Family Photographer in Goose Creek, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – After dealing with a global pandemic for more than two years, the Charleston community is brimming with activities to help you celebrate our country’s independence.

While the weather may be a little dicey at times, with rain plaguing the weekend forecast, things look to be mostly dry on Monday. So, you can expect most fireworks shows to blast off without issue.

Below, you’ll find a complete guide to all local events to help you celebrate Independence Day.

Heading to the beaches? ‘Salute From the Shore’ returns to the South Carolina coast. Beachgoers can enjoy F-16s from McEntire Joint National Guard Base as well as C-17s out of Joint Base Charleston as they fly over the beach between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Pawleys Island: F-16s around 1:06 p.m., followed by C-17s around 1:14 p.m.

Isle of Palms: F-16s around 1:15 p.m., followed by C-17s around 1:29 p.m.

Charleston Harbor: F-16s around 1:16 p.m., followed by C-17s around 11:32 p.m.

Folly Beach: F-16s around 1:20 p.m., followed by C-17s around 1:35 p.m.

Edisto Island: F-16s around 1:24 p.m., followed by C-17s around 1:41 p.m.

FOLLY BEACH

Celebrate the 4^th of July with fireworks on Folly Beach. The fireworks begin at sundown and will be visible anywhere on Folly Beach.

Fireworks will be launched from 3^rd Block West – leaders say the parking area and beach area at 3^rd Block West will be closed to visitors from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. and a beach sweep will be conducted immediately following the show to remove any debris.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND

Enjoy a 4^th of July golf cart and bike parade, which begins at Sunrise Presbyterian Church and ends at Sullivan’s Island Elementary School and begins shortly after 8:30 a.m.

The Independence Day party at the park and fireworks will return after a multi-year absence. The event begins at 5:30 p.m.; guests should bring a chair or blanket. Music will be provided by the Shem Creek Boogie Band and fireworks will begin at 9:00 p.m.

No dogs will be allowed in the park at the time of the show and alcohol will not be prohibited.

ISLE OF PALMS

A golf cart parade will take place at 10:00 a.m. and the city’s firework show will happen at 9:00 p.m. at the Front Beach area.

KIAWAH ISLAND

Celebrate Independence Day at Night Heron Park with a bike parade and fireworks show! Festivities include live music, carnival games, inflatables, and a watermelon eating contest. Fireworks will begin at 9:15 p.m.

Food and beverage tickets will be on sale at the park starting at 4:00 p.m. Admission to the festival is free, no coolers are allowed.

MOUNT PLEASANT

There are two events happening on July 4 in the Town of Mount Pleasant. Ticketed guests will have a grand view of fireworks from the flight deck of the USS Yorktown for their annual ‘Fireworks Blast.’ Those who did not secure a ticket can bring their lawn chairs and blankets to watch the firework show for free on the landside.

Guests watching landside can enjoy live music, and access to more than a dozen food trucks and fireworks show above Charleston Harbor after sundown.

Parking will be $20 per vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Uncle Sam Jam will take place at the Mount Pleasant Pier. Live music from Dave Landeo and The Sol Beats will begin at 7:30 p.m., plus you’ll have a great view of the fireworks.

CHARLESTON

Enjoy America’s pastime at The Joe! This is the first time the RiverDogs have played a home game on the 4th of July since 2018. Ballpark guests can enjoy a game, beginning at 6:35 p.m., followed by fireworks.

The South Carolina Aquarium will host perfect viewing of fireworks over Charleston Harbor. The Aquarium’s ‘Sea Stars and Stripes’ is a family-friendly and all-inclusive event with cookout fare, beer and wine, and more. Bring a chair or blanket to watch fireworks over the Aquarium decks. The event begins at 7:00 p.m.

NORTH CHARLESTON

The City of North Charleston’s annual Fourth of July Festival will take place at Riverfront Park from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

There will be live music and nearly 30 food trucks at the event. Fireworks will begin at 9:00 p.m.

Entry and parking will be free to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets as seating will not be provided.

Those attending will not be allowed into the park until 5:00 p.m., all bags will be searched, and no grills will be allowed in the park during the festival. Guests cannot bring sparklers or outside fireworks to the event.

GOOSE CREEK

The City of Goose Creek’s annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks show, Fabulous Fourth in the Creek, is set for Monday, July 4th.

The event, which takes place at the Goose Creek Municipal Park, will include live music, food and alcohol vendors, and free activities for children.

Admission and parking are free; however, parking is limited so city leaders ask people to carpool when possible. Outside fireworks, sparklers, or alcohol are prohibited.

