For those who are new in town, or have never experienced a Family Circle Cup, get ready for tons of fun.  Below is a short list of the special activities surrounding the tennis event.

Saturday, April 10 - Opening day (starts at 10 am) kids 12 and under are FREE, and adults are only $10. Your ticket grants you unlimited access to all activities.  Opening day features fun for adults and kids thanks to a climbing wall, inflatable obstacle course, music, and more.

 Monday, April 12 - Entry is FREE to the public from 4:30pm - 7:00pm. The Family Circle Cup announces the debut of Citizens of the World presented by Prudential.

Tuesday Night, April 13 - Girls night out.  All tickets 1/2 price (as low as $10).

Wednesday, April 14 -  Mohawk Flooring treats kids 16 and under to free admission when accompanied by an adult, and adult tickets are only $10. Special activities from 4:00 - 7:00pm include court fun, autograph sessions, prizes, and more. All kids dressed as pirates will receive a $5 Queen Anne's Revenge gift certificate.

For more information you can call (800) 677-2293 or send an email to events@familycirclecup.com  or go to www.familycirclecup.com.

The Charleston Animal Society has a wide range of new courses from the Canine College.   

Lovely, historic Charleston has a lot going for it but, for decades, growth wasn't one of them.

The core city lost population for decades until things started turning around in the 1960s. Since then the number of residents has increased to 100,000 from a low of about 60,000.

Economically, the city has ridden a tourism surge; it has added large numbers of hotels, bed-and-breakfast inns and restaurants over the past 40 years. And there has also been a jump in tech jobs.

Job losses have been a problem lately, however, with an unemployment rate of 10.2% in December, higher than the national average.

After recording modest home price declines over the past three years, Charleston is poised for a comeback, according to Fiserv and Moody's Economy.com. Prices will climb an average of 2.9% between now and September 2011.

Median home price: $192,000
Value lost since 2006: 14.1%
Forecast gain through 2011*: 2.9%

To read the entire article go to http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/real_estate/1002/gallery.Housing_recovery_bets

Charleston's own Academic Magnet School in North Charleston was ranked #12 among all school in the country, according to the US News and World Report article released December 9, 2009.  Among magnet schools, it was rated #1 in the nation, moving up from the #2 spot last year.  Magnet schools are public schools that attract the most talented students in a region using an application process that typically involves test scores and grade-point averages.    Any resident of Charleston County may apply for admittance to the school, and the deadline is typically early December.  For more information, go to http://www.ccsdschools.com/Our_Schools/documents/AMHSApplicationFinal2Communications20091028.pdf

Market Stats for Daniel Island

Active:  314
Pending Sales: 23
Sold in last 30 days: 6
Sold this year: 42
Average sales price for this year: $522,220

Red Day-Renew Energize Donate 
Giving Back to Our Community 

Participating Vendors:

Food	Artisans	Farmers
Ali Baba The Good Dog Bakery Charleston Crepe Company Rococo Bakery Fresh Pickle Works Great Foods Co-Op FoodEze LLC Sandlapper Events T & T Original Kettle Korn Frosted Chick Fil A Mr. Koolie Tazza Beverages	Barbara’s Sweetgrass Baskets Branch Design Studio Carolina Soaps Kate Puck - Jewelry by the Sea Characters By Marina ConFusion Jewelry Lucky Tree Bags M Nocher Photography The Rainn Maker Zip It T-shirts Zola	Capt Hatt’s Shrimp Market Fields Farm Simmons Farm Turkey Hill Farms Our Local Foods, LLC Owl’s Nest Plantation River Run Farms

Thursdays, April 30 – September 24 from 3 p.m. to dusk
Family Circle Tennis Center courtyard

RISMEDIA, Oct. 13, 2008-Eric Tyson has every right to be opinionated about the media’s treatment of the current market conditions both on Main and Wall Streets. Tyson is a former management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms and has successfully invested in real estate for more than two decades. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale and his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

He might be more recognizable to the real estate community through his authorship and co-authorships of the very successful Real Estate Investing for Dummies, Home Buying for Dummies, Taxes for Dummies and Personal Finance for Dummies. With his insight and candor relative to what we should, and perhaps should never be doing, we had quite a lively conversation.

Question: Eric, it’s tough to turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper without feeling like we are all lemmings ready to plunge into the abyss. To hearken to the pundits, this Wall Street mess is going to be the undoing of America as we know it.

