2014 North Charleston Arts Festival Gala Set for May 2

The spring festival season is in full swing and the 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival is just around the corner. In honor of the annual event, the City of North Charleston invites the public to don their Lowcountry best and head to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center Entrance Hall on Friday, May 2, from 7:00pm to 11:00pm for the Sweetgrass Soirée, a gala celebration. Tickets for the premier event are $50 and can be purchased by calling Sheri Pearson at 843-740-2538.

The soirée begins with a steel drum serenade compliments of Charleston’s most prominent steel drum band, The Island Trio. While enjoying a menu of Lowcountry favorites and the evening’s signature cocktail, the Sweetgrass Sipper, patrons will have an opportunity to meet this year’s Arts Festival design artist, Amiri Gueka Farris. Farris will be auctioning off an original piece and signing posters featuring his winning design, Gullah Islander Toss. Entertainment during dinner service includes a lively performance by Adande African Drum & Dance Company and a shoe tapping, hand clapping program full of traditional Gullah songs, spirituals, and gospel tunes by renowned a cappella singing group, The Plantation Singers. Following the performances, guests can dance the night away to music by Plane Jane. The band is built to keep the crowd on its feet with an extensive catalog of exciting hits from the sixties to the present. The evening’s line-up is sure to entertain and makes for an exciting kick off to the nine days of arts and cultural programs and activities offered during the 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival, taking place May 2-10.

The North Charleston Performing Arts Center Entrance Hall is located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Ticket price includes parking. The Sweetgrass Soirée is co-sponsored by North Charleston Magazine. For more information about the event or the 2014 North Charleston Arts Festival, including the full schedule of events, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

North Charleston City Gallery to Exhibit Works by Charlynn M. Knight & Gingi Martin

Angel Oak, Wise One by Charlynn M. Knight & The Elusive Peacock of Cypress Glade by Gingi Martin

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that watermedia paintings by the City’s current Artist-in-Residence, Charylnn M. Knight, as well as oil paintings by Pineville, SC, based artist, Gingi Martin, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from January 2-31, 2014. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday, January 2.

Visions of the Lowcountry Through a New Perspective – Watercolor Paintings by Charlynn M. Knight
In Visions of the Lowcountry Through a New Perspective, Charlynn M. Knight presents watercolor paintings that depict the beauty of the everyday. Her recent works feature scenes captured during afternoon walks down well-worn dirt roads and paddling through the Lowcountry’s coastal waters in a kayak. Her approach with watermedia captures the “glow” and vibrant colors and textures of her subjects, which include the marshes, avenues of oaks, Lowcountry wildlife, and Deep South beauty and charm that coastal South Carolina has to offer.

Knight, a native Charlestonian, received a BA in Studio Art from the College of Charleston in 1994 and continues to further her painting knowledge through workshops with national and international artists. She has worked primarily in watercolor for over 28 years and has received numerous awards for her paintings. She has taught visual art classes and workshops in all media for children and adults since 1990, and is currently offering residencies to North Charleston schools and community groups as the City’s 2013/14 Artist-in-Residence. Knight’s work has been published in International Artist Magazine and her paintings are featured in several private and corporate collections, including the City of North Charleston’s Public Art Collection. Presently her work is available at Karen’s Korner in Mt. Pleasant and Laura Alberts Tasteful Options in Daniel Island.

La Tempesta – Oil Paintings by Gingi Martin
Gingi Martin’s great passion for Nature and its preservation manifests itself in the work presented in her exhibit, La Tempesta. The collection of oil paintings featured in the exhibition includes mostly landscapes. “I rarely represent the human figure because of its historically negative impact on Nature,” she explains. Martin’s utilization of intense colors and depictions of super-realistic scenes take inspiration from her deep love of the music and art of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras, and their relation to the Sublime.

