Roofer in Mount Pleasant, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - If you love Fourth of July fireworks, several events across the Tri-County area will help you boost your patriotic pride.

Here are just a few of the events you and your family can enjoy:

Goose Creek: Fabulous Fourth in the Creek

The city of Goose Creek will welcome visitors to celebrate with its Fabulous Fourth in the Creek celebration.

The event will take place at the Goose Creek Municipal Center at 519 North Goose Creek Blvd., from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

It will showcase live music, food vendors and free activities for children, including balloon animals, bubbles, face painting and crafts.

Admission and parking is free. On-site parking will be available at the Recreation Complex and event parking fields. Accessible parking is available with a valid placard.

Golf cart transport is available once attendees have parked, but golf cart transport is not available after the event or in the dark.

Parking is limited so carpooling is encouraged.

Shuttles will be running from Westview Elementary School and Westview Middle School, located at 100 Westview Blvd., starting at 5 p.m.

The walking path around the Municipal Pond will close at 7 a.m. on Friday.

The fireworks show is expected to begin at around 9 p.m.

Isle of Palms: 4th of July Fireworks Show

The city of Isle of Palms hosts its annual Independence Day show on Front Beach, at 1118 Ocean Blvd. It is free and open to the public.

Beachgoers are required to leave the beach and remove their belongings by 6:30 p.m. to allow preparation for the event. The area of the beach between 21st Avenue to Coconut Joe’s will close at that time.

Fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

Guests may remain inside the Isle of Palms County Park area or behind the public restroom facilities to watch the show.

Fireworks are not permitted in the City of Isle of Palms and must be operated by professionals only.

Click here, for more information.

Mount Pleasant: 4th of July Fireworks Blast

The Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum hosts its annual Independence Day celebration, the 4th of July Fireworks Blast.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at the museum aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown for ticketed guests.

Tickets give access to the ship, live music, a view of the fireworks show over Charleston Harbor and family-friendly fun throughout the night.

Guests can purchase from a selection of food and drinks from Charleston vendors.

Fireworks are set to begin at around 9:30 p.m. or when it is dark.

The Yorktown will close at 10 p.m.

Click here to purchase tickets for the event.

Parking is available onsite at Patriots Point. Space is limited. Parking fees are not included in event tickets and must be paid separately through the Pay By Plate QR code system, based on posted rates. Only clear bags are allowed for safety purposes. Small non-clear clutches are permitted. Seating is limited. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and small tables. Bagged chairs must be removed from their bags before entry.

Coolers, outside food or beverages, and wagons are not permitted. Only strollers and wheelchairs are allowed on board.

North Charleston: 4th of July Festival

The city of North Charleston takes celebrating the Fourth of July seriously, touting its annual celebration as the Lowcountry’s largest fireworks display.

This year’s event will be held from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Riverfront Park. It will feature live music by Motown Throwdown and music from DJ Natty Heavy and DJ D-Nyce, all leading up to the fireworks show at 9 p.m. Numerous food vendors will be at the site.

No seating is provided, so visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, water and snacks.

Parking is free and visitors can enter from the north via Virginia Avenue or from the south by way of the Bainbridge Connector. Golf cart parking will be available. North Charleston officials recommend walking, biking, carpooling or ridesharing where available.

All bags will be searched. No grills, sparklers or outside fireworks will be allowed.

Sullivan’s Island: Fourth of July at Sullivan’s Island

Sullivan’s Island will kick off Independence Day with a golf cart and bike parade at 9 a.m., beginning at Sunrise Presbyterian Church and continuing to Sullivan’s Island Elementary School.

The parade route extends from Station 28 1/2 Street toward the beachfront and then right on Atlantic Avenue.

The town will then hold its Independence Day party at Stith Park, at 2056 Middle St., starting at 6 p.m. Visitors can bring a chair or a blanket and enjoy music provided by the Shem Creek Boogie Band.

Fireworks begin shortly after 9 p.m. Dogs are not allowed in the park and alcohol is prohibited.

Summerville: Fireworks & Freedom Festival

The town of Summerville will hold its annual Fireworks & Freedom Festival Friday night at Gahagan Park, located at 515 W. Boundary St.

The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Before the fireworks show, enjoy food trucks, vendors and other activities along the park. Shuttles will be available to take people to Gahagan Park from Hutchinson Square.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT — Town Council spent nearly two hours discussing a pair of ordinances intended to temper development in certain areas and discourage redevelopment in others, if only temporarily.

Elected officials gave first reading June 10 of a measure providing a temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of major subdivisions in historic districts.

The ordinance, if passed, would fall in line with the similar 24-month directive Charleston County passed in July.

"Right now, the ordinance is very broad," Mount Pleasant planning director Michele Reed said at the meeting. "It's county-wide, and so this pause is allowing the county to work with the communities to create more specific guidelines for what these communities want to see."

Mount Pleasant's stand comes two months after the developer of a roughly 3-acre parcel on Hamlin Beach requested to be annexed into the town. The goal was to get around from the building moratorium and allow an eight-home subdivision on the tract.

