Jerry Lee Lewis Concert

Jerry Lee Lewis - 8 p.m. - Dec 8. Great Balls of Fire! Lewis and the Killer Band will rock the Charleston Music Hall. Tickets are $75-$225. For details, call (843) 853-2252.

Local food and wine fest named one of Southeast's top events

The third annual BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival, scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 2, 2008, has been recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 events for the month of February 2008.

To be considered for the award, the event had to be in at least its third year and have attendance of at least 1,000. The society also considered economic impact on the community, community involvement, whether the event was unique and if it had won other awards.

This year's festival, held in March, was recognized for highlighting Charleston as a culinary destination. More than 14,000 visitors attended the four-day fête, whose total ticket sales exceeded $462,000. Festival organizers donated $20,000 to charities and local culinary scholarships.

Highlights of the annual festival include a Culinary Village in downtown Charleston's Marion Square, featuring two large tasting tents, culinary competitions and cooking demonstrations. A few of the many other events include the Celebration of Charleston Chefs Opening Night Party, the King Street Sip & Stroll and the Lowcountry Gospel Brunch.

Recognition of the festival by the tourism society includes publicity in more than 800 newspapers and magazines, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Publicity on radio and TV stations will include the New Orleans-based radio show "Travel Talk Radio."

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, held in Charleston each February, also made the tourism society's Top 20 list for the month.

as provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal

Green concept home planned for Poplar Grove

Poplar Grove, the low-density residential development near Hollywood that will preserve more than 3,000 acres under a conservation easement, has been chosen as the second location for a Concept Home, a project of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing.

The first PATH Concept Home was recently completed in Omaha, Neb.

The project team was looking for a Southern location for their next Concept Home, said Dana Bres, director of office policy and research for PATH.

The Concept Home at Poplar Grove will serve as a model of sustainability, disaster resistance, flexibility and cost effectiveness. The Concept Home's design and technical specifications will meet the nation's most rigorous green building certification standards, including Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design for Homes; Energy Star; EarthCraft House and the National Green Building Standard.

"We're kind of the Southeast guinea pig for the PATH house, which is great," said Vic Mills, principal and chief executive of Augusta, Ga.-based Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial, which is developing Poplar Grove.

The PATH home is a good fit for the development, Mills said.

"The entire lifestyle at Poplar Grove centers around conservation and the outdoors, so the PATH house is really in keeping with Poplar Grove as a community," he said.

Mills' company has partnered with Bennett Hofford Construction to build the PATH home. A design charrette, or workshop, is planned for Oct. 24 at the site. Final plans will be presented in February 2008 and construction will begin in the spring.

as provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal

Magnolia Development to Begin This Fall

The Chamber's Charleston Area Business Council hosted a meeting last week with guest speaker, Josh Martin, AICP, CNU, director of planning, preservation and economic innovation for the City of Charleston to discuss the Magnolia Development project. In 2003, the City worked with residents and other stakeholders on a plan for the Charleston Neck Area. Using this plan as a guide, the developers of Magnolia created a conceptual development plan. In June, Charleston's Planning Commission approved the concept plan for Magnolia, a 216-acre development with up to 4,400 homes.

Led by Robert Clement and Terry Shook, the Magnolia Development Group aims to transform the peninsula's Neck into a vibrant, environmentally safe area of businesses, parks and residential neighborhoods. Magnolia would be what's known as an urban infill project, a plan to redevelop within a city rather than replacing green spaces with new suburban development. Plans are to begin this fall. Magnolia will also include 24 acres of public park, walking paths and public water access.

source: Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce

Charleston-area tourism: What's next?

The future of hospitality and tourism in the Lowcountry is the focus of a presentation by the Coastal Young Leaders Group on Wednesday evening at the Best Western Hotel in downtown Charleston.

Stephen Litvin, chair of the College of Charleston's hospitality and tourism management department, will talk about what's on the horizon for hospitality in the Charleston region, how growth in the region is being regulated and directed, the upside of regulation for industry and lessons learned.

