Charleston Daily is a concept in community. Its mission is to promote, assist, and celebrate in everything Charleston, South Carolina. By partnering with businesses, community leaders, volunteers and events, we are spreading the love that is Charleston.
As this city continues to grow and prosper, we want to help spread the message to all about how wonderful this community is.
Charleston is about the people, community, water, land, history, heritage and the true southern warmth it brings with each and every day.
Media Release: CHARLESTON, S.C. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, at Charleston seaport seized an estimated $1.1 million in counterfeit mobile phone accessories, including phone cases, chargers, cables, and headphones on March 14. The merchandise arrived into the port from China and was destined for upstate South Carolina.
Counterfeit merchandise seized by CBP officers at Charleston Seaport
The shipment details were scrutinized and it was determined that the cargo was worth a closer look. Examination and appraisal revealed 85,000 individual accessories bearing images and markings from Apple, USB, Bluetooth, Blu-Ray, LG, Marvel, DC Comics, Hello Kitty, and Dr. Dre. Representatives from these companies confirmed their images and markings were being used without their permission, making them counterfeit and subject to seizure.
In addition, 38,000 power adapters were discovered bearing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mark, signifying they’d been tested in an accredited FCC laboratory and met certain operating standards. These were found to be unauthorized markings as well – a potentially significant safety risk to unwitting consumers.
CBP continues to work hard to protect legitimate businesses from unlawful use of their intellectual property.“I’m proud of the work our officers and import specialists are doing to keep counterfeit merchandise, some of which could be dangerous to consumers, out of U.S. commerce,” said Charleston Acting Area Port Director Joanne Fogg. “CBP continues to work hard to protect legitimate businesses from unlawful use of their intellectual property.”
Counterfeit power adapters seized by CBP officers at Charleston Seaport
If you have information about counterfeit merchandise being illegally imported into the U.S., CBP encourages you to submit an E-Allegation. The E-allegation provides a means for the public to anonymously report to CBP any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importation of goods into the U.S.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the U.S. while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. CBP conducts inspection operations and intercepts currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture products and other illicit items at U.S. ports of entry nationwide. View CBP Snapshot to learn some of what CBP achieves “On a Typical Day.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Charleston, S.C. (April 07, 2016) – Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today announced that Mary Beth Westmoreland, Blackbaud’s chief technology officer, has been named one of the 2017 Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the National Diversity Council. This definitive list honors the most extraordinary female leaders, influencers and achievers impacting the technology industry.
Mary Beth was recognized for her leadership in Blackbaud’s transformation to a cloud software company that is innovative, agile, and successful, for her mentorship to inspire other women and for her commitment to corporate citizenship. She was named alongside women executives from other leading software companies including Angela Ahrendts of Apple, Safra Catz of Oracle, Ana Corrales of Google, Peggy Johnson of Microsoft, Virginia Rometty of IBM and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook.
“I want to thank the National Diversity Council for the honor of being named an influential woman in tech alongside these amazing leaders,” said Mary Beth. “But it’s the work of our talented engineers, architects, designers and all of our staff that made this possible. They challenge and inspire me every day, and I’m proud to share this recognition with them. I’m excited to be a part of an innovative, purpose-driven team and company that is truly powering an ecosystem of good.”
The National Diversity Council is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow in their knowledge of diversity and inclusion. The annual list recognizes female executives, influencers and achievers who contribute to the growth or strategic direction of their organization; demonstrate a commitment to corporate citizenship, integrity and ethical behavior; and serve as role models and mentors to inspire future generations of female professionals.
About Blackbaud Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, foundations, corporations, education institutions, and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through software, services, expertise, and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and relationship management, digital marketing, advocacy, accounting, payments, analytics, school management,grant management, corporate social responsibility, andvolunteerism. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.
Media Contact Nicole McGougan
Public Relations
843-654-3307 media@blackbaud.com
Late night dining on James Island. A phrase often reserved for pub food, comfort food, modified menus filled with carbs and fried delights. That is what we have come to expect from James Island late night edibles. Don’t get us wrong, there is an appreciation and market for late night urges with Paisano’s, Smoky Oak, Marco’s and Huddle House accommodating the needs of the night owls.
What about the patrons whose day has gotten away from them and before they know it, the time is 10:30 PM and they want a really good salad or pan seared chicken? Maybank Public House has answered your prayers. (1970 Maybank Highway, James Island, SC)
Seven days a week, this eatery offers a full menu in the bar area until 12:30 AM. Whether you are catching a late movie at the Terrace or a show at The Pour House, they are ready to please.