A native of Pennsylvania, Virginia “Gingi” Martin received a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Art from Hiram College (Hiram, OH), and a Master of Fine Arts from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). She currently lives in Pineville, SC, where she maintains an art studio and teaches private art lessons. Martin has been painting in oils for eight years and finds the medium preferable to others with which she has experimented, largely due to their richness and texture, the ability to apply the paint in multiple layers, and the use of glazes to enhance color and atmosphere. In an on-going effort to understand the potential of color in landscape and portrait painting, she has conducted extensive and in-depth studies of color mixing and color theory. Aside from painting, Virginia and her husband, Dr. Peter W. Ferran, are collaborating on a book about creative individuals, their inspiration and drive to create.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

FREE: Fourth of July Festival in North Charleston - largest show of fireworks in the Lowcountry

Join in on the Facebook event

The City of North Charleston will hold its Fourth of July Festival at Riverfront Park on Thursday, July 4, 2013, 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm. The event and parking are free of charge and all general admission.

North Charleston’s Fourth of July Festival will feature the largest show of fireworks in the Lowcountry and one of the largest in the State of South Carolina.

The following is a schedule of events:

3:00 pm 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm 5:45 pm – 7:30 pm 7:45 pm – 9:15 pm 9:15 pm – 9:45 pm

Festivities begin Island Trio Calvin Taylor Band Plane Jane Blue Dogs featuring Skylar Laine (from American Idol) Show of fireworks over the Cooper River by Zambelli Fireworks International with music performed by North Charleston Pops

Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, as there will be no seating provided. A wide variety of food vendors will be on site. Children activities will be available free of charge, including inflatable jump castles, games, the play area, the giant sandbox, and the water fountain.

Food vendors attending the event: Vendors: DIG Rig, Smoothie Time, Kool Katz Italian Ice, Tony the P-Nut Man, Jeans Peanuts, Philly’s Italian Ice, Sweets N Treats, Zeus Grill and Seafood, Just Lemonade, Chucktown Mobile Seafood, Cast Iron Food Truck, Charlie Brown Seafood, Dulce Truck, Charleston Festival Foods, That’s How We Roll, Charleston’s Poboy Food Cart.

Riverfront Park is located on the former Charleston Naval Base, easily accessible from I-526 and I-26. Enter the former Charleston Naval Base by the McMillan Avenue or Virginia Avenue gate and turn onto Hobson Avenue. Riverfront Park signs are visible for easy to follow directions. All parking is free and shuttles will be available for the convenience of guests.

Open to the public year-round, Riverfront Park has become a favorite destination for residents and visitors. Set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River, the park is adjacent to the historic homes once occupied by the Charleston Naval Base officers, surrounded by graceful grand oak trees and peaceful river vistas. Bordered by Noisette Creek, the park boasts a magnificent contemporary Performance Pavilion and meadow.

Riverfront Park is home to the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial, erected in honor of the countless military personnel and civilians that served the United States and the Greater Charleston region while the Charleston Naval Base was operational. The Memorial is the only location in the United States that displays both the Lone Sailor and the Homecoming statues. Riverfront Park is also the location of North Charleston’s Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition. A component of the 2013 North Charleston Arts Festival, the Competition and Exhibition features large-scale contemporary sculptures on display throughout the year.

Photos of previous Fourth of July Festivals.

Watch until the end to see Mayor Summey’s solo

CALLING ALL LOWCOUNTRY GRAPHIC ARTISTS! North Charleston seeking designer for ODFJELL tank mural

ODFJELL liquid storage tank at 1003 East Montague Avenue

Clarification: The ODFJELL tank mural design must be digitally rendered. It‘ll be printed on vinyl, then mounted. It will NOT be hand painted.

The City of North Charleston seeks to commission a graphic artist to design a large outdoor mural for a privately owned storage tank located at 1003 East Montague Avenue near the Olde Village area of North Charleston. Professional graphic artists residing in the Tri-County area (Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties) are invited to submit their qualifications for the public art project. A Mural Committee comprised of city officials, business leaders, and community leaders will select one artist to create the mural design. The total budget for this project has been set at $5000 and involves all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: artist's design fees, materials, production costs, travel, documentation, and any permits, license, or insurance. The mural will measure 140’w x 40’h and will be fabricated on cast white vinyl and professionally mounted to the carbon steel tank. Interested artists should contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or culturalarts@northcharleston.org for the complete commission prospectus. Application materials must be hand delivered by 5:00pm on Friday, June 28, or postmarked by Sunday, June 30, 2013. Artists will be notified of the commission award by July 10, 2013.