The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the hotel at 250 Spring St. Both members and nonmembers may attend; for information, call 800-321-5011 or 843- 513-9331. Registration is accepted at the door.

A tour of the hotel will be offered after the presentation.

as provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal

Twin Rivers purchases 42 acres in Berkeley County

Twin Rivers Capital LLC has purchased 42 acres in Berkeley County where it plans to develop a commercial center with retail shops and other tenants.

The Charleston-based real estate investment and development company bought the parcel at the intersection of S.C. Highway 52 and Cypress Gardens Road on Sept. 19 for an undisclosed price.

The company is developing Foxbank Towne Center, with more than 500,000 square feet of retail and office space, to service Foxbank Plantation, an 800-acre, master-planned community with more than 2,400 single- and multi-family homes.

The initial phase of the commercial center will include a grocery store and various retail and office uses to follow. Twin Rivers plans to break ground in January 2008. The entire Foxbank Towne Center is scheduled for completion by 2011.

Twin Rivers was founded in 2002 and operates mainly in the Southeast. Its properties range from freestanding single-tenant buildings to multi-use strip malls.

as provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal

Charleston jumps to 12th place on national economic index

The Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan area jumped up 10 positions in the recently released Best-Performing Cities Index compiled by The Milken Institute, which ranked the area 12th in terms of economic performance among the nation's 200 largest cities.

"I think it speaks to the vitality that the Charleston area has benefited from for many years," said David Desplaces, international business director and assistant professor of entrepreneurship for the School of Business and Economics at the College of Charleston.

In the 2005 report, the Charleston-North Charleston area was ranked 22nd. The index is used to measure metropolitan areas' success in job creation and retention, looking specifically at where jobs are being created and maintained, corresponding salary levels and where economies and businesses are growing and thriving, according to the institute's Web site. The Milken Institute, a nonprofit independent economic think tank, has been compiling these indexes for more than a decade.

The study says the region moved up 10 places after "having posted solid employment and high-tech (gross domestic product) growth in the past year." The index also cited the area's low cost of living compared to other coastal regions, which remains an important draw for retirees, but said the diverse industry base also attracts skilled workers.

Since the last report, the study states, the metro area's employment base outpaced the national average by 7.1% during the past five years.

"Driven by data processing and telecom services, Charleston created jobs at a rapid pace, having grown its employment base by 3.6% in the past 12 months. Key recent developments include the opening of a new DaimlerChrysler van plant and an American LaFrance assembly plant," the study says.

Though not specifically cited in the study, high-tech companies such as Vought Aircraft Industries and Benefitfocus are probably also playing a role in the improved score, Desplaces said, as well as Google's plans to build a data center in Mt. Holly. The region is measuring significant growth in the innovation-based industry, Desplaces said, proving that the area's economics is tied to more than real estate and tourism.

Ranking 11th in the study was the nearby region of Myrtle-Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach.

"Obviously, South Carolina has an overall positive climate for location, relocation and for businesses," Desplaces said. "The question is how we handle the allocation of resources and the coordinating effort as it pertains to growth."

As a whole, Southeast states fared particularly well in the study. Receiving the top ranking in the index was the town of Ocala, Fla; Wilmington, N.C., ranked second.

To view the index in full, click here

as provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal - By Molly Parker , Staff Writer

Geraldine Campbell
October 2007 issue
Tuesday, September 18, 2007;

1. Modell city
The first Charles Towne was established in 1670 across the river from the city's current location, which was designed according to an elaborate, somewhat utopian plan referred to as the Grand Modell. It called for 70-foot-wide main streets and a town center at the intersection of Meeting and Broad. The Original Charleston Walks leads daily tours through the historic area. 45 Broad St., 800/729-3420, charlestonwalks.com, from $18.50.