In a recent visit, we were taken back by the exception quality of customer service, food offerings and overall hospitality. We wanted to take a moment and provide you a visual of what our experience entailed. Upon arrival, we were offered to take a seat where we were comfortable and greeted immediately with two menus, napkins and silverware. It was a five star hosting experience. After two glasses of water arrived a few moments later, we learned of some of the great dining options.
We took a few moments with the menu and decided to shared the Smoked Gouda and Pecan Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese and and the Arugula, Beet, Green Bean and Goat Cheese Salad. These two dishes were exceptional with fresh local ingredients and flavor that remained on the pallet after each bite. Yet, even before we ordered, we had a challenge determining our appetizer and salad selection. From lamb sliders to blue crab and spinach dip, steamed clams, fried green tomatoes or BBQ shrimp, there were no bad options and that posed quite a challenge. We feel we made the right choice for this visit.
Smoked Gouda and Pecan Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese
The Mac and Cheese was a virtual explosion of intense flavor, soft pasta and well blended mix of cheese and bacon to ensure every fork full was filled with the right mix. This dish alone was a meal for two so expect to not leave hungry at the end of your evening. The salad can compete with any of the five star downtown restaurants in presentation and taste.
This eclectic menu, offers an array of soups, salads, flat breads, burgers, and features including Shrimp and Grits, Fish N’ Chips, Pan Seared Chicken, Seafood Linguini and Red Curry Rubbed Salmon.
During our stay, we paced out meal with some long conversation. During that time, our services was exceptional. There was proper spacing between the appetizer and salad and we never felt any rush during our entire stay.
If dining isn’t your goal and having a cold beverage or glass of vino is more your preference, Maybank offers 18 craft beers on tap and a full menu of red, white, rose and bubbly wine selections.
Though the air was brisk, most nights are ideal for outdoor dining. There are available tables if you wish to dine under the stars.
The dining area closes at 10:00 PM leaving only the bar area open, but during the day, the restaurant is in full operation and we love the design of the building offering a separation point between the dining area and bar area so patrons have the option of fun conversational bar crowd or quiet intimate dining room ambiance.
Stumbling on this gift of late night dining got us in the door, but the warm and professional customer service, exquisite flavor packed food and complete experience is what wants us coming back.
The core criteria for consideration into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio is 25 or more years of collective music collaboration, recording and touring. It is a significant piece of criteria and one that most bands never achieve. Rigorous tour schedules, personal creative conflict and life changes are among the many reasons that contribute to the obstacles a band must overcome to create music immortality.
In 1990, Michael Glabicki took his passion for music that started as early as age six, when he would hide under the dining room table listening to Cat Stevens Greatest Hits over and over, to form the globally known Rusted Root. Twenty-seven years later, the band continues to tour, absorbing a new generation of fans and working on their first studio album since 2012.
In advance of their upcoming show at the Windjammer, we had a chance to talk to Michael about influences, fans and spirituality. (Ticket Information for April 7 Show)
Q&A with Michael Glabicki, singer, songwriter – Rusted Root
CD: Over the years, your audience has evolved with your music, including a new younger generation. Why do you feel a new genesis of fans is relating to your sound?
MG: There are a few reasons. First-of-all, kids today are treated like a commodity, with more commercialism with social media and digital sucking them in. Our music brings out a real sense of community. A real sense of individualism and individual thought. Kids are attracted to that. Also, we have been in a lot of movies and television, getting into their brains early including features in ‘Ice Age’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘New Girl’. The music is also featured in an Enterprise Rent-A-Car commercial campaign.
CD: From your early days in Pittsburgh, who were some of your most prominent influences?
MG: As a kid, I started listening to Cat Stevens when I was six or seven years old. I sat underneath the dining room table and listened over and over to the best of. I lived inside that world for a long time. It had a very profound effect on me. Later-on, I started moving into Beatles and Stones. More classic rock type stuff. Then I transitioned into heavy metal including Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in high school.
Led Zeppelin was a big influence later-on in high school. In college, I turned to bands like U2 and The Cure. They helped me tell where I wanted to take my emotions. College was short lived for me. I only went for half a semester and then dropped out to write music.
After I completed my first song, something changed in my world. It made me trust that there was something unique coming through me as an individual. I tried early on not to sing or sound like anyone else. I didn’t want any other influence in my songwriting. Early on I thought my writing should be a form of meditation to come through me in a unique way.
CD: Is there one song that you would call “Your Song” that has had the most meaning and transcended time?
