I remember the day when I met Philip Simmons. At the age of 94, he was still very much involved in the arts community, and that day, he was present to support the American College of the Building Arts.

Simmons passed away June 22, but his legacy and works will continue to inspire future generations. This master blacksmith’s work can be found all over the city, and also at the Smithsonian Museum, the National Museum of American History and the South Carolina State Museum.

His interest in iron work began after moving downtown from Daniel Island. He began an apprenticeship at age 13, and was a full-fledged blacksmith by 18. Over his quarter-century career, over 500 gates, fences, columns, window grills and other works (not including pokers and other tools) were produced. 

Simmons earned the “National Heritage Fellowship” from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982, and received an honorary degree from SC State University in 2006.

Check out some of his work at the following locations in Charleston:

• The gazebo at the Charleston International Airport
• Gates outside the Charleston Vistors Center
• The egret gates at Waterfront Park
• The Gadsden house gate at 329 East Bay St.
• The gate at 2 st. Michael’s Alley
• The railings and window grilles at 45 Meeting St.
• The heart gates at St. John’s Reformed Episcopal Church at 91 Anson St.

Also, check out the wrought iron at Liberty Square and the Philip Simmons Park on Daniel Island to see works designed by him.

Charleston City Paper launched a redesigned website in June and will soon be adding a feature for foodies called “Nosh Mob.” According to the June 10 edition, Nosh Mob will be “a group of superusers who can serve as reliable food reviewers online and be rewarded with monthly events just for them that take place at various places around the city and feature different topics and experts.”

No date was indicated of when the nosh mobbing will begin.

The “Write of Summer” writing camp is back this summer to inspire young writers and poets. The camp is lead by Jonathan Sanchez, a two-time winner in the South Carolina Fiction Project. He has been writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, and has led workshops at dozens of schools. 

Each session will visit the Gibbes Museum of Art and will close with a coffeehouse reading, with students performing from their portfolios of new work. Sessions are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until noon. Cost is $160 per session. Sessions are limited. Pre-registration is required, and camps will be filled in the order that registration forms are received.  

• July 13 – 17, Grades 7 – 9, Blue Bicycle Books (420 King St., Charleston)
• July 20 – 24, Grades 3 – 6, Christ Our King (1122 Russell Dr., Mount Pleasant)
• July 27 – 31, Grades 7 – 9, Christ Our King
• Aug. 3 – 7, Grades 9 – 12, Christ Our King
• Aug. 10 – 14, Grades 3 – 6, Blue Bicycle Books

For more information, call 843-722-2666 or email jonathansanchez@aya.yale.edu.

Lowcountry author, Dorthea Benton Frank, is set to publish a sequel to her best-selling book, Sullivan’s Island, on June 30. Sullivan’s Island earned a spot on the New York Times best seller list in 2000.

A book launch will be held July 2  at the Charleston Library Society (164 King St.). Frank will discuss and answer questions about the book, and each guest will receive a signed copy. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Tickets are $75 per person (includes the cost of the book) and can be purchased by calling 843-723-9912.

Book summary from Amazon.com:

Whether you were away from the Lowcountry for a week or for years, it was impossible to remember how gorgeous it was. It never changed and everyone depended on that.

Newly graduated from college and an aspiring writer, Beth Hayes craves independence and has a world to conquer. But her notions of travel, graduate study, and writing the great American novel will have to be postponed. With her mother, Susan, leaving to fulfill her own dreams in Paris and her Aunt Maggie, Uncle Grant, and stepfather, Simon, moving to California, Beth is elected by her elders to house-sit the Island Gamble. Surrounded by the shimmering blue waters of the Atlantic, the white clapboards, silver tin roof, and confessional porch have seen and heard the stories of generations of Hamiltons. But will the ghosts of the Island Gamble be watching over Beth?

Buoyed by sentimental memories of growing up on this tiny sandbar that seems to be untouched by time, Beth vows to give herself over to the Lowcountry force and discover the wisdom it holds. She will rest, rejuvenate, and then reenter the outside world. Just as she vows she will never give into the delusional world of white picket fences, minivans, and eternal love, she meets Max Mitchell. And all her convictions and plans begin to unravel with lightning speed.

There is so much about life and her family’s past that she does not know. Her ignorance and naivetÉ nearly cost her both her inheritance and her family’s respect. But Beth finds unexpected friends to help her through the disaster she faces: her wise and charming Aunt Sophie; Cecily Singleton, the granddaughter of Livvie Singleton; and Woody Morrison, the solid young investment banker.

This wonderful ensemble of characters could be your own family, but watch what unfolds as they succumb to the island’s spell. If everything happens for a reason, then Beth’s return to Sullivans Island teaches her that betrayal and tragedy are most easily handled when you surround yourself with loyal family and friends in a magical place that loves you so much that it wants to claim you as its own.

