Charleston Daily

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.

Lowcountry

Meet Market Street Saloon’s Kahlan and Finalist for Charleston’s Hottest Bartender

October 22, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Kahlan – Irish origin meaning “Strong Leader”

Behind those soft eyes, long legs and fiery dance moves behind the bar at Market Street Saloon in downtown Charleston, SC lies a beautiful soul with tremendous depth and a mission to achieve greatness. Currently, a finalist in the Charleston Hottest Bartender competition and lead vote getter, Kahlan sees this competition as an important stepping stone toward reaching her dreams and following the wishes of her father who passed away last October. Now a year later, she is on the verge of looking up at the stars and keeping a promise to make him proud.

A recent transplant to Charleston, Kahlan sees the importance of this competition for the city, Market Street Saloon, herself and her childhood.

Charleston has been a special place for Kahlan since she was a young girl. Her family would take her to the beaches of Sullivan’s Island and it was so beautiful that it felt like home.

As she let her feet touch the sand as she ran into the first waves crashing down from the powerful ocean, she recalls a place where “no one judges you because your dreams are too big or small”. Being able to wake up to the sun rising over the ocean is a dream and an inspiration to reach her goals. Being recognized as the Top City in the World and the United States is more motivation to want to represent this city with pride.

Why is winning this competition important to you and the Market Street Saloon?

Kahlan is from Columbia, SC and she wants to show her hometown she can do it and do it with her saloon girls.
This competition will have a direct connection to a new MTV show and winning would thrust her closer to her career aspirations.
This win would not just be for the Market Street Saloon, but all the businesses on Market Street that support each other each and every day.
There is so much support from family and friends that it would mean so much for them to be a part of the excitement in celebration.

Who is Kahlan Michelle Shull?

Kahlan is a spirit fueled by the light and energized by life. She is passionate, caring, warm, playful, talented and would be a wonderful symbol of Charleston and the hospitality industry that serves as such a critical part of the landscape of Charleston.

At the age of twenty-one, most of us are still trying to figure out what to have for breakfast and what major to focus on in college. Not Kahlan who has:

Been awarded Miss North Charleston Teen 2007
Auditioned for American Idol
Ran track for seven years, volleyball for four and worked for 93.5 radio
Attended modeling school for a year while she was thirteen (13)
Is an entertainer from head to toe: Contemporary singer, runaway model, hula hoopist, dancer and actress
Won a competition senior year in high school for developing and presenting an international business model to a panel of business CEO’s

To meet Kahlan is to love the her. She is and ambitious, driven independent woman; a little girl that wants to play; a talented entertainer; a daughter, a friend and a lover.

It is is this love for Charleston coupled with her natural beauty that will put her center stage to represent Market Street Saloon, Charleston and the wonderful culture this city offers.

Next time you see Kahlan on the street or at work behind the bar, give her a hug. Not because she lost her father, not because she is a warm cuddly sweetheart, but because she represents all that is good in Charleston. It is her genuine happiness that is an insignia of what Charleston represents.

Vote Today for Charleston’s Hottest Bartender

North Charleston, SC

Pint of Hope Zombie Pub Crawl – An Apocolyptic Disaster in Park Circle

October 7, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

The marketing plug was in place and the sponsors were ready:

“Warning. The quarantine was breached for a race against time. Join Holy City Brewing, Lowcountry AIDS Services (LAS) and the walking dead for a pub crawl like no other in Park Circle on Saturday, October 5th from 5-11 pm. The apocalyptic 3rd annual “Pint of Hope” Zombie Pub Crawl will feature discounted Holy City brews ordinarily unavailable to the public, live music by DJ Big Hair Dave, a costume contest & much more.

Dress like the undead and battle for a chance to win a private tasting for you and 9 of your favorite living corpses at Holy City Brewing.”