The mural design must be created using Adobe Illustrator or equivalent graphic design software and incorporate the logo of the tank owner, ODFJELL. The final design must be completed by August 31, 2013, to allow the mural fabricator adequate time to manufacture and install the mural in September. The ideal design would create excitement and interest for the community, honor the history of the community, compliment the redevelopment initiatives of the community, and be appropriate to the location. Graphic artists applying for the commission must demonstrate the skill and ability needed to produce this type of commissioned design work. The selected artist must be willing to learn about the community and is expected to collaborate with city staff and the Mural Committee through a series of meetings to develop concepts for the mural and the final design. Communication and coordination with city staff, the Mural Committee, and the mural fabricator throughout the design and installation process is necessary to ensure quality and compatibility.

In order to be considered for the commission, graphic artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following materials:

1. Letter of Interest describing specific interest in the project, potential approach, and any relevant past experience (1 page limit)
2. Current resume/CV
3. A minimum of ten slides, quality photographs, or digital images of artist’s work that accurately represent the artist’s aesthetics and style. All images must be accompanied by a brief description of the artwork, title, location, size, and completion date.
4. A list of three professional client references. The list must include complete address and telephone number for each reference.
5. A self-addressed stamped envelope should be included if materials are to be returned.
6. Optional application materials - the artist's web site may be listed and/or up to three additional materials may be submitted such as reviews, news articles, awards, or other related information.

The City of North Charleston reserves the right to reject all applications and/or adjust the project time line. Application materials should be submitted by the deadline to the City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Director, Ms. Marty Besancon. Hand-deliver to the Cultural Arts Department office on the second floor of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane, or mail to City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419-9016.

For more information about the ODFJELL tank mural commission, contact Marty Besancon at 843-740-5850 or mbesancon@northcharleston.org. To learn more about other programs and artist opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Red Cross breaks ground on new facility by City Hall

Today, the American Red Cross and Mayor Keith Summey joined Owner, Mall Drive 2424 LLC and Lender, National Bank of South Carolina as they broke ground on their new building that will be the future home of the Red Cross in the City of North Charleston.

The new building will be centrally located in the City of North Charleston at 2424 City Hall Drive and will provide the Red Cross with over 10,000 square-feet of office, educational, training and storage space to better serve its clients across the Lowcountry. The new building is scheduled to open in December 2013.

“The new facility will be a place for our volunteers to come together and learn,” said Mason Holland, board chair, American Red Cross, Carolina Lowcountry Chapter. “The opportunity to expand our volunteer base and their knowledge will increase our capacity to support our Lowcountry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through lifesaving education and response. The centralized location in North Charleston will allow for a more efficient response to disasters across our region and will allow us to better serve our community.”

The Carolina Lowcountry Chapter serves Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Jasper counties and is part of the Palmetto SC Region. The Red Cross provides food, shelter and emotional support after disasters, assists members of our armed forces and their families, teaches lifesaving skills and supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. A financial donation can be made by sending a check to the American Red Cross, Charleston, SC Region, 8085 Rivers Ave., Suite F. North Charleston, SC 29406 or by calling (843) 764-2323 ext. 368. For more information or to make a secure online donation, please visit www.LowcountryRedCross.org.

Join the Red Cross for a Tour of Duty experience, win free stuff!

Take a quick break from your workday and join the Red Cross of the Lowcountry for a fun, free hands-on experience of their mission in North Charleston on Friday, October 12 from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Experience a Red Cross Shelter, learn Compression-Only CPR, practice your preparedness knowledge and make holiday cards for our troops. Watch the Charleston County Fire Fighters Competition throughout the day.

All for Free! Even the t-shirts!

Attendees have a chance to win 2 round-trip tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines!

Space is limited, registration closes October 7th. Event is appropriate for ages 16 and up.

To register click here.

