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Happy Thursday, Charleston. On this day in 1861, a Charleston photographer's assistant named Alma Pelot hauled a camera out to the smoldering ruins of Fort Sumter and made what is arguably the first photograph of the Civil War — the new Confederate flag snapping over the shattered parapet, just two days after Major Anderson surrendered. Pelot worked for local photographer Jesse Bolles, whose King Street studio was pumping out carte de visite souvenirs as fast as the city could buy them.
The image would circulate across the South as a kind of triumphant postcard. Pelot's name was mostly forgotten for over a century — the shot was long credited to more famous photographers — until historians revisited the archive and gave the assistant his due..
We’re heading to Patriots Point on Saturday, May 30, to watch Charleston’s own pro soccer team, Charleston Battery. If you haven’t been to a Battery match, the vibe is second-to-none. One Of CHS’s best entertainment values.
Food trucks, small pitch for kids to play on, and the USL’s most entertaining team! And every seat has terrific field views.
Except we won’t be in just regular ol’ seats. We’ll have our own area, call it a CHS Happenings party platform if you’d like.
At field level.
Let me know below if you’re in. Tickets are $25. Once we have a quorum—and we will quickly, I think—I’ll send out a registration link. 👇🏼👇🏼
Want in on the May 30 Charleston Battery game?
You could spend May 6th doing literally anything else. Or you could be at a table downtown with five people you actually want to know — matched by vibe, not by chance.
This is the CHS Happenings Dinner Club.
No networking lanyard. No elevator pitch. Just dinner, good conversation, and people worth your Wednesday night.
Six seats. Curated matches. It fills fast.
Congrats to Chris M. of Moncks Corner who guessed correctly in last week’s “Where Are We?” I was at the recently-refurbished Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant.
WEATHER
Thursday 80° / 64° ⛅ 💧8%
Friday 84° / 64° ☀️ 💧8%
Saturday 83° / 67° ⛅ 💧7%
Sunday 82° / 52° ☁️ 💧24%
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BARS
On Air Live & On Air Studio opened recently on King Street
King Street has a new late-night address — and it brought the honky-tonk with it. On Air Live and On Air Studio just opened at 565 King, stacking a country bar with live music downstairs, a moody red-lit lounge upstairs, and a rooftop overlooking downtown. Self-described as "Dark. Moody. Loungey." — and there are Cheerwine-glazed wings, so.
WHERE ARE WE?
Just 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!
Photo by @girlswhopaintmurals
TOGETHER WITH THE FARRELL GROUP
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No discounts. Just better math.
HAPPENINGS
Thursday
81st Anniversary Ceremony - The Battle of Okinawa Attack on the USS Laffey | 11 AM - 12 PM | Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant | They called her "The Ship That Wouldn't Die." Come find out why.
Charleston Jazz Festival | Jazz Messengers - A Tribute to Art Blakey | 6 - 7 PM | The American Theater, Daniel Island | Art Blakey shaped modern jazz. Tonight, his legacy swings Daniel Island.
Ladybird Books X Jen Shoop Event | 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Ladybird Books, Charleston | If you read Magpie, clear your Thursday night. You're welcome.
Friday
Crawfish Boil @ Container Bar | 5 - 10 PM | Container Bar, Charleston | Cajun Cousins piles your platter. DJ Flip handles the vibe. Go hungry.
Plant Bingo at The Garden by Charles Towne Fermentory | 6 - 8 PM | The Garden by Charles Towne Fermentory, Charleston | $30 buys beer, bingo cards, and a real shot at winning plants.
Charleston Race Week | Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant | The largest keelboat regatta in the hemisphere turns 30. Dock party included.
Charleston Jazz Festival 2026 | Charleston | All weekend long, all around town. Charleston's biggest jazz party.
Saturday
Pat Tillman Honor Run of Charleston | 7 – 11 AM | Credit One Stadium, Charleston | 4.2 miles for his No. 42. Pints for Pat after.
Firefly Vendor Village | 12 – 4 PM | Firefly Distillery, North Charleston | Local makers, food trucks, live music at SC's biggest distillery.
High Water | 1 PM | Riverfront Park, North Charleston | Alabama Shakes. My Morning Jacket. Sheryl Crow. Your weekend, solved.
Charleston Battery vs. Rowdies | 4 PM | Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant | Oldest rivalry in American soccer. Bring a cooler, bring a kid.
Charleston RiverDogs vs. Columbia Fireflies | 6:05 PM | The Joe, Charleston | Cheap seats, sunset on the Ashley, nine innings. Charleston's best bargain.
Sunday
Hatha & Hops Yoga @ Two Blokes | 11 AM - 11:45 PM | Two Blokes Brewing, Mount Pleasant | Your beertender is also your yoga teacher. Only in Charleston.
Motown Throwdown | 1:30 - 5 PM | Pour House, Charleston | The Deck Stage Sunday ritual. Five bucks, full band, pure joy.
20th Annual Blues by the Sea Festival | 3 - 7 PM | Freshfields Village, Kiawah Island | Two decades of free blues on Kiawah. Bring a chair.
One Thing We’re Seeing
Real Estate Desk
The Second Look Effect
A quiet trend we love: buyers circling back to homes they skipped the first time. With fewer bidding wars and more breathing room, people are re-evaluating with clearer eyes—and stronger intent.
— Jimmy, The Farrell Group
ICYMI
A CofC student figured out how to turn Chubby Fish's legendary line into a side hustle — and she's already booked through June.
An armed nuclear cargo ship has been anchored off the Charleston waterfront for two weeks, and its owner isn't explaining why.
The peninsula's waterfront dining scene just got its most ambitious addition yet — and it's massive.
LIVE MUSIC
Friday
Big Shows
Martin Sexton plays the Pour House on his Live Wide Open Tour — a road-hardened songwriter who still makes rooms stop talking.
Al Di Meola Acoustic Quartet at the Charleston Music Hall — the Jazz Festival doesn't get bigger than this.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit bring West Coast progressive bluegrass to the Pour House — the kind of band you catch once and then tell people about.
Late Night
The Band of Heathens hits the Windjammer — Texas rock, road-tested, no filler.
The Runarounds take the Music Farm — high-energy and built for a Friday night crowd.
Saturday
Big Shows
Danilo Pérez + The Charleston Jazz Orchestra at the Music Hall — a Jazz Festival pairing that belongs on a world stage.
Interstellar Echoes brings a serious Pink Floyd tribute to the Pour House — full production, built for believers.
Something Different
Legacy at the Forte Jazz Lounge — Motown and soul's greatest catalog, played straight.
The Miseducation of LaFaye at The Refinery — a local album release with something real behind it.
Sunday
Afternoon
New Ghost Town plays the bluegrass brunch at Prohibition — acclaimed band, free with dining, zero friction.
Motown Throwdown takes the Pour House deck — soul music, open air, no agenda.
Evening
Herlin Riley Quartet + Gullah Collective at the Music Hall — Jazz Festival finale with deep local roots and serious rhythm.
Spafford closes the weekend at the Pour House — for anyone who needs one more.
FEEDBACK
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