Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repair in Summerville, SC

Get ready for a taste of Italy right in the heart of Historical Downtown Summerville. The 2023 Summerville Italian Feast is back, and it promises to be an unforgettable day of cultural celebration, delicious cuisine and community togetherness. The event, which started in 2012 with 11 vendors, has grown to 87 vendors this year.

The 2023 Summerville Italian Feast is 11-a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, at Hutchinson Square in downtown Summerville.

“Indulge your senses in the rich flavors of Italy as we pay tribute to Italian-American heritage,” according to a press release. “With over 87 local craft and food booths, as well as a delectable lineup of food trucks, you can savor your favorite Italian dishes just like mama used to make. From mouthwatering pasta dishes to scrumptious cannoli and everything in between, your taste buds are in for a treat.”

In addition to the food, the 2023 Summerville Italian Feast will showcase the talent of students from Dorchester District 2 schools who will entertain the crowd with performances.

One of the more significant aspects of this event is its charitable mission. All proceeds from the Summerville Italian Feast will benefit the Dorchester School District 2 Educational Foundation. Your attendance and participation in this celebration will directly contribute to educational programs and initiatives within the community.

The Dorchester District Two Board of Trustees voted Monday, Sept. 25, on the recommended process to follow over the next several months to rezone school attendance boundaries beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

“The natural question would be why is this process necessary in Dorchester School District 2,” said Dr. Shane Robbins, superintendent of Dorchester District 2. “The simple explanation is our strong academic reputation and our community’s appealing quality of life means we have welcomed thousands of new families in a short amount of time.”

Robbins said new growth and housing developments in part of Dorchester County have produced increased enrollments in some of the district’s facilities and now require the board and administration to consider setting new attendance zones to relieve overcrowding at Beech Hill Elementary, Sand Hill Elementary and William Reeves Elementary. Additionally, East Edisto Middle School, Ashley Ridge High School and Summerville High School are nearing capacity.

“The overcrowding at these locations just happens to coincide with a lower enrollment in other portions of Dorchester School District 2,” Robbins said. “We will rezone attendance boundaries because crowded classrooms create unsafe environments and make it difficult to provide the high-quality education that is a cornerstone of our community. We also understand the importance of maximizing our resources (facilities) for the taxpayers of Dorchester County.”

Several key dates have been identified as part of the rezoning process over the next year:

Nov. 7-14 – public engagement: District officials will collect feedback and answer questions during public meetings and an online process.

Dec. 11 – board meeting for public engagement: The meeting agenda will include a public comment opportunity and the results from the public engagement in November.

Jan. 8, 2024 – final board vote: Anticipated board vote on the recommended map for rezoned school attendance boundaries.

Summer 2024 – rezoning takes effect: The new maps for K-12 school attendance boundaries will determine where students are zoned to attend school based on their home addresses.

Visit www.ddtwo.org/rezone for more information. Robbins said the website will be updated as the rezoning process moves forward.

A weekslong search is continuing for a family dog lost while under the care of a Summerville boarding facility in mid-September.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A weekslong search is continuing for a family dog lost while under the care of a Summerville boarding facility in mid-September.

Five-year-old Boykin Spaniel “Rex” was left in the care of the Carolina Boarding Kennels in mid-September while the Davis family went on a weekend trip.

“Sunday morning, my husband got a call saying our dog had gotten out from the kennel,” owner Linsey Davis said.

The family has taken every opportunity they can to bring Rex home, including a seven-mile property search, putting up signs and countless social media posts.

“We’re doing this, pushing so hard, because it’s been three weeks,” Davis said. “I feel like I owe it to him, and to anyone else.”

After hours of work put in, there still have been no sightings from the community.

“For us, it’s really challenging to not have answers. I would say it’s the hardest part,” Davis said.

One volunteer, who dedicates her time to bringing lost pets home to families, said it could be a number of possibilities.

“It is very possible someone spotted him and picked him up and didn’t know what to do,” Kerri Lyons said. “It’s possible he’s been picked up and he was kept, it’s possible he is no longer with us.”