The only issue with the Pint of Hope Zombie Pub Crawl was that it was a modern day disaster in its execution. The event supported the Lowcountry Aids Foundation with sponsors and participating restaurants including:

Restaurants:

The Barbeque Joint
Cork Neighborhood Bistro
DIG in the Park
EVO Pizza
Fratello’s
Madra Rua Irish Pub
The Mill
Sesame Burgers and Beer
The Sparrow

Sponsors:

Holy City Brewing (presenting sponsor)
Belk
Artist & Craftsman
Big Hair Productions
Gil Shuler Graphic Design
The Event Cooperative
Kask Creativity
Snyder Event Rentals
Vive le Rock Productions
Robust Energy Drink

Many came out to support the cause and bring out the inner “undead” but a number of things went dramatically wrong during the hours of 5 PM and 1 AM.

What went wrong!!!

All restaurants were supposed to offer participants a different Holy City Beer option for $3.00. Two restaurants charged $2.00, one charged $3.00, one $5.00 and two didn’t even clearly show a Holy City option. In fact none of the 9 restaurants offered the Holy City option to the participants when then entered and sat down. They just gave us menus and asked what we wanted.
I asked about the markers to identify stopping at each location and one restaurant manager said he didn’t even know what was going on until the day of the event.
One of the sponsors was Yelp who announced there would be a scavenger hunt along with the event. Aside from some koozies, there was no other representation of Yelp and no scavenger hunt. The only resemblance was that each team had to drink at all nine restaurants.
Times were not designated for each location so all individual teams signed in and went their own way. The idea of a pub crawl is to migrate together, co-mingle and make new friends. The lack of order made it almost impossible to follow others and branch outside of your individual team. Getting people to Park Circle / North Charleston from outside the community is a challenge enough. This did not make it easier.
Service at two of the restaurants was “poor” at best. We even left after waiting seven plus minutes for a single beer.
After the event, the organizers were drawing winners from those that completed the crawl. We never heard any announcement at DIG or a gathering place to hear who the winners were being announced.
The silent auction had limited participation and no clear directions on how you would be notified if you won.
Some people walked the streets with open alcohol including one with a bottle of Corona. We were not sure if that was allowable at all and took a risk to carry open alcohol in the streets.
There was a best zombie contest scheduled for the end of the event. We did not know when or where it occurred. It may have been somewhere in DIG in the Park, but no signs or direction was provided.

Overall, there were some very creative, creepy and even a few eye turning costumes and make up applications. For a Saturday night at Park Circle, there was a buzz in the air, but for an important fund raiser supporting a very worthy cause, the organization was a failure.

North Charleston, SC

Charleston Thanks Sigur Ros for Inspiring our Senses to the Wonder of Music

September 26, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Words cannot express nor give justice to the mind blowing experience witnessed from the seventh row center of the North Charleston Performing Arts Center as Sigur Ros, visiting from Iceland took center stage for a life changing experience. After nearly two hours of visual and musical symmetry, the entire audience was standing and applauding not just out of respect for the live performance, but the way the band dove deep into the trenches of our souls and reminded us of the power of music.

Front man Jonsi Birgisson’s higher than the angels voice in sync with his bow guitar made for a unique sound that embraced the audience from the first to last row. Named after Jonsi’s sister, Sigurros Elin, the band has been exciting crowds since 1994.

From the powerful bass, to the soothing keyboards
From the violins to the xylophone
From the drums to saxophone

This eleven piece ensemble created an epic musical event, Broadway show and laser light show wrapped with a bow. Paying homage to the visual and musical experience pioneered by Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros has not only taken over where Floyd left off, but taken us into another dimension we did not even know was within ourselves.

Prior to this evening, this writer has witnessed hundreds of live performances throughout his adult years. Yet, until 8:30 PM on Wednesday evening, Radiohead had topped my list for greatest live concert. From the first string of the guitar to the last howling sound of Jonsi’s voice, I witnessed a changing of the guards.

It was visually stunning. It was musically brilliant and most importantly it was spiritually enlightening.

The show started with a flow of pure mediation and powered itself up to a rock fused climax. Each song built up more power until the electric finish. It left us wanting more. Much, much more.

There are so many wonderful events and concerts that come into Charleston each and every year, but rarely does a show take you to another place.