2. Greenery worth envying
Grassy public spaces abound in Charleston: White Point Garden overlooks the harbor and the city's Battery Park homes (2 Murray Blvd.); Marion Square hosts Thursday night movies in the spring (Calhoun St. and King St.); Waterfront Park has views of the Cooper River and a pier (1 Vendue Range). Ted's Butcherblock sells everything you need for a picnic: potato salads, paninis, and macaroni and cheese with gouda (334 E. Bay St., 843/577-0094, tedsbutcherblock.com).

3. Not your grandma's fried chicken
In a tiny yellow 18th-century house on Pinckney Street, the two-room Cru Café is the perfect retreat from the bustle of downtown. Diners can sit at small banquettes or at a bar-cum-chef's table facing the open kitchen where chef John Zucker cooks his upscale comfort food. The poblano-and-mozzarella fried chicken with a honey-chipotle salsa is a definite must. 18 Pinckney St., 843/534-2434, crucafe.com, entrées from $14.

4. Southern hospitality
Charleston has plenty of grand hotels, but the rooms at the Market Pavilion Hotel come with a gentler price tag; some even have views of the Old City Market, where women have been weaving sweetgrass baskets since 1841 (225 E. Bay St., 877/440-2250, marketpavilion.com, from $229). The vistas from the Roof Top Bar & Restaurant at the Vendue Inn are also spectacular--and the beers are $3. The interior queen rooms, a mix of French provincial and American colonial decor, are a good deal at $139 per night (19 Vendue Range, 843/577-7970, vendueinn.com).

5. A spot of tea
Bigelow Tea got its start in 1945 because Ruth Bigelow was looking for a little more zest in her morning cup. At the company's Charleston Tea Plantation, the only commercial tea farm in the continental U.S., visitors can follow the production process from raw leaf to finished tea bag. 6617 Maybank Hwy., 843/559-0383, charlestonteaplantation.com, free.

6. Where there's Smoak...
Stephen Smoak, known as Smoak to regulars, is one of the city's best bartenders. At Red Drum Gastropub, he mixes special-recipe ginger mojitos and espresso martinis that make for a nice pairing with chef Ben Berryhill's Southwest-influenced cuisine: crab tostaditas with red voodoo sauce, tuna tacos served with cowboy beans, and clams in a chili broth. 803 Coleman Blvd., 843/849-0313, reddrumpub.com, entrées from $12.

7. Top hats
When it comes to feathered fedoras and cloches, Leigh Magar is your milliner (as well as Michael Stipe's and Christina Aguilera's). "I'm currently obsessed with incorporating Greek gilded-wreath designs into my hats," says the South Carolina native, who gets her inspiration from travel. Her shop, Magar Hatworks, is inside a former beauty parlor. 557½ King St., 843/577-7740, magarhatworks.com.

8. Long live the King
This spring, one of America's oldest cities refurbished one of its oldest districts, Upper King, adding bluestone walkways and a string of new boutiques. A local favorite is B'zar, a shop owned by Brooklyn transplants Gustavo and Andrea Serrano that stocks affordable clothing and accessories, including totes named after the couple's dog, Roxy. 541 King St., 843/579-2889, shopbzar.com.

9. Hominy sweet Hominy
The place for sophisticated-but-homey Southern fare, such as okra-and-shrimp beignets with salsa and cilantro-lime sour cream, is Hominy Grill. Chef Robert Stehling uses only regional ingredients, right down to the grits, which come from a mill near his North Carolina hometown. 207 Rutledge Ave., 843/937-0930, hominygrill.com, entrées from $10.

10. Preserving the past
The Old Slave Mart Museum has the last intact slave-auction gallery in South Carolina. The museum has been closed to the public for the last 20 years, but it has plans to reopen this fall. It will acknowledge the city's disturbing history: Roughly 40 percent of all slaves who were shipped to this country between 1700 and 1775 disembarked in Charleston Harbor. 6 Chalmers St., 843/958-6467, oldslavemart.com, $7.

11. South beach
Folly Beach, just 12 miles south of downtown, has a laid-back vibe, authentic crab shacks, trinket shops, and a surfer-friendly stretch known as the Washout. follybeach.com.

