Activity Ideas

Want to have an event they'll talk about for years?

Host a Seafood Boil -- it's easier than you think!

(or scroll to the bottom for some other fun ideas) Deeanne and her husband host a seafood boil every spring. Those little red things are crayfish to the uninitiated, but down here in the South them thangs ur called Crawdads.

And you don't EVEN wanna know how we go about eatin' em.

 

'Course, any ole shellfish will do. Crab, shrimp, lobster, whatever.

 

You can cook 'em high tech, like Dee and her family do (rent the equipment)..

Or you can go totally low-tech like Dee's sister and her friends do.

All you really need is a BIG pot and a heat source.

We use "Slap Ya Mama" and "Zatarain's" seasoning, but there are tons of great seafood boil recipes on websites such as www.RecipeZaar.com. Fill your big pot about half full of water and bring it to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to about medium-high so it's still bubbling. Throw in lots of the seasoning, new potatoes, artichokes, onions, sausage (Elgin Meyer's Hot Sausage if you can get it), whatever sounds good to you! Boil about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Add corn for another 4 minutes. Then pull all that stuff out and throw in your seafood. Boil about 4 or 5 minutes. Seafood cooks really fast. Go 2 to 4 minutes longer if the seafood is bulky, like lobster or Dungeness crab.

Serve on a table covered with brown paper or plastic. No plates necessary. Just lots of paper towels, butter and salt. Then sit back and watch the fun! Dee also grills hamburgers for those who are allergic to shellfish so everyone goes home full and grinnin' from ear to ear.

 

SEARCH & FIND GAME using a map of Charleston and game pieces from objects and characters in Beguiled

Dee and Mark wrote Beguiled with such loving attention to the city of Charleston, it becomes a character itself. Encourage your group to read through Beguiled with a highlighter in hand, marking the street names and specific locations mentioned in the book.

Send an email to bookclub@bethanyhouse.com to get a basic map of Charleston and these game pieces. The deluxe, full color map shown is the one Dee and Mark used while writing the book. It can be ordered from www.charlestonillustrated.com, but remember to go to bookclub@bethanyhouse.com for the game pieces.

Here are some places (other than the obvious ones--like the homes of Rylee's clients) you might want to locate:

  • City Lights Coffee Shop

  • First Scots Presbyterian

  • North of Broad Restaurant

  • Ben Silver Shop

  • The People's Building

  • The Confederate Memorial

  • Washington Park

 

Play the SILHOUETTE GAME

Rylee sees various silhouettes of people hidden in the shadows during her dog walks. Before your meeting, take some pictures of four or five people that the group would be familiar with, trace them onto paper, make copies, and have everyone guess who they are. Give a prize to whoever guesses the most correctly. If there's a tie, draw for the prize. (If you'd like a book plate autographed by Dee to give away as your prize, just go to the "Contact Dee" tab on our website and give us your mailing address. We'll be glad to send you one!)

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