Park Circle Films announces Lowcountry Indie Shorts 6, opens film submissions

 Photo Credit: Dave Fancher

The Greater Park Circle Film Society, host of the Charleston area's only nonprofit filmhouse, is accepting submissions of short films for the next edition of Lowcountry Indie Shorts. The event will take place September 24th at the Olde North Charleston Picture House, 4820 Jenkins Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405.

Lowcountry Indie Shorts is a semi-annual event with a focus on regional filmmaking, showcasing the best short films from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Animation, comedy, drama, documentaries, music videos, and genre films are all encouraged. Submissions are free, and filmmakers whose works are chosen will be invited to participate in a panel discussion and audience Q&A session afterwards.

Films must have been made in 2011, and are allowed to have been shown in other fests and events. Total running time must be at least 2 minutes and not more than 30 minutes. Submissions must be received by September 15, 2011. Submission forms can be downloaded from http://parkcirclefilms.org/pages/lowcountry-indie-shorts

Admission to a block of shorts is $5 general admission and $2 for Film Society members. Depending on the number of shorts received, there will be one or two blocks, with different films shown at each block.

Montague Terrace at North Charleston Coliseum to open Fall 2011

The North Charleston Coliseum’s latest expansion, the Montague Terrace, will open this fall. Montague Terrace expands the North Charleston Coliseum by 7,400 square feet and will provide a new experience for patrons, as it will be used as a food court for Coliseum events, a special event space for private receptions, and also as an entertainment venue for small concerts, theater performances, and comedy shows.

For private gatherings, such as corporate receptions and weddings, Montague Terrace provides a state-of-the-art venue with LED lighting, full production capabilities, and accents of modern décor.  The space can host up to 740 people for a reception and up to 340 people for a seated banquet.

Montague Terrace is also a unique venue for entertainment events, as shows will be presented in a cabaret theatre setting that will include seating at round tables for four guests with full food and beverage service.

During large concerts and hockey games at the Coliseum, Montague Terrace will serve as a gathering area for patrons.  All concessions will be offered out of Montague Terrace, and various bands will be featured on the Montague Terrace stage before Coliseum shows and during intermissions.

“We are all anxiously awaiting the opening of Montague Terrace,” says North Charleston Coliseum General Manager, Dave Holscher, “as it will enable us to deliver a superior experience for our patrons on a number of levels.  Not only does Montague Terrace allow us to host smaller entertainment show, such as Glorious Gershwin, which will be Montague Terrace’s premiere performance this September, but it also allows us to host private functions, therefore serving the community in a way we have not been able to in the past.”

With the addition of Montague Terrace, the North Charleston Coliseum’s exclusive caterer, Centerplate Catering, will expand its catering menu to offer a wider variety of high-quality food and beverage items.

Montague Terrace is being built for LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it one of the largest eco-friendly event venues in the Charleston Area.  Once completed, Montague Terrace, as well as Centerplate Catering, will continue to operate in an eco-friendly manner.

4th of July in North Charleston

The City of North Charleston will hold its 4^th of July Festival at Riverfront Park on Monday, July 4, 2011, 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm. The event is free of charge and all general admission.

The following is a schedule of events:

3:00 pm 3:30 pm 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm 5:15 pm – 6:30 pm 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Festivities begin Welcoming remarks from Mayor R. Keith Summey The Calvin Taylor Band The Legends of Beach 7 Once Show of fireworks over the Cooper River

Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, as there will be no seating provided. No alcohol is permissible within the park. A wide variety of food vendors will be on site. Children activities will be available free of charge, including inflatable jump castles, games, the play area, the giant sandbox, and the water fountain.

Riverfront Park is located on the former Charleston Naval Base, easily accessible from I-526 and I-26. Enter the former Charleston Naval Base by the McMillan Avenue or Virginia Avenue gate and turn onto Hobson Avenue. Riverfront Park signs are visible for easy to follow directions. All parking is free and shuttles will be available for the convenience of guests.

Open to the public year-round, Riverfront Park has become a favorite destination for residents and visitors. Set on the banks of the beautiful Cooper River, the park is adjacent to the historic homes once occupied by the Charleston Naval Base officers, surrounded by graceful grand oak trees and peaceful river vistas. Bordered by Noisette Creek, the park boasts a magnificent contemporary Performance Pavilion and meadow.

