Fast and French honors 25 years with impromptu celebration

Fast and French's 25th anniversary

Last Sunday, a community dictated fete was thrown at The City Gallery in celebration of Gaulart & Maliclet's 25th anniversary. A sign up board was established to let guests dictate when or what would happen. The result was a partially planned, partially impromptu soiree. A hanging time line of the café was displayed, comprised of press clips, photos and drawings from customers. Guests periodically took the stage, telling jovial stories about staff and times at the café. Attendees snapped photos with the wooden "Pig and Chicken" cut out while sampling delicious food and wine. The New Music Collective, Erwin and Friends and Hungry Monks all played throughout the day. One lucky guest won a hand-painted bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne by writing the wittiest saying on a "Pig and Chicken" coaster. As stated by Gwylne himself, Fast and French's success is about community, supporting small businesses and being kind. This celebration was the perfect embodiment of that philosophy.

Home team BBQ's first Americana Allstar Jam & Crawfish Boil

Last Sunday, West Ashley's Home Team BBQ hosted a music and seafood throw down. The first Americana Allstar Jam & Crawfish Boil kicked off at noon. $12 tickets granted access to unlimited amounts of boiled crawfish and Americana bands until 9 p.m. Performers, such as Bloodkin's David Nickel, Michael Trent and Jonathan Grey of Jump Little Children rocked the crowd from an inside stage. Front and back doors were thrown open giving the bar open air feel. Novice crawfish eaters were a tad perplexed about how to eat the "baby lobsters" without standard silverware. Once explained however, the spicy shellfish were a hit! After far too much seafood we danced and mingled on both open air patios. For those in need of the traditional BBQ and suds, the Home Team menu was available with a full selection of drinks from the bar.

Second annual Dragon Boating Festival - Brittlebank Park

When I heard that 1200 paddlers were trained and ready for last Saturday's second annual Dragon Boat Festival, I prepared for a day of serious, no nonsense competition. Boy, was I wrong! Upon arriving, I was immediately drawn into the designated "fun zone." Decorated golf carts tossed out kazoos and tambourines to cheer on athletes. Hula hoops were strung in the trees, lawn games were played, and we all tried to out perform each other on a 40-ft dolphin slide. In the water, new and seasoned teams raced in timed divisions.

The awards ceremony revealed that participating teams had raised $21,000 for cancer research. The 2009 championship title was awarded to The Vikings, who beat out 50 teams for the prize. At the end of the day, festival goers were wont to leave. One team stayed past sunset, singing songs of the races they had won and the new "bling" (medals) around their necks! While the competition proved fierce, fun was at the heart of this festival.