring—including no fewer than seven St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and Celtic festivals. Turn to page 18, then visit our expanded and updated event listings exclusively at SCLiving.coop/calendar

Cooking for two

Everyone from young couples just starting their lives together to empty nesters learning to downsize can appreciate these just-for-two recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan. Turn to page 10 for an appetizer menu of her best recipes for couples-only dining, then visit SCLiving.coop/table-for-two for an expanded roster of entrées and desserts that you will both enjoy.

Do you have a home office? Set equipment like printers and scanners to automatically switch to sleep or energysaver mode when not in use. In addition to saving energy, the equipment will stay cooler, which will help extend its life. Another way to save in the home office is to use energy efficient lamps for task lighting. Small lamps use less energy than whole-room lighting.

SOURCE: NATIONAL RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES ASSOCIATION (NRECA)

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Under the big tent

THE MITCHELLS DIDN’T GET TO GO ON MANY vacations. They were too busy milking cows on their family-owned dairy farm in Saluda County. So, for the youngest in their clan, Molly, the highlight of the year was the Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting of Members. That’s where she got to see the beautiful and talented Florine Olar, a traveling organist whose sparkling presence had young Molly fantasizing about a future in music.

“The vision I remember was peeping through that tent and seeing a beautiful redhead in a sequin gown playing theatre organ music that I had never heard live before,” says Molly Mitchell Spearman, who would go on to earn a music degree from Lander University and serve in the S.C. House of Representatives, and who recently retired from public service as our state superintendent of education. “That’s who I wanted to be, Ms. Florine. She was a celebrity to me.”

Florine wasn’t the only entertainment the Mitchells and their fellow Mid-Carolina Electric members got to see at annual meetings in the 1960s. Similarly, Mid-Carolina Electric wasn’t the only cooperative annual meeting where Ms. Florine performed. Olar often headlined a slate of performers that might have included magicians, ventriloquists, singers, and even dancing monkeys (music provided by Ms. Florine, of course) under big tents throughout South Carolina. At some, there were even beauty pageants where a young lady was crowned Miss Broad River Electric or Miss Horry Electric. One of those beauty queens would eventually turn her crown into a gavel. Theresa Sullivan Hicks, Miss Lynches River Electric 1961, now serves as chair of the Lynches River Electric Board of Trustees.

The folksy festivities somewhat belied the fundamental purpose of those meetings. As member-owned organizations, a portion of those members must gather each year to conduct the business of the cooperative and elect their governing board of trustees. However, in the early years, it proved somewhat difficult to motivate those in the outer reaches of the cooperative’s rural territories to travel into town to participate. That’s when a fair-type atmosphere became standard fare for annual meetings. With enticements like food,

entertainment, pageants and gifts, it was certainly worth the time, effort and excitement to load up the family on a spring Saturday for a fun day at the co-op. If minutes got approved and board seats were filled in the process, then all the better.

It was also worth it for the cooperatives. Not only did it fulfill bylaw obligations, but these kinds of meetings also reinforced their hometown nature. The people bringing power to local homes and businesses weren’t faceless employees of a utility, but neighbors and friends. The relationship between the cooperative and its members went beyond delivering electricity and bills. Annual meetings were days to celebrate the uniqueness of the cooperative business model.

That’s pretty much the way it worked for the next several decades. As cooperatives improved their facilities and communities grew, the festivities were moved from tents to truck sheds or into auditoriums and local gymnasiums. But beach music bands, hot dog plates, grand prize trucks and other giveaways still assured that cooperative members showed up and made their voices heard, despite their increasingly busy lifestyles.

Then, a global pandemic and a new state law changed how cooperatives conducted their annual meetings. Just as they always do, cooperatives innovated. Obstacles became opportunities as drive-thru registration and live-streamed business meetings became the norm across the state.

Even as it has become safe for us to gather together like we used to, many South Carolina cooperatives are making use of new annual meeting options. And why not? Most have set registration records. Members are still winning prizes, taking home gifts and connecting (at least briefly) with the employees who serve them.

