Country music and the carefree feeling of summer often go hand in hand. Some songs work with a drink, a boat, a day on the beach, or a nostalgic reflection of our youth.
Here is a list of some great country songs over the years that were inspired or put us in that summertime mood.
WASHINGTON – A landscape designer in Arlington, VA., and a carpenter in Charleston, SC, have built a miniature version of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on display at the nation’s capital.
Jeff Minnich sketched the garden exhibit then thoughtfully installed plants alongside an artificial gator and two herons. Spanning it all is Charles “Chuck” McElhaney’s detailed replica of Magnolia’s iconic Long White Bridge. These pieces of America’s oldest garden, including a small black water pond, are compacted in a space no larger than a studio apartment.
This first-ever model of Magnolia is not alone near the entrance to the U.S. Botanic Garden at the base of the U.S. Capitol Building. It is one of 20 exhibits representing 21 gardens across the country assembled in time for the American Public Garden Association’s week-long conference that begins June 17 in Washington. “Thrive Together, Diversity Grows Gardens” is the conference theme.
Magnolia’s exhibit reflects diversity in culture and nature. Signage tells the story of the Drayton family, owners of the gardens for more than three centuries, and the enslaved Africans, who shaped a raw Charleston landscape on which the garden grows today.
Magnolia’s executive director Tom Johnson said, “We are very excited by the Botanic Garden’s invitation to be among some of the nation’s most prestigious gardens. This is truly a plus for Charleston, the state of South Carolina, and the Drayton family. We look forward to having our garden display provide a glimpse of Magnolia to those who’ll see it at our nation’s capital.”
Minnich and McElhaney faced challenges to create a small display that best represents Magnolia. In such a limited space, Minnich said, it was important to focus on detail “because every leaf and every plant is close up.” The display includes azaleas, live oak, bald cypress, Southern Magnolia, dwarf palms, oleander, and sweetgrass that grows along oceanside dunes. Minnich, the owner of Jeff Minnich Garden Design, said, “I want people to look at it and get a sense of what Magnolia looks like in coastal South Carolina.”
To depict the White Bridge’s sweeping arches, McElhaney adjusted his design to nestle the smaller bridge against a lush floral display. Enslaved people built the original bridge in the 1840s from cypress. McElhaney, a member of Magnolia’s maintenance staff, said he wanted the little bridge to be close to the original to carry on their tradition.
| Complete with artificial gator |
As recent rain clouds gave way to a bright sunny day in Washington, Cindy Donaldson of Rockville, Md., paused to admire the Magnolia exhibit. “It looks like the deep south,” she told her sister-in-law Donna Brandt. “I want to go see this garden,” said Brandt, who lives in Sellersville, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. She and her husband, David Brandt, plan to visit Magnolia this fall.
The garden displays will be in place until October. This is the second time in about a decade the Botanic Garden has celebrated U.S. gardens with a special exhibit, Devin Dotson, a USBG public affairs and exhibits specialist, said. “Our goal was to show visitors what makes these gardens special.”
As the summer heat cools, the Magnolia exhibit will take on a springtime look with late-blooming Encore Azaleas. Robert “Buddy” Lee hybridized the Encore. He is director of plant innovations for Plant Development Services, based in Loxley, AL. “We are absolutely thrilled that the Encore Azaleas are included in Magnolia’s display. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens has one of the largest and most extensive collections of Encore Azaleas in America. With this display in Washington visitors will truly see the beauty of Magnolia and the impressive horticultural legacy of coastal South Carolina.”
Press Release and Image Provided by Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
The West Ashley section of Charleston, South Carolina has seen significant growth since it was first developed in the 1950s, now accounting for almost half of the city’s 120,000+ residents. Over the years, the 10,000-acre basin it sits in has seen increased flooding during severe storms and hurricanes. During the last decade, the city had commissioned several studies and implemented a few projects to make improvements, but none addressed flood prevention in the entire basin. In a more aggressive effort to fight this repetitive flooding, they retained a team led by Weston & Sampson to work with them to develop a plan and make recommendations to reduce flooding in the entire Church Creek basin of West Ashley.
Our team included internationally recognized engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and our own local flooding and hydrology experts who worked together to develop a suitable flood prevention plan for the Church Creek Basin. We began by coming up with a practical approach to conducting a field investigation to gather the information that such a critical project required. One of the main questions we had to answer right away was, is the existing hydraulic model for the area still accurate? Does it reflect current physical and climate conditions? Based on our field inspections of stormwater management assets in the area, we found that aspects of the model needed updating. Then, when Tropical Storm Irma came through, we seized the opportunity to deploy a field team to take measurements both during and after the storm. This helped us update the model from one-dimensional to two. Based on our team’s collective experience, we also tested additional improvements to the model to help develop an effective flood reduction plan.
Our team’s resulting plan included seven separate but related initiatives – six of these involved actual stormwater management projects and one was to update the city’s stormwater design policies to protect storage capacity brought about by the projects.