Riverfront Park is home to the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial, erected in honor of the countless military personnel and civilians that served the United States and the Greater Charleston region while the Charleston Naval Base was operational. The Memorial is the only location in the United States that displays both the Lone Sailor and the Homecoming statues. Riverfront Park is also the location of North Charleston’s Annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition. A component of the 2011 North Charleston Arts Festival, the Competition and Exhibition features large-scale contemporary sculptures on display throughout the year.

For further information visit the City’s website at http://www.northcharleston.org.

Annual North Charleston Arts Festival Set for April 29-May 7, 2011

Nine-day celebration of the arts offers something for everyone

Now in its 29th year, the North Charleston Arts Festival will take place April 29 through May 7, 2011. The nine day event is one of the most comprehensive arts festivals in the state, providing thousands of residents & visitors with a fabulous array of performances, exhibitions, and activities featuring national, regional, and local artists and performers.

Organized by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, the festival strives to maintain the spirit of a community celebration with the mission of presenting a broad, multidiscipline event schedule that provides a wide range of performing, visual, media, and literary arts events for people of all ages and backgrounds. Many of the offerings are free, and those that are ticketed are moderately priced. Recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 Event, the North Charleston Arts Festival truly offers something for everyone.

“The Arts Festival unlocks our imagination and gives an opportunity to all residents and visitors of the City of North Charleston to participate in high quality entertainment, exhibits, and programming,” says North Charleston Mayor, Keith Summey. “It is a time of the year that we are joined by thousands throughout the Southeast to celebrate the importance of art within our world.”

The Arts Festival Main Event, held on Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1, at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center and Charleston Area Convention Center, offers free admission and parking to over 40 performances from national, regional, and local performers on four themed stages: Cultural Heritage, Youth Entertainment, Bands, and General Audience.  Other features include judged art and photography exhibits; the 9th annual SC Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Exhibit; Youth Art from Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester county students; the Lowcountry Gem & Mineral Show & Sale; the Village Antiques & Collectibles show; children's activities at Box City and Creation Stations; arts & crafts vendors, and much more. 

The Festival continues with over 50 events throughout the week at various locations around the City of North Charleston.  An exciting array of free and ticketed events include street dances, a murder mystery dinner theatre, concerts, literary gatherings, children’s events, film screenings, theatre presentations, art workshops and demonstrations, an Art Walk, an Art & Fine Craft Co-Op, the 6th annual National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, and a Grand Finale at the beautiful North Charleston Riverfront Park. This year’s Grand Finale features children’s activities, performances by school groups, dance troupes, and spoken word poets, an evening concert featuring The Fowl Play Band, and fireworks over the Cooper River.

Applications are now being accepted for participation in the Festival’s Judged Fine Art, Judged Photography, and Tri-County Youth Art exhibitions. Volunteer applications are also being accepted. Application forms are available on the Cultural Arts section of the city’s website at www.northcharleston.org.

For more 2011 North Charleston Arts Festival information, including detailed event schedules and venue information, visit www.northcharleston.org, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office at (843) 740-5854.

North Charleston wins Chamber 1773 Award

For the third year, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce honored 12 dynamic businesses and industries that make up the Charleston region’s economy and best reflect the vision, mission and core values of the Chamber through the 1773 Chamber Awards. The winners were announced at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting June 3.

The 1773 Awards is named for the year of the Chamber’s establishment. Awards were given to organizations that best reflect the core values of the Chamber; Leadership, Relevance, Integrity, Diversity and Innovation. Winners of each category will be vying for the 1773 Chamber of the Year Award being presented at the Annual Gala on July 9.

North Charleston received the Public Sector Award. The Chamber wrote:

PUBLIC: City of North Charleston
This past December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Award for the Mitigation Agreement Commission and the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC). A large part of this important effort was due to the tireless and inspirational efforts from the City of North Charleston’s involvement with the LAMC revitalization master planning work and the ongoing collaboration with the South Carolina Ports Authority on the community mitigation for the port expansion. This partnership was one of 5 in the U.S. to receive the 2009 award.

