McKay To-Do List May 24 - May 30, 2010

Monday 5.24
What: Introduction to Drawing Techniques
When: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Where: REDUX Contemporary Art Center
              136 St. Phillip St.
How: Always wanted to learn to draw? Now's your chance. After seeing them at last week's Pecha Kucha, we really like the unique opportunities that REDUX has to offer local artists of all skill level.


Tuesday 5.25
What: Entreprenuers Coffee Talk
When: 7:30am - 8:30am
Where: McCrady's
              2 Unity Alley
How: Join other local, like-minded entrepreneurs to share coffee and good ideas. Free. Hosted by the Charleston American Marketing Association (AMA).


Wednesday 5.26
What: Girls' Night in Entertaining
When: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Where: Stems
              208 Coming St.
How: Join hosts Southern Protocol, Canape and Stems as they teach you all the tricks to a chic soiree in the comfort of your home. RSVP to contact@southernprotocol.com. $35.


Thursday 5.27
What: Sex and the City II Premiere
When: Various movie times (We suggest buying tickets ahead)
Where: Your favorite movie theater, but we like:
              The Hippodrome
              360 Concord St.
How: We'll definitely be in attendance for this much-anticipated premiere. Indulge a little and have a cosmo, available for a limited time at The Hippodrome. Support your local movie theaters!


Friday 5.28
What: Piccolo Spoleto Sunset Serenade Concert
When: 8:00pm - 10:00pm (concert begins) 
            Piccolo Spoleto runs for 17 days and nights, beginning Friday 5.28 through Sunday 6.13 and     coinciding with Spoleto Festival USA. 
Where: U.S. Customs House
              200 East Bay St.
How: The annual Piccolo Spoleto concert raises the curtain on this citywide festival. Grab a blanket and chair and gather in front of one of Charleston's historic buildings to hear favorite works by American composers. Performed by the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra, which is comprised of music students and professors from local universities along with local musicians. Free.


Saturday 5.29
What: Charleston Farmers Market
When: 8:00am - 2:00pm
Where: Marion Square
How: Have you been yet this year? Because now is the time that local produce and goods are flooding our weekly market with the first wave of seasonal goodies. Best bets this time of year include arugula, mixed greens, cucumbers, yellow squash, broccoli and red new potatoes.


Sunday 5.30
What: Spoleto Festival USA presents "Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo"
When: 2:00pm
Where: Gaillard Auditorium
              77 Calhoun St.
How: Drag queen ballet, en pointe no less. We like the sound of that! Come see this one of a kind dance troupe, known affectionately to fans worldwide as The Trocks'. Ticket prices range from $15-$75

McKay's To-Do List May 17 - 23, 2010

Tuesday 5.18

What:  Successful Singles Wine Tasting and Matching Making

Where: Social Wine Bar

              188 East Bay Street

When: 5:30p.m. - 8:30p.m.

How: Mix and mingle with other successful singles while enjoying a wine tasting at one of our favorite local spots. 

Wednesday 5.19

What: Pecha Kucha

Where: Citadel's Mark Clark Hall, Buyer Auditorium

When: 6:30p.m.

How: Just $5 to enjoy each presenter's 6 minutes and 40 seconds of fame. As usual, the event is sold out!

Thursday 5.20

What: Green Drinks and Lowcountry Local First

Where: EVO Pizza

              1075 East Montague Ave

              North Charleston, SC 

When: 4:30p.m. - 6:00p.m.

How: Green Drinks will be supporting Lowcountry Local First and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) in Park Circle neighborhood during the BALLE Charleston conference. For more information on the conference visit the website, http://www.livingeconomies.org/conference/2010-conference. 

Friday 5.21

What: Men and Dogs Book Signing

Where: Blue Bicycle Books

              420 King Street

When: 5:00p.m. - 7:00p.m.

How: Charleston-native and author, Katie Crouch will be signing copies of her second novel. 