The city has already begun implementing our recommendations. We assisted the city by updating the city’s stormwater policy manual and are designing several stormwater diversion and storage projects to help reduce flooding in West Ashley. In fact, the city has already deemed our team’s work so promising and effective that they presented us with a replica gold coin of appreciation at a public City Council meeting. The original $100 gold coin had been offered up by the city’s Mayor in the late 19th century to anybody who could develop an effective flood control plan. It had gone unclaimed until now.
Zippia.com turned to google trends to find which states saw the biggest increase in search traffic for ‘sunburn.’
They opted to look at July 1st to July 6th, accounting for a long weekend and time off. These are the results
The 10 Most Sunburned States
Click for Complete Study Results
TCBY, The Country’s Best Yogurt, is the leader in Frozen Yogurt and committed to offering nutritionally packed and great tasting flavors. TCBY provides an assortment of options for any lifestyle whether it be vegan, GMO-Free, protein-rich, gluten-free, or dairy-free.
Not to mention, TCBY’s Super FroYo is the perfect option for those who are looking for the highest nutritional value while still enjoying a timeless classic.
Super FroYo flavors offer you not only great taste but also fiber, protein, calcium, Vitamin D, and a manageable number of calories so there’s no compromise.
Knowing watermelon is such a summer staple and I wanted to see if you could include this refreshing flavor to share with your local readers?
Lowcountry TCBY locations:
| Single Hits No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales Chart for the First Time in History |
| NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lee Greenwood, Grammy award-winning American patriot, known for his world-famous anthem, “God Bless the U.S.A” has earned the No.1 position on Billboard Magazine’s Digital Song Sales Chart for the first time ever. The decorated single rose from No. 50 to No.1 on the July 18-dated ranking with a 366% surge to 15,000 units sold in the week ending on July 9. Greenwood recently teamed up with award-winning music group, Home Free, and The United States Air Force Band on a new version of the acclaimed song which has garnered over 30 million views on Facebook and countless views and listens on YouTube and various streaming platforms. Check it out HERE. “I’m always humbled to see how “God Bless The U.S.A.” resonates with the American spirit of pride and love of country,” said Greenwood. “Thank you Proud Americans for using “God Bless The U.S.A.” as you celebrated our wonderful country – it is still the best place on earth!” “God Bless the U.S.A” frequents various Billboard charts and now stands tall at No.1, the American staple single which reached No. 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1984 upon being released, has jumped to 2.6 Million U.S streams in the tracking week. To keep up with future announcements and everything Lee Greenwood visit HERE and follow his social channels linked below. Statistics cited directly from: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9417909/lee-greenwood-god-bless-the-usa-tops-digital-song-sales-chart Facebook | Instagram | Twitter About Lee Greenwood: Throughout his expansive career, international country music icon Lee Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a Grammy Award for Top Male Vocal Performance on “I.O.U,” in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious award nominations. His discography includes twenty-two studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits and thirty-eight singles including songs like “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hands,” “She’s Lyin’,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose,” “Dixie Road,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Going Going Gone,” “You Got A Good Love Comin’,” among others. His stand-out hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart shortly after 9/11. Known for his stand-out patriotism and support of the U.S. Military, Greenwood has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s National Patriot’s Award and entertained troops on more than 30 USO Tours. Greenwood was appointed to the council of the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate, and continues to serve on the NEA at the pleasure of the President. His latest book release is a children’s book called Proud To Be An American, which is currently available in stores, on Amazon and leegreenwood.com. |
Whether you are seeking to push your personal limits, participate in safe team-building exercises, or challenge your friends and family to a unique ninja style environment, Wild Blue Ropes is Charleston’s only choice.
If you have not discovered this family-owned unique experience, you are missing out on one of the Charleston area treats.
The team has taken extreme measures to ensure your safety and health.
Here is all you need to know:
Come out and celebrate the grand opening of Foxbank Nutrition.
Raffles for GREAT things of course!!
Due to COVID-19, they will be doing grand opening a little different though
As of right now, masks are not required in Moncks Corner.
If you feel more comfortable wearing one, please do.
They have some if you are in need of one, and hand sanitizer will be EVERYWHERE
If you wish to hang out, outdoor seating will be available to allow that
They can’t wait to serve yummy shakes and delicious energy teas.
By Mark A. Leon
You have read many politically correct publications on how to write an effective resume broken down by industry, level of experience, geographic culture, style, and presentation. They are all correct, but are they meeting your needs? We are going to take a slightly different approach to resume writing, identifying the pitfalls so you can avoid a recipe for disaster.
At the end of this piece, you will have to ask yourself this question: Is my resume a wimp? We will see.
1. Avoid the law of diminishing returns. The general tendency is to write what you know and for many that are your most recent professional experiences. Many people will put five-plus bullet points on their most recent role, but as they move down toward earlier jobs in their career there are fewer and fewer bullet points. Your resume needs to be consistent with three or four bullet points per job.