The Palmetto Artisan Program, a week-long, after-school entrepreneurship class, has won first place in the US Conference of Mayors’ city livability awards. Palmetto roses are created from Palmetto Tree fronds and are a recognizable art form in Charleston.

The program was developed after residents and officials complained about children selling palmetto roses, so in 2007, the City of Charleston created the program. To teach worthwhile business practices and promote their talent in a positive way, middle- and high-school students learn lessons in customer service, marketing techniques and social skills at the class. The kids also get snacks, mentoring and free palmetto fronds. Upon graduation from the program, youths are permitted to sell palmetto roses.

To read the whole story from Post & Courier, click here.

The Creative Industries Cluster aka “Parliament” (the group that brings you Pecha Kucha Night Charleston), has been discussing the importance of an economic impact study and strategy for the Charleston region to quantify and justify the creative economy as an economic driver, as well as provide strategies and infrastructure to secure the successful future for all eight categories in the cluster: Performing and Visual Arts, Preservation and Restoration, Cultural Heritage, Architecture and Urban Design, Culinary Arts, Literary Arts and Publishing and Film & Video Arts.

To fund this study, the organization needs to raise $15,000 by June 26 to apply it towards a matching grant program that has a deadline at the end of June. As of June 15, they have raised $11,500. 

Their goal is to get 350 people to donate $10 by June 26. Donations are tax exempt minus any goods or services received. Click here to reach the donation page.

Next Generation Consulting (NGC) has announced its “Next Cities” rankings, and Charleston has been named #2 for Mighty Micros (100,000 – 200,000 population). The “Next Cities” index lists the best places to live and work for young professionals  in three population categories.

NGC has studied the residential and relocation patterns of 20-40 years olds since 1998, and has developed a one-of-a-kind indexing system that evaluates a city based on the assets that are important to next gen workers. According to NGC, the seven indexes of a “Next City” are:  Earning, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital. 

NEXT CITIES RANKED BY POPULATION
Mighty Micros – Next Cities with Population of 100,000-200,000

1.  Fort Collins, Colorado
2.  Charleston, South Carolina
3.  Eugene, Oregon
4.  Cedar Rapids, Iowa
5.  Springfield, Illinois
6.  Cary, North Carolina
7.  Ann Arbor, Michigan
8.  Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9.  Pueblo, Colorado
10.  Gainesville, Florida
11.  Stamford, Connecticut
12.  Des Moines, Iowa
13.  Spokane, Washington
14.  Syracuse, New York
15.  Huntsville, Alabama
16.  Peoria, Illinois
17.  Springfield, Missouri
18.  Salt Lake City, Utah
19.  Richmond, Virginia
20.  Hampton, Virginia

View the entire list of “Next Cities” here.

Charleston native and host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, will be broadcasting his final show from Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq tonight.

I find it inspiration to see a Charlestonian work his way up in the entertainment industry to eventually get his own comedy show, and to broadcast in Iraq among America’s finest, is certainly a great honor.

Colbert is known for his playful, political commentaries and brought that spirit to entertain the troops at Camp Victory. The series of four tapings began with a head shaving and follows a similar format as US tapings with skits and news-style reports. The Colbert’s series, “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando,” is the first time anyone has broadcast a taped, non-news talk show fully produced and broadcast from Iraq as part of a USO tour. 

He has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which helps injured service members and their families. Colbert even has an Ben and Jerry’s ice cream named after him, Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream, which raised funds for the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Watch full episodes from the series until now: June 8, June 9, June 10

According to the Pop-Up Shop Charleston Facebook page, “pop-ups are the epitome of our high-speed, short-attention-span culture. They are restaurants, bars, clubs and shop that spring up in unexpected locations, cause a storm, and disappear just before the fashion crowd moves on to the next big thing.”

Do you cherish the days of record stores? Do you have fond memories of Millenium Music? Want to know the story about how Millenium came to be and evolved into FeedYourPlayer.com, and later AbundaTrade? Check out the June issue of Inc. Magazine to read the story of two Charleston businessmen adapting to the times. 

For 15 years Kent Wagner and business partner, Clayton Woodson, owned Millennium Music on the corner of King and Calhoun Streets. With the music industry going digitel, Millennium was faced with declining sales and launched a new venture called FeedYourPlayer.com in 2006, which offered customers the option to trade used CDs for iPods. FeedYourPlayer was a hit, and Wagner decided that his business would be more successful online. After closing the brick-and-mortar store in 2008, Wagner and Woodson launced AbundaTrade, which allows customers to exchange CDs for electronics like TVs, iPods and camcorders. 

Visit the AbundaTrade website to learn more.