MG: Definitely, most of them do. They continue to grow with my life and every night I find something new in the lyrics that has me re-thinking. I can find new meaning in songs every night. They are not timepieces. They have magical content in them and they keep releasing new meaning. I almost wish I wrote down what I was thinking when I wrote all the songs over the years.
There is one song though; ‘Scattered’ that I think of when you say, “transcends time.” I felt I wrote it before this life and passed it on to myself so I could share it in this lifetime. I felt I used it ritualistically in a past life. In a way, I wanted to write this and have my future self, share it.
CD: Since you formed in 1990, the world has changed so much from Afghanistan to 9/11 to IPhone to the first African American president. Do all these generational changes affect how and what you write about?
MG: I separate myself from the events around me. I separate from superficial events that seem big, but really aren’t. I try to go to a deep sub-conscious and self-awareness. I feel the event, but try and find a deeper meaning much further past the superficial facts of the media.
CD: I saw you open for the Allman Brothers in 92’ or 93 at Waterloo Village in New Jersey. Is there an artist or band you would want to collaborate with if you had the opportunity?
MG: I am not sure if I would. It is very iffy. You think things will work out and they don’t. It is a mysterious process. If I wanted to give it a shot, artists like Neil Young and Arcade Fire come to mind. I often forget about the newer bands I am into, but I am sure many would be great to work with.
These things happen magically. People just fall into your world when the opportunity presents itself you take advantage of them. If the circumstances were right and it came together for something amazing, I would be open to it.
CD: Nature and its parallels to life are such a critical theme in your lyrics. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
MG: It makes sense for now. When I talk about detaching and gettting to the deeper level of the collective, nature is a part of the whole process. The unique embodiment of nature is profound in a real sense. It is very necessary right now. It is what I have chosen to communicate. It has been there throughout thus far.
CD: The song “Cruel Sun” – What does the sun represent (hatred, greed, violence, or something else)?
MG: It can be oppressive as well as nurturing. A life and society can be that way as well. Even brutal at times. Most of my songwriting doesn’t have a time-period or event attached to it. I tap into a vein of songwriting. A type of truth and magic where lyrics can create images in your head.
CD: “Send me On My Way” has been featured in 13 movies and shows and NASA used it for the Mars Exploration Rover in 2003. Did you ever expect that kind of universal success for that song?
MG: I was very low key about it. Many in my circle in Pittsburgh knew right away it would be a hit song. Songs have a way of attracting people to them like magnets. Whether it is the record label, promotions, radio, movie soundtracks or television, the avenue it finds the listener various, but when it does, it has a profound effect.
CD: You are playing the Windjammer almost one year to the day you played in 2016, why is Charleston part of your tour schedule?
MG: Charleston seems like a very musical audience that gets our music. When we come there, it seems a little more, old school where people cut loose. Also, being close to the water is good for us. Being near the water makes me write better. Being near water is pretty magical for us.
CD: Any new studio albums on the horizon?
MG: We are working on a new album right now. We will be playing some new songs when we come there to play The Windjammer and hope the audience enjoys them.
CD: Are there any religious or spiritual feelings that goes into the music development.
MG: No, but I get surprised as I get older when I look back and listen to old music and say Oh, maybe that did influence me. I have my own practice and do meditation so the spiritual side of music is a significant influence on our sound.
Photo Credit: John Collins
As a journalist and a fan, I found myself at a crossroads maintaining my professional integrity during the interview process while still having the goosebumps and feeling like a teenager having a conversation with one of his favorite bands
Their music was part of one of my most profound life periods, my college experience. Now 24 years since the last time I saw Rusted Root perform, I will be taken back to a special place when a lighter signaled an encore, the connection between the band and the fan had a connection that penetrated deeper than the music and lyrics and the sense of community between the band and the fans was stronger than concrete.
“Rusted Root” has created a sound that truly engulfs you with wisdom and hope. It humanizes our journey through life and gives meaning in times of doubt.
We are excited to have the band come and share their music this Friday at the Windjammer on Isle of Palms.
SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST AND ONLY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL IS RETURNING TO NORTH CHARLESTON FOR ITS FOURTH YEAR!
CRIMSON SCREEN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL – CHARLESTON, SC
The fourth annual Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest will be returning to N. Charleston on Friday, May 19th through Sunday May 21th at South of Broadway Theater. The film festival will feature 46 of the best independent horror films from all over the globe, including some made locally by South Carolina filmmakers. Included in this year’s lineup will be 7 feature films and 39 short films.
