Nelson's Neighborhood

The 2017 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be held March 3-6, 2017, at the North Charleston Coliseum.  Tournament ticket books are now on sale from $75 and up and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. If you are a College of Charleston Cougars fan and want to sit with other Cougar fans, purchase tickets www.cofcsports.com/tickets .  Single session tickets will go on sale Christmas Day.  The Lowcountry has been awarded the new contract and will be the home of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship for 2017 through 2019, which is great news for the College of Charleston Cougars, who won’t have to travel far to play other CAA opponents including University of Delaware, Drexel, Elon, James Madison University, Hofstra University, Towson, Northeastern University, UNCW and William & Mary College. And with the recent win from Northeastern University’s 81-73 win on the road at Michigan State, basketball fever is heating up....

It's Miracle Monday at Rusty Rudder Mount Pleasant and there's still time to help those in need. Stop by today and enjoy happy hour and dinner - 10% of all proceeds benefit Toys for Tots Foundation.   Please bring a new, unwrapped toy as well as the Rudder is a drop-off location for Toys for Tots. Visit the Rusty Rudder HERE! 

We’ve made it through a stressful election season, so why add more stress to your plate when it comes to Thanksgiving? Let Cru Catering’s Take Home Thanksgiving meal or A La Carte Options be your go-to choices this Turkey Day and take the stress out of prepping and cooking. Order deadline is Wednesday, November 16 by 3:00 p.m. and orders will be available for pick up on Wednesday, November 23 between noon until 3:00 p.m. at Cru Catering Headquarters at 1784 Harmon Street in Charleston. All orders can be placed by calling  (843) 534-2433  or emailing Casey Finnen at  casey@crucatering.com .  It’s as easy as placing an order, picking it up the day before Thanksgiving - Wednesday, November 23 before 3:00 p.m. - and heating the dishes when you’re ready to eat.   Heating instructions will be included providing you a fool-proof, delicious meal without the hassle. How does it work?  Choose from our prix fixe menu or build your own menu by choosing item...

March Madness is heading to the Lowcountry as the 2017 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be held March 3-6, 2017, at the North Charleston Coliseum. Tournament ticket books are now on sale from $60 and up and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. A ticket book includes one reserved seat ticket to each of the five sessions of the tournament. A special pre-holiday Lowcountry Special is available via Ticketmaster through December 24, 2016.  Individual session tickets will become available on November 28.  “The CAA is excited to offer these three different options for purchasing ticket books at this time,” said CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio. “We hope fans will take advantage of this offer and reserve their spot at the 2017 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship.” The CAA includes reigning tournament champion UNCW along with College of Charleston, University of Delaware, Drexel University, Elon University, Hofstra University, Ja...

After more than 15 years of family fun, football and entertaining folks from around the world, The Rusty Rudder Lake Norman at 20210 Henderson Road will close in October due to the non-renewal of their lease. However, things at The Rudder will continue as normal through the month of September such as live music every Friday through Sunday, the showing of all Panther games and other football games with the NFL Ticket. The Rudder staff was informed today of the news. Owners Eric Paul and Brian Johnston co-wrote this statement,  “It is with heavy hearts that we announce The Rusty Rudder Lake Norman will be closing its doors on October 3, 2016. Regrettably, our landlord has decided not to renew the lease after 15 years of business forcing us to close our doors. We would like to thank everyone that has been a part of The Rudder over these amazing years. We have truly felt like a part of Cornelius and Lake Norman Community from day one, and we will miss it deeply. We have be...

Football is back! This week, local high school cheerleaders, football teams, bands and powder puff teams from around the Lowcountry will come together for the annual kickoff to high school football season - the 46th Annual Hendrick Automotive Group Charleston/North Charleston Sertoma Football Classic at Johnson Hagood Stadium on August 11 and 12. With all the exciting new changes to the Classic for 2016, the Sertoma Club of Charleston is proud to announce that Darren Goldwater has been named the new public address announcer.  Goldwater, a television and radio play by play announcer and host, broadcasts college division sports on American Sports Network (ASN), Sinclair Broadcasting's national network available in 94 million homes. Goldwater is also a veteran of televised high school sports including Thursday Night Lights and Friday Night Rivals on MyTV Charleston. Goldwater has also had the opportunity in the past to work with the Charleston RiverDogs, The Citadel and t...