SUMMERVILLE

Summerville’s Fireworks and Freedom Festival will take place at Gahagan Park from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

Admission is free. The family-friendly event will include live music, food, drinks, fireworks, a kid’s zone, and plenty of fun.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, umbrellas, and water. You can bring small lunch box-sized personal coolers; however, large coolers are not allowed. Neither are pets, tents, or personal fireworks, grills, or alcohol.

EVENT PARKING DETAILS:

Onsite parking at Gahagan Park is extremely limited. Handicapped parking will be available directly next to the event in the front lot located off of W. Boundary St. Additional parking is also available in the open field behind the Gahagan Park Playground (enter from and exit onto W. Boundary St.). Parking is not permitted along Butler St. or W. Boundary St. Attendees are encouraged to carpool to the event or park offsite and ride the shuttles provided.

SHUTTLE INFO: Shuttles will run on a constant loop between one offsite parking location and Gahagan Park starting at 5 p.m. and continuing through 10 p.m.

Shuttle Stop Location: Summerville Town Hall Parking Lot, 200 S. Main St. The shuttle will pick up/ drop off near the fountain area of the Town Hall Parking Lot. You can park in the garage or anywhere else in Downtown Summerville and walk to meet the shuttle at this stop.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - Goose Creek resident Lisa Berry has lived in the West Greenview Acres neighborhood since 2004. She describes her neighborhood as “pretty quiet,” besides occasional traffic.

She found out about a planned development that could be built right next to her home and was taken aback. To her understanding, a road was going to run adjacent to her home and go to Red Bank Road, and a playground with a parking lot was going to be built on the other side of her property. She said those plans were concerning.

She posted in a Facebook group for Goose Creek residents, trying to inform her neighbors about what was going on. She said she was inspired to speak up; and said there should be no more construction.

“I was driving down Red Bank Road, and by the rural fire department, they have a marquee; it’s a flashing sign that changes,” Berry said. “It said, ‘if not you, then who?”

Berry’s post got the attention of Mayor Greg Habib, who responded in his own post in the group. He said he felt the need to give an explanation about what their processes are, what they are trying to accomplish, and how growth is important.

Berry met with the mayor Wednesday morning, and she discovered that there was an updated plan. She said that now instead of a road next to her house, it is proposed to be a walking trail, and the playground plans have changed as well. Habib said it is going to be a mix of townhomes and single-family homes with a commercial element on Red Bank Road.

One of the concerns that Berry had was that the property floods. Habib said the only way the flooding problems are going to go away is if someone develops the property properly.

“I knew it had a flooding problem,” Habib said. “We told the developer when he first came to us, you have to address flooding in this area if you’re gonna do anything here, and what the developer has proposed is a stormwater plan that actually takes water from off the property onto his own property to mitigate the flooding problems that are there now.”

Now Berry said she is not opposed to development but wants it to be done in a smart way.

“We have to change,” Berry said. “We can’t just stay the same. I just want it to be an informed decision where all citizens understand what’s going on and can voice their concerns, and if we don’t share that information then people are left out.”

It is not the first time that development concerns have been expressed in rapidly growing Goose Creek, or in the Lowcountry. Goose Creek is now the 8th largest city in South Carolina.

“We’re 47,000 people,” Habib said. “We are not a small town in small-town America anymore.”

Habib said he often hears concerns about traffic issues. He said the greatest tool to reduce traffic is economic development and putting people and businesses closer together.

“We got traffic here,” Habib said. “How do you mitigate that? Well, understanding that not building anymore is not an option, so how do you then mitigate it there is your plan for it, you do it right, and you do it in a way that makes sense.”

Habib said there are over 5,000 homes entitled to go up in the city. Habib said some of those are going to create more traffic than others because they are on the outskirts of the city. Until there is commercial development there, those people will have to drive into the main commercial section of the city to get what they need. He said they need to get commercial development out to those areas as fast as they can to mitigate the traffic.

“If we’re gonna build houses, which we know we have to, we’re going to insist developers to build communities,” Habib said.

Habib said they cannot sit by as development happens. Instead, they need to participate in it and make it look like what they want it to be.

There will be a public hearing regarding the aforementioned planned development on July 5 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - Cayce Giddens has lived in Goose Creek for fifteen years. She said she and her family were getting stressed about the rising prices of groceries, inflation, and food shortage issues. So, they started talking about getting chickens to help ease that stress.

“We talked about having chickens, and when we looked into what the city says about it, we found out they’re not allowed at all in Goose Creek, and that was shocking to find out,” Giddens said.

Giddens started talking to some of her neighbors and decided to start an online petition to try to get the City of Goose Creek to allow residents to have chickens. As of Monday morning, the petition had almost 300 signatures.

“We’re stressed out about food and providing for our families, and that chickens was an easy way to at least have those eggs in the background for their calorie content and their protein and just wanting to have that as an extra staple to supplement our groceries,” Giddens said.

