Saws, Maters, & Men Long Gone
July 8, 2020By Tom Poland Growing up in eastern Georgia deep in pines, I wakened to the wail of chainsaws six days a week. Yellow McCullochs and red Poulans sliced through…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
South Carolina ETV to launch ‘Palmetto Perspectives’ series with multi-platform racial injustice program July 8
July 7, 2020Viewers encouraged to participate through live stream on social media South Carolina ETV (SCETV) today announced that it will be launching a new, community engagement-focused series with a one-hour discussion…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, on-the-move, telecommunications, the-arts
Fried Green Tomatoes
July 2, 2020By Tom Poland My back-road explorations take me to little eateries tucked neatly in the middle of nowhere, whistle-stop places. Country folks run these deep-fried, lonely roadside stops so…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Ariail wins 70th annual Green Eyeshade Award for editorial cartooning
July 1, 2020Veteran SC editorial cartoonist, Robert Ariail, has won the 70th annual Green Eyeshade Award for editorial cartooning. The awards, presented by the Society of Professional Journalists, recognize the best in…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: media, on-the-move, the-arts
The Outhouse Flower
June 25, 2020By Tom Poland I remember Mom talked of a flower with a strange name, hollyhocks. She talked flowers a lot mentioning dahlias, Cape jasmines, which go by jasmines, gardenia,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz Category: life, the-arts
Charleston blended with Nashville equals Greed: an album about perseverance
June 25, 2020Jesse Shafer’s summer release blends two great music cities with a focus on resilience It’s not unusual in Nashville, Tennessee for a child of 6 to begin creating music, as…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: music, on-the-move, the-arts
Grace Will Lead Us Home: A Compelling Guide to Understanding the Emanuel Church shootings
June 17, 2020By Reba Hull Campbell Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home”…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
A Childhood, The Biography of a Place
June 17, 2020By Tom Poland The book is 9.25 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and less than an inch thick. Its 182 pages present a world well-fed folks can only guess…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art ’10/10′ exhibition reflects on a decade of art
June 15, 2020When it moved into the Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts in 2010, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art finally had the space it needed – not just…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: education, on-the-move, the-arts
Just One Great Adventure
June 11, 2020By Tom Poland On my way back I crossed Clarks Hill Lake twice. In soft early evening light, the water lay like a mirror. Smooth as glass as we…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Woods, Waters, and Flowers
June 3, 2020By Tom Poland A botanical superstar lives in the South. It’s exquisite, ephemeral, and periled, in that much of its habitat lies beneath lakes. I’m writing about the rocky…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Gibbes Museum of Art to reopen following COVID-19 related closure
May 26, 2020The Gibbes Museum of Art will reopen to the public on June 1, after temporarily closing its doors on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gibbes has enacted…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: hospitality, non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
Quarantine Heartbreak
May 25, 2020By Tammy Davis Part Ten of The Corona Chronicles Part Nine here Part Eight here Part Seven here Part Six here Part Five here Part Four here Part Three here Part Two here Part One here After…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
If At First You Don’t Succeed
May 25, 2020By Tom Poland Among my father’s passions were birds and woodworking. He made bluebird boxes in his workshop and mounted them around home. He loved hummingbirds and looked for…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Artist Minute – Heather MacQueen Jones, Oil Painter
May 19, 2020The Who’s on the Move, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One of the…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Junkyard Beauty
May 18, 2020By Tom Poland One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s true. We live in a throwaway society and junkyard junkies seek bargains. Making use of discards is frugal.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Pull Of Beauty
May 13, 2020By Tom Poland Over the last five years, I’ve developed two traditions I plan to never break. Come March and come May, I drop everything and head to three…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Buzzard Luck
May 6, 2020By Tom Poland A searing, sweaty summer day … just as my friend leaned over to pick up his dropped keys, his glasses slid onto the asphalt and cracked.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Artist Minute – Corey Alston, Sweetgrass Basket Weaving
May 5, 2020The Who’s on the Move, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One of the…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Had Harry Sat Here
April 30, 2020By Tom Poland Rain, rain, and more rain. It hasn’t been a biblical forty days and forty nights but sure seems like it. A record sopping-wet winter has creeks…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Buddy bear.
April 30, 2020By Cathy Rigg Monetti There are a thousand reasons, I suppose, we are obsessed with the bear. He’s beautiful, for one. Big, and healthy, with a full shiny coat…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
S.C. Arts Commission to provide arts emergency relief grants
April 27, 2020Applications to be accepted April 29 through May 15, 2020 The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is announcing emergency relief for South Carolina arts organizations and individual artists who can…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
High As A Georgia Pine
April 16, 2020By Tom Poland The South and its vernacular, love it and never lose it. Seems to me, we have the finest, most colorful expressions. Yes, Southerners have a flair…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Be well.
