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Happy Thursday, Charleston. Before dawn on November 12, 1775, two British warships, HMS Tamar and HMS Cherokee, opened fire on the South Carolina schooner Defence in Hog Island Channel, right off what is now Patriots Point. The patriots had spent the night sinking old ships packed with sand across the channel to block the Royal Navy, and the British had spent about eleven hours inching their warships into firing range by hauling on anchor lines. Crowds rushed down to East Bay Street at first light to watch, the Defence took three hits and kept working, and by morning the last blocking ship was on the bottom. Nobody died, but William Henry Drayton, who was aboard, called it the actual start of hostilities in South Carolina. The Revolution here began with a fight over a parking spot in the harbor.
Source: Charleston County Public Library
Mondays just got less Monday. Starting this Monday, we land in your inbox twice a week, with Development Watch moving there along with the concert and show tickets that just went on sale, so you can grab seats before they're gone. Same quality, same consistency, and twice is the weekly cap. Never say never, but I'm saying never.
A table of strangers. A Mount Pleasant restaurant you won't know until the reveal. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 6:30 PM. Dinner Club is back. You sign up, we match you with a table of fellow Charlestonians, and the restaurant stays a secret until we tell you where to show up. After dinner, every table lands at the same after-party. Don't be the one hearing about it secondhand.
Congrats to Dale C. of Johns Island, who guessed correctly in last week's Where Are We? It was Bethany Cemetery. Not Magnolia. 😜 Which does happen to be directly adjacent.
Thursday 77° / 49° ☀️ 💧0%
Friday 65° / 43° ☀️ 💧0%
Saturday 59° / 39° ☀️ 💧0%
Sunday 60° / 42° ☀️ 💧0%
PRESENTED BY FLEET FEET
When did someone last measure your feet?
For a lot of us, it was a shoe store in grade school.
At Fleet Feet, the fit id® fitting is free and takes about 30 minutes:
Tell your Outfitter how you move. Race training, dog walks, 12-hour shifts.
Get a 3D scan of both feet. Twelve measurements, including length, width and arch height.
Try a few pairs and walk around in each one.
Then it's your call. As the team puts it, "We give you all the tools in the toolbox, and you decide what goes home." Every pair is backed by Fleet Feet's Happy Fit Guarantee.
Walk in or book ahead. Get fitted before Thanksgiving puts you on your feet: the morning 5K, the hosting, the Black Friday lines.
Mount Pleasant · Summerville · Carnes Crossroads · West Ashley
A long-closed West Ashley convenience store is about to become a wine bar. The twist is what's happening in the back, which took a stack of state paperwork most restaurants never attempt. The owners say nobody else in South Carolina has done it.
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!
TOGETHER WITH VILLAGE BOOKSELLERS
They read 179 books this year. These three won
Every "best books of 2026" list is landing in your inbox right now. This one comes from three people who spend all day putting books into Charlestonians' hands.
Erin read 76 books this year. Her pick: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. "Could not put this book down. Tons of drama with a wicked twist I DID NOT see coming!" For your book club bestie.
Tammy read 59. Hers: A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, a novel of Abigail Adams. "It's wonderful to see American 'icons' as their truly human selves!" For the historical fiction reader who wants the woman's side of the founding.
Karen-Anne read 44. Hers: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. "This true crime reads like beautiful fiction!" For the true crime fanatic.
Still stuck on someone? Come by 761 Coleman Blvd and tell them who's on your list. Gift receipts and exchanges available.
Thursday, November 12
Tiny Tour | 10:30 - 11 AM | Gibbes Museum of Art | Strollers welcome. Toddlers loose in a museum, on purpose this time.
Barks & Bingo to benefit Charleston Animal Society | 6 - 8 PM | Burtons Grill & Bar, Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre | Dogs at the bingo table, all for the shelter. Sold out already.
Holiday Festival of Lights Fun Run & Walk | 6:45 PM | James Island County Park | Run the lights before the cars do. Arrive by 6.
Friday, November 13
Time Traveler Renaissance Festival | 10 AM - 6 PM | Exchange Park | Three days of costumes, artisan goods and old-timey fun. Dress the part.
Friday YALLCRAWL Signing - Lynn Painter | 4 - 6 PM | Big Book Tent, 422 King St | Tickets are gone, but signed copies might not be. Swing by.
MOR+ Music Bingo | 7 - 9 PM | Firefly Distillery | No numbers, just songs. Name that tune, fill your card.
Saturday, November 14
Annual Old Village Harbor 5k | 8:30 AM - 12 PM | Alhambra Hall, Old Village | The only 5K through the Old Village. Bring the dog.
Charleston Food Truck Fest | 10 AM - 5 PM | Patriots Hall, 176 Patriots Point Rd | Free to get in. You pick Charleston's best food truck.
Oyster Roast | 12 - 4 PM | Charleston Pour House | $30 buys the oysters. College football on every TV.
2nd Annual Shakedown Jam | 12 - 5 PM | Commonhouse Aleworks | Free Grateful Dead tunes in the courtyard. Park Circle shows up.
Sunday, November 15
Yoga Sculpt + Run + Coffee | 8 - 10 AM | 1839 Folly Beach Rd | Sculpt, run a mile, then earn your discounted coffee.
Pottery Pop Up | 1 - 6 PM | Low Tide Brewing | Paint a pot, sip a beer, pick it up next week.
Thanksgiving Pie Baking Class | 4 PM | Mercantile and Mash | Maple pecan pie, your hands, their pastry team. Already sold out.
▍ A Mount Pleasant ramen shop dreams of 1,000 locations, but No. 2 is waiting on one last sign-off.
→ See when the Clements Ferry bowls arrive
▍ Two classic downtown hotel spots go dark Dec. 31, and their replacements will not open for well over a year.
→ See what's coming in 2028
▍ Charleston has written the same $25 million WestEdge check three different ways this year, and one line keeps disappearing.
→ See how the deal changed
▍ One James Island shopping center now has three places to buy espresso, and the newest one is already eyeing a bridge.
→ See where it lands next
▍ A dish that survived Hurricane Hugo, a Caribbean family name, and a Market Street corner with a short memory.
→ Meet the family behind it
FRI — Paula Cole at Charleston Music Hall — the voice that asked where all the cowboys went. Or Tauk + lespecial at The Charleston Pour House — instrumental rock meets heavy funk, built to move.
SAT — Pecos & The Rooftops at Music Farm — Texas country with a singalong streak. Or The Head at The Royal American — loud guitars in a room that keeps it loose.
SUN — Deer Tick at The Charleston Pour House — Rhode Island roots-rock, rowdy as advertised. Or Dave Landeo at The Dinghy — an easygoing set to close out the weekend.
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