The City of North Charleston has spent a lot of time, talent, effort and dedication by collaborating in a truly exceptional community‐City partnership. The City of North Charleston has distinguished itself through its work and service for its residents in the face of tremendous economic and social challenges and reached out to other universities such as the University of South Carolina and other partners in its approach to community revitalization. These multi‐disciplinary and multi‐partnership efforts move beyond excellent work to what is exemplary and remains a model for cities not only in South Carolina but in the U.S.

Read about other 1773 Award winners

Replacement of Fire Station 5 has begun

The North Charleston Fire Department, City Council, and Mayor R. Keith Summey broke ground on Fire Station 5 on May 20, 2010. The new fire station will be located across the street from the current fire station on Dorchester Road between Covington Hills and Jericho on the Ashley.

When the City conducted inspections of all facilities in November 2007, it was determined that Fire Station 5 needed a complete renovation. The renovation would have taken 6 months and require temporary housing (trailers) for fire personnel. Instead of renovating the station at the current site, which the City leases from the Air Force, it was deemed wiser to construct an up to date station on city owned property.

The new station will contain an additional bay that will house reserve or specialized equipment, some of which is currently stored outside due to lack of space. It will contain a weight room for the crews to maintain a higher level of physical fitness and a day room equipped for classroom training for the crews while they maintain coverage in the area. The new station will also contain living space for a Battalion Chief, as our Battalion Chiefs currently stay at other stations dictated more by space limitations rather than strategic determinations.

View Fire Station 5 in a larger map

The Arts Festival is coming!

April 30 - May 8

Complete Arts Festival Brochure - Official Arts Festival Website

The North Charleston Arts Festival is organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department and numerous volunteers. The festival was launched as a one day community celebration at Park Circle in 1982 and has evolved with the addition of new facilities throughout the City. The festival moved to the North Charleston Coliseum in 1995 and expanded to two days. In 2000, the opening of the Charleston Area Convention Center, North Charleston Performing Arts Center, and other new venues, provided the springboard for the festival to expand to nine full days of performances and activities for residents and visitors throughout the City. In 2008, the Arts Festival was recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 Event.

Today, the festival maintains the spirit of a community celebration with the mission of presenting a comprehensive, multidiscipline event schedule that provides an array of performing, visual, media, and literary arts events for people of all ages and backgrounds. The festival is accessible to all with numerous free and moderately priced events.

North Charleston Police Department Receives National Accreditation

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 the City of North Charleston Police Department was awarded National Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A) during the organization’s annual spring conference in Dallas, Texas.

Chief Jon R. Zumalt, along with members of his staff appeared before the commission to complete the reaccreditation process. The accreditation program requires the Police Department to comply with 446 state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policies and procedures, administration, operations, and support services. North Charleston Police Department received initial accreditation in 2007.

During the re-accreditation process, members of the commission praised the Police department for its commitment to completing the extensive process; and strengthening community relations while at the same time reducing crime.

National Accreditation strengthens crime prevention and control capabilities; formalizes essential management procedures; establishes fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices; improves service delivery; solidifies interagency cooperation and coordination; and increases community and staff confidence in the agency.

Chief Jon Zumalt said, “This is a proud moment for the employees of our agency and citizens of North Charleston. It proves that we are making tremendous strides in building trust with our citizens while at the same time implementing crime reduction strategies. If citizens trust law enforcement they will work with us, and this is what we work at everyday developing trust in the community.

Mayor Keith Summey said, “This is a defining moment not only for the hard working men and women of the police department, but for our entire City and residents. “Receiving national accreditation ensures our citizens that they are receiving the best public safety service from a professional agency.”

Community Input Sought on LAMC Revitalization Plan

The Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC) is holding a public meeting and open house on Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, at the Military Magnet School, located at 2950 Carner Avenue in the Chicora/Cherokee neighborhood, to gather input on its Revitalization Plan. The revitalization study is funded from the South Carolina State Ports Authority Community Mitigation Plan.