For sure, life is much different now than when the Mitchells were taking a break from their farm for some wholesome family fun and co-op business. Perhaps the excitement that young Molly felt in those days is a peak that won’t be duplicated. But I hope cooperatives never stop pursuing that kind of connection to members. It’s what makes us different.

MIKE COUICK

President and CEO, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

UNDER THE BIG TENT Watch and learn the colorful history of co-op annual meetings in this exclusive video featuring Molly Spearman, Theresa Hicks and the daughter of Florine Olar. See it at SCLiving.coop/big-tent.

When

Dinner for two

BY BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN

Everyone from young couples just starting their lives together to empty nesters who are ready to downsize can appreciate these just-for-two recipes.

SALMON CAKES OVER HEARTS SALAD

MAKES 4 LARGE SALMON CAKES

SALMON CAKES

1-pound fresh salmon filet, cooked and flaked*

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

LASAGNA FOR TWO

SERVES 2

6 lasagna noodles, cooked

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ pound ground beef

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 –2 cups marinara/pasta sauce (store-bought or homemade)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil (or 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning)

G teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 ½ cups shredded/grated mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Finely chopped parsley or basil

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add oil. Crumble the ground beef into skillet and brown. Add the onions and cook until tender; add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add marinara sauce, basil and red pepper, and stir to combine. Let cool.

In individual casserole dishes sprayed with cooking spray, spread a thin layer of meat sauce. Layer pieces of lasagna noodles (cut to fit the size of the dish) followed by meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. Continue for two layers, if possible, and top with a layer of pasta and meat sauce. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

1 small onion, finely diced

½ red bell pepper, small diced

I cups seasoned breadcrumbs

G cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

G cup fresh parsley, minced

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

SALAD

1 romaine hearts lettuce, chopped and rinsed

½ cup hearts of artichokes, quartered

½ cup hearts of palm, sliced

1 avocado, diced

3 radishes, thinly sliced

G small red onion, thinly sliced

G cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

N cup olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

What’s cooking at SCLiving.coop/ food/chefbelinda

TABLE FOR TWO

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon butter. Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until tender. Cool slightly. Into a large bowl, add salmon, onion and pepper mixture, breadcrumbs, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and form into four patties, about ½-inch thick. Use a large ice cream scoop to ensure even-sized patties.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon butter. Cook patties 3–4 minutes on each side until golden brown. If patties brown too quickly, reduce heat. Add additional oil and butter as necessary. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

In a large salad bowl, add lettuce, hearts of artichokes, hearts of palm, avocados, radishes and onions. In a small jar or mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, mustard, oil, salt and black pepper, and shake or whisk vigorously. Drizzle over salad and toss lightly. Serve on a large platter or divide between two plates.

*Canned salmon can be used in place of fresh-cooked salmon. Be sure to drain thoroughly before use.

GINA MOORE

KAREN HERMANN

Tanya Tucker

Gary Allan

Photo Courtesy of Tony McMehan. Designed by White Paw Studio.

Special

PIECES OF HISTORY

AMONG ALL THE CURIOSITIES YOU can see on display in The Charleston Museum from Native American flint arrowheads to World War I machine guns, from Ice Age fossils to the iconic whale skeleton hanging in the lobby a grass helmet may seem rather unremarkable. It looks, in fact, more like a head of hair, fixed like a mohawk wig on a head mount, than it does a piece of armor or decoration.

But in the history of this history museum, this is no ordinary object. Believed to have come from late 18th century voyages to the Sandwich Islands (what is now Hawaii), the grass helmet somehow made its way halfway across the world to Charleston and into the hands of an elite group known as the Charleston Library Society.

The Charleston Museum celebrates 250 years as ‘America’s First Museum’

BY HASTINGS HENSEL | PHOTOS BY MIC SMITH

“In 1773, these members of the Library Society decided to found a museum to document the natural history of the province of South Carolina,” says the museum’s director, Carl Borick. “The idea was they would bring in botany examples, geologic samples, soil samples, and they would accumulate them in this museum. And the whole idea and this is where I think there’s a common thread between now and 1773 was to educate themselves about South Carolina.”

Jennifer McCormick, the museum’s chief of collections, put it this way: “When they were clearing the land for rice fields, the enslaved people were finding fossils and the planters decided they needed somewhere to put everything so they could study them.”