GAME ON! Check out the new PSA/commercial Nelwater produced for the Sertoma Football Classic - Charleston - special thanks to Chris O'Rourke for the awesome editing and Nelwater Sports' own Darren Goldwater for the VO. It's going to be great year for ‪#‎HendrickSertoma‬. Tell me when you see this on local channels! All support helps.

Charleston has grown from a sleepy southern town into a vibrant East Coast city with a flourishing tech scene. The name, Silicon Harbor, as it has been coined, describes the Lowcountry perfectly. Since 1999, one of Charleston’s original web design companies, Geeks In a Box run by CEO Laura Carson, has seen the times change from a four page website with dial-up to 200 page websites with shopping carts. As the company matured and expanded, the geeks have grown up. The staff put away their suspenders and broken glasses with masking tape, and traded in for a sleeker look. Carson is taking it one step further — by revamping the business by rebranding. They’ve ditched the name Geeks in a Box, and are now Kalson Media Group and in order to grow with their expanding business, they have opened an office in I’On in Mount Pleasant.  “Being a technologically savvy, female web design business owner twenty years ago was rare and did come with its challenges. But now, it’s refreshing to see so ...

Firefly Distillery is proud to announce that Jay MacMurphy has been promoted to General Manager of Firefly Distillery, LLC.  He will manage the tasting room, operations, production and accounting. MacMurphy started his career at Irvin~House Vineyards in 2000, where he helped the Irvin Family plant muscadine grapes that would eventually become wine. He then worked as assistant wine maker and vintner for the winery. Once Firefly Distillery opened, he moved to the spirits side and held positions such as assistant distiller and most recently, production manager.  MacMurphy lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife Kimberly and five children. For all the delicious spirits Firefly Disitllery has to offer, visit www.fireflyspirits.com . 

If you're ready for a night out without the kids, be sure to take advantage of this Parents Night Out program at Kids Play Garden on Coleman Blvd in Mount Pleasant and South Windermere in Charleston. Read more here! 

Just because the kids get the summers off doesn’t mean their parents do! With most families, both parents work full time jobs leaving them worried about how to entertain their children during the summer. Thankfully,  Kids Play Garden Mount Pleasant and Kids Play Garden South Windermere is here to help with Summer Adventure Camps 2016 from June 6 - August 12, 2016. Each week, the camps will have a special theme from gardening, camping, Star Wars, Lego Mania and more. Parents are encouraged to reserve their child’s spot early as these camps do fill up quickly. Pre-purchase is required.  The camps run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the kids can stay after the camps for an additional fee. Costs for the camps are $185 members – $215 non-members per week.  “As a working parent, I understand it’s can be difficult to find numerous ways to entertain  children during the summer. With our variety of camps, the kids aren’t just having fun, they’re learning thro...

  Elliott  Summey, current Charleston County Council Chairman (District 3), will head into November’s election for his County Council seat without opposition. As of noon today, March 30, there were no fillings by an opponent for his current seat on the board. His statement upon hearing the news:  “Since I was first elected to serve on Charleston County Council, both as Vice Chairman and Chairman, I have had a proven track record of improving the infrastructure and transportation concerns that we are currently facing, and will be facing in the future. From the Johnnie Dodds improvements in Mount Pleasant, the new upgrades to the Charleston International Airport, the addition of routes for CARTA, Highway 41 widening, Boeing expansion and many other projects in the county, I have worked tirelessly to make it easier for our residents to get to their job, work, school and family. I am humbled and honored that the constituents of my district have allowed me to conti...