Saturday 5.22

What: WindPath of Charleston Fractional Yachting Open House

Where: Charleston City Marina

              17 Lockwood Blvd.

When: 10:00a.m. - 4:00p.m.

How: If you're interested in experiencing the benefits of sailing on a luxury yacht, without the hassles of actually owning one, (and who wouldn't be?) come aboard Endeavor, WindPath's 35-foot Catalina 350 markII and hear more about fractional yacht membership.

Sunday 5.23

What: Guerilla Cuisine goes RAW

Where: Location undisclosed

When: 5:30p.m.

How: Chef Ken Immer, creator of gRAWnola, will be cooking for the underground supper club this week. Purchase your tickets here.

            

Charleston WATERKEEPER® Leads International Effort to Save Our Gulf

Local Organization Creates Campaign to Engage Waterkeeper Alliance in Gulf Coast Recovery Effort

In the midst of this devastating BP oil disaster, it is safe to say that most everyone is concerned with the current plight facing the Gulf Coast. With no clear end in sight, this catastrophe is forcing many of us across the Southeast to question how we will be impacted, and what we are going to do about the situation.

Cyrus Buffum, Executive Director of Charleston Waterkeeper, our local water watchdog organization, has taken the lead to create SaveOurGulf.org, a web-based project aiming to raise funds for fellow Waterkeepers on the front lines throughout the Gulf, and provide real-time, accurate information about what may be the largest environmental and economic disaster in U.S. history.

SaveOurGulf.org is an initiative supported by the Waterkeeper Alliance, an international organization of nearly 200 Waterkeeper programs, to aid in the ongoing efforts of the Lower Missisissippi Riverkeeper, Louisiana Bayoukeeper, Mobile Baykeeper, Emerald Coastkeeper and Apalachicola Riverkeeper, who are working around the clock to provide their firsthand knowledge and expertise in order to help minimize the environmental impact from the oil disaster. Together with the Waterkeeper Alliance, Buffum and the five Gulf Coast Waterkeeper organizations located in the direct impact zone are updating SaveOurGulf.org daily with accurate and original content to assure that citizens around the world are given a firsthand account of what is happening on the ground.

Utilizing social media tools and innovative fundraising ideas, SaveOurGulf.org gives citizens opportunities to help contribute to crisis efforts. Interactive components, such as live Twitter feeds from the Waterkeepers on scene, aerial photographs of ground zero, maps and firsthand accounts of critical incidents, allow people to receive live, unfiltered content from the front lines. In addition, by using tools like RT2Give, a donation tool allowing users to donate to the relief effort with a simple retweet on Twitter, SaveOurGulf.org is an example of how modern communication can aid in crisis relief.

The Waterkeeper Alliance has mobilized their programs worldwide to assist, advise and aid SaveOurGulf.org and the affected Waterkeepers. Waterkeepers serve as the voice of the world’s waters, and during such a disastrous event, Gulf Waterkeepers are working together to best protect their communities and the waterways on which they depend. SaveOurGulf.org shares these efforts with the rest of the world, and reveals a front-line perspective of what is being done on the ground. 

To lend support and get involved, visit www.SaveOurGulf.org. 

McKay To-Do List May 10 - 16, 2010

Monday 5.10
What: Spoleto Sneak Preview
Where: CofC's Simons Center for the Arts
              54 St. Philip St.
When: 6:00pm
How: Get an early taste of Spoleto as the CofC School of the Arts faculty joins festival performers to present some of the music that will be heard at this year's festivities. Free.


Tuesday 5.11
What: Mercy of the Chef
Where: Fish Restaurant
             442 King St.
When: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
How: Let Chef Nico be in charge of choosing your 3 courses for only $25. Now for just another $5, add wine pairings to each course.


Wednesday 5.12
What: Foodie Trivia Night
Where: Ted's Butcherblock
              334 East Bay St.
When: 7:30pm
How: Every second Wednesday of the month, Ted's hosts an opportunity for foodies to get together and flaunt their gastro-knowledge. Come check out Charleston's best new trivia night. Free. 