Sigur Ros, for those that witnessed this event, gave us a memory that most of us will carry for the rest of our lives. They transcended all expectations to create visionary and vocal perfection.

Thank you Sigur Ros

We must also give a much deserving bow and applause to Julianna Barwick who took time out of her personal tour dates to open for Sigur Ros. Her range and depth provided a soothing sound to usher in the main act. Her voice, keyboards and partner guitar warmed our hearts and opened the gates of expressionism for the evening.

Lowcountry

This is Charleston – Original Poem Inspired by Charleston

September 25, 2013

by Charleston Daily 1 Comment

This is Charleston

It is a rainbow of infinite memories
From the early settlers to the pioneers of tomorrow

Sailboats raise a symbol to the sky as the wind guides them offshore creating a finely stitched canvas of white clouds and ocean blue

From the tips of the church steeples reaching to the heavens, to the remains of our forefathers resting in the sacred burials, Charleston is a blessing and gift

In its wonder, we are taken back in time to cobblestone roads, horse drawn carriages and southern hospitality as sweet as nectar on pecan pie

Once a shipping ground for slavery and inequality; now a harmonious settlement of integration, culture, dining and hospitality

Each morning, the sun rises over the harbor and welcomes a new day with open arms

Streets filled with life, the sound of music and aromas to warm the soul

This is Charleston

It is home to the world

Defining a global appeal, an artist sees a city with a marriage of nature and skyline beauty becoming one
Painting in his head a true masterpiece
Now this canvas, resting peacefully on the coast, is laden in strokes of reds and blues
Always in flux as patrons pay homage to the city we love

This is Charleston

From the laughter of the children in the fountain, to the love of an elderly couple embracing on the sand, this is heart of all that is good

This is Charleston; where the heart of the south reminds you of the beauty of life

James & John's Islands, SC

Charleston Goes Green for the Environment

September 24, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Sunday, September 22 was the annual Carolina Green Fair. This year the event changed venues from Marion Square Park in downtown Charleston to James Island County Park and what a difference it made. The vast openness of the County Park expanded the event to a whole new level.

With a large open children’s area, two live music stages, chef’s demonstration area, clothing swap, pet adoption center and vendors for all the eye can see, this was a day filled with wonderful smiling people with one common shared belief: protecting the environment.

Whether your passion is recycling, beer education, organic gardening, energy efficiency, wellness or food, this was the event for you.

After the morning rain cleared, the scene was set. With a nice slight breeze and slightly overcast sky, the weather held up nicely. A sign that nature was on our side. Throughout the day, we were greeted with smiles and fresh aromas of scented soaps, flower bouquets, tofu wraps, vegan baked goods and so much more.

What made the Green Festival so special was:

Awareness and Education – The volunteers, vendors and chefs that contributed their time and energy to make this event a success all care for the environment and loved sharing their personal knowledge with the community of Charleston.
Warmth – Each and every vendor we spoke to had faces lit up with smiles. A true testimony to the personalities and caring nature of people that truly strive to protect Mother Earth.
The pallet of food – This festival was nothing short of a foodie dream. From the King of Pops to Black Bean Company; BBQ to Indian, this was a food lovers dream.
Music to soothe the soul – From the two stages throughout the day, we were blessed with some great local talent, some as young as thirteen years old playing guitars, violins and singing vocals with passion.
Kids, Kids, Kids – With more open space than years past, the children’s area was larger than ever including a bike obstacle course and rock climbing.
Clothing for all – The clothing swap allowed you to trade your old clothes for a new selection. This was a big hit during the course of the day.
Birds of Prey – For the animals of flight fans, this was a welcome sight seeing eagles and owls co-existing together for the entertainment of the audience.
Chef Demos – Chefs from all over the Charleston area shared their secret recipes and then the dishes after. The basil, honey, canola, olive oil based dressing was amazing!
Commitment to a clean, safe and healthy environment – That was and continues to be a valued goal in Charleston. The festival is a reminder of what was are striving for in this community.