Lyons said this is not the first time she’s known an owner with a lost pet from this facility.

“I reached out to the family when she commented, said ‘Hey I’ve worked with families missing from this facility before, can you give me information on what has happened with your dog,’” Lyons said.

A blank contract from the facility does state they aren’t responsible for death, loss or damage of a pet while under their care.

There are no state regulations for the upkeep of these facilities, a frustration for those who are dealing with a missing pet.

Business license applications are required for all Dorchester County businesses.

According to public records from the county, there has been an existing business license for Carolina Boarding Kennels since 2018.

Prior to this license, the kennel was licensed and operated since 1999.

Another owner whose dog was lost at the facility says these pets are more than just property. They are worthy of transparency and closure.

“Sage Marie,” a senior Staffordshire Mastiff, was lost on the Carolina Boarding Kennels property in 2019.

“Animals are not just animals,” Sage’s owner Jessica Kirby said. “As I mentioned, she was a caretaker for our family. She took care of Jeremy, she took care of me, she took care of our daughter, she took care of our son.”

The Davis family wants to make sure the word gets out about Rex to hopefully bring peace.

“The goal is to get Rex home,” Davis said. “We are very gracious people, we never would bring attention to someone or a company if we didn’t feel we were being supported by them.”

If you know anything about Rex’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Davis family with any information at 843-532-3224.

They said they would be offering a reward.

Carolina Boarding Kennels declined a request for comment.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The James A. “Gus” Moody Memorial Tournament of Bands takes place this coming weekend in Summerville.

The tournament is 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at John McKissick Field at Memorial Stadium, 900 John McKissick Way in Summerville. Opening ceremonies begin at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults 18 and older; $10 for children ages 5-17, students, members of the military and senior citizens over 60. Children under 4 years old are free and parking is $5.

Named for the long-time band director of Summerville High School and director of the band program at Dorchester School District Two, James Augustus “Gus” Moody served as the band director at Summerville High School from 1960 to 1986.

Moody met his wife, had two daughters – Jan and Julie – and went on to become the band director at Summerville High School, a decision he was glad he stuck with because, he would say, he would never have gotten to know all his children. By “children” he did not mean Jan (Moody Reeves) and Julie (Moody Mise) alone, but the thousands of students he taught in his 26 years at Summerville High.

Moody came from Allendale, South Carolina. He was a lover of jazz music and a skilled saxophonist. He had his first paying job as a jazz player at 13 years old. He attended Furman University and, somewhere along the line, decided to join the army. During that time in the army he got to be stationed at the Navy School of Music in Washington, D.C., which had a big effect on his musical life, Reeves said.

Moody was known for pushing his students to do the right thing, look their best and always be on time – people, to this day, refer to Moody’s clock as “Eastern standard Moody time.” Reeves said summer band practices started at 8 a.m., and students were required to be there five minutes early. If even one person was late, then the next day band practice started at five minutes until 8 (which was really 10 till 8).

“He just had his standards, and they better be met,” Reeves said. “And I think that’s why so many people will say that’s why he impacted them in such a great way.

Even after he retired in 1986, Moody was a very active man who loved to golf, fish and be involved in his church. He had a great love for his grandchildren. The family has a house at Edisto Beach, filled with great memories of going to the beach, fishing and water skiing. He still played his saxophone and enjoyed playing with some of his former students. He would play for different benefits or events such as weddings, funerals or at church.

He was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Music Educators Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of numerous awards. His bands won three state championships and many other awards.

The well-respected former band director passed away in 2015 at the age of 82.

Trump is speaking Monday afternoon at Sportsman Boats in his first visit to South Carolina since the Silver Elephant Gala last month.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Former President Donald Trump took the stage at a campaign event in Summerville Monday predicting a record-breaking win in the South Carolina Primary as he campaigned for a second term as commander-in-chief.

Trump is speaking Monday afternoon at Sportsman Boats in his first visit to South Carolina since the Silver Elephant Gala last month.

