Sunday, January 31, 2010

IMAX Winners!!

Congratulations Kacey Huff!!! You are the winner of our monthly contest. Kacey just won two free tickets to the awesome IMAX Theatre and a family special at the concession stand which includes a large popcorn and two large drinks. Way to go!!

Devin is our 22 month old son who drew the name! This picture is taken from our next featured event. Can you figure it out? Check back on February 5th for our next contest. You will not want to miss this!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

See the world's tallest mule

On Sunday, January 31st, Palmetto Carriage Works is holding their annual Free Carriage Tour Day and Shorty, the world's tallest mule, will be on display for that one day only. Shorty stands 19.2 hands (6 feet 6 inches) where an average mule is 15hands (5 feet).

Palmetto Carriage Works offers free tours and parking on this day for all residents of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties (they will be checking ID). Staff will bring out animals for petting and answer questions about their care fron 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

We will be checking them out and will blog later with pictures and a report on our experiences.

For more information on Shorty, see the article in today's Post & Courier.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Building Communities



Hi, my name is Mary Pendley and I am part of the team here at Hobson Group Realty. My passion is encouraging people of any age and from all walks of life to come together as a community.


First, a little background about me. I grew up as one of eight children on a small farm in Wyoming. As a child, I milked cows (by hand), slopped hogs, gathered eggs and plucked chickens. Nearly all the food we ate was grown on the farm - meat, milk, egg, vegetables.

When I married, I left the farm and have never again had the opportunity to live on a farm, although I have had a vegetable garden whenever possible. I have six children (all grown) and a whole passel of grandchildren. I have lived a lot of places including Germany and Mexico, and have been here in Charleston since 2002.

About three years ago, my daughter loaned me a book called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, and it literally changed my life. Barbara Kingsolver is a well-known author of novels, and this is the true story of her family's commitment to grow as much of their own food as possible and buy only things that were produced locally for one year. It is a very entertaining book, and if you read it, you will never look at supermarket food the same again. I decided to make an effort to seek out local sources of food whenever possible. I found that the most difficult part was finding the producers. I frequented farmer's markets, bought a share in a CSA, and found where I could buy meat and eggs directly from the farmer. I've made some friends and eaten some truly delicious food in the process.

How does this relate to building communities? Locally produced and direct from the farm products can sometimes be more expensive than the chain stores, although often they are not. However, your dollars support your neighbors, and that in turn allows them to do the same. Your immediate reward is healthy food that is truly fresh and delicious, and you may also make some new friends in the process.

I will be blogging periodically about where to go and how to find these direct connections, as well as on related topics. There are many different producers to be found, but I will be talking primarily about those that I have personal experiences with. If you know of good sources, please leave a comment with that information. Any comments you leave will also enter you in the current contest - it's IMAX tickets this month!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Charleston IMAX





Hello everyone and thanks for continuing to Explore the Charleston area with us. Each month we are going to be featuring different attractions in the Charleston area. All you have to do to win is just leave a comment and it will automatically enter you to win. There are no obligations just free tickets! Our featured attraction this month is the new Citadel Mall Stadium 16 with IMAX. The contest prize is a package of two tickets to the IMAX (including 3-D) and a family special order at the concession stand (large popcorn and two large drinks with unlimited refills).


My husband and I just went to the new IMax in West Ashley and had an incredible experience. This was my first 3D movie and let me tell you this is not your mom and pop’s movie theater. This was an in your face, breathtaking, nail biting event. We saw the movie "Avatar" and were absolutely blown away by how you felt like you were right in the movie. Between the enormous screen and the sound system you could not help but feel that way. I highly recommend the 3D effect when watching your next movie. “Avatar” is currently playing at the IMAX, and will be there until March. However, if you prefer a different movie, the tickets are good for any movie at any of the 16 theaters.

One common misconception is that the IMAX is simply a larger screen. However, it is much more. An IMAX theater is designed to meet very specific physical criteria. It is designed to make the viewer feel a part of the movie, not just a viewer. It provides an intense viewing experience partly because it has twice as many projectors (two instead of one) which make the picture much sharper and the colors brighter. The huge screen is perforated with thousands of tiny holes to allow sound to past through it, and it is coated with a proprietary high-gain silver coating to maximize picture brightness. Every morning before the theater opens, the screen is calibrated so that the light intensity is just right. Three-D technology comes into its own at the IMAX – the images not only appear to pop off the screen but truly seem to reach out and touch you. To give you an idea of just how large the screen is, see the picture below (that's me standing there - look close!).




Sound is just as important as the picture in an IMAX presentation. It is laser-aligned to envelope each audience member, making the smallest sound audible and allowing the listener to know which direction it is coming from. Before a new IMAX theater opens, a team of technicians check each individual seat to ensure that the sound is perfectly balanced. The sound track of each movie is specifically designed for the unique IMAX sound system.


To see what movies are playing, click here. http://www.southeastcinemas.com/charleston-imax.htm


Of course, no movie experience would be complete without refreshments. The picture above is of the theater's spacious lobby and concession stand.

Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win this contest (you will need to have a google account to comment - if you have trouble, let us know and we'll help you through it)

Friday, January 1, 2010

Contest Winners!!!


Happy New Years from Hobson Group Realty!


Dustin Crosby is the winner of our monthly contest. He just won two free tickets to the Miracle Worker at that Charleston Flootlight Theatre. Way to bring in the New Year Dustin!

Stay tuned for our next contest with two free tickets to the New I-Max theatre in West Ashley. You will not want to miss this!


Gabriel our three year old drew the name!