12. And the food is good
Mustard- and olive-colored walls, rustic hutches, and dreamy landscapes by local photographer John Duckworth set the stage for the elegant fare served at FIG, short for Food Is Good. Popular dishes include a garlicky frisée salad garnished with lardons, and South Carolina lamb with a goat cheese and potato puree. 232 Meeting St., 843/805-5900, eatatfig.com, entrées from $20.

13. Bridging the gap
In 2005, the 2.5-mile, eight-lane Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge was completed, connecting downtown Charleston to the suburb of Mount Pleasant. (It's named after a former state senator whom many South Carolinians affectionately know as Cousin Arthur.) Bike the Bridge Rentals offers three-hour, self-guided tours. 360 Concord St., 843/853-2453, bikethebridgerentals.com, $15.

14. Better homes and gardens
Each fall, the heavy wooden doors and garden gates of the city's private historic houses swing open to the public. Throughout late September and October, around 180 residences participate in the Preservation Society of Charleston's Fall Tours of Homes & Gardens, some of which are evening walks (147 King St., 843/722-4630, preservationsociety.org, $45). Certain homes, such as the Edmondston-Alston House--where Robert E. Lee took refuge during the Civil War--offer tours all year long (21 E. Battery St., 843/722-7171, middletonplace.org, $10).

15. The telltale tavern
Sullivan's Island is a sleepy town (population 1,873) with wide, sandy beaches. It's also the site of Fort Moultrie, a significant battleground during the American Revolution and the Civil War (1214 Middle St., nps.gov/fosu, $3). Edgar Allan Poe was stationed as a soldier on the island from 1827 to 1828, and Poe's Tavern pays the author tribute--of a sort--with such dishes as Edgar's Drunken Chili and a Pit & Pendulum burger made with applewood-smoked bacon and sharp cheddar (2210 Middle St., 843/883-0083, poestavern.com, sandwiches from $8).

16. Have a Pleasant day
Little has changed in Mount Pleasant's old town over the last 70 years: Thick malted-milk shakes and mortar-and-pestle-ground prescriptions (called compounds) are still sold at Pitt Street Pharmacy (111 Pitt St., 843/884-4051, pittstreetpharmacy.com), and the Old Village Post House remains the best inn in town. The B&B's six rooms have original hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, and soothing whirlpool tubs (101 Pitt St., 800/549-7678, oldvillageposthouse.com, from $145).

17. Here's the beef
Charleston's revered downtown burger shack, Your Place, recently relocated to Mount Pleasant. Die-hards may bemoan the new nautical-themed decor--life preservers and photos of lighthouses cover the walls--but the monstrous cheeseburgers topped with bacon and jalapeños are still drawing them across the bridge. 217 Lucas St., 843/388-8002, burger $6.50.

18. This little piggy went to market...
The stalls at the Charleston Farmers Market, held Saturdays from 8 A.M. to 2 P.M., aren't limited to fresh produce. Vendors sell everything from pulled pork sandwiches at the Omelette Station to sweetgrass scrubs at The Charleston Soap Chef. Marion Square, 843/724-7309, closed late December to early April.

19. On the sauce
Barbecue in Charleston is all about the right base, but Ciarán Duffy, the chef at Tristan, has added an unexpected ingredient to the mix: cocoa. His sauce comes in three flavors--chocolate, chocolate chili, and chocolate pomegranate. 55 S. Market St., 843/534-2155, tristandining.com, entrées from $17.

20. Just call them Social drinkers
There are more than 50 wines sold by the glass at Social Restaurant & Wine Bar, a new spot in East Bay with industrial track-lighting and bartenders who wear WINE STUD T-shirts. The Kiona, an inky cabernet with hints of chocolate, is excellent. 188 E. Bay St., 843/577-5665, socialwinebar.com, from $3.