Ahead of the meeting, six members of Charleston County Council sent a letter to Mayor Will Haynie and Town Council in support of the temporary moratorium. It said said the ordinance is necessary to avoid "hasty decisions that may compromise community character or overwhelm existing infrastructure."

"As development pressures continue to mount, we must take deliberate action to protect these irreplaceable assets from irreversible damage," the county officials wrote.

The letter further stated their ordinance and Mount Pleasant's proposal do "not seek to halt growth but rather provide our planning and preservation professionals the time and space necessary to assess impacts, update relevant ordinances, and ensure future development aligns with the values and long-term vision of our region."

Josh Dix, vice president of advocacy for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, spoke against the town's proposed ordinance, saying "moratoriums don't protect communities."

Dix's trade group worked previously with County Council on its ordinance. He suggested the town look into legally binding conservation easements instead as a way to prevent development in settlement communities.

"That's how you protect property. You do that through deed restriction," he said. "You don't do that by passing a moratorium. Y'all have a long history of annexing properties into this town to close doughnut holes and address consistency of service. This moratorium would kind of fly in the face of that long-standing tradition that the town has."

The first reading of the ordinance passed unanimously and will move to Mount Pleasant's planning committee. One recommendation with it is to put a short and firm deadline on the directive to avoid the fate of Mount Pleasant's last moratorium on apartments that delayed a decision for nearly eight years.

A second lengthy discussion centered on possible action regarding regulations for demolitions and rebuilds or major additions in Mount Pleasant's older neighborhoods — areas where the town serves as the only protection.

Council addressed a specific geographically defined area that has an existing neighborhood overlay district. The sector includes Shemwood, The Groves, Cooper Estates and Bayview.

In the last two and a half years, the area has seen 44 newly built homes and 30 additions, the town said.

"I supported ... amending the agenda and putting these together, because although the neighborhoods are different and the county's not involved in this, the purpose is the same," Haynie said. "And that is to protect neighborhoods that are getting overrun by — it may not be new development, but it's redevelopment — and to find out legally what tools we have to do that in the meantime."

Council also expressed a need to protect residents who purchased property in certain areas where landscapes have changed with huge homes rebuilt around them.

Options for consideration included offering incentives for owners to maintain existing structures and build additions instead of demos or rebuilds, as well as further limiting building coverage and impervious surface coverage.

Council voted unanimously again to send the ordinance to the planning committee.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Resiliency is the Town of Mount Pleasant’s main focus when it comes to its long-term goals.

The town has released a draft of its Five-Year Comprehensive Plan and is asking for public feedback.

In 2020, the Long Range Plan was adopted, looking ahead to 2030. However, with a new requirement made by the state and the changes over the last five years, Mount Pleasant had to make some revisions.

SC Code §6-29-510 (D)(10) requires that a resiliency element be added to the list of planning elements, so that’s exactly what Town of Mount Pleasant Division Chief for Neighborhood Livability Liz Boyles said was their priority.

“Maybe it’s a pandemic, maybe it’s a storm, maybe it’s changing in the economy. How can we best be prepared to weather whatever that change is? That’s what the resilience element is about,” Boyles says.

As these additional revisions impact the community, one resident, Cathy Perry Nickles, says she started coming to Charleston in 1988, which was a different sight in comparison to today.

“Driving through Mount Pleasant was like driving through a barren town. There was hardly anything here. Now, it is just bursting at the seams, and it’s a great thing, but yes, I mean the town will have to accommodate that growth,” she says.

Boyles says the language is nearly the exact same as their 2020 adopted plan, but you may see some additional information, including a Hazard Mitigation Plan, a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis and a Community Forest Master Plan.

“Basically, bring it up to speed with the things that we have done since the plan was adopted five years ago,” Boyles said.

For example, they have now collected data from their “Public Input Matters” open houses in 2022 and 2023. With the surveys and the changes they’ve observed within the last five years, they made small edits throughout.

“That’s why it’s so important to bring in the whole conversation about the business community. If you’re talking about resilience, you know, sea level rise is one thing, but you know, having a healthy economy is a whole different thing,” Boyles says.

Boyles says that because this adopted long-range plan looks ahead to 2030, it can be a challenge with how often things could change in the Lowcountry. She says that’s why it is important to have input from those in the community.

For Nickles, she loves being part of that community and knows the town has to stay up to date with the constant changes.

“As anything in life happens, the bigger you get, the more revisions you have to make to accommodate that growth,” she says.

Below are the dates for the public meetings:

Boyles says the town’s planning commission will review the drafted plan on June 18.

For more details on the drafted plan, follow this link.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, is pleased that East Cooper Montessori Charter School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, has successfully created a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife™ program. In addition, East Cooper Montessori Charter School’s habitat has been co-certified with the NWF’s state affiliate, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

NWF celebrates this effort to create a garden that supports birds, butterflies, bees, frogs and other local wildlife. Every Certified Wildlife Habitat garden provides natural sources of food, water, cover and places to raise young and is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and doesn’t rely on pesticides.

