Pack Your Picnics for a Favorite Island Tradition:
The Annual ‘Concert in the Park’

The annual Concert in the Park, a popular island tradition, returns Saturday, May 12th to the shores of Smythe Lake. Jeremy Davis & The Equinox Jazz Orchestra will be returning this year for a high-energy stage show and music ensemble that is sure to once again get the crowd on their feet!

Performing in the “Great-American Big-Band” tradition, Jeremy Davis and his 16-piece orchestra will entertain with music from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr. and more. Jeremy has described the band as “The Rat Pack meets ‘The Dean Martin Variety Show,’ with a touch of ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ in between.” This is not your grandfather’s big band!

As in previous years, the Daniel Island Community Fund will host a picnic competition for concertgoers. Prizes will be awarded for the most elaborate and creative picnic spread. Guests are invited to come grab a spot and set up their spreads throughout the day on Saturday.

Picnic judging will be at 6:00 pm on Saturday evening with the concert beginning at 7:00 pm.

Don’t miss this fun and free opportunity to enjoy a spring evening of live music with neighbors and friends under the oaks in Smythe Park!

Eleven Foot Osprey Finds a Home On Daniel Island

After an extensive search, the Daniel Island Garden Club recently commissioned Mt. Pleasant artist David Springer to design and create a sculpture of an osprey in flight as a central focal point for the island’s Osprey Trail, a garden oasis located in front of the Daniel Island School on Daniel Island Drive. The piece is an 11-foot tall copper and stainless steel design titled “Island Sonata” that incorporates a huge nest and two magnificent birds. An unveiling and dedication ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 11 at 11:00 a.m.

Springer’s sculpture is a copper and stainless steel interpretation of an osprey approaching the nest with a new branch clamped firmly in strong copper and steel talons. Its mate is watching from a perch on the other side of the nest. The contrast of shiny stainless steel and the colors of the copper patina repeat throughout the piece and reflect the common unity of bird, water and fish.

Planning for the Osprey Trail – which is named after the Daniel Island School mascot and the several osprey nests located in areas near the school property – began in 2008 when members of the Daniel Island Garden Club set out to improve an overgrown wooded area that served as a buffer between the Daniel Island School and Daniel Island Drive. With funding provided in part by the Daniel Island Community Fund, the two-acre site was transformed into a series of beautiful gardens connected by a meandering trail. The gardens showcase a variety of plants that thrive in the conditions of the Lowcountry: A Woodland Shade Garden, Southern Garden, Rose Garden, Bird and Butterfly Garden, Children’s Garden and a Japanese Garden.

“Once the initial plantings and elements of the trail were in place, we set out to raise money for a sculpture that would serve as a primary focal point for the trail,” says Melody Bundschuh, project coordinator for the Daniel Island Garden Club. “We knew we wanted to use a local artist, and we knew that a priority was to raise enough money for a significant piece that would draw attention to the name of the garden oasis that has been created on this site.”

Funds for the continued expansion of the Osprey Trail – including the addition of the new sculpture – have come from proceeds of house and garden tours organized by the Garden Club, along with additional contributions from the Daniel Island Community Fund.

“We’d also like to offer a very special thank you to the artist, David Springer, for working with us to help make the dream of adding a ‘real’ osprey to the trail become a reality,” said Bundschuh.

Although the Garden Club has worked on several community beautification projects over the years, the group is particularly proud that this trail and series of gardens have become an educational resource and tranquil retreat for students at the Daniel Island School, as well as residents and visitors to the community. Most plants along the trail are identified with name plates, a detail that is intended to help educate visitors about the area’s native plants.  Over the years, additional plantings and special features have been added to enhance the site.

Do You Have an Idea to Make the Daniel Island Community Even Better?

Here’s your chance to make it happen. The Rotary Club of Daniel Island, along with the Daniel Island Community Fund and The Daniel Island News, are sponsoring a community improvement contest. Residents are invited to propose a project that would improve the quality of life on Daniel Island, producing a specific result that can be enjoyed by residents of Daniel Island. The person or group who proposes the winning project will be expected to execute the project to completion by December 31, 2012. The sponsors of the contest will provide up to $1000 to cover out-of-pocket expenses for each of two project categories:

A project that benefits the Daniel Island community at large
A project that benefits the children on Daniel Island

Daniel Island residents, families and organizations are eligible to apply. Only requests that strictly abide by the guidelines will be approved for submission. Requests that are deemed political, religious or aimed towards for-profit business purposes will not be considered.