No doubt, at the time, their purpose was to enhance agricultural production that is, to make money for the colony and many of these elites had studied law in London, close to the British Museum. This was also the Age of Discovery, and Charleston was a bustling New World port city where novelty items flowed in and out like the tides. uu

p WHALE OF A TALE The skeleton of a 40-foot North Atlantic right whale that died in Charleston Harbor in 1880 hangs in the museum’s lobby and has been in its collection for more than a century.

u HEAD CASE This 18th century grass helmet from the Sandwich Islands is among the rarest of the museum’s 2.4 million objects, most of which are in the storeroom and only available to researchers.

“They set out to build a museum for the natural history of South Carolina, but by the 1790s, they’re bringing in objects from around the world,” Borick explains. “And the fact that this is one of the most important ports in the South before the Civil War contributes to the wide array of objects in the museum.”

Although the earliest collections were destroyed by a fire only five years after the founding, the Charleston Library Society still holds an accession book from 1798, which details what artifacts came into the museum. In addition to the grass helmet, it also lists two other objects still in the museum’s possession: a cassava basket and a quiver of arrows.

All three objects are on display now at the museum’s newest meta-exhibit, “America’s First Museum: 250 Years of Collecting, Preserving, and Educating,” which will run the entire year of 2023 as a kind of birthday celebration and is being billed as spanning “4.6 billion years of history.”

The sound of the mission

On the day I visit, in the Anthropocene epoch and the first quarter of the 21st century, Borick meets me beneath the whale skeleton in the lobby, where a group of school-aged field-trippers is gathering with their chaperones.

“I call it the sound of our mission,” Borick says, as excited voices reverberate off the brick walls. For many young kids, this is their first post-pandemic foray as a school group, which makes this the first true field trip of their lives.

Borick tells me he spent part of his childhood in Greenwood, “playing Francis Marion in my backyard,” and the other part of his childhood nourishing his love of history while growing up near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. After college, he worked as an accountant for three years before going back to school to get his master’s degree in history at the University of Alabama. A specialist in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War, he began working as the museum’s administrative officer before moving up to assistant director in 2001 and director in 2013.

He admits that he’s “walking in the footsteps of giants,” a long list of directors who have overseen multiple changes in location, significant expansions of the collection, and even the breaking away from the College of Charleston in 1915.

“But I’ll tell you one thing I’m excited about our museum now,” he says. “We have probably the best professional staff in terms of curation, education, and facilities that we’ve ever had in the history of

the museum. Honestly, that’s kind of a cool legacy for me.”

Borick credits the professionalization of Museum Studies in colleges so that now the museum can hire renowned specialists for its five curator positions in Archives, Archaeology, History, Historical Textiles, and Natural History. Each month, Borick tells me, this all-star team gathers to discuss perhaps the exciting part of museum work acquisitions, aka the getting of more stuff.

“Ninety-eight percent of what’s in our collection is either donated or is found at archaeological or paleontological digs, and the other 2% is purchased,” he says, noting that the museum has more than 2.4 million objects, most of which are in the storeroom and only available to researchers.

“With donations, we find out what we can about the piece. For instance, a quilt we might acquire, if we know that it comes from the woman’s great-great grandmother and never left the family, that’s called having good provenance.”

It’s a word that means the record of ownership, and it gives the object what’s known as “exhibit value.”

“Being in Charleston is really beneficial because a lot of families have been here since the colony was founded,” he says. “A lot of the materials have been passed down through generations.”

TRAVEL THROUGH TIME (from top) Museum exhibits are arranged chronologically and include the jaws of a megalodon shark that roamed the seas more than two million years ago; sweetgrass basket fragments from the 1790s that use the same weave employed today; and Civil War relics such as a pipe believed to be a caricature of Abraham Lincoln.