Founded in 1973, the Garden for Wildlife movement is the nation’s oldest and largest native plant/habitat program, recognizing over 300,000 Certified Wildlife Habitat® gardens across the North America and at 39 embassies worldwide, encompassing an estimated 4 million acres that support wildlife locally.

Backyards, urban gardens, school grounds, businesses, places of worship, campuses, parks, farms, zoos and community landscapes can all be recognized as wildlife habitats through the program. “We are excited about this new Certified Wildlife Habitat®, as it provides native plants and essential habitat elements. Research shows certified properties have the potential to support twice as much wildlife compared to non-certified properties” said Mary Phillips, Head of Garden for Wildlife™/Certified Wildlife Habitat®.

“Anyone, anywhere can restore wildlife habitat right in their own yards and communities,” said NWF Naturalist David Mizejewski. “Whether you garden in a suburban yard, an urban area or a rural plot of land, you can make a difference for local wildlife. Creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat garden is fun, easy and makes a real difference for neighborhood wildlife. It’s the perfect grassroots way to think globally and act locally and help birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife,” he added.

“As a Montessori educator, I wanted to redesign our Gardens elective to model how human-used spaces — like schoolyards — can become shared habitats with the natural world,” said Megan Maksymowski, teacher of the adolescent program at East Cooper Montessori Charter School. “By creating something joyful and hands-on, students saw that meaningful habitat work doesn’t require a farm or a forest — it can start right where they are. These projects felt doable, even fun. And now our students are taking the movement into their own yards and neighborhoods.”

The middle school students at ECMCS, with the assistance and guidance from the Mount Pleasant-based volunteer group Green Neighborhoods Work, transformed a high-traffic walkway into a Certified Wildlife Habitat® that now serves as a daily reminder of nature’s presence and resilience. They installed a native plant pollinator bed and crafted student-designed birdbaths using donated terra cotta pots, which they painted with quotes like “Grow hope” and “Every garden tells a story.” The vibrant birdbaths provide fresh water for local species and serve as a visual invitation to younger students to pause, observe and wonder.

The space now hums with life — native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds — and with the voices of curious learners aged 3 to 14 who pass it each day. The school also installed bluebird houses, bug hotels and a student-built bat box, all part of a larger effort to make the campus a shared, sustainable space for both people and wildlife. In a busy school day, this pathway has become a place where children stop not just to spot pollinators, but to reconnect— with the land, with one another and with the deeper rhythms of life around them.

Many of NWF’s state affiliate organizations are partners in the Garden for Wildlife movement. Habitats in partnering states have national and state certification.

Participants who have their wildlife habitat garden certified receive a personalized certificate with a unique habitat number, a one-year membership to NWF with a subscription to National Wildlife magazine, a subscription to the Garden for Wildlife e-newsletter, a 10 percent discount to National Wildlife catalog, the exclusive right to post a Certified Wildlife Habitat yard sign and $5.00 off native plants at www.gardenforwildlife.com.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Mount Pleasant town leaders will consider a change to an ordinance that would allow owners of a former restaurant to build a hotel in its place, a move the town’s mayor is against.

The town’s planning commission has recommended amending the Seaside Farms Planned Development District Ordinance to allow for a small boutique-style hotel to be built. That hotel, which would be limited to no more than 25 rooms, would be built at the site of the former Yamato Steakhouse on Riviera Drive.

The owners of the former restaurant hope to build the new hotel within the Neighborhood Retail and Office Tracts on a 2.4-acre parcel of land near the Isle of Palms Connector.

But Mayor Will Haynie says he does not believe many of the town council members are on board with the change based on conversations he has had with them. He says the neighborhood was initially designed to have grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and retail all in one place to reduce driving traffic.

Adding a hotel there, he believes, would add to beach traffic.

“I just don’t see how putting something that is just for transient use is within the keeping of what the neighbors want and by far from what I’ve heard of seaside neighbors is they don’t want another hotel in there, not every single one, but by far the majority of them feel that way,” Haynie says.

One business owner who declined to speak on camera said with the Harris Teeter next to the potential development site going out of business, having a hotel may help bring in business from visitors.

Haynie said he would like to see that space turned into something people who live in that neighborhood can use.

“As Mount Pleasant has grown, one reason this was put up there was to be a place where when you get home, if you have to commute, maybe you can work from home, that you don’t have to leave and contribute to the traffic on all the major arteries,” he says. “And so I look at something like this through that intent and that was the original intent of that whole neighborhood, and I’d like to see it stay that way.”

Haynie said if the proposal gets voted down, the property owners must wait a year before they can reapply or that can be waived if they come back with a different plan.

If someone buys the property and uses the zoning as is, town council does not have to vote on everything that goes on there.

This proposal is unrelated to the Harris Teeter property. There are no plans to convert that space into housing or a hotel, and it currently has two strong leasing prospects, town leaders say.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.