Elliott Summey, current Charleston County Council Chairman (District 3) and Senior Vice President of Weber USA, will officially launch his re-election campaign for Charleston County Council on Wednesday, March 16 at noon at Election Headquarters, located at 4367 Headquarters Road in North Charleston. Summey has served on the Charleston County Council board since 2008 and served as vice chairman for five years. He was elected Council Chairman in 2015 after Teddie Pryor stepped down from the position to spend more time with his grandchildren. Summey’s focus for his campaign is improving the quality of life for Charleston County citizens overall. From improving traffic conditions and road infrastructure issues to creating jobs, ensuring smart growth and development is the key to drive the continued success of Charleston County. Summey, a graduate of North Charleston High School and College of Charleston, has been instrumental in facilitating new businesses and improvements to Charle...

For many parents, finding a  camp  for their children to attend during  Spring  Break can be daunting. But  Kids Play Garden Mount Pleasant  and  Kids Play Garden South Windermere  is here to help with  Spring  Break  Camp  2016 from March 28 - April 1, 2016. Each day, the  camps  will have a special theme from gardening, camping, theatre and more. Children can attend all week or choose only one day to attend. Parents are encouraged to reserve their child’s spot early as these  camps  do fill up quickly. Pre-purchase is required.  “Nowadays, many children under the age of seven aren’t getting the time for free play that is needed to develop certain areas of their brain and well being. With our concept, we believe kids learn best through play, and have designed a learning center and our  camps  for just that.” said Maren Anderson, founder of Kids Play Garden.  The exciting ev...

Look in your closet and count how many pairs of shoes you have and haven’t worn in years. Now, think about how those shoes could benefit those less fortunate and the Lowcountry Lab Rescue at the same time.  Along with Wooftrax Shoes for Shelters Fundraiser and Funds2Orgs, Lowcountry Lab Rescue is conducting a shoe collection drive in many locations from March 14 - May 15. Lowcountry Lab Rescue will earn funds based on the number of pairs collected as Funds2Orgs will purchase all of the donated goods. Those dollars will benefit Lowcountry Lab Rescue simply with your donation of gently worn, used or new shoes at locations listed below.  All donated shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of micro-enterprise partners in developing nations. Funds2Orgs helps impoverished people start, maintain and grow businesses in countries such as Haiti, Honduras and other nations in Central America and Africa. Proceeds from the shoe sales are used to feed, c...

If you’re a parent, you know it’s hard to spend quality alone time with your spouse or partner. And finding a babysitter on Valentine’s Day weekend can be impossible. But thanks to Valentine’s Day Parents Night Out at  Kids  Play   Garden Mount Pleasant  and  Kids  Play   Garden  South Windermere , parents now can enjoy America’s sweetest holiday. On Saturday, February 13th, drop the kids off any time after 5:00 p.m. for a fun evening of crafts, games,  play , pizza and a movie. Both locations are pajama-friendly, so parents can pick up the children all ready for bed.  It’s one of the most affordable ways to get great, innovative care in an eco-friendly environment. Costs for the evening are $30 for one child, $50 for two children and $75 for three children for three hours (your choice) any time between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The price includes the pizza dinner. However, there are limited spaces and parents are encouraged to cal...

There’s nothing better than local, salty oysters in the Lowcountry winter. Grab your oyster knives for a shuckin’ good time under the oaks at Firefly Distillery and Deep Water Vineyard (previously Irvin~House Vineyards) Fourth Annual Cork Shuckin’ Festival on Saturday, February 6 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 6775 Bears Bluff Road on Wadmalaw Island. Admission is $5 per car.   Patrons are encourag ed to bring cash and credit for oysters, wine and Firefly spirits tastings. Oysters will be available and other Food Trucks will be on site including Coastal Crust, Gidget Gourmet, Linen's BBQ, and Sweet Lulu's Bakery. Guests are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music of the Don Merkle and the Blacksmiths.  This year, a new aspect has been added to the festival to heat up some competition and fun. A laser skeet shoot will be held in the field next to the distillery. A laser skeet shoot uses specially-modified laser shotguns, reusable ...