Charleston Area Events Jan - June 2010

Check out these fun filled events to combine with your stay at the beach!

Lowcountry Oyster Festival 10/31/2010 10:30 am- 5pm
An oyster-lover’s dream…Over 65,000 pounds of oysters! Highlights of Sunday’s “rain or shine” Main Event include the legendary “Oyster Shucking & Eating Contest,” selection of domestic and imported beers, live bands on the Main Stage and a Kids Corner (complete with pony rides and jump castles). For 20 consecutive years, the Lowcountry Oyster Festival has been named one of the “top 20 events in the southeast” by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

Southeastern Wildlife Expo 2/12/10 – 2/14/2010
Experience the largest wildlife, art and nature event in the nation. Held at various sites throughout Charleston, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Highlights include: artist Thomas Brooks, DockDogs, Children's Square, Retriever Demonstrations, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary Shows, Jack Hanna and much more!

Charleston Wine + Food Fest 3/4/10 – 3/7/10
A food and wine event like no other, the Festival provides the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the country's best chefs, authors and wine professionals. Two Grand Tasting Tents host more than eighty companies featuring samples of specialty foods and unique wines. Guests will enjoy the “Taste of the Festival” Signature Charity Tent and one-on-one interaction with local and guest esteemed chefs along with beverage professionals.

33rd Annual Cooper River Bridge Run 3/27/10
The Cooper River Bridge Run is the best organized and the best conducted 10-K race in the world. It includes world-class competition in a unique setting with unparalleled participant satisfaction.

38th Annual Flowertown Festival 3/26/10 – 3/28/10
Consistently ranked one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, the Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival has been a Summerville, South Carolina tradition since 1971. The three-day event features over 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the country who display their work for sale on the beautiful grounds of Azalea Park and on Main Street. Festival attendees also enjoy delicious foods from local restaurants at the Taste of the Town, fun activities and rides for children at the Children’s Jubilee and free admission and parking.

63rd Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens 3/18/10 – 4/17/10
Experience the intimate charm and elegance found only beyond Charleston's private garden gates and historic thresholds. The Festival is set during the peak of the city's blooming season. Set amid the historic ambience of the city’s Old & Historic District, this series of award-winning tours showcases Charleston’s distinctive architecture, history, gardens and culture. These tours provide a rare opportunity for guests to go inside the private houses and gardens of some of America’s most beautiful historic residences, dating to the 18th century. Visit Charleston to see why it has been renowned for three centuries as “a city set in a garden.”

Family Circle Cup 4/10/10 – 4/18/10
Every spring, the City of Charleston and Daniel Island serves as a backdrop to one of the richest and most traditional events in women's professional tennis. The Family Circle Cup, one of twenty Premier events on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, has a roster of past champions that include some of the biggest names in the history of women's tennis including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams. The 2010 Family Circle Cup, April 10 - 18, promises to be an exciting tournament as it will celebrate 10 years in Charleston.

Piccolo Spoleto Festival 5/28/10 - 6/13/10
Piccolo's mission is to provide access to the Spoleto Festival experience for everyone, regardless of their economic, social or physical circumstances and to provide the opportunity for excellent local and regional artists, writers and performances to be presented in Piccolo's "local venue." Piccolo Spoleto offers something wonderful for everyone - from classical to contemporary, from traditional to cutting edge. One of the unique aspects of Piccolo Spoleto is the accessibility to the Spoleto Festival experience. Half of Piccolo's events are admission-free, and the rest are offered at very modest ticket prices.

Spoleto Festival 5/28/10 - 6/13/10
Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene and others, who sought to create an American counterpart to their annual Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. Looking for a city that would provide the charm of Spoleto as well as its wealth of theaters, churches and other performances spaces, they selected Charleston as the ideal location. The historic city provided a perfect fit: intimate enough that the festival would captivate the entire city; yet cosmopolitan enough to provide an enthusiastic audience and robust infrastructure.Since then Spoleto Festival USA has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading festivals, presenting more than 200 world or American premieres. Notable past premieres and commissions include: Monkey: Journey to the West by Chen Shi-Zheng, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett; Peter and Wendy by Lee Breuer; Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams; The American Clock by Arthur Miller; The Mechanical Organ by the Nikolais Dance Theatre; Miracolo d’Amore by Martha Clarke; Empty Places by Laurie Anderson; Hydrogen Jukebox by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg; Praise House by Urban Bush Women; Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot; and Tenebrae by Osvaldo Golijav.

Charleston Harbor Fest June 18, 2010 - June 20, 2010

Charleston Harbor Fest is a true harbor-wide celebration of the sea. Attracting visitors and locals alike, this event is family-friendly and loads of fun for all ages. From the classic beauty of sailing ships, wooden boats and pirates giving their best “Argh” to the interactive educational exhibits, Charleston Harbor Fest offers an array of activities. You can be as hands-on as you want from tame to adventurous. Tour the ships, enjoy the scenic waterfront and relax with a beverage and fine Lowcountry fare. For those with more adventurous spirit, build your own boat over the weekend with the handy help of our volunteers, head out on the harbor for your free sailing lesson, or actually join the crew of one of the ships and sail north to Boston. For those more interested in air than sea, there are aerobatic flight demonstrations, helicopter rides and other exciting aerial attractions.

Island Realty Staff's New Year's Resolutions for 2010

Happy New Year! We would like to share some of our New Year's Resolutions. What are yours?

To be more involved in my community and bettering the planet; Do more to help those who are truly in need; Make a more conscious effort to exercise; Take full advantage of the best things about living at the beach; I have a lot of movies that I want to watch as well; Earn at least six more credit hours at school; Pay off my car. - Amber

Make time to rejoin a gym and go back to college. - Angel

Be kind….everyone has a story! - Bonne

Eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking up…no skipping the most important meal of the day!; Read at least 1 new book a month; Try one new recipe a week! – Jessica

Mine are to improve my yoga practice, add spinning classes to my workout routine and take an art class! - Kristin

Improve my patience. – Michael

Improve my attitude! - Margie
“People with a positive frame of mind think about possibilities, growth, expansion and success. They expect happiness, health, love and good relationships. They think in terms of 'I can', 'I am able' and 'I will succeed'.” - Remez Sasson

My goal is to do more volunteer work in 2010 & to join an organization or group this year. – Nancy

To spend as much time as possible with my parents since Halloween my mom was diagnosed with advanced emphysema and recently my dad with leukemia. - Pam

I’m thinking about weight loss everyday! Exercise is every other day!! :) - Sandy

My New Year’s Resolution will be to volunteer 8 hours a month to help families that are struggling to make ends meet. I can teach them about cooking and couponing to help them feed their families; Offer cooking classes for kids at risk to help them develop self-esteem and confidence in who they are by giving them a guiding hand and someone to depend on; I would like to reduce the use of post it notes in our office by 50% weekly by making notepads from our used copy paper for everyone to use. – Sharon

Quit smoking….currently on day 11. – Shawn

In 2010 I resolve to be as healthy as I can be by handling stress better, exercising more,
having fewer falls(!!), eating right, and continuing to work hard for Island Realty. – Sheryl

To become more involved in my community, try new things and to be a better more positive person. – Tabi

To be a better me and make my life more purposeful – Whitney

Island Realty 2009 Vacation Guest Photo Contest

The Island Realty staff was tasked with the difficulty in voting for their favorite vacation rental guest photos! We would like to thank all of our guests for sharing their captured vacation memories with us!

Congratulations to Bruce who took the winning photograph of the private fishing pier at the Sea Cabin Villas in Isle of Palms taken July 2009!

















Congratulations to the runner-ups!