A warm and genuine thank you to all the volunteers who shared their time and knowledge with all of us on Sunday.

For more information about this Sunday’s Carolina Green Fair – Click Here

Lowcountry

Charleston and Yelp Go Gatsby

September 23, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Last evening at the Woolfe Street Playhouse in downtown Charleston, we were taken through a time warp to the Roaring Twenties for an evening in the world of Jay Gatsby.

Inspired by The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, The Woolfe Street Playhouse was the perfect setting and back drop for this gala event.

Under the stars, the night was filled with unique drinks, food from Vietnamese to sliders to sushi, flapper dresses, fedoras and a carefree attitude filled with dance and laughter, the Woolfe Street Playhouse and Yelp brought us back to a time when life was filled with elegance, dancing and drinking. A time when the wealthy were not just about the dollar value, but how hard they could party until dawn.

Yelp Goes Gatsby was a celebration of life. It was a costume party, a theme party and a gathering of people with one common goal: Party like it’s 1925.

From the moment you stepped into the theater, you were instantly greeted with outfits of class and style, fine art, music, cigarette girls and a wide array of drinks and shots to help loosen and liven the mood.

Like a cinematic flashback, 2013 Charleston turned into the roaring streets of 1925 Charleston. We all had money, we all had class, we all had style. This was our night. Each and every one of us were special.

Charleston is a special town that embraces all that is good. Often times, we gather together for a cause and a reason to laugh, converse and dance. This night was no exception. Not only was this night focused on the Roaring Twenties, but partnered to raise money for a very worthy cause.

A number of very generous businesses and restaurants helped make this night possible and this collective effort, helped this evening go off without a flaw.

From the walk down the red carpet to the final drink of the night, A Night of Gatsby was truly a night of memories to last.

Thank you F. Scott Fitzgerald
Thank you Woolfe Street Playhouse
Thank you to The 827
Thank you to Yelp

Most of all, Thank you Charleston for being a town that embraces creativity and community.

Video Montage of Yelp Does Gatsby

Mount Pleasant, SC

Attention Charleston: Is 911 missing the call?

September 11, 2013

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

This story came to us, not as a result of a tragedy that had us scratching our heads and saying “what if” but a true story of a call to 911 that had us scratching our heads and saying “did this really happen?” 911 is an emergency response option when citizens identify or witness issues that maybe of criminal intent or may put others in harm’s way. It is path of protection from the dangers all around us.

This partnership between law enforcement agencies and common citizens has been a back bone of our society for hundreds of years and continues to provide the protections that grant us our personal freedoms.

Here is the story. We will let you decide.

One sunny Saturday afternoon, a car was driving in the left lane on the southbound side of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge heading toward downtown Charleston when the passenger side back tire blew sending debris all over the highway and finding a car in the left lane with only three tires. A driver one lane over to the right avoided the debris as best they could and then called 911.

When this individual began to explain the situation and location, they were transferred with the indication this was a Mount Pleasant issue, not Charleston.

After the transfer, this individual told the situation once again and when asked where they were, this caller explained they were close to downtown Charleston on the southbound side. At this point, the caller was transferred again back to Charleston.

Finally, the third dispatcher took the call and asked questions relevant to the situation including:

Are you at the scene of the accident? – Response: “No, I avoided the debris and kept driving since I was on the bridge.”
Was it a two door or four door car? – Response: “I don’t know. I was at least two car lengths behind looking forward and then after the incident trying to avoid debris from the tire.”
Can you describe the driver? – Response: “I have no idea if it was a male or female. I was behind and a lane over.”

After they thanked this person and promised to dispatch a driver, the caller hung up and tried to find a way to get the phone out of emergency mode.

This situation had the potential to be very dangerous with loose rubber on the highway and a car with three tires trying to get off the bridge on a very busy Saturday afternoon.

Did jurisdiction play into why there was confusion? Yes it did, but the role of a dispatcher is immediate response and safety of those that may be in potential danger.

What are your thoughts on this situation or one you have experienced?