If you would like to submit a proposal for consideration you must:

1. Have your idea meet the required criteria;
2. Be prepared to execute the project and recruit members or groups, as necessary, to make it happen;
3. Prepare a cost budget, not to exceed $1000 (sponsors will not provide overruns);
4. Complete a project application, which can be found at thedanielislandnews.com, dicommunity.org, danielislandrotary.com

Applications should be submitted to Sue Detar via email at sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com or in person at The Daniel Island News office (225 Seven Farms Drive, Unit 108) by Friday, May 18.

One winner for each category will be chosen and announced at the Rotary Duck Race on Daniel Island Saturday, June 2.

For more information about the Daniel Island community improvement contest visit www.thedanielislandnews.com.

Non-Stop Action at the Family Circle Cup!

The world’s top tennis stars are on Daniel Island this week for the Family Circle Cup, and the action is getting more intense by the day. Warm temperatures and an all-star lineup have helped draw record crowds for the 40th anniversary of this WTA Premier event.

Among the players who have moved on to the second round of the tournament are Nadia Petrova and Venus Williams, who returned to the WTA just a few weeks ago at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami after an injury last fall. The second round began Tuesday, with No.2 seed Sam Stosur, No.4 seed Vera Zvonareva and No. 5 seed Serena Williams among the winners. Stosur was the 2010 Family Circle Cup champion, and Zvonareva is a two-time runner-up here: She lost to Serena Williams in 2008 and to Stosur in 2010.

On Thursday, the folks from ESPN2 will begin their coverage of the tournament, which continues through Sunday, April 8.

But the tournament goes well beyond serving up great tennis. All week long, the Grand Lawn has been the central gathering spot, with an open bar and live music – a great place to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Family Circle Cup. And on Saturday, a very special event will commemorate the tournament’s 40th anniversary. “40 Love: A Night of Empowerment Celebrating 40 Years of the Family Circle Cup” will feature appearances by Billie Jean King and many other former Family Circle Cup Champions.

The Family Circle Cup is a great time to be out and about on Daniel Island. There are still tickets available – visit familycirclecup.com for details. And if you can’t make it, be sure to tune into ESPN2 this weekend to check out the action.

Show Your Support for the Charleston Battery

It’s never been easier to show your support for the “home team.” Fans of Charleston Battery soccer can now look online to purchase authentic Charleston Battery jerseys, plus official t-shirts, hats and accessories. The Battery recently launched a new online store, just in time for the 2012 season, which begins this month.

The Battery will host its home opener — and kick-off official celebrations of the team’s 20th anniversary – on Saturday, April 14 when they face the Richmond Kickers at Blackbaud Stadium. Look out for their special “retro ’93″ jerseys, and be sure to stay after the match for a celebratory fireworks display.

Single-game, group and season tickets are available for the 2012 season, starting at just $10. For more information and to purchase tickets visit charlestonbattery.com or call (843) 971-GOAL (4625).

More Pocket Paleo, Please!

Daniel Island Resident & Entrepreneur Makes Popular Healthy Snack

When Jason Burke visited Charleston in June 2008, little did he know that he and his wife would soon make Daniel Island their home.

“Kristin and I were living in Tampa, Florida. I was in the financial service business and was working more than eighty hours a week. I knew I couldn’t sustain that lifestyle much longer,” says Jason.

That’s when Jason and Kristin decided to a take spontaneous road trip to Charleston. “We stayed in the historic district and fell in love the city. Charleston just felt right. We loved the charm of the city.”

Soon after returning home, Jason visited Charleston again. It wasn’t until he was called for an interview at Blackbaud, a leading manufacturer of software for non-profit organizations, that he discovered Daniel Island.

“I just loved this place. It was perfect – I could walk or ride my bike to work,” commented Jason. “I had lived in Tampa all my life and nothing I’d seen before compared to what Daniel Island had to offer. It seemed too good to be true.”

Jason accepted the job offer at Blackbaud and he and Kristen purchased a condominium located in downtown Daniel Island. But it wasn’t long before Jason started dreaming of owning his own business.

“I enjoy my work at Blackbaud, but I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart,” says Jason. “Even as a kid, instead of loaning my video games to friends, I would rent my games to them!”