Time traveling

As we proceed through the museum’s exhibits a chronological flow from room to room, as though walking along a timeline Borick points out some of his favorite examples. There’s the axe head from the first 10 years of the colony (“The reason I love this so much is because this was a tool they used to essentially carve this civilization out of the wilderness,” he says); there’s the Creek pottery from northern Alabama that made its way to South Carolina on footpaths that would become our highway system; there are the slave badges and rice gates that bear witness to South Carolina’s history as a slave state; there’s the little Civil War pipe carved out as a caricature of Abraham Lincoln and the prosthetic limb a Civil War doctor fashioned from the butt of a discarded musket; there’s a cast of the world’s largest-ever flying bird, Pelagornis sandersi.

GET THERE

The Charleston Museum is located at 360 Meeting Street in downtown Charleston.

HOURS: Open Monday–Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

ADMISSION: Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for youths (13 to 17 years) and $5 for children (3 to 12 years). Group tour discounts are available.

DETAILS: For more information, call (843) 722-2996 or visit charlestonmuseum.org.

These are all eye-catching wonders, to be sure, but perhaps Borick’s favorite pieces are two small sweetgrass basket fragments.

“Modern sweetgrass basket weavers have looked at these from the 1790s, and the weave is the exact thing they are using today,” he says. “This is

approximately 100 years after the first enslaved people are brought to South Carolina. And that technology they brought over, they still use today. What a connection to the past!”

A museum, after all, can’t simply be a mausoleum. A museum is literally a place to muse that is, to ponder and reflect upon the past. And reflection is literally double-sided. By seeing the past, Borick tells me, we see our present-day selves.

“In order to understand people’s attitudes today, you have to go back and look at the history and how we got here,” he says. “How did they wash their clothes? Where did they get their food from? How did they fight wars? Despite the fact that the technology is different, whether it’s 1780 or 1880, people still have to do the same thing. They have to work jobs; they have to eat and wear clothing. So, to me, museums really provide a fascinating window.”

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Fri., April 28th from 1 – 5 p.m., Sat., April 29th from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Ghost Creek Gourd Farm, 2108 Ghost Creek Road, Laurens, SC

Classes offered for carving, weaving, wood burning, painting, working w/clay and ink and dye techniques Gourd Exhibits and Art for Sale

For more information call 864.682.5251 or SouthCarolinaGourd.wixsite.com/SCGourdSociety

April 13 - 22, 2023

Project assisted by City of Rock Hill Accommodation Tax Program ComeSeeMe.org

SAT.

Pageants April 14 & 15 Sprint, Stroll, & Jam

April 29

For the full list of events, please visit SCSTRAWBERRYFESTIVAL.COM

SC | calendar MARCH–APRIL

SCLiving.coop/calendar

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.

Upstate

MARCH

4 Interstellar Echoes: #1 Pink Floyd Tribute, Abbeville Opera House, Abbeville. (864) 366‑9673.

7 Jazz at Lincoln Center presents “Songs We Love,” Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, Clemson. (864) 656‑7787.

9–April 2 Singing in the Rain, Centre Stage, Greenville. (864) 233‑6733.

10–April 2 The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Warehouse Theatre, Greenville. (864) 235‑6948 or warehousetheatre.com.

11 Greenville St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival, NOMA Square, Greenville. (864) 554‑6277 or gvlstpatricks.com.

18 Kidsfest, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

18 Stool Mountain Day Hike, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878‑9813.

19 BellFest, Devils Fork State Park, Salem. (864) 944‑2639 or friendsofjocassee.org.

21–29 Apples In Winter, Centre Stage, Greenville. (864) 233‑6733.

25 Tao of Purity & Power, Twichell Auditorium at Converse College, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or spartanburgphilharmonic.org.

25–26 Greenville Symphony Orchestra presents “Rachmaninoff Rhapsody,” Peace Center Concert Hall, Greenville. (864) 467‑3030.

31–April 1 Hub City Hog Fest, Morgan Square, Spartanburg. hubcityhogfest.com.

APRIL

1 Home and Handcrafters Fair, Holly Springs Center, Pickens. (864) 878‑9335 or hollyspringscenter.com.

1 iMAGINE Upstate STEAM Festival, downtown, Greenville. imaginesteamsc.org/upstate.

1–2 Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee, Pendleton Village Green, Pendleton. pendletonspringjubilee.com.

13–22 Come-See-Me Festival, downtown, Rock Hill. comeseeme.org.