Eric Tyson: I could not agree more. Listening to all the hype would lead people to believe that it was nearly impossible to get a home loan. It is harder to get a loan, but hardly impossible. There is a great deal of misinformation. The fact is, real estate is ‘on sale’ now as is stock. While I have no crystal ball about whether we have hit bottom, we are close. It is my contention that this is an excellent time to invest. We all know that buying low and waiting for things to return to more ‘normal’ circumstances is an excellent way to make money. Consumers with good credit will have little trouble finding lenders to write a mortgage. It is a fact that the volume of foreclosures and short-sales are slowing things down, and the fear of the credit crunch has added to the malaise. What we are seeing is a market correction, plain and simple. After the orgy of irresponsible lending by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, this was inevitable.

Q: People are scared that their investments are at risk. When house values have declined significantly in many markets and nest eggs, if small, have all but disappeared, how can we assure people that they need to hang in, not panic and not act without careful guidance and counseling?

ET: We all need to avoid hasty decisions. We cannot afford a 9/11 type mentality. That is, experiencing a crisis and reacting in the short term rather than sitting tight and letting the dust settle. After the tragedy of 9/11, we had economic woes that lasted many years. However, people who invested in real estate then made back their initial investments many times over. Selling a depressed investment is never wise. Fifteen years from now, we will be looking at this time and shaking our heads. However, this economy is a great deal tougher if you are close to retirement. You need to be sure that you are not invested in high-risk markets. One way to measure your portfolio for its level of risk is to take 110 and deduct your age. The result is the percentage of your portfolio that should be in long-term growth assets …stocks, real estate, bonds, etc. These may or may not fit the cautious-investment criteria dependent upon the history of their performance.

Q: What do you think the biggest misconception is relative to the spin the media places on the financial mess?

ET: This is not the Great Depression. We have to stop comparing the two times in our history. If facts are compared, it is not difficult to determine that where we are today is not where we were in 1929. The stock market decline of 700 points was a result of people listening to the media, panicking and selling off assets or liabilities as they saw them. The next day, the market rebounded significantly, and these same people are wondering if what they did was right or wrong. During the great depression, we had 50% foreclosures as compared with 2.5% or so today. We are suffering with 6% unemployment, yet back eighty years ago unemployment hit 25%. The bailout bill was grossly misrepresented by the media. They failed to liken present-day challenges to other times in recent history when we were in economic crisis. The Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) was formed by the US Government in 1989 to liquidate primarily real estate-related assets (including mortgage loans) belonging to savings and loan associations. These assets were declared insolvent by the Office of Thrift Supervision as a consequence of the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. Between 1989 and mid-1995, the RTC closed or otherwise resolved 747 thrifts with total assets of $394 billion. Many who invested wisely in the consolidation and distribution of these assets realized profits down the road. Instead of it costing the taxpayer 450 billion as initially proffered, it ultimately cost closer to 75 billion. The key point is that we successfully weathered a seemingly insurmountable crisis with far less pain than the media would have had us believe.

Q: Tough logic to swallow for people who are now having trouble buying food and providing shelter. While in the long run things will right themselves, it is the dark span between crises and leveling that scares most of us. We’re uncertain that we will come out the other end remotely whole…

ET: I understand that. It is in the ‘trenches’ where the pain is most palatable. However, as an economist, it is incumbent upon me to look at every aspect of our economy and determine where, and if, there are reasons to be optimistic. We do have a few strong economic indicators. Exports are up. The weakening of the US dollar aided that segment of our economy. As a result, our GDP grew. We are a resilient economy. We were entering a recession in 2001, and then we saw economic growth bolstered by the strong real estate market. Now we are seeing an adjustment for reasons mentioned earlier. I liken these adjustments to sausage making. While it is an ugly process to watch, the end product is quite palatable. There is far too much ‘daily noise’ that we have no control over. Research shows that the more negativity a person exposes himself/herself to, the more upset and out of control he/she feels. We must do our homework, balance the hyperbole with the facts and hunker down. There is simply no effective way to speed up the pains of an overdue economic correction.

By Marylyn B. Schwartz

An upcoming tour to raise funds for the Daniel Island branch of the Berkeley County Library will offer a peak inside a range of island homes.

The Friends of the Daniel Island Library will sponsor the first Daniel Island Harvest Tour of Homes from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 25.

Four homes will be featured, three in the Daniel Island Park neighborhood and one in Smythe Park near the Daniel Island School.

"The unique feature about this is a local author or illustrator will be in each house signing books," said Pat Richards, Daniel Island Friends president.

