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Sunday Funday

A look inside Second Sunday

PHOTOS BY NIKKI GLENN

BY NIKKI GLENN



“What happened to Jim?” asks a petite blonde with a confused expression, standing in front of the once Jim N’ Nick’s Bar-B-Q. “Jim” seems to have been scraped off, leaving only Nick’s name on the window. The thick smoke from the massive metal cooker drifts through the air, bringing with it the smell of sweet, tangy sauce and cooking meat. A middle-aged man with laugh lines and kind brown eyes strolls slowly down the street, pulling two bobbling toddlers in a bright red wagon down the cobble stone street. A graying chocolate Lab lopes along next to them.
     Whether you’ve lived in Charleston your whole life or are just visiting for the weekend, if it’s the second Sunday of the month, King Street is the place to be. A half-mile stretch of the road—from Calhoun to Queen streets—shuts down at 1 p.m. and reopens at 5, allowing Second Sunday festival-goers free reign to stroll and take in the sites that restaurants, retailers and musicians put out to promote their goods.
     College kids with various folk instruments, including a huge bass and fiddles, perform for a small group, using their open black fur-lined guitar case to collect tips. Little kids with grabby hands and big smiles swarm by Caviar & Bananas’ colorful dessert platters. An older man with white hair and happy blue eyes pushes a stroller with a scared-looking toy poodle perched inside. Another dog lover, Coker Price, talks about bringing his black and white Lab mix out for Second Sunday. “I love doing stuff outside. The weather is one of my favorite things about living here,” Price says. “But a lot of events like this don’t let you bring your dog, and I just hate leaving her inside all day while I enjoy the awesome weather.”
College of Charleston junior Ashley Volpe is on a mission. “The sales are what bring me here. If I can get 75 percent off anything, I’m there,” she says. “The music just makes it that much better. Who doesn’t want to listen to live music while they’re shopping?”

A Stroll Down King

Pluff's Michael Montgomery spent a recent Sunday on Charleston most famous drag, King Street, to chat with the crowds of patrons ready to shop and eat till their stomachs are full and their wallets are empty. He asked asked people what they had planned for the day. Here's what they were up to.

Who: Brittany Wilson, here on spring break from Duke University. She’s visited Charleston countless times, however this was her first time experiencing second Sunday on King.
Plans for the day: “I am not really sure. I just left my friend’s house to go for a walk and bumped into this, so this walk is now turning into an adventure.” She and her girlfriend were planning to go to Theatre 99, a local improv comedy club on Meeting Street, later in the day. 

 

Who: Pete and Karen Smith have lived here for more than 20 years. Their house is on the Battery, and they always look forward to Second Sunday. “It gives my wife and I and Bruno a chance to take a nice stroll, eat some great food and enjoy retirement,” said Pete. Karen added, “Its nice to not always be surrounded by loud college kids. Most of them are still sleeping at this time on a Sunday.”
Plans for the day: The Smiths were going to walk all the way down King and stop off along the way at Charleston Place for some lunch.

 

Who: Sterling Hill, a recent graduate at the College of Charleston who still lives downtown. He is young professional who works in the food and beverage industry. “I really enjoy the pace of Second Sunday on King, because after getting off work at 3 in the morning, it is nice to wake up and just walk down the street with not a care in the world,” he said.
Plans for the day: Nothing set in stone. That’s the beauty of Charleston, it seems like this city functions on its own time, and everyone is OK with it.

PLUFF MAGAZINE

9 COLLEGE WAY

CHARLESTON, SC 29401

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