History-June 14

TEN YEARS AGO – Celebrating watermelon and its link to Charleston

The centerspread of the June 12, 2008 issue of The Daniel Island News featured the historic connection between Charleston and the summertime favorite fruit, the watermelon. According to the article, Charleston has been immortalized in watermelon history, thanks to a revolutionary melon called the “Charleston Gray” and its inventor, Charles Frederic Andrus.

Andrus was a research scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Charleston laboratory. In the late 1940s he set out to develop a hardier melon that could be exported to other markets. In those days watermelons were rarely sold in grocery stores because they fared poorly in transit and were susceptible to disease. If people wanted a tasty melon, they generally grew them in their own gardens.

In 1954 Andrus’ experiments paid off when he unveiled what was initially called “that gray melon from Charleston,” according to USDA writer Sean Adams. He wrote about the revolutionary melon in the October 1994 issue of “Agricultural Research.”

In school news, the program “Entrepreneurship,” sponsored by YEScarolina, would be taught at Daniel Island Middle School by Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher Grant Cumming, who was selected as one of the best from a pool of educators with diverse backgrounds from all over the state. YEScarolina is the program partner for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in South Carolina and was proud to announce this educational opportunity.

FIVE YEARS AGO – Winners announced for the Charleston Duck Race and DI Kids Triathlon

Winners from the Charleston Duck Race and the Daniel Island Kids Triathlon were announced in the June 13, 2013 issue of The Daniel Island News. These popular, annual activities still take place today! In fact, both events were held on Daniel Island last weekend (see photos in this week’s issue on pages 26, 27 and 40)!

Also, in the news were the tour dates and ticket details for the 2013 Coastal Living Showhouse, a showcase of coastal home innovation, decor and construction located on a deepwater homesite overlooking the Wando River on Daniel Island. At the time, a newly constructed home from Max Crosby Construction was open to the public for touring June 28 through October 20. Tickets were $15 per person with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.