Attendees will receive information regarding the Plan and have an opportunity to make written or verbal comments. EDAW/AECOM will provide a brief, formal presentation of the Plan development process and proposed implementation strategies. Displays highlighting the Plan will be set up in the school auditorium with project team members from EDAW/AECOM, LAMC, and the City of North Charleston to answer questions.

Over the past eight months, LAMC and the City have worked to create a unified community vision and implementation strategy for long-term growth and equitable development in seven neighborhoods in North Charleston’s Neck area, including Liberty Hill, Accabee, Union Heights, Howard Heights, Windsor, Five Mile, and Chicora/Cherokee. “Neighborhoods deserve to participate as partners with policymakers, service providers, regulatory agencies, industry, and developers to improve the community,” said Coakley Hilton, LAMC President. “The LAMC Revitalization Plan gave us an opportunity to do that. How we act on that opportunity is up to us.”

The Revitalization Plan identifies a number of strategies and goals for economic development, housing, community facilities, and land use. Issues of concern include affordable housing, improving neighborhood appearance, increasing parks and greenspace, preserving existing neighborhoods, redeveloping vacant and dilapidated properties, and identifying traffic and transportation improvements.

The community was involved early in the planning process to help formulate the vision for the LAMC neighborhoods. More than 25 organizations and business leaders were interviewed to gain various perspectives about the future of the LAMC neighborhoods, followed by a series of public community visioning workshops that involved hands-on exercises and discussions.

LAMC is a non-profit organization founded for the purpose of advocating environmental justice and promoting community development, education, quality housing, and community involvement. The LAMC Revitalization Plan is a component of the Community Mitigation Plan between LAMC, the South Carolina State Ports Authority, and the City of North Charleston to mitigate potential impacts of the new port terminal development at the former Navy Base in North Charleston. LAMC now serves as the primary community liaison between elected officials, public agencies, planners, private developers, and the neighborhoods it represents.

More information on LAMC can be found on its official website http://lamcnc.org/.

15 Years as Mayor

On Mayor Summey's 15th anniversary as Mayor of North Charleston, he sat down with Schuyler Kropf of the Post and Courier for a question and answer session.

"Last week, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey hit the 15-year mark of running South Carolina's third-largest city. During that time, he's seen the city recover from the closing of the Navy base, a population ebb and expansion and the opening of a new $37 million City Hall. He's also adopted a more healthy lifestyle, shedding more than 100 pounds.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2009, Summey sat down for a question-and-answer session with The Post and Courier, where he said he definitely will seek another term as mayor in 2011. And, though he's never been a supporter of embattled Gov. Mark Sanford politically, he doesn't think the governor should resign or be removed anytime soon."

Kropf, Schuyler. "Mayor reflects on city." Post and Courier. Evening Post Publishing Company, 11 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/11/mayor-reflects-on-city1/

Watch the interview segmented into 12 parts.

Part 1 - It’s been 15 years, how has the City changed for the better and for the worse during that time?

Part 2 – North Charleston has always seemed to have had an inferiority complex when compared to the City of Charleston and Mount Pleasant. How have you worked to overcome that?

Part 3 – The most recent crop of police recruits was the most diverse you have ever seen. What does that say about the changing face of North Charleston?


Part 4 – There is no escaping that the State House will pick up the fight in 2010 of the rail lines that run through the Noisette redevelopment area. How are you preparing for that?

Part 5 – The Noisette investment project has had some financial and legal issues recently. What happens if that effort fails?

Part 6 – North Charleston seems to be annexing a lot of property. How much has the City’s boundary grown lately and why? Is it manageable, especially in regards to city-wide police protection?

Part 7 – You are 62 and the Mayor’s seat is not up again until 2011. Are you going to run for another term?

Part 8 – You once tipped the scales at 360 pounds. What are you down to now and how is the weight loss coming along.

Part 9 – Should Mark Sanford resign? He is the top economics officer in the state and North Charleston’s future is tied to that.


Part 10 – What is the one thing that most people would be surprised to hear about Keith Summey?


Part 11 – Your son Elliott is paving his own political path on County Council where you once served. Are you following his career and what political advice are you giving?


Part 12 – Where do you see North Charleston in 5 years?