14–15 Old Time Jam + Camping Weekend, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936 or hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

15 Southern Roots BBQ Reunion, Trailblazer Park, Travelers Rest. southernrootsreunion.com.

Midlands

MARCH

3–5 Craftsmen’s Classic Art & Craft Festival, South Carolina State Fairgrounds, Columbia. (803) 799‑3387.

4 Irish Fest Camden, Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park, Camden. irishfestcamden.com.

17 St. Patrick’s Day Friday Night Kick-Off Event, North Main St., Clover. (803) 222‑9493.

18 Andrew Jackson Birthday Celebration, Andrew Jackson State Park, Lancaster. (803) 285‑3344.

18 St. Pat’s in Five Points, Five Points, Columbia. (803) 748‑7373.

22–25 Underexposed Film Festival, Winthrop University, Rock Hill. underexposedfilmfestivalyc.org.

23–25 SC BBQ Shag Festival, Hemingway Ball Fields Recreation Park, Hemingway. scbbqshagfestival.com.

23–26, 30–31, April 1–2 Into The Woods, Sumter Little Theatre, Sumter. (803) 775‑2150.

23–April 2 Inspire! Festival, various venues, Sumter. sumterinspirefestival.org.

24–26 Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, South Carolina State Fairgrounds, Columbia. (803) 799‑3387 or psclassic.com.

25 Aiken Spring Steeplechase, Aiken Steeplechase Racecourse, Aiken. (803) 648‑9641 or aikensteeplechase.com.

25 Limitless Purpose Family Celebration, Saluda Shoals Park, Columbia. limitlesspurpose.org.

25 Midlands KidFest & Camp Fair, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia. (803) 545‑0181.

25 MTC Showoff Student, Faculty, Staff and Alumni Talent Competition, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, Columbia. (803) 407‑5011.

25 South Carolina Model Train Show, Jamil Shrine Temple, Columbia. (803) 772‑9380.

25–April 10 Proof, Fort Mill Playhouse, Fort Mill. (803) 548‑8102.

30–April 2 Tartan Day South Highland Games & Celtic Festival, Historic Columbia Speedway, Cayce. tartandaysouth.com.

31 Arts & Draughts, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 799‑2810.

31–April 2 Columbia Home & Landscape Expo, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia. (803) 545‑0181.

APRIL

1 The Carolina Cup Races, Springdale Race Course, Aiken. (803) 432‑6513 or carolinacup.org.

1 The 5th Dimension, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616.

1–2 Columbia International Festival, South Carolina State Fairgrounds, Columbia. (803) 799‑3452.

7–8 Governor’s Cup Road Race, downtown, Columbia. (803) 960‑6202.

13 Clover’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt, (803) 222‑9493.

14–22 Lovesong, Aiken Community Theatre, Aiken. (803) 648‑1438.

21 The Lettermen, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616.

Lowcountry

MARCH

1–5 Charleston Wine + Food Festival, various venues, Charleston. charlestonwineandfood.com.

2–3 Celtic Thunder’s Emmet Cahill, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head Island. (843) 686‑3945 or artshhi.com.

2–5 Maison Beaufort, Tabby Place, Beaufort. maisonbeaufort.org.

3 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head presents “Israel: Post Netanyahu,” First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 384‑6758.

4 Front Beach Fest, Front Beach, Isle of Palms. iop.net.

4 Wellness Fun Run & Walk 5K, downtown, Beaufort. (843) 521‑4145.

4 Where the Wild Things Run 5K, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. (843) 762‑8015.

11 Lowcountry Pow Wow and Cultural Festival, Mill Stone Landing, Hardeeville. (843) 384‑5551.

11 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival, Main Street, North Myrtle Beach. (843) 280‑5570.

11–12 Hilton Head IrishFest, Lowcountry Celebration Park, Hilton Head. hiltonheadireland.org.

17 Lucky Shamrock Festival, downtown, Florence. (843) 664‑0330.

18 Civil War Camping, Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site, Ehrhardt. (803) 683‑0239.

18 Hilton Head Wingfest, Lowcountry Celebration Park, Hilton Head Island. (843) 681‑7273.

18–19 Huntington Beach State Park Kite Festival, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 237‑4440.

