While buying local is ALWAYS the best choice, take the first week of December (1st through 7th) to remind yourself how important it really is. Lowcountry Local First is celebrating Buy Local Week with events including a Give Local Holiday Bazaar, a viewing of the documentary film Independent America at the Terrace Theater, and Eat Local Night and a Local Hero contest. The culmination at the end of the week with the BUY LOCAL, BE LOCAL BASH on December 7th at Lowndes Grove!

Get a head start and buy local for your Thanksgiving Feast!

If you couldn’t make the first-ever Pecha Kucha Night at Memminger Auditorium last night, you missed an amazing event pulled off by lots and lots of volunteer work, along with generous helpings from the The Culinary Institute of Charleston at TTC, the College of Charleston’s Computer Science team, PDA Green Works, and financial support from the CVB, New Carolina and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Over 200 people turned out to share a beer, sample tasty bits from the young chefs, and get exposed to the thoughts, inspiration, and creativity of 9 diverse individuals who choose to work and live in Charleston – a small slice of the depth and breadth of creative talent that impacts both the quality of life and the economy of our region.

So what did we experience? A Google Earth tour of the urbanized parts of the globe; an intimate visit with a mountain man; a sustainable architecture showcase; ‘bricksellated’ public art; a story about an insouciant young Charlestonian; a roots rock reggae tour of Jamaica and it’s link to hip-hop; a French-Asian fusion bouillabaisse whipped up on site; a spoken word performance; and a short film created in the last 2 weeks just for this event… an amazingly fun, diverse, and energizing set of presentations. (Learn more about the presenters at www.pechakuchacharleston.wordpress.com.)

Special thanks go out to Robert Prioleau of Blue Ion (our emcee) and Patrick Bryant of Go To Team for their leadership and kicking off what we all hope to be the first of many events to bring the creative community together.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the next one… we already have a full slate of presenters lined up and we’re thinking January. More to come!

Photo courtesy of Diana Deaver.

A group of creative industry professionals in Charleston are staging the first-ever Pecha Kucha Night in Charleston on November 12 at 6:00 p.m.  So what the heck is Pecha Kucha and why should I care?

Pecha Kucha is a Japanese phrase that means ‘the sound of conversation’ or ‘chit chat’ and it’s a mix of show-and-tell, open-mike night and happy hour. It was originally conceived by architects in Japan who wanted an informal forum for creative people to meet, network, and share ideas without the danger of a designer run amuck with PowerPoint and microphone.  So the format allows each presenter 20 images shown for just 20 seconds each, without control of ‘forward’ or ‘back, please,’ making for a concise, 6 minutes and 40 seconds of fame for each of 8-10 presenters.  Since 2003, the concept has spread virally to over 135 cities around the world.

With so much interesting creative work going on around Charleston, in so many different arenas, it sounded like a good idea to celebrate that and see what’s happening.  The presenters confirmed for the first event are from the fields of graphic design, advertising, visual and performing arts, literature, architecture and urban planning.  And we’re working on a few more.

It’s for creativity, it’s not for profit, and all of the organizers are volunteers who have day jobs.  So no one’s going to hit you up for cash.  Oh yeah, and there will be beer, too.

So check out the invite, rsvp if you’re interested (you’ll need to in order to find out the location), and we’ll see you there.  And feel free to pass it along to anyone you think might enjoy.  Should be interesting!

Redux Art Center is teamed up with B’zar Clothing creating their own inspiration this weekend. Friday the 22^nd of August, they are hosting The Munny Show 2.0. The event was created to feature and support the diverse underground local art scene as well as give back to the local community through youth-focused art programs.

The viewing will be held at the Redux Art Center in downtown Charleston from 6 to 8 pm, followed by the auction from 8 to 9:30, then ending with a party from 9:30 to 11 pm. All proceeds will go to support the free and local education and outreach initiatives of Redux Art Center.