April 16, 2020By Cathy Rigg Monetti YESTERDAY WE AWOKE to a strange and beautiful scene. It was 5:55 a.m., and through our east window we saw that slight but gorgeous glow…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
House Arrest Haircuts
April 8, 2020By Tom Poland Nancy’s eyes betrayed frustration and fear. “I can’t cut your hair right now. I’ve got to close.” Early April 2020, the year of perfect vision, what…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Scouted Studio announces emerging artist virtual pop-up show
April 2, 2020The Scouted Studio, a locally based arts management company, has officially announced its first emerging artist virtual pop-up show, featuring works from 24 artists from across the United States and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
This Silent Strange Spring
April 1, 2020By Tom Poland Spring’s springing. I put my hummingbird feeders up for soon the feathered jets will arrive. My azaleas burst into living color as Disney phrased it, and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, on-the-move, the-arts
Artist Minute – Connor Lock, S E V E N {a visual craftsman}
March 31, 2020The Who’s on the Move, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Hauling Up Water
March 26, 2020By Tom Poland The cold water hurt my teeth, and it didn’t come from a cooler. Nor a faucet. There was no faucet. My grandparents cranked a windlass, lowering…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Spoleto Festival USA announces unprecedented cancellation of its 2020 season
March 24, 2020In compliance with civil authorities and guidelines for health and safety to stop the spread of COVID-19, the annual performing arts festival will not take place. For 43 years, Spoleto…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: headlines, on-the-move, the-arts
The Wonder Of Woods And Waters
March 19, 2020By Tom Poland Remembering & Thanking Harry Hampton Fall 1980, a St. Andrews Columbia office park known as Dutch Plaza teems with activity. We’re packing up files, desks, cameras,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: environmental, life, the-arts
South Carolina ETV reimagines mission-driven partnership with S.C. Department of Education in response to COVID-19
March 17, 2020Network to modify programming three days each week beginning March 24 South Carolina ETV (SCETV) today announced a plan in partnership with the S.C. Department of Education (SCDE) to broadcast…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: education, government, health-care, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move, technology, the-arts
S.C. Arts Awards postponed because of COVID-19 concerns
March 16, 2020Official statement from the South Carolina Arts Commission: COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Arts Awards scheduled for May 6, 2020 are being postponed until further notice. With the ongoing uncertainty…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: non-profit, on-the-move, the-arts
A Genuine Barber Shop
March 11, 2020By Tom Poland My great uncle cut my hair when I was growing up in Lincolnton, Georgia. That would be Waymon Walker, Granddad’s brother. Walker’s Barbershop of white concrete…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Dignity Found In Abandonment
March 4, 2020By Tom Poland As you drive from here to there in a rush, how many times have you turned around to stop at an abandoned store? I do that…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Charleston Symphony announces 2020-2021 line-up, dedicates upcoming season to Beethoven in honor of his 250th Birthday
February 27, 2020Next season the Charleston Symphony will join orchestras around the world in celebrating the works of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, in honor of the 250th anniversary of his birth later this…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Doodling In the Dust
February 27, 2020By Tom Poland Homes perch on rock piers in a forgotten land called Abandonment, but as that old Elton John song goes, they’re still standing. Now modern homes with…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Artist Minute – Julia Deckman, Visual Artist
February 24, 2020The Who’s on the Move, BizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Remembering A Journalist
February 20, 2020By Tom Poland He didn’t like to fly, but he traveled the world, missing the South always. When he was in some country afar and by chance heard a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Artist Minute – Quiana Parler, Ranky Tanky
February 17, 2020The Who’s on the Move, BizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
Camps Show Students Their Future
February 13, 2020By Tom Poland Hands-On Learning, Real Learning, Fun Learning The blue lake, white sands, and green trees of summer camps live on as I recall days at Rock…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
The Artist Minute – Marcus Amaker, Poet Laureate of Charleston
February 6, 2020The Who’s on the Move, BizSC, Artist Minute is a quick, two-minute interview in support of the undeniable impact that the arts and local artists have on our communities. One…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: podcast, the-arts
S.C. Arts Commission announces six recipients of 2020 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts
February 5, 2020South Carolina’s highest award for achievement in the arts is to be presented to six uniquely qualified arts practitioners and supporters announced today by the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC).…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Down South
February 5, 2020By Tom Poland Window To The Past The old window looks out on Highway 25. The view at best is limited. Standing behind the window, you’d peer through iron…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
Mardi Gras Columbia Festival and Parade set for February 22 at City Roots
February 5, 2020The 10th annual Mardi Gras Columbia Festival and Parade will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at City Roots urban farm in Columbia’s Rosewood neighborhood. Hosted by the festival’s…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: food, life, on-the-move, the-arts
Lost In Amethyst Country
January 29, 2020By Tom Poland Another world entire hides along lesser-traveled roads. Do yourself a favor. Look for it. The day after Christmas I drove to Tignall, Georgia, to…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
World-class flutist to perform at CSU on Sunday
January 24, 2020Flutists and woodwind players from beginner through professionals and music lovers will have a unique chance to attend a recital and masterclass featuring world-class flutist Demarre McGill Sunday, Jan. 26…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc Category: on-the-move, the-arts
Invisible People
January 22, 2020By Tom Poland Clothes make the man, and when it comes to camouflage, it must make the man, woman, boy, and girl too. Seems everyone wears camouflage year-round, but…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts
EngenuitySC to conclude Competitiveness Week 2020 with a celebration of creative entrepreneur Mark Rapp
January 15, 2020EngenuitySC, the local nonprofit that works with area leaders to make the Columbia, S.C., region a standout choice for top talent and competitive companies, will close out its annual Competitiveness…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz Category: music, non-profit, on-the-move, philanthropy, the-arts
The Lindler House, Beautiful Survivor
January 15, 2020By Tom Poland It’s high noon at High Noon gift shop in Ballantine, South Carolina. I’m signing books when a lady approaches. “You write about old homes don’t you?”…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: life, the-arts