Local authors, Prioleau Alexander, Nathalie Dupree, Michael Dahlman and illustrator Ann Marie McKay will participate.

Alexander is best known for "You Want Fries With That? A White-Collar Burnout Experiences Life At Minimum Wage." The local businessman took a year off from his white-collar job to work at near minimum wage jobs and then wrote a book about the experience. Dupree is a local author of cookbooks, Dahlman wrote a history of Daniel Island, and McKay, a local painter, has illustrated books including Julie McLaughlin's "Mr. Gator's Up the Creek" and "Hungry Mr. Gator."

Richards said the friends group is trying to involve the community in the tour, which she hopes will become an annual event. Local businesses including A Floral Affair and The Blooming Village, of Mount Pleasant, will decorate the homes.

Daniel Island Friends operates under the auspices of Berkeley County Friends of the Library and raises funds exclusively for the Daniel Island branch, which opened in 2007, and also contributes funds to the county pot.

Richards said libraries always need something.

"The library budget is being cut all the time," she said.

The friends group solicits donations to enable to library to buy things that are beyond the reach of the county budget.

Tickets to the tour are $15. A map to the homes is part of the ticket package. Tickets can be purchased at: Daniel Island Real Estate, A Floral Affair and Laura Alberts, all on Daniel Island, and at The Blooming Village Florist, the Coastal Cupboard and the Mount Pleasant Visitor's Center, all in Mount Pleasant.

Tickets are also available at the Visitor's Center in Charleston. Tickets will be available the day of the tour for $20 at the Daniel Island Library, 2301 Daniel Island Drive. To purchase tickets by mail send a check to : Friends of the Library, 121 Iron Bottom Lane, Daniel Island, S.C. 29492.

 
According to a recent national survey, conducted by JD Power and Associated, Keller Williams Realty received the Highest Overall Satisfaction ratings from home-buyers among all the largest, full-service real estate firms in the country!

The results were determined in 3 categories: satistifaction with their agent, office and services provided. At the top of all 3 categories, Keller Williams beat out the competition!

The survey asked more than 3,200 people who bought or sold a home between April 2007 and June 2008.

For full details of the article and results, visit the Inman article here.

Buying a home soon? Call this Keller Williams Agent today!  Sue Orick (843) 817-3811.

 

Mortgage rates will trend down over the short run. But how much of a decline will depend on how actively the government - more specifically the Treasury Department and the FHFA - loosens their mortgage liquidity spigot. For over the next 12 months at least, the FHFA has the authority to purchase more than the normal amount of mortgages from lenders to put into their portfolio holdings. That means all conforming loans, including the newly conforming jumbo loans up to $625,000, will qualify for purchase by the FHFA. That will help drive down mortgage rates. In about two year time, when the housing recovery is assumed to be well underway, the government will trim its mortgage portfolio. Then Fannie and Freddie will be completely restructured. It will be up to the next administration and Congress to determine that structure in for which NAR will make our 1.3 million voices heard.

The credit spread between the 10-year Treasury and the 30-year mortgage rates has greatly widened in recent past months due to uncertainties surround the fate of Fannie and Freddie. The typical historic spread has been about 150 to 180 basis points. That means if the 10-year Treasury yield is 4%, then the 30-year mortgage would be about 5.5% to 5.8%. Rather, we have seen the spread at 250 to 300 basis points in recent months. With the government takeover, the spread will surely narrow and hence result in lower mortgage rates.

One legitimate concern is over taxpayer bailout. It is certainly possible that the Treasury will be forking over federal dollars if the default situation worsens. It is also possible for the Treasury and the taxpayers to come out ahead if the mortgage defaults slow down. The defaults will depend heavily on the direction of home prices and the home prices, in turn, are driven heavily by whether or not housing inventory gets trimmed. Assuming there are notable declines in mortgage rates from the federal takeover, then the demand for homebuying will return to the market place and help lower inventory. Therefore, it is very possible that this unprecedented move by the federal government may not cost the taxpayer a dime.

We should also be mindful that even if some taxpayer funds are used in the end, it was just not permissible to have Fannie and/or Freddie go under without any government backstop. The global economy would no doubt have entered one of the harshest recessions in recent memory. Loss of income and jobs would have been brutal, unnecessary collateral damage to ordinary people from the mistakes of the flawed mortgage lending model (which included no down-payment, no documentation, unloading the risk to the secondary market after originations, exuberant credit ratings by Moody's and Standard and Poor's, etc.)