In addition to an entrepreneurial spirit, Jason has an appreciation for Daniel Island’s healthy lifestyle. “I started to notice that Daniel Island was a very active community and thought that a natural foods store would do well on the island.”

That’s when he started doing CrossFit and learned about the Paleo diet and all the benefits that it had to offer. (The Paleo diet mimics the diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors and includes lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.) However, Jason also found that eating on the go and quick meals were not easy while following the strict guidelines of the Paleo diet. “When eating Paleo, you have to plan and prepare a lot of your meals. Its not as easy as grabbing a bag of chips and a soda.”

Jason started experimenting with making homemade, grass-fed beef jerky, a popular Paleo diet snack. Beef jerky has long been a favorite snack with hikers and campers due to its long shelf life and high protein content.

“I came up with a pretty good formula and decided to test it out with the CrossFit community,” says Jason.

The response was very positive. So, he decided to explore the idea even further by adding a variety of nuts and dried fruit. Thus, Pocket Paleo was born. “People just loved the stuff and pretty soon were placing orders. I would come home from work and immediately start making beef jerky.”

This went on for about six months until he got an order for 500 Pocket Paleos from a national online sports equipment retailer.

“That’s when I knew that this had become something with real potential,” says Jason.

Jason decided to put the natural foods store on hold and instead work on getting his USDA Grant of Inspection, researching manufacturing methods and concentrate more on marketing efforts. In June of last year, he moved to a new space and started regularly producing Pocket Paleo for the retail market.

“We get orders from all over the world – it’s amazing how popular the Pocket Paleo is with athletes, bikers, campers, and boaters,” says Jason.

Pocket Paleo can be purchased online at www.thenewprimal.com. It can also be found at Our Local Foods located near Daniel Island just off of Clements Ferry Road and at various CrossFit gyms throughout the region.  Soon it will be readily available in many other retail outlets.

“I’m very excited about the path we’re headed down. We’re currently researching alternate flavors, selling the beef jerky on its own, and even experimenting with some all-natural nut butters,” says Jason.

Jason also plans on taking the Pocket Paleo on the road and promoting it through a variety of athletic and endurance events.

And speaking of events, The New Primal is sponsoring the New Primal Games right here on Daniel Island. Similar to an all-day school “field day,” the New Primal Games will take place on Saturday, June 23rd on Wando Fields.  It will be a fun-filled day with events that include an obstacle course, climbing walls, running and even a slip ‘n slide for the true primal at heart! For more information, click here.

Daniel Island Club Returns to the Charleston Wine + Food Festival

Earlier this month, the annual Charleston Wine + Food Festival presented its three-day extravaganza highlighting our city’s renown local cuisine and award-winning restaurants, along with celebrity chefs and vintners from around the country. The Festival took place March 2-4, and once again, the Daniel Island Club‘s culinary team was in on the action.

For the forth year in a row, Executive Chef Tyler Dudley and his team participated in the closing day Gospel Brunch, a Festival favorite. The lucky guests dining at Chef Tyler’s tables enjoyed local heirloom beet salad, house-smoked pork shoulder with poached local egg, and decadent bananas foster bread pudding, all while taking in live gospel music on the scenic grounds of downtown’s historic Lowndes Grove Plantation.

Also this year, the team participated in Bubbles and Bites at The Restoration on King, a loft-style boutique hotel on King Street. Chef Tyler was one of six featured chefs who prepared bites featuring South Carolina seafood to pair with sparkling wines. The Daniel Island Club offerings: Blackened local shrimp with “pate of the south,” and clam and yellowfin tuna ceviche with lime and chipotle gelee.

“It was an honor to participate in the Festival again,” said Chef Tyler. “It was our fourth year being part of this amazing event — we look forward to participating next year and in years to come.”

Check out these delicious-looking shots from the Gospel Brunch, taken by Lauren Whetsell of the Daniel Island Club:

Q&A With Resident and Photographer Peter Finger

After escaping the cold of upstate New York, professional photographer Peter Finger and his wife Joana discovered  an ideal new lifestyle on Daniel Island. We recently caught up with the photographer in-between assignments to learn more about the artist behind some of the images that were recently displayed at the island’s Honeycomb Cafe.