So, what is a Munny? Create your own! The artists involved range from graphic designers, painters, illustrators, graffiti artists, clothing and jewelry designers, as well as many other artistic voices.

Not sure how to “be green” like everyone’s telling you to be? Coming up September 28^th, the Charleston Green Fair will be held in Marion Square.

Reputable green festival planning company, Seven Star Events, has been hired to ensure the fair is truly sustainable and has zero-impact. Enjoy a variety of entertainment: speakers, musicians, demonstrations, as well as plenty of food and “green” exhibitors for family, home and office, food, health and wellness.

Still not convinced? Charleston’s finest Mayor Joe Riley is on board supporting the green effort! The Lowcountry has so many amazing programs and services to offer, so come check them out. You’ll be surprised how easy it is being green.

Photo courtesy of CharlestonGreenFair.org

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams continues his special acoustic solo tour across the United States with this visit to Charleston Music Hall on July 21st. Originally conceived to debut songs from his latest disc, 11, the acoustic tour works, Adams says, because that’s how the songs began. “The album started out as an acoustic record, and halfway through I sort of switched gears and decided to make sort of an acoustic rock record,” says Adams.

11 was released in Canada and throughout the world, in the fall of 2007, and released in the spring of 2008 in the United States, where it is available exclusively at Wal-mart stores. 11 debuted atop three international charts, including Canada, India and Switzerland, and was Top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, the UK and Holland. The appropriately titled disc, produced by Adams, is his 11th album of all-original music and features 11 songs.

The show starts at 8:00 p.m., doors open at 7:00 and tickets are $40. To purchase, visit any Etix outlet, Cat’s Music, call (800) 514-3849 or visit Etix.com

To request a review copy of 11 and an interview with Bryan Adams, contact: Marlene Palmer, marlenepalmer@shaw.ca, 604.763.2284

Photo courtesy of charlestonmusichall.com

Just a quick note to say how inspiring it was Monday to watch community leaders meet under one roof to help establish a framework for the region’s future. I’m talking elected officials, developers, conservationists and business executives… more than 150 participated in Charleston’s Reality Check, which was put on by the Urban Land Institute.

The goal of the game was to use legos to plot growth in the tri-county area, focusing on infrastructure, population/household growth, commute times and affordable housing. So many of the participants with their own formulated opinions, yet by the end of the day all were committed to core values:

“the desire to maintain green space; the need for sustainable communities where people can work, live and play without long commutes; the demand for a public transportation system like a light rail to connect outlying areas to Charleston; and the high-priority need to redevelop blighted urban areas and establish affordable housing.”

Charleston is in good hands… and if these leaders hold up to even a small portion of their commitment to the cause, Charleston will only continue to thrive and prosper.

Alright, I didn’t get to make the first Kulture Klash, but I heard it was a rock’n good time. Here’s some pics to get you excited about the next one (scheduled for Spring ‘08):

Warm up those vocal chords, drink lots of fluids and pop in your most inspiring tune… ’cause American Idol is coming to town!

This weekend is sure to be entertaining — at least for Paula, Randy and Simon, who are in town for American Idol auditions. I think it’s pretty cool that Charleston was one of seven cities chosen around the country for this popular singing competition. So, tell your friends, coworkers and neighbors to audition this Saturday. Who knows… perhaps Charleston will produce the nation’s next top singer.

For more information on the audition process, visit the American Idol/Charleston.

ULI South Carolina and the Lowcountry Housing Trust are holding a half-day program called Housing for All: Developing Housing for the Workforce. The event will bring together regional developers, realtors, engineers, planners, government entities and housing providers to discuss the issues related to workforce housing, including local barriers, solutions and implementation strategies. Hear from local and national developers, planners and experts about the latest trends in developing housing for the workforce!

The $25 registration fee includes hot breakfast and resource materials. Visit the ULI website to register online and to get more information. The deadline for online registration is Friday, May 18.

Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Time: 7:30 am- 11:00 am
Location: 10 Storehouse Row (2120 Noisette Blvd) North Charleston