Over the long term, after the above time-out phase of government activism, we need to ensure continuous flow of capital into the mortgage market to help consumers. The restructuring of Fannie and Freddie must meet this important criterion. The final restructuring will combine many innovative ideas, including:

• Counter-cyclical mortgage intervention which loosens the liquidity spigot in times of need and tightens when the housing market heats up.
• Covered bond market - which is the European way of funding mortgages
• Sound underwriting standards to assure a sustainable, healthy housing market (it is in no one's interest to have an unprepared homebuyer that ultimately leads to a foreclosure)
• Clearly separating out the public and private mission of the Fannie/Freddie or new entities. A model of private profits for the shareholders and losses for the taxpayers does not pass any common sense test.

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for NAR

Bustles, Bicycles, and Ballgowns:
Beginnings of Change in Late 19th Century Clothing

Through January 4, 2009

The Charleston Museum presents an original mini-exhibition called Bustles, Bicycles and Ballgowns: Beginnings of Change in Late 19th Century Clothing. Bicycles prompted a change in clothing and less restrictive undergarments.  Late 19th century women could go out on their bicycles unchaperoned for the first time because it was deemed acceptable as exercise. The bustle emerged during this era and proved to be more versatile than the hoop skirt.  This freedom of movement was a major factor in the increasing number of women in the workplace.

Bustles, Bicycles and Ballgowns offers a full range of garments, accessories and even equipment from late 19th century Charleston. In addition to women's undergarments, walking clothing and formal attire, guests will see an 1890s bicycle, typewriter and shorthand machine. The exhibit also features a try-on station complete with a period-appropriate corset, bustle, and drawers.

Bi-Lo, the South Carolina supermarket chain, just opened a brand new Super Store in Hanahan.  Now shoppers will have a great option if they are heading home to Daniel Island or Mt. Pleasant on I-526 west of the Cooper River.



This Super Bi-Lo is the first of its kind in the Charleston area and features a hugh selection of food items. 

For example, a walk down the store's shiny aisles shows that it offers seven flavors of single-portion Kraft Easy Mac packages, including bacon and alfredo, and six combinations of toppings on the Southern Home frozen pizzas — just for the line of thin crust pies.

The store also has a noticeably larger selection of imported spices, a chicken wing bar and a wine selection that's 40 percent larger than conventional Bi-Lo stores. Freshly cooked rotisserie chickens are guaranteed to be in stock during certain hours of the day. 

These concept stores have been successful every time they have opened, with customers  responding favorably to the new layouts.

The Bi-Lo is in a new shopping center at the entrance to Tanner Plantation off North Rhett Avenue, just one exit west of Clements Road off I-526.  Head north on North Rhett about 2 miles.  It is maybe a ten minute ride from Daniel Island.  Check it out!  

The latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors^® was released on August 7th.  According to this new report some improvement is projected for existing-home sales in the months ahead, with broader gains seen by the the last months of the year.  This could be a result of buyers take advantage of new provisions provided through the recently passed housing stimulus bill.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said sales have been in a pattern of rising and falling within a fairly narrow range. “With a tax credit now available to first-time home buyers, increases in home sales could be sustained with the momentum carrying into 2009.”  Yun also reports "New-home sales are expected to bottom around the second quarter of next year with slight gains in the second half of 2009."

Although still down from June 2007, the Southern region has jumped 9.3 percent to 92.4 on the pending home sales index, which was the highest percentage jump in all 4 regions.  

While we still have a ways to go for the market to level back out, this is the time for buyers to enter the market.  By the time the mainstream media reports a market recovery, prices may already be headed up at that point.  Remember the media tends to like doom and gloom and are slow to report "good news."  If you have any questions about the Charleston real estate market, I would be happy to help you out!

"Think of Charleston as the jock in the Southern belle set. With new offshore ecotours and surfing at nearby Folly Beach, the pretty city's outdoor action now matches its good looks. Locals kayak the Ashley River, horseback ride from the historic Inn at Middleton Place, or hike among cypresses."

Roger Warren, vice chairman of the board of governors for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the designation is an honor. "Whether scouring historic forts, biking the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America or kitesurfing off our beautiful beaches, there are many adventures to be had in the Charleston area," Warren said. 

Between the kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, and a multitude of historic sites to visit, Charleston offers outdoor activities that appeal to a wide range of ages. Its no wonder that more and more people are not just looking to Charleston as a vacation destination anymore, but as a home.  If you know of anyone who is considering moving to Charleston, give me a call!