21. Sugar and spice and everything nice
Ex-Manhattanite Kristin Kuhlke has made a name for herself on King Street with Cupcake, a bakery that sells over 30 varieties of cupcakes, including red velvet (433 King St., 843/853-8181, freshcupcakes.com). Before opening the bakery, Kuhlke worked for a cell phone company, fielding complaints. "When I moved back to Charleston, I just wanted to make people happy," she says. "And who doesn't love cupcakes?" Another good spot for a sugar fix is Three Smart Cookies, where iced cookies come in dozens of shapes, from polar bears to pink polka dot bikinis (334 E. Bay St., 843/937-9229, 3smartcookies.net).

22. Water, water everywhere
The best way to explore the city's network of salt marshes is via kayak. Mount Pleasant's Coastal Expeditions leads half-day tours through estuaries inhabited by manatees and ospreys. 514-B Mill St., 843/884-7684, coastalexpeditions.com, $58.

23. Thursday night fever
The Hot Wheels Skating Center on James Island, a 10-minute drive from downtown Charleston, has a Rolling Back in Time night every Thursday. It's a bargain at $3, including skate rental. 1523 Folly Rd., 843/795-7982, hotwheelsskating.net.

24. From rice to riches
The plantations that made Charleston into a wealthy city were built along the banks of the Ashley River. The most iconic is Drayton Hall, the oldest preserved plantation house in the South. 3380 Ashley River Rd., 843/769-2600, draytonhall.org, $14.

25. Going to the chapel
The oldest church in town, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, has a 186-foot tiered steeple (71 Broad St., 843/723-0603). St. Philip's Episcopal Church, meanwhile, is known for its graveyard, the resting place of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence (142 Church St., 843/722-7734). Sunday mornings, look for the procession of boys in seersucker and girls in Mary Janes.

$4M authorized for downtown flooding

The city of Charleston is expected to get $4 million from the federal government to alleviate constant flooding in the area known as the Fishburne/Spring drainage basin. Flooding in this area occurs during heavy rains and is made worse during high tides, at which times much of the area between Spring and Fishburne Streets, including the stretch of U.S. Highway 17, can be impassable.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. credited state lawmakers in Columbia for securing the government funds for Charleston. Congress has also authorized stormwater improvement funds for other areas around the state under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.

Riley said once the $4 million is appropriated, more could follow. Drainage problems in the Fishburne-Spring Street area are expected to be the most costly to fix among flood-prone areas addressed by the city's 1984 master plan for drainage projects.

By Daily Journal Staff

IMAX theater passes into history

The Charleston IMAX Theatre closed its doors for good today, a victim of declining revenues despite the popularity of such recent features as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Charleston-based Rivers Enterprises, the owner of the theater, said in a written statement that the decision to close came after much "thoughtful consideration."

The statement, which was released through the city of Charleston, said the company concluded that the "most prudent business decision was to close the theater."

The city and Rivers Enterprises are now working together to find a new occupant for the location, the statement said.

The closure of the Charleston IMAX came so abruptly that its Web site on Monday was still advertising upcoming features. The Web site is trumpeting the showing of "Transformers," which opens on Sept. 21 and was to be shown "only for a limited time."

Attempts to reach personnel at the theater for comment were greeted by a somber message announcing the closure.

Rivers Enterprises' decision to close is the local manifestation of a nationwide trend that has engulfed IMAX, a technology company specializing in larger-than-life films based on its 70mm film format. IMAX Corp. recently reported second-quarter results that showed a 28% revenue decline nationwide, a precipitous drop that added up to a $4.57 million loss for the quarter.

Second-quarter profits from continuing operations replaced a $0.04 per share profit a year earlier with a deficit of $0.11 per share.

Despite the IMAX closure, the city of Charleston continued Monday to tout the Aquarium Wharf area for which the theater served as an anchor as "a vibrant and exciting part of downtown Charleston."

Other active enterprises on the wharf include the South Carolina Aquarium, Fort Sumter Tours, Charleston Water Taxi, Sandlapper Water Tours, Spiritline Cruises and Charleston Harbour Tours.

By Dan McCue , Staff Writer