The venerable screen doors that greet guests at Jack’s Cosmic Dogs on Rt. 17 North in Mt. Pleasant are featured in Ken Burger’s newest book, Baptized in Sweet Tea. Jack's swinging screen doors illustrate the essay "Sounds of Southern Summer."
With the photographs of David Gentry, Baptized in Sweet Tea is a collection of 36 newspaper columns Burger wrote during his tenure as a columnist for The Post and Courier in Charleston.
“First of all, it’s a pretty book. Illustrated by my friend David Gentry’s photography, it’s a trip down the rivers, through the woods, back in time, and into grandmother’s house where those of us lucky enough to grow up in the South feel comfortable,” said Burger.
“The title comes from a column I wrote a year or so ago about being from the Palmetto State. That is followed by stories about screen porches and hot cars and being raised by a hundred mothers in a small town.
"There are other stories about seer-sucker suits, things my mother used to say, being a student bus driver, remembering my father’s service in World War II, drinking beer under neon lights as a teenager, country doctors, fishing, cussing, trains, golf, and summers spent on South Carolina’s many beaches… and a few of life’s lessons learned along the way.”
You can order a signed copy of Baptized in Sweet Tea directly from KenBurger.com
While writing sports for The Post and Courier, Burger won numerous statewide writing awards and was named one of the nation's best sports columnists three times. He also was named S.C. Journalist of the Year in 1996.
Photographer David Gentry is a Professor of Psychology at the College of Charleston, and previously an aerospace engineer who worked for NASA during the Gemini and Apollo programs. To see more of Gentry's art visit his web site DavidGentry.photoshelter.com
See the iconic screen doors for yourself by visiting the original Jack’s Cosmic Dogs at 2805 N Highway 17, Mt. Pleasant, or one of his other two locations at 1531 Folly Road in Charleston and 817 St. Andrews Blvd. on Highway 61 in West Ashley. Tell Jack Ken sent you!