South of Broadway Theater, located in the heart of Park Circle, is a sponsor of this years event and is the perfect venue for such a film festival. “We love being in Park Circle and the attendees and filmmakers love being within walking distance to all the restaurants and bars in the area.” Festival founder Tommy Faircloth says. “Many of our attendees come year after year and do not want to miss even one film, so being so close to local eateries help them schedule out their days during our 3 day event.”
A big addition to Crimson Screen this year is partnering with ShortsTV, the world’s largest distributor or short films. All short films selected for this year’s festival have a chance for a worldwide cable television broadcast deal on their cable channel ShortsTV and the winner of the “Best Short” award has a chance for a distribution deal as well. ShortsTV broadcast Oscar winning short films as well as distribute them on iTunes, so getting to play along side of such films will be quite an accomplishment for a new filmmaker.
Filmmakers from all over the world submitted their films and scripts for a chance to win a “Crimmy”, Crimson Screen’s answer to a Grammy. “Our awards were sculpted and created by special effects artist Tony Rosen.” Faircloth explains. You may not know the name Tony Rosen, but you defiantly know his work. He created the world famous “Annabelle” doll that was used in the motion pictures “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle”.
Appearing as a special guest this year is Joe Bob Briggs. Joe Bob Briggs began his television career on The Movie Channel, hosting Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater for nine years. During this time, it became TMC’s highest-rated show, earning two ACE award nominations. He appeared on some 50 talk shows, including The Tonight Show (twice) and Larry King Live. He was also a commentator for a Fox TV news magazine for two seasons.
Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater ended when TMC changed its format in early 1996. He was off the air for only four months before joining the TNT network, where he hosted MonsterVision for four years. Under his given name, John Bloom, he also co-wrote the nonfiction book Evidence of Love: The Candy Montgomery Story. The book recounts the 1980 Wylie, Texas, murder case in which Montgomery killed her ex-lover’s wife, Betty Gore, by striking her a total of 41 times with an ax and whose highly publicized trial ended in an unexpected “not guilty” verdict. In 1990 the book was made into the CBS television movie A Killing in a Small Town starring Barbara Hershey.
Joe Bob will be presented with the 2017 Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest “Horror Icon Award” on Saturday, May 20th during his panel. He will also be hosting the “Crimmy Awards” on Sunday, May 21st.
Also appearing at this year’s event is W. Scott Poole. Poole is a professor of history at the College of Charleston and the author of “Vampira” and the award winning “Monsters in America”. Poole will be offering a workshop on Friday, May 19th on “Horror Fiction Adaptations” and it will be free to anyone attending the fest.
Many of the filmmakers and cast members will be in attendance to host Q&As after the film screenings and will be attending the after parties each night after the fest. Free popcorn will be available all weekend for attendees and you are encouraged to get your tickets in advance. Last year tickets and passes sold out a month before the event.
“Sunday is a very popular day because it is when we play all of our South Carolina films”, explains Faircloth. “The best way to guarantee your seat for all screenings is to get a 3 day VIP pass, but we are almost half sold out of them now.” he finishes.
Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in costume to walk the “dREaD Carpet” during the weekend event. Those who want to attend all 3 days can purchase a 3-day VIP pass or you can purchase daily passes online now at www.crimsonscreenfilmfest.com.
The awards ceremony will be hosted by Joe Bob Briggs on Sunday, May 21st. Awards will be presented for the following: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Director (short and feature), Best Actor (short and feature), Best Actress (short and feature), Best Cinematography (short and feature), Best Special Effects (short and feature), Best Screenplay (short and feature) presented by Final Draft, Best un-produced screenplay (short and feature) presented by InkTip, Audience Choice Award, Jury Award, and the Homegrown Horror Award for best project produced in South Carolina or by a South Carolina filmmaker.
Feature Films:
Altar
The Bodies in #223
Dolly Deadly
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Lighthouse Keeper The Gatehouse
Party Night
The Phoenix Incident
Short Films: 106 White Lake Arrhythmia
As I Prey
Bad Little Beth
Born Again
Caravan
The Corner
Curse of the Fur Beast Death Metal
Devil’s Advocate
Evil Rising
First Like
Game of Chess
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Beast in the Cave Incubation Period
Lake Moultrie Massacre The Leaving
Lucid
Menacing Proposal Monsters
Murky Water
Off the Beaten Path
Prepare To Die
Puppy
Room 701
Secret Admirer
Solved
Storge’
The Room
Table 51
Tales of Gluttonous Revenge Three Way Cut
Through The Night
Turn Left
What’s For Dinner?