MIT: What brought you to Daniel Island?
PF: Five years ago when my wife retired from teaching, we decided we were more than ready to move to warmer weather from the cold of upstate New York. We looked all around Charleston. We wanted to be close to downtown, but since we are both active tennis players, knew we had to find a place that offered top-notch tennis. I also wanted to have a place to walk and bike, and of course always have a place to photograph. Daniel Island fit the bill on all counts! We are two minutes from world-class tennis and only 15 minutes to downtown Historic Charleston. It’s really the best of both worlds.

MIT: How long have you been a professional photographer?
PF: This will be my 23rd year as a full-time professional photographer

MIT: What is your professional and educational background?
PF: During high school and college I was always painting and taking photos, and traveled to sell my work. I received a BFA in Fine Arts and a masters in Art Education. I taught Middle and High school for six years before I was offered a great opportunity to join a young start-up company — Apple Computer! I worked with them in regional sales and in the education market. The toughest decision in my professional life was to leave Apple to pursue my creative ambitions full-time. It took a bit of time, but as I look back, it was the best decision ever!

MIT: What are some of things that inspire you and your photography?
PF: For the past ten years I have really focused on weddings. I love shooting weddings, and couples always inspire me to do my best work. Weddings are such a wonderful celebration of love and life and each time I am honored to be an important part of that day. Nature also continues to inspire me and I am blessed to be able to travel the world shooting landscape assignments for magazines, schools and various stock photo agencies. I also love shooting models, portraits and fashion.

MIT: Where are your favorite places to travel and photograph?
PF: My favorite locations are Italy and Spain. I’m looking forward to shooting at Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks this summer. I also love the Canadian Maritimes of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

MIT: What are your favorite spots on Daniel Island to photograph?
PF: I love shooting the water – particularly along the island’s coastline, but also the ponds found throughout the island and the Smythe Park and lake area.

A sampling of Peter’s diverse work is below. You can see more at peterfinger.com and peterfingerweddings.com.

Volunteers Needed for the 2012 Family Circle Cup

Calling all Family Circle Cup Tennis fans!  This is your chance to be an integral part of one of Charleston’s signature events.  The Family Circle Cup is currently accepting applications for 375 adult volunteer positions for the March 31 – April 8 event.  This year, the Family Circle Cup will be celebrating its 40th consecutive year, right here in the Best Tennis Town in America, Charleston, SC.

“Without the outstanding efforts from our volunteers, the Family Circle Cup wouldn’t be the world class event it is today,” Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup Tournament Manager, said. “They are the reason the fans have such a memorable experience at the event each year and we greatly appreciate their generosity and dedication.”

A good portion of the tournament’s pool of volunteers and temporary staff are island residents, who are proud to have this world-class event take place in their hometown and take pride in the fact that their contributions go a long way towards making the tournament a success. Last year was no exception.  Nancy Heinz, a long-time resident of Daniel Island’s Codner’s Ferry Park neighborhood, served as the Family Circle Cup’s Volunteer of the Year. To read her story, click here.

Adult volunteer opportunities this year involve 17 areas including Guest Services, Player Lounge, Transportation, Media Center, Information Technology, Ticket Office, Ushers, Food & Beverage, Adult Ball Crew and other areas.  The volunteer uniform fee is $60 and provides a week full of benefits.  For more information about adult volunteerism, direct inquires to Jo Cooper, Volunteer Coordinator at Jo.Cooper@familycirclecip.com or by leaving a message on the Family Circle Cup Volunteer Hotline at (843) 849-5309.  Applications are available on line at familycirclecup.com

Daniel Island Recognized Among the “Best of the Best”

The Golf Course Home Network has included Daniel Island on its 2011 “Best of the Best” golf community rankings as a “Community of Distinction.” This annual compendium of rankings takes into account all major media rankings and accolades received by golf communities and their amenities during the course of the year.

Daniel Island’s accolades as a Top 50 Master Planned Community (Where to Retire magazine) and rankings from Golf Digest for the Rees Jones-designed Ralston Creek course are among the awards that counted towards this designation.

“GolfCourseHome leverages the value of all existing rankings to create a full-scale compilation you won’t find anywhere else,” says GolfCourseHome Network Publisher David Lott. “The best (communities) rise to the top, riding the wave of repeated accolades from a wide variety of sources. We’ve identified these superior communities for our readers and they are, indeed, the best of the best.”

We couldn’t agree more!

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