🌴 Books & bold moves on King Street

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Welcome to CHS Happenings, the weekly newsletter that keeps you in the know about Charleston events, restaurants & retail.

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Happy Friday morning, Charleston! On this day in 1833, a 136-mile rail line was completed from Charleston to Hamburg. If you wondered, like me, where Hamburg is, it was a town located in Aiken County, South Carolina, across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. More on that “was” part in a moment.

When the railroad was complete, it was one of the longest railroads in the world at 136 miles and the first steam-powered railroad in the U.S. to offer scheduled passenger and mail service.

Hamburg's economy flourished because goods were shipped downriver to Charleston and Savannah. However, after the rail line extended across the Savannah River to Augusta in 1853 and the Augusta Canal's completion, Hamburg's importance declined, leading it to become nearly abandoned by the Civil War era. Today, Hamburg is considered a ghost town, with some historic remnants such as the Hamburg Depot still recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Congrats to Melissa K. of North Charleston, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! Our photo was the mural at the well-loved (based on your quick responses) Bert’s Market in Folly Beach.

I love their tagline: We may doze, but we never close.

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday 78° / 66° ⛅ 💧24%

Saturday 79° / 70° 🌦️ 💧32%

Sunday 80° / 71° 🌧️ 💧68%

CURATED HAPPENINGS

Friday, October 3

Natural Wonders - Opening Reception | 5 - 8 PM | Lowcountry Artists Gallery | Charleston artist Lisa Willits invites viewers to pause and look upward in her newest exhibition, Natural Wonders. Known for her luminous oil paintings of the Lowcountry, Willits captures the beauty and drama of the natural world with bold color and expressive brushwork.

4th Annual Waterfront Movie Night | 6 - 8:30 PM I Daniel Island | Families and friends are invited to bring their lawn chairs and beach blankets for a movie under the stars, featuring Hotel Transylvania. Arrive early and enjoy yummy bites from food vendors, The Dime and Holy City Popcorn.

Gullah Collective | 7 - 10 PM | The Historic Dock Street Theatre | Gullah Collective ignites the stage with the soul of Gullah Geechee heritage, blending powerful vocals, driving percussion, and electrifying call-and-responses with the spirit of jazz.

Saturday, October 4

Mermaids and Mateys I 10 AM - 4 PM | ParkFollyBeach | This family-friendly, ticketed event is packed with excitement and entertainment for all ages. Mermaid & Matey Costume Contest: Dress up as a Mermaid, Matey, or your favorite Under the Sea character! Prizes to be awarded!

Queen Street House and Garden Tour | 2 - 5 PM | Queen Street Charleston | A unique set of 6-8 properties in a different neighborhood. Enjoy a self-guided tour, going from site to site at your leisure, where our volunteer docents are stationed to share knowledge about the history, architecture, and landscapes.  

LowCountry Dog Magazine's Big Bark in the Park I 3:30 PM | Firefly Distillery | The Lowcountry Dog Magazine Fall event at Firefly Distillery with a great line up of live music; including Charleston's own, The Six Foot Tide.

Sunday, October 5

Feminist Magic Fall Market I 11 AM - 4 PM I Park Circle I Our Oct 5th event will feature 100 artists, artisans, bakers, food trucks, vintage purveyors and more! We are also extending the market time by an hour this year. This means vendors will be selling until 4pm!

Latin American Festival | 12 - 5 PM | Wannamaker County Park, | Festivities include non-stop music, traditional dance performances, folkloric artwork and crafts, and authentic food and beverages.

Free Fly Oyster Roast | 1:30 - 4:30 PM | The Porter Room at Holy City Brewing | Join us as we celebrate the best of our own backyard with an Oyster Roast.

For a COMPLETE list of events in the Charleston area, bookmark the site below!

My Interview With The Founder Of Ladybird Books

Imagine walking into a bookstore that feels fresh, lively, and totally Charleston. That’s exactly what Ladybird Books promises. Following up on our story of a few weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down with founder Summer Anderson—her ideas, her drive, and her King Street debut will get you fired up.

Ladybird Books opens October 29… so consider this your chance to get ready before the doors open. This is a story worth reading over your Friday coffee. 👇🏼👇🏼

IN THE COMMUNITY

• Think you did a good job decorating your home for Halloween? 👈🏼 This lady does over-the-top displays year-round.

• In 1910, Charleston’s power crowd lounged in a velvet club thick with cigars and schemes. Now it’s a ghost—proof even the city’s big dogs can’t out-hustle time.

• Before he was the Godfather of Soul, James Brown was just a kid in SC finding his groove. Turns out the state didn’t just raise him—it gave soul music its spark.

• King Street just got a little cozier (and a lot louder) with Uncle Kyle’s Sweater Emporium return. Love ’em or hate ’em, those outrageous knits are Charleston’s unofficial holiday uniform.

• The Desperate Housewives mastermind just parked his next production in Charleston. Looks like the Holy City’s about to trade sweet tea for juicy drama.

MOST-CLICKED FROM LAST WEEK

• Our events calendar. Planning your own event? Add it to our calendar with this super-easy form.

• Oktoberfest Street Fair at Share House. There are plenty more Oktoberfest celebrations around CHS this month. Check our events calendar and find out where.

• Feminist Magic Market in Park Circle. Due to lousy weather last weekend, this was rescheduled to this Sunday!

WHERE ARE WE?

Each week, watch this space for a random snap from somewhere in Charleston. Where are we? Just hit reply to this email, or if you’re reading on our website, email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

Click the button below if you have a photo you think will stump our eagle-eyed community! Landscape (horizontal) orientation works best.

LIVE MUSIC LOCALLY

Biggies in town this weekend include Elvis Costello at The Gailliard Center! Check it ALL out below.

ICYMI

Once it packed tomatoes, now it’s packing plans—Johns Island’s latest rebirth is underway. Holy City creative destruction strikes again.

Tutti and Wild Flour baked their way to the top of Charleston’s pie game. Everybody else? Just kneading attention.

Palmetto Row Collective is giving King Street some indie flavor. Consider it Charleston’s anti-mall.

Breakfast just leveled up—XOLO’s burritos and chilaquiles on Spring Street are about to rule your mornings. RIP plain old eggs.

Meet Rosemary & Rosé: part rooftop lounge, part pink-tinged fever dream. This city never sips halfway.

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FEEDBACK

Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by voting in the poll below (you’ll be done MUCH faster than Uncle Kyle’s sells out of tacky Christmas sweaters). 👇