Thursday 5.13
What: Asylum: Break Out for a Cause
Where: Old City Jail
When: 7:00pm - 11:00pm 
How: Mellow Mushroom transforms the Old City Jail into a swanky place to benefit the Teachers' Supply Closet. $45 for admission and open bar. 


Friday 5.14
What: Sol Driven Train
Where: Charleston Pour House
              1977 Maybank Hwy.
When: 9:00pm
How: Come check out the local ensemble as they celebrate their new album release. Opener is Spartanburg native, Shane Pruitt. 


Saturday 5.15
What: Beer-B-Cue Bash
Where: Smoky Oak Taproom
              1234 Camp Rd.
              James Island, SC
When: All Day Long
How: James Island's best kept secret is giving locals from all over Charleston an excuse to venture off the beaten path. Bash will feature 50 beer styles from more than 20 breweries, live music (on the patio), food and drink specials. 


Sunday 5.16
What: Do The Charleston
Where: King St. (Calhoun-Queen)
When: Noon - 5:00pm
How: It's time to Do The Charleston. Shops and restaurants will be spilling out onto King St. as pedestrians take over! Outside dining and specials, plus live music and more. DO NOT MISS THIS! 

McKay Freelance Welcomes WindPath Charleston to Our Fleet

In MOST cases we are firm believers in the saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."  That is until we met our newest client, WindPath of Charleston Fractional Yacht Program.

For those who are not familiar, fractional yachting is similar to a time share. Members have seven guaranteed uses per month, plus as-available use. WindPath not only allows access to the water, but also removes nearly all of the hassles associated with boat ownership.


WindPath Charleston's luxury yacht, Endeavor, is a 35-foot Catalina 350 markII and is conveniently docked at the Charleston City Marina. Members may take the yacht out for a few hours after work, get away for a weekend, or cruise for an entire week. 


A proud supporter of Charleston WATERKEEPER, WindPath Charleston will donate $500 for every new member. And, those who sign-up during the month of May, will receive one month free.


On Saturday, May 22, 2010, WindPath Charleston will open the deck of Endeavor for an open house giving guests the opportunity to talk with current members, tour the boat and learn more about the member and owner-member programs available. The open house will take place from 10:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. at Charleston City Marina, Slip J-20. For those interested, demo sails will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2010, by appointment only.

For more information about WindPath Charleston, visit http://www.WindPathCharleston.com

Get Ready! Our New Look is Coming....

Here is a taste of what the new McKay Freelance website and branding will look like. We are excited to finally show it off! Let us know what you think.

Website to follow in the coming weeks...

Meet our newest client: Essential Journeys - Makers of Soap by the Slice

We are excited to announce our new client, Essential Journeys - Makers of Soap by the Slice.

Essential Journeys makes handcrafted soaps, rejuvenating lotions and soothing lip lubes, all from natural ingredients to make you feel like the diva that you are. The products are not just for the ladies, Essential Journeys also makes shaving soaps specifically designed for men and a dog soap that will leave your pup smelling delightful!

Kimberly Masters, founder of Essential Journeys is a travel enthusiast and gets the creative inspiration for her products from her journeys all around the world.  She handcrafts each soap loaf in her Asheville, NC soap studio. Thai lemongrass, mango papaya and lavender citrus are just a few of the unique fragrance combinations that will make you long to take a shower. The intricate designs make it hard to use her soap slices for anything other than decoration...that is until you try one!

The Essential Journeys' Lotion for the Body soothes the skin with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E and comes in delicious scents like White Tea and Ginger and Grapefruit Splash. And don't forget your lips! Lube for Lips comes in three yummy flavors and will nourish your lips while keeping them protected from the summer sun. 

A perfect gift for mom this Mother's Day, or any time of year. Check out the Essential Journeys Website for additional product information. Keep up with Essential Journeys on Facebook and twitter, @soapslice and receive product promotions and specials.