18 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com For the Love of Mount Pleasant On Site for the 2023 Best Of Photo Shoot I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” or “it takes a village.” Both of these popular expressions apply to the journey I recently embarked on, which culminated on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in front of the iconic “Welcome to Mount Pleasant” sign at the Long Point Road exit. The journey began with a lot of questions, concerns and just plain what-ifs. Would town officials or the police department even allow us access to the sign? With the thousands of vehicles speeding past this area every hour of every day, would we be safe? Because Mount Pleasant Magazine had interviewed Chief Mark Arnold on our community podcast, MountPleasantPodcast.com, I knew Donald Calabrese, the public information officer (PIO) would help me coordinate this. Don was easy to work with, and we had built a mutual trust. When I reached out to him, he told me he was no longer in that position, but to call Senior Police Officer WilliamMartin. Officer Martin was very accommodating. I’m sure it’s not every day someone inquires about taking a photo using the famed sign as a backdrop. During one of our numerous communications, he referred me to Sergeant Ashley Croy, Mount Pleasant Police’s new PIO officer. She was a joy to work with, and I felt she understood what Mount Pleasant Magazine was striving to accomplish. Her number one priority was to assist in putting the right people in place for safety. Traffic officers Mathis and Culnon were commissioned to help facilitate the dream. By the end of the shoot, they were like part of our publishing team. We had the greenlight, but still needed to prepare for Left to right on top of sign: JD Cooper of Lowcountry Hurricane Protection and Shutters, Erica Zepp of Southern Bell Living, Brittany Gifford of Locals, Brice West of Veris CPA Left to right in front of sign: Katherine Cox of Katherine Cox & Co, PamWhite of Nellie & Lo, Jeff Filosa of LoLa, Dr. Megan Hardy of Advanced Animal Care,Taylor Socci of Nellie & Lo, Penny Vaigneur of Copper Penny, Dr. Margarita Murphy of Colon Surgeons of Charleston, Brandi Sherbert of Pitt Street Pharmacy, Andrea Leary of Rad Rydz, Charlie Wuff of Palmetto Christian Academy, Susie Molony of Southern Belles, Kim Coleman of Vanity Salon, Jeremy Blackstock of Lowcountry Contractors
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