Animal Planet is bringing a free, family-friendly event, Animal Planet Expo, to the Charleston area. The event, set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Exchange Park, U.S. Highway 78, Ladson.  This  includes activities geared toward both humans and their pets.  Dogs and cats on leashes are welcome!

Activities include:

• Frisbee dog performances at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Exotic live animal presentations at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• Animal House: Get to know live exotic species from around the world.
• Safari Snaps: Download a digital photo of you with a virtual version of Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin and Dave Salmoni.
• Bug House: Discover the world of bugs and butterflies and check out the incredible life-size ant farm.
• Kids' Zone: Transform your kids into animals with wildlife face painting, and try the Happy Gator obstacle course or King Croc, an inflatable crocodile slide that is more than 30 feet long.
• Heroes of Animal Planet: Protect your pet by creating your own personalized pet tag.
• Connection Zone: Spin the wheel or toss a bean bag for prizes.
• Spider Mountain: Climb on the 20-foot-high eco-friendly attraction.
• Pet Misters and Watering Holes: Let your pets chill out and quench their thirst at the Pet Misters and Watering Holes.
• New this year is the Purina Dog Park.
• Local veterinarian Dr. James Southard will hold "Ask the Vet" sessions. 
  

Don't have a pet?  You are still welcome to come, and you just might come home with a new family member!  At the "Pet Den," the Charleston Animal Society will provide pet adoption opportunities and information.

First Daniel Island Tour of Homes set for October 25, 2008

The Friends of the Daniel Island Library will be launching the first ever Harvest Tour of Homes, with all proceeds benefiting the new library.  Four Daniel Island homes are slated for the tour, and will be open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 25.  Stay tuned as more details unfold. 

Darkness to Light™ is an International, non-profit based in Charleston, SC whose mission is to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse by shifting the responsibility from children to adults. Their award-winning program, Stewards of Children™, is a 2.5 hour training that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  To bring Stewards of Children to the Tri-County area, Darkness to Light is hosting its 3rd annual Prevent-a-thon 2008 so that trainings can be provided to thousands of local parents, youth-serving organizations, faith centers, schools, law enforcement and military personnel.

 Held in August in conjunction with “Back to School”, Prevent-a-thon™ provides daily Stewards of Children™ child sexual abuse prevention workshops. The goal is to provide our community with the skills necessary to better protect children against child sexual abuse. The more than 50 scheduled trainings are sponsored in partnership with local businesses, so they can be offered to the public at no charge.

 For a listing of local trainings check  their  website http://www.preventathon.org and click on the calendar of events links.

We will officially launch Prevent-a-thon 2008 on Thursday, August 7, at 8:00 PM, through a partnership with ABC 4/WCIV who will air  their  award winning documentary Childhood Stories during a Town Hall meeting being hosted by Community and State leaders at the Mount Pleasant Municipal Center.  This is a great opportunity for people to learn why all adults need to get trained to prevent child sexual abuse and I hope you will join us. 

 1 in 5 children will be sexually abused before they are 18 and it’s usually by someone they know and someone who the parents trust. This is a problem of epidemic proportions and it’s happening right here in your community as you read this.

It can only go away by making people aware of just how prevalent it is and by teaching people how to prevent it from happening in the first place.   

Here are the ways you can help: 

1. Email this to anyone your children come in contact with - they should be trained - your daycare, teachers, sports teams, friends, etc

2. Request that they, their staff, and their families attend one of the free local trainings this month
   
3. Email people you know and ask them to watch the documentary this Thursday evening, Aug 7 at 8:00 on ABC 4/WCIV
   
4. Publicize the training calendar in your neighborhood newsletters, church newsletters, web pages, Facebook!
   
5. Put together an audience of people and we’ll hold a free training just for you sometime after August!

The National Association of Realtors have launched a new website to help combat some of the negative press about the housing market as portrayed by the mainstream media.  http://www.housingmarketfacts.com is designed to show consumers that a home is still a smart long term investment for many.  

For example, did you know for the past 30 years, the median price of existing homes has increased an average of more than 6 percent every year, and home values nearly double every 10 years. Even with the expected 1.9% decrease in housing prices this year if you look at your home as a long term investment, after 10 years you will still have an impressive gain,. especially since it is forecast that housing prices will gain 3.9% in 2009.