2. Avoid the theoretical bullet points. How many of you have assisted or led a project management initiative or helped develop a process? We want to see the results!!!!! How many people did you manage, what were your annual revenues, cost savings or profits? What was the timeline of your project completion? What tools did you utilize to successfully meet the requirements of the role? There need to be key result factors in your bullet points.
3. No “Objective” or “Summary” at the top unless you are going to tailor it to the specific company or role. You need to think of your resume as a Broadway audition. When you walk on stage, you have between 30 seconds and one minute to shine. If you don’t wow the producers, you are not getting a callback, even if you starred next to Pacino in his last film. A recruiter will not go further than the first half of your resume unless impressed immediately. Factoring in your contact information and objective, that is almost half of the first page. You need to make your resume like Fast and Furious and give them a reason to want to keep reading.
4. If you chose to have an interest section, look very closely at what you put in that section and how it can be interpreted. For example, if you mention your interests as “Xbox, Television, DVR, iPod Touch”, it may create the impression that you lack focus or will be more dedicated to games than your career. I recently reviewed a resume that indicated in the interest section “Biking, Running, CNBC, and Dexter” I can see that this candidate puts an interest in health and finance but was a little taken back by an interest in a show about a serial killer. Think carefully if you chose to put interests because many companies today, with limited opportunities are looking for strong cultural fits.
5. Avoid the cut and paste tactic. It never works! As you evolve in your career, your responsibilities become more focused and to some degree repetitive. Do not copy and paste bullet points from one job to another.
6. Presentation, presentation, presentation. A strong resume is consistent, focused, concise, and results-driven. Don’t overshadow the content. Many candidates will use multiple fonts, colors, boxes, and other tricks to make the resume look fantastic. Some recruiters will view that as a smokescreen to avoid the fact that the content is not strong. Many candidates use that approach for the same reason.
7. Avoid support words or at least minimize the use of them. Words like “helped”, “assisted”, “supported” indicate that you are a team player but also show a lack of initiative. There needs to be some level of leadership in your background whether that was in your professional, academic background, or volunteer efforts.
8. Eliminate dates of academic achievement after five years. The rule of thumb is that after five years, you do not need to put dates of graduation on academic studies. It can create an unconscious sense of age discrimination. Also, many take time off between degrees while others go straight through. Just showing the degree and evaluation score will meet the academic requirement.
9. If you have a skill/technology section be clear on software and versions. Today, technology is a part of our very framework. Saying you are proficient in Microsoft Office products is no longer going to get your foot in the door. Are you proficient in Access, Excel, Powerpoint, or Word? Do you use XP, Office Suite, or Professional? Can you develop macros, run queries, or embed data? These are the deeper skills that will set you apart.
10. If you are ready and feel you have the talent, create a URL resume as well as a LinkedIn profile. If you can demonstrate that you have combined the ability to network and branch that with a strong understanding of technology, you will be one step ahead of the game. Also include those links on your paper resume.
Use the mindset of a salesperson. You are ultimately selling a product: yourself. After you finish your first draft, send it to a few people as well as reading it yourself. Did you sell yourself well? Think also from the perspective of a recruiter. Are there a lot of questions they have as a result of reading your resume/CV? If so then you need to re-write it. A resume needs to be thorough and energized. A resume is a powerful piece of paper that will help shape your future. Don’t take it lightly.
Make it a part of yourself.
North Charleston, S.C., July 10, 2020 – Ingevity (NYSE: NGVT) recently awarded $2,000 college scholarships to five high school seniors in North Charleston, South Carolina. Scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities and a commitment to making a positive impact in their school and community.
“Education is a key focus for Ingevity’s philanthropy program,” said Jack Maurer, vice president, public affairs and investor relations. “Charitable donations and philanthropic volunteerism support the company’s mission to purify, protect and enhance the world around us and shapes a stronger future for the communities where we operate.”
Of the scholarships awarded, four were awarded to students entering four-year colleges or universities with a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) related field of study. One scholarship was awarded to a student entering a four-year college or university for a non-STEM related field of study.
The scholarship recipients were Margaret Sears, Lowcountry Leadership Charter School; and Jolie Crunelle, Tristan Jansen, Peyton Smith, and Brady Zingerella, Wando High School.
Ingevity: Purify, Protect and Enhance
Ingevity provides specialty chemicals, high-performance carbon materials, and engineered polymers that purify, protect, and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, Ingevity develops, manufactures, and brings to market products and processes that help customers solve complex problems. These products are used in a variety of demanding applications, including asphalt paving, oil exploration and production, agrochemicals, adhesives, lubricants, publication inks, coatings, elastomers, bioplastics and automotive components that reduce gasoline vapor emissions.
Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 25 locations around the world and employs approximately 1,750 people. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NGVT). For more information visit www.ingevity.com.
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