T BY AMY KEHM
O ANYONE WHO HAS LIVED IN MOUNT PLEASANT, and even those who just visit from time to time, it is vividly clear that this is a town that celebrates everything nautical. Surrounded by the Cooper and Wando rivers and Charles- ton Harbor, Mount Pleasant also touches a variety of bays and sounds and is crisscrossed by many creeks. Among them is the ol’ Shem – perhaps the creek with most allure.
Mention Shem Creek and many folks likely think shrimp, and most of them consider the Magwood family to be the first family of local shrimping. According to the town’s historical records, the story of shrimping in Mount Pleasant started in 1930 when
Captain C. Magwood brought his catch to town. In the late 1970s, in a showcase of pride and support for local shrimpers,
the South Carolina Shrimpers Ladies Auxiliary organized a blessing of the fleet. It was modeled after similar events in two Georgia towns not far down the Atlantic Coast: Brunswick and Darien. “It was just the shrimpers getting together decorating the boats,” recalled Ann Magwood, then a shrimper’s wife and president of the Shrimpers Ladies Auxiliary. “We came past the Yorktown. There was a priest up on the deck of the Yorktown that blessed each boat. It was very nice.” After five or six years, the event fizzled and eventually disappeared. But in 1987, when local shrimpers requested a maritime revival, the town of Mount Pleasant dedicated funds from its lodging tax to help pay for a renewed event. Historic Alhambra Hall along Charleston Harbor in the Old Village was selected as the site, and a lasting East Cooper tradition was born: the annual Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival. “We had several hundred, maybe a thousand people. But it grew and grew,” said Magwood, remembering the first years of the event. Te festival evolved, eventually featuring delectable seafood offerings, live music, shag contests, crafts and marine exhibits. Tis April, Mount Pleasant will mark the 25th anniversary with special events and guests. “It’s grown to really become a huge tourism event,” said Nicole Harvey, special events coordinator for Mount Pleasant. “Tere are always a lot of boats out in the harbor watching them come by. I know lots of people who put their boats in the water to watch the parade from the water.” A different local clergy member offers the blessing for the boat parade each year.
Seafood – the second most popular part of the festival after the blessing itself – is supplied only by local restaurants, most of them from Mount Pleasant itself. “We want to keep it a Mount Pleasant festival. We’d like the money to stay
in Mount Pleasant if possible,” Magwood pointed out. Tere is no admission fee for the Blessing of the Fleet; money is raised from
vendor fees and merchandise sales, and much of it goes to assist the local shrimping industry and area charities. For all of its fun, the Blessing of the Fleet has experienced changes in recent years.
In 2010, against significant opposition, the event was moved from Alhambra Hall to the new Memorial Waterfront Park, organizers citing the need for more space and better access for emergency vehicles. Harvey said total attendance can reach 10,000 to 12,000 people; the Waterfront Park pier can fit 6,000 at one time. As the crowds grew, so did the essence of the event: supporting local shrimpers. Sadly, shrimper participation has actually dwindled, due to the shrinking state of a once-thriving industry. “They’ve had some very tough years,” Magwood explained. “There used to
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