He told the crowd that his last two years in office were the best two years South Carolina boat builders and South Carolina businesses have ever had, saying that boat builders couldn’t make the boats fast enough.

“When I left the office business was roaring like a 400 horsepower Mercury outboard motor,” Trump said. “But then the economy slammed into a pile of rocks known as crooked Joe Biden.”

He promised to end Biden’s “war on American energy” and reclaim energy independence.

“In other words, we will drill, baby, drill,” he said.

Trump said he won South Carolina twice by record numbers and pledged to do it again.

“We did phenomenally here. We’ve always done well here and we’re going to do it at a level that nobody’s ever seen,” he said. “So we broke the record twice. We’re going to break it a third time. We’re going to break our own record.”

He said he intends to “take back our country and we’re going to make America great again.”

Before Trump’s speech, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told the crowd he went into the State House about a month after Trump went into the White House.

“And South Carolina has been booming ever since,” he said. “But then in January 2021, everything changed.”

McMaster said his administration has had to fight the Biden Administration “every day.” He cited the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for military personnel, and accused it of destroying the nation’s borders and the nation’s energy independence.

“From 2016 until now, [the Biden Administration] has been doing anything and everything they could, legal, illegal, ethical, unethical, unheard of, unprecedented, to do one thing: That includes two bogus impeachments and full-of-baloney indictments to do what? To stop one man, to stop our man from being president of the United States,” McMaster said.

Gov. Henry McMaster praised former President Donald Trump Monday at a campaign event held in Summerville.

Dorchester County deputies said earlier on Monday that Trump’s visit to Summerville would cause delays on Highway 78 from Summerville east of Berlin G. Myers Parkway to Jedburg Road at Mallard Road. Drivers in the area are asked to search for alternate routes if they don’t live or work along Highway 78 and are encouraged to use other entrances to neighborhoods in the area.

Traffic delays are expected to last through about 5 p.m. Monday but the delays could be extended.

Dorchester County deputies are warning of traffic delays ahead of former President Donald Trump’s visit to the Lowcountry.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The Annual Sweet Tea Festival brings thousands of community members together every year to help the once-small-town continue to thrive.

Saturday marks a decade of celebration for the sweet treat special to the heart of Summerville.

Organizers reflected on how the event will remain a staple to the Lowcountry after its ten-year milestone.

“Not only allowing us to come here, do this right in front of their front doors, but businesses are thriving and seeing how amazing it is to have these kinds of events,” Summerville DREAM team member Stephen Slappey said.

It’s all about the food, games and fun.

And of course: the sweet tea.

“I’ve tried a lot. My favorite is the regular,” 9-year-old festivalgoer Asher said.

Lines of people crowded the streets of downtown Summerville to get a glimpse, and a sip, of the most unique sweet tea flavors the Lowcountry has to offer.

“Long lines for all the teas, so I don’t know,” Summerville DREAM Team member Jessica Schaefer said. “There’s a lot of people, we have 17 different vendors selling so. What we can say is we cannot confirm or deny a winner until it’s over.”

This year marks 10 since the festival opened its doors to the public.

Each time the event offers an open house for vendors in food and beverage, art, clothing, live music, and more.

“We started in 2013 with the Sweet Tea Festival. We found out Summerville was the birthplace of sweet tea, where it started. We were like, ‘We need to be on the map for that,’” Slappey said.

Long-time Lowcountry community members say it’s not only become a tradition to the town, but a special place for families, friends and neighbors.

“Just about every year, I come here every year because my mom is one of the vendors,” Long-time festivalgoer Brunte Austin said.

Austin adds there is always something new to see, hear or taste.

“Every year I’m here, I love it. It’s different every year.”

Members of the nonprofit Summerville DREAM team say they were impressed by the turnout.

“A lot of our contest vendors for the sweet tea contests are already out of cups because there’s so many people out here,” Schaefer said.

They add the overwhelming support from the public makes a difference.

“We are so appreciative to see this community thrive because it is willing to support itself,” Slappey said.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.