But the most interesting news stories have always been more about bad than good.  Stories about mortgage fraud, foreclosures and crashing markets have far outpaced the good news and get all the airtime on CNN and even your local news. Despite this fact owning a home is one of the most reliable ways to build wealth for most people. 

I thought that I knew everything I needed to know about home inspections.  To me, "Yes you need one" was the only answer that was correct.  I still have that opinion, but I have added more reasons why to the list.  I learned a very important lesson from a recent home inspection experience...

I recently sold a wonderful home that was fairly new, and was built by a reputable builder.  Great...newer house, good builder, that inspection should be good as gold.  Man was I wrong.  The buyer's agent hired a very thorough inspector who probably could recite the code book from memory.  And he would not back down from the code as written in that book. 

The inspector came, he saw, he conquered.  At the end of the inspection there were almost 20 items that the buyers wanted fixed because their inspector found them to be code violations.  My sellers look to me and asked "Why Susan, how can this be?  How can there be so many code violations in our fairly new house?"  Yes, some of the items on the inspection report were small, picky things that the majority of inspectors may catch, but never enforce or make the builder correct.  But there were a few more serious violations that even caused me to run home and check MY HOUSE for.  Luckily, since we were dealing with a builder that has a wonderful customer service attitude they agreed to have a county inspector come out and reinspect and agreed to repair anything that did not meet code. 

Moral of the story...home inspections are a necessity.  If you are a buyer, don't buy a house without one.  Please.  I'm begging you!  And sellers, don't scoff when a buyer wants to do one.  It may actually protect you legally from selling a home that has some serious code violations.  Your liability in the sell of the house would probably have to be determined  by a court of law in the end, but you would probably rather it not get to that point. 

The City of Charleston has announced plans for a major waterfront recreation center that would run 2 miles along the Wando River. They are currently working with Sasaki Associates who designed the Waterfront Park in Charleston to create this attraction. They hope that the project will be complete in mid-year 2009. 

The recreation area would include several elements that would make it a huge attraction and bring more patrons to existing Daniel Island businesses. A large marina would furnish 300 wet slips and 200 dry-stack units, which would be available for rental by the general public. The area immediately surrounding the marina would contain shops and restaurants.  The boat ramp would be a public daily-fee ramp with four lanes and parking for over 100 vehicles. A community fishing pier at the park’s northern tip would be connected to the existing pedestrian trails and boardwalks. There are also plans for a recreation area with 3 baseball fields, 2 soccer fields, and land left vacant for a future gymnasium.  The project has already been endorsed by the Charleston based environment group, The Coastal Conservation League. The city has started its public review of the marina’s dry stack building, and will soon begin filing the permitting plans with state environmental regulators. 

This is exciting news for Daniel Island, and anyone looking to buy or sell property there. The addition of this project will make homes and land there even more valuable. With places to work, shop, and dine Daniel Island really is a great place to live.

I was lucky enough to attend the Charleston Food + Wine festival yesterday in Marion Square, in the heart of  historic downtown Charleston.  70 degree temperatures and the promise (and delivery) of great Food and Wine brought everyone out for a fantastic afternoon.  Highlights were food and wine samplings in TWO tents this year.  Not overcrowded, no lines, so much good food to sample that by the time I left the tents I was actually turning down samples I was so full.  The fabulous wine selections were sampled with a free souvenir wine glass that every guest received upon entering the ten.  Other highlights were cooking demos from local and nationally acclaimed chefs.  Lots of fun was not to be missed in the competition tent where competitive cook-off's were going on throughout the afternoon, with the audience judging the chef's with cheers and red and yellow paddles raised in the air for their favorites.  The great thing about this festival is that even though there is plenty of emphasis on local lowcountry fare, other food influences abound also, for those who can only handle so much shrimp and grits.   Suzanne Goin, chef and owner of the acclaimed Lucquest restaurant in California, traveled to the festival for the first time.  She had cooked with chef Mike Lata of FIG at one of the restaurant dine-arounds on Friday night and was selling and signing her new cookbook at the village on Saturday. 

"This is wonderful...it's so intimate and friendly", she said.  "I've been to bigger festivals where there are too many people, too loud".  Gale Gands, Chicago dessert guru and star of her own FoodTV show Sweet Dreams was in attendance as well.  She's hoping to come back again next year, to escape the cold weather and enjoy the city that appears to be the nation's best kept secret.  One festival goer summed it up nicely "This is Charleston's moment.  It's drawn attention to something that's been up til now our local secret".