18, 25 Charlotte’s Web, The Historic Dock Street Theatre, Charleston. (843) 577‑7183.

19–26 Hilton Head Island Wine and Food Festival, various locations, Hilton Head Island. hiltonheadwineandfood.com.

25 Sing, Sing, Swing!, Charleston Music Hall, Charleston. (803) 641‑0011.

25 Woofstock 2023 A Lowcountry Dog Music Festival, Hanahan Amphitheater, Hanahan. (843) 266‑0723.

31 The Choral Society presents A Mozart Celebration, First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 681‑3696.

31 Queen: A Tribute to Greatness, USCB Center for the Arts, Beaufort. (843) 521‑4145.

31–April 1 Tour of Historic Plantations & Homes, various sites, Georgetown. (843) 241‑2434.

31–April 2 Myrtle Beach Food Truck Festival, Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place, Myrtle Beach. spromos.com/mbfoodtruckfest.

31–April 2 Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival, Summerville YMCA, Summerville. summervilleymca.org/flowertown.

APRIL

1 Conway Easter Egg Hunt, Billy Gardner Sports Complex, Conway. (843) 488‑1950.

8 North Myrtle Beach Easter Egg Hunt, McLean Park, North Myrtle Beach. (843) 280‑5570.

8 Surfside Beach Easter Egg Hunt and Children’s Fair, Huckabee Complex, Surfside Beach. (843) 913‑6111.

13–23 Society of Stranders Spring Safari, Ocean Drive Resort and Main Street, North Myrtle Beach. shagdance.com/safari.htm.

29 Shadow Bay Celtic Festival, RH Acres, Socastee. (843) 360‑9052.

The Solunar forecast provides feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by more than an hour, minor periods by a half-hour before and after.

MARCH IN THE GARDEN

n Mint is a versatile herb that tastes as good as it smells, but you should think twice about adding it to your spring garden because it can easily crawl away and overwhelm planting beds. Containment makes for behaved mint— plant it in pots instead.

n Fall-planted bulbs such as daffodils, spring starflowers, species tulips, Spanish bluebells and crocuses can naturalize in South Carolina gardens, but they will become established sooner and spread faster if their energy-absorbing leaves are allowed to fade from green to brown before being pruned to the ground.

Sing a song of Solomon’s seals

BY L.A. JACKSON

SOLOMON’S SEAL IS A DELIGHTFUL ornamental perennial that can add charm to shady South Carolina gardens through the long growing season. While many gardeners admire it, not all know there are about 60 species of Solomon’s seal. So, to cut down on complications, allow me to introduce you to three of the prettiest and, more important, easiest-to-find variet ies at nurseries both locally and online this spring.

Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum). A native of woodlands in the eastern United States, this version of Solomon’s seal makes a flowing statement in shady cultivated gar dens with green, ovate leaves riding on curved branches up to 3 feet tall.

TIP OF THE MONTH Replace the mulch around your roses this month. Swapping out winter mulch with a new, fresh, fluffy ground covering applied to a thickness of 2 to 4 inches will help keep roots cool during the summer and prevent weeds as well as retain soil moisture. Since most mulches take their time breaking down and providing nutritional value for rose plants, think about going with a one-two approach by first generously spreading rich compost (or well-rotted manure, if you know a local farmer) and then topping it with a typical, more eye-appealing layer of shredded hardwood, pine straw or pine bark.

In the spring, rows of bell-shaped, light green to white flowers playfully dangle in pairs underneath the arching limbs, and they develop into small, fleshy, dark-blue berries by summertime, which might not mean much to us, but for our feathered garden friends, they are delicious bird-candy. Come autumn, its foliage salutes the growing season’s end by turning a pleasing buttery yellow.

As is typical of most Solomon’s seals, this version will slowly colonize and spread in the right conditions, which include acidic soil with a healthy organic mix to help retain ground moisture and a planting site located in part to full shade.

Variegated Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’). This import from Asia is just what the landscape doctor ordered for a good dose of “Yipes! Stripes!” to a shady nook. Of similar stature and performance as our native Solomon’s seal, it has more eye candy with cream-colored

streaks along the lengths of its leaves, which help break up the ho-hum sea of green common in many southern shade gardens. This snappy dresser was even named the Perennial Plant Association’s 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year.