She said the concerns she’s been hearing on the other side of the issue are about cleanliness.

“I think an ordinance is the best of both worlds,” Giddens said. “It gives people who want to own chickens that security of having that food, but it also gives people who don’t want to own chickens or worried about it a recourse to handle that if somebody’s not taking care of their property.”

According to the proposed ordinance, people cannot have hens without first obtaining an approved application and an annual compliance inspection and fee payment. Under the ordinance, roosters would not be allowed. One chicken per 2,500 square feet would be allowed, with a maximum of 4 chickens maximum regardless of lot size. Hens would not be allowed to be raised for commercial purposes.

The proposed ordinance says animal control or code enforcement officers may enter and inspect properties containing coops to investigate potential violations or compliance with the ordinance.

City of Goose Creek Public Information Officer Frank Johnson sent Live 5 News this statement regarding the proposed ordinance:

“At its June 14 meeting, Goose Creek City Council will consider an ordinance that would allow City residents who live in single-family homes to keep up to 4 chickens, depending on property size. The meeting will include discussion about the issue and a first reading vote. A City ordinance would not change or supersede existing HOA guidelines for residences governed by an HOA. Council members were approached by residents who are in favor of such an ordinance earlier this year.”

Council will discuss the proposed changes at Tuesday night’s council meeting at 6 p.m.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The city of Goose Creek and the South Carolina Department of Transportation are working together to put up a stoplight at St. James Avenue at Myers Road where residents have reported multiple accidents.

There are a few neighborhoods off of that road, and people in the area were excited to hear about the project. The actual project likely won’t be completed until the end of 2023, but the plans are in motion.

Thomas Garter lives nearby and says the sooner a light is put up the better.

“It’s hectic in the morning and the late afternoon coming from work. I have seen several accidents,” Garter said.

SCDOT officials said a traffic analysis found the volume in that area is too high, so a signal has been approved and is in the design phase.

Construction will likely begin in October and could take up to 15 months.

Caleb and Allen are friends who like to play basketball at a nearby church after school, and they say they have seen accidents happen at the intersection, and people often cut through the church parking lot to avoid the line of cars.

“There’s traffic, and every time we play they cut through [the parking lot] instead of waiting. I’ve seen a lot of accidents,” Caleb said.

“The bus will be super late to school due to the accidents,” Allen said.

The department of transportation will build a mast arm style light which will cost between $250,000 and $350,000. SCDOT and Goose Creek have agreed to share the cost with the department of transportation building the standard steel poles for the traffic signals.

The city is interested in having mast arms extend over the intersection to which the signals would be mounted. Goose Creek has agreed to pay for the mast arms.

“I’ve been waiting to see our light here since I was 6, because I’ve lived here for a while with the traffic and accidents. I just hope they get better,” said Caleb.

The project is on Tuesday night’s Goose Creek City Council meeting agenda with the administration department expected to speak on the issue.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Goose Creek will be breaking ground on a new 13-acre park next month, and officials say it will have something for everyone.

The new park is called Central Creek Park, and it will cost $9 million to build. The city will soon be breaking ground on a piece of land off Old Moncks Corner Road, near St. James Avenue, to build Central Creek Park.

Recreation Director Crystal Reed said the park will cater to everyone.

“The focus of this park is it’s going to be inclusive,” Reed said. “We’re on a wellness mission, and inclusivity is our top priority.”

The park will be funded by just over $4 million in coronavirus relief money, $1.5 million from the city’s general fund and just under $3.5 million from hospitality taxes.

Reed said with that money, the park will be loaded with features.

“We’ll have a sand volleyball court, basketball court,” she said. “It will have a greenspace with a stage with a food truck area, so that people can have social gatherings.”

Other features in the park include pickleball courts, a pavilion that will host events and an all-inclusive playground for kids of all ages and abilities.

Sean June lives in Goose Creek and came out to play basketball with his friends next to where Central Creek Park will be. He said he can’t wait for it to be built.

“I was actually kind of shocked because I was talking to my friends,” he said. “I thought they were going to put apartments over there, but it will be a nice addition to the community.”

June also said he plans on using the basketball courts and the food truck area once the park eventually opens.

“Every weekend, there’s always a bunch of people behind playing basketball,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s a big staple in our community to have parks.”

Reed said the city’s focus on building parks, such as the recently opened John McCants Veterans Park, is to make sure people can get together outdoors.

“It’s really just a focus on creating community,” Reed said. “That’s why we’re doing it. We want people to have activities and places to go in their city where they don’t have to leave the city limits of Goose Creek.”

Officials said the groundbreaking is scheduled for March 31. That’s when they will reveal how this park will take shape.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.