White Drift
Withdrawn in Trepidation Yolk
Your Date in Here
Festival Founder Tommy Faircloth:
Tommy Faircloth is a writer and director from Columbia, South Carolina. He began working in film as an actor, landing small roles of such television programs as “In The Heat of The Night” but he really wanted to work behind the camera. After graduation from high school, he attended film school at University of South Carolina in Columbia and worked on many feature films such as Renaissance Man, The Program, and Die Hard With a Vengeance. His directorial debut was the horror/comedy “CRINOLINE HEAD” which was received with positive reviews from such publications as Fangoria magazine. A few years later he followed up “CRINOLINE HEAD” with his second feature film, “GENERATION AX”. “AX” received great reviews from publications such as Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and was praised by horror legend Joe Bob Briggs where he gave it 4 stars. After “Ax” Faircloth took a break from horror and worked on many of his own theme park and roller coaster documentary projects for such channels as Discovery and The Travel Channel. In 2013 Tommy began his quest to get back into the horror scene with his first short film “THE CABIN” which has won awards for “Best Short Film” at the 2013 San Antonio Horrific Film Fest, 2013 Freak Show Film Festival, 2013 Scared Stiff Halloween Film Fest, 2013 Fear Fete Film Festival, and has been chosen as an official selection for over 25 festivals in 2013 and 2014. It was also picked up for cable broadcast on the cable channel ShortsTV. He recently completed a sequel to his fist feature “Crinoline Head” called “DOLLFACE” that has been released worldwide on VOD and DVD. His latest film “FAMILY POSSESSIONS” is currently touring film festivals all over the globe.
Contact: Tommy Faircloth FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tel. 803-240-5099
Email: tommy.faircloth@crimsonscreenfilmfest.com
According to the 2017 findings from WalletHub.com, Charleston/North Charleston, SC was ranked as the 37th fattest city in the United States. Below is the methodology and the ranking of the top 100 worst states in obesity.
Methodology
In order to determine the fattest places in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across three key dimensions:
Obesity & Overweight
Weight-Related Health Problems
Healthy Environment.
They evaluated those dimensions using 17 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “fattest.” Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.
The team then calculated the overall score for each city based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct its final ranking.
Obesity & Overweight – Total Points: 50
Share of Overweight Adults: Full Weight (~11.11 Points)
Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~11.11 Points)
Share of Overweight Teenagers: Half*Weight (~5.56 Points) (Note: “Teenagers” includes persons aged 14 to 18.)
Share of Obese Teenagers: Half* Weight (~5.56 Points) (Note: “Teenagers” includes persons aged 14 to 18.)
Share of Overweight Children: Half* Weight (~5.56 Points) (Note: “Children” includes persons aged 10 to 17.)
Share of Obese Children: Half* Weight (~5.56 Points) (Note: “Children” includes persons aged 10 to 17. )
Projected Obesity Rates by 2030: Half* Weight (~5.56 Points)
Weight-Related Health Problems – Total Points: 30
Share of Physically Inactive Adults: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Share of Adults Eating Fewer than One Serving of Fruits/Vegetables per Day: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Share of Adults with High Cholesterol: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Share of Diabetic Adults: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Share of Adults with High Blood Pressure: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Heart-Disease Rate: Full Weight (~4.62 Points)
Obesity-Related Death Rate: Half* Weight (~2.31 Points)
Access to Parks & Recreational Facilities: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Access to Healthy Food: Full Weight (~3.33 Points) (Note: This metric measures the percentage of urban-area residents who earn a low income and live more than 1 mile from a grocery store or supermarket.)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, County Health Rankings, United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Trust for America’s Health and WalletHub research.
In the coming weeks ROK Technologies (ROK) will unveil its latest IoT and accelerated data solution; ROK’s Private Cloud will now be part of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect. Working with AWS Direct Connect will allow ROK’s enterprise customers to leverage a multi-platform cloud that delivers improved connection reliability and lower latency. In the world of IoT, this means that sensor generated data can be quickly aggregated to output high impact spatial analysis tools.
The launch of this new capability will provide an optimal IoT solution for organizations in both the public and private sectors including the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community who can utilize both the AWS Direct Connect and the Linux applications soon to be available on the on AWS Marketplace.
“This solution underscores the seriousness of our continued focus on expanding our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) cloud business and will lead to even more offerings related to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the virtualization of 3D software for cloud based rendering.” said Jason Harris CTO at ROK.