False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum). Although not in the same genus as “true” Solomon’s seals, this close cousin is a North American native that has the same look and grace. False Solomon’s seal is sometimes even found paired in the wild with our indigenous Solomon’s seal, meaning it also thrives in similar growing conditions.

So, what’s the difference? Instead of bell-like flowers hanging from the stems, false Solomon’s seal shows off feathery bloom clusters on the tips of its limbs. These white sprites give way to berries that can ripen to a snappy red, but personally, I usually don’t see this pleasant hue because birds eagerly gobble up the maturing fruits.

L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.

L.A. JACKSON

SOUTHERN BELLS Variegated Solomon’s seal can perk up a shady site with its bright stripes.

SPLASH OF INTRIGUE Roses such as Day Breaker will perform better in fresh mulch applied this spring.

L.A. JACKSON

Death by dishwasher

BY JAN A. IGOE

WHEN WOMEN ARGUE, we don’t need a physical battle to settle the score. No matter how furious we are, nobody wants to risk breaking a nail. So we’re more subtle. We might launch the evil stink-eye or the dreaded hair flip of disgust. Nothing can protect you from those.

Covert competition between females has been going on for centuries. Tempers may flare over who gets the window seat, somebody cutting in line for the glutes machine, or women named Jolene. The most severe threats require lethal tactics. Like hair-pulling.

I used to report the news in a tiny town full of cousins, where the police reports read like Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Whenever a renegade cow escaped on a dirt road, it would take several officers and at least one farmer to point the beast back home. But cows are peaceful. Women, not so much.

I remember a vicious standoff between two moms smacking each other silly over possession of their last Marlboro. Fists weren’t doing enough damage, so they started yanking each other’s hair until there was more in their clenched fists than on each other’s heads. When police arrived, both claimed they were victims of assault. One said she paid $275 for her ruined locks. The other said her severed extensions cost $325. Since a pack of Marlboro Reds is only about $9, it would have been easier to split a pack, borrow helmets, or quit smoking. But doing battle is in our DNA.

Not long ago, scientists discovered that women in prehistoric societies

were probably hurling spears alongside their menfolk. Sharp projectiles and stone tools were found in a young female’s grave from 9,000 years ago, indicating that the little lady may have been a big game hunter, according to theconversation.com. All this time, we assumed they were out gathering berries and selling Girl Scout Cookies.

This whole conversation would likely be moot if cave ladies had dishwashers. In fact, we might not even be here. If anything is sure to set a woman off, it’s how you load her dishwasher.

If a woman wants the fork tines down, and you try to load them tines up, you might find yourself impaled by

one of those forks. You’d never get off with a mere hair flip.

I’ve witnessed standoffs at family occasions, where stuffing the turkey has nothing on stuffing the dishwasher. Relatives would pack it with so many gross, yucky dishes that there was no room for air to circulate, much less water. But some great aunt would still be determined to jam another stuffing-crusted plate in there.

If there’s a mathematical type in the family, war might break out. She’ll probably wait for the kitchen to clear out. Then, when nobody’s looking, she’ll remove every single dish and utensil from the dishwasher, only to reload it using some obscure algorithm just to squeeze in one more butter knife. If she starts the machine right away, the hostess won’t discover the rebellion until morning, when the reloader is a safe distance away.

A few centuries from now, when they’re washing dishes by mental telepathy, scientists may discover a body buried alongside place settings for 12 with all the forks pointed up. They’ll struggle to discern the cultural significance, which we already understand.

That’s somebody’s great aunt. She was a stubborn woman with a Ph.D. in structural engineering and a death wish. They might want to check her fists for hair.

JAN A. IGOE is not one to participate in table-clearing uninvited. It’s her contribution to family harmony. You may load the dishwasher like an abstract expressionist or a cubist. It’s a free kitchen. Join the party at HumorMe@SCLiving.coop

When nobody’s looking, she’ll remove every single dish and utensil from the dishwasher, only to reload it using some obscure algorithm just to squeeze in one more butter knife.

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