“As more of our current clients and partners delve into IoT it is our top priority that they and their consumers have the best experience possible.” said Alex Coleman, EVP at ROK “A direct connect to AWS assures this outcome.”
ROK Technologies, LLC, based in Charleston, South Carolina, serves clients in many industries and governments globally. As an Esri Silver business partner and ArcGIS® Server Application Service Provider licensee, they are able to leverage the entire ArcGIS® platform, including ArcGIS® for server hosting, application development, and virtualized desktop software – available from anywhere, on any device. ROK’s cutting edge core competencies and secure private cloud infrastructure provide their clients the tools they need integrate their enterprise software with GIS solutions, products and services.
On the eve of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, when Vietnam was nothing more than a small piece of land thousands of miles away, a group of Marines with nothing on their minds but beer, sex and Semper Fi set out for one last great night in San Francisco before being shipped off to the horrors of war.
On the cusp of a decade of madness filled with war, death, peace, protests, rallies and division, a boy and girl meet in the most unlikely of circumstances and learn that each of them needed each other in remarkably different ways.
This is the story of ‘Dogfight’, now playing through April 15 at the Woolfe Street Playhouse. Presented under the beautiful direction of Keely Enright and musical vision of Leah Megli, the newest musical from The Village Rep on Woolfe entertains with full filled musical numbers and tearful moments of unspoken warmth and hope.
Dogfight paints a story of love and fear in the time of Camelot
On this night, the three “bees” Boland, Bernstein and Birdlace set out to keep the long-standing tradition of the Marines Dogfight alive. The rules were simple: the man who brought the ugliest date to the dance won the pot of money. No emotions, no connections, just an age old Marine act that dates back generations. In a way, it was three Marines letting off some steam and having a little fun at the expense of unassuming locals.
With hopes of finding a pansy growing dim, Eddie Birdlace stubbled into an empty diner and found his target, whom he thought could help him win the big prize. Somewhere in between the fated meeting and the voting dance at the party, that rough foul mouthed shell of a Marine found salvation in this stranger.
In the span of one night, two young and innocent adults would learn life lessons of yearning, hope, fear and love.
Alexandria Shanko and Kevin Deese provide strong performances in this emotionally driven musical. The arrogance of youth positioned against the shy uncertainty of girlhood send sparks as the two main characters begin to peel their layers and expose feelings neither had ever encountered.
It is more than a coming of age story; it is a love story filled with all the clumsiness and awkwardness we have all faced. Yet, breathing down their necks is a decade of change and a conflict that would divide a country and potentially these two characters.
In its purest moments, it wasn’t the grand gesture, but the simple moments the brought the audience closer to the couple. From the first and only dinner date to the final moments of before Eddie is shipped overseas, we are drawn into this couple who seemed doomed from the start. We find sadness in their goodbye and fear of what the horrors of war will bring to Eddie and his buddies.
Alexandria and Kevin develop and perform their characters with poise and raw unadulterated emotion, leaving themselves completely exposed to their audience.
James Ketelaar and Bess Lawson re-unite after their collaboration in the outlandishly fun What If? Production of ‘Evil Dead’ to take on the roles of Boland and Peggy, a cocky soldier and a down on her luck girl who knows her place in society. Their banter as two strangers from very different sides of the track shows tremendous chemistry between the two actors.
Patrick Arnheim, who stunned audiences with his gut wrenching performance in ‘Bent’ last season at Threshold, takes on several roles in this production from an Elvis like lounge singer to an emotionless tattoo artist.
True artistry is about finding the extreme emotions of the spectrum and having an audience relate and internalize what is happening with the characters on stage. Deese finds that moment of Zen as Eddie. As he sings “I don’t know how to come back” toward the end of Act II, the transformation is complete. What began as a youthful horse ready to ride off into the sunset, ended in a mental body bag.
War changes people, turning lions into cats, reckless youth into peace dwelling flowers. It takes a band of invincible men and makes them the prey to an unknown enemy. Somewhere, in the blood-soaked mayhem of the 60’s, two very confused and innocent people in San Francisco found something beautiful to believe in.
This musical is filled with wildly entertainment numbers that also finds a way to bring you to tears.
Dogfight will remind you of your own youth, when you didn’t know what to do on a first date or how a war in a country you never heard of could change your life forever.
It is a personal story with incredible music, lyrics and acting and a gift to be shared.
by 
In the span of one night, two young and innocent adults would learn life lessons of yearning, hope, fear and love.