Insider

Beer Garden coming to Hilton Head Island

The brew will soon flow on Hilton Head Island. Watterson Brands announced plans for The Bank, a $13 million investment at 59 Pope Ave., which is set to open this spring.

The 17,000-square-foot former Bank of America building, turned brewery, beer garden and restaurant complex, will include indoor and outdoor seating, Side Hustle Brewing Company craft brews, outdoor activities and dining options, including Taco Bills, Bank Burgers, Pizza Co. and Benjamin’s seafood truck, a news release said.

“We’re working on elevating the types of entertainment experiences and venues on Hilton Head and Bluffton,” said Billy Watterson, CEO of Watterson Brands. “We view entertainment as an opportunity to do more than eat a meal. I want people to revel in Lowcountry experiences – in nature, culture, history, cuisine, games and live entertainment.”

The outdoor band shell, measuring 26 feet in diameter, will serve as the main entertainment venue featuring live music. The stage will be located next to the outdoor games and designated family zone. Two new restaurant concepts, Taco Bills and Bank Burgers, are from restaurateurs Marshall Sampson and Bill Alberts, co-owners of Santa Fe.

The Bank plans to add 100 positions. Visit thebankhhi.com.

HILTON HEAD WILL BUY LAND ON JONESVILLE ROAD:

Hilton Head Island Town Council voted unanimously to purchase three parcels located at 200, 224, and 234 Jonesville Road, which will cost $7.6 million. The parcels are situated between The Paddocks and Graham Lane and are a total of 12.019 acres.

“This Council is committed to managing growth. When we learned of the opportunity to purchase this property, we took decisive action to remove it from the threat of immediate development,” said Mayor Alan Perry in a news release.

HILTON HEAD PREP ANNOUNCES BAKALA SCHOLARS PROGRAM:

Hilton Head Preparatory School has launched the Bakala Scholars Program, a competitive merit scholarship designed to attract students from throughout the community. The scholarship offers recipients the opportunity to receive up to the full cost of tuition for each year they attend Hilton Head Prep through graduation. The program is open to students in both middle and upper school. For more information, call 843-671-2286 or email admissions@hhprep.org.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE REVIEWING BANNED BOOKS:

The Beaufort County School District’s Library Materials Review committees were established last fall. The book review committees read assigned books, discussed them with committee members and report findings to the school board and superintendent. Per state guidelines, the committees consist of a district teacher familiar with the content or grade level, a school librarian, a school administrator, a parent (other than the complainant), a community member, a district-level administrator, and a member of a School Improvement Council in the district. The committees are randomly selected. The most recent decision saw the school board vote 7-2-1 to uphold the committees’ decisions to return nine books to the shelves. The next review of 10 books by the committees was set for Feb. 16 (after our deadline). Overall, 97 books were removed from the shelves and will undergo review.

BLUFFTON POLICE OFFICER INJURED IN COLLISION:

Bluffton Police Department Officer

Frank Ginn Jr. was injured in January after a head-on collision on Highway 170 westbound. He sustained non-lifethreatening injuries, but the town of Bluffton said his injuries will potentially require several months of rehabilitation. Ginn was on his way to work when the collision occurred.

Ginn celebrated his third anniversary with the Bluffton Police Department Jan. 2. South Carolina Highway Patrol arrested a Beaufort male suspect in connection with the accident, according to a news release.

MAJOR PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD:

The New Riverside Barn Park Project in Bluffton held a groundbreaking earlier this year, the next step in the anticipated project. The park, which will be the town’s first park in the New Riverside section of Bluffton, is 37 acres and is located at the intersection of Highways 46 and 170. The park will feature large open spaces, perimeter trails, a large playground for diverse ages, as well as the 2,700 square- foot iconic barn. This passive park and its barn have the potential to host private and large-scale public events

Bluffton also held a rehabilitation construction kickoff for the Squire Pope Carriage House at Wright Family Park in February. The Squire Pope Carriage House has been stabilized and the rehabilitation work will begin in March. This house, which has weathered more than 150 years of Bluffton’s history, will be designed for future use as a Visitors Center. The Squire Pope Carriage House survived the “1863 Burning of Bluffton” during the Civil War and was a private residence for decades.

BLUFFTON AWARDS FIRST HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANT:

The Town of Bluffton awarded its first Historic Preservation Grant to the Historic Bluffton Foundation for exterior renovations to the Heyward House on Boundary Street. The $20,000 grant will help cover the cost of the project. The Historic Preservation Grant Program is available to owners of “Contributing Resources” to the Old Town Bluffton Historic District to financially assist in the preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation of these structures with the intention that they will continue to represent the history of Bluffton. For more information, contact Glen Umberger, the Town’s historic preservationist at gumberger@townofbluffton.com keep up with goings on around town. visit us @ anthemmediagroup.com

Bluffton Inducts Jacob Martin Into Wall Of Honor

Jacob Martin, who has been a community leader for decades, was inducted into the Town of Bluffton’s Wall of Honor.

The event recognized Martin’s time as an educator and administrator.

After living in the Midwest, Jacob and his wife, Ida, returned to Bluffton in 1979 where ministry to others was their way of life. Active in Campbell Chapel AME Church, their giving-spirit started in church and extended throughout the community.

Jacob’s public service career spans decades. He was a police officer in Detroit, Michigan and a police chief in Waukegan, Illinois.

Later, he taught government/economics at McCracken High School in Bluffton and retired as a district office administrator after 23 years of service. Martin also served as a municipal court judge for the Town of Bluffton from 1992-1995.

The Bluffton-Hilton Head Island Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committees honored him with a 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for his public service career and his volunteer activities, including 28 years with Hilton Head Island’s Meals-onWheels program.

He also supported his wife Ida’s contributions. She founded Bluffton Self Help, Inc., and the Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen. She was named to the Wall of Honor in 2012.

The Town named its park on Boundary Street “The Martin Family Park,” in 2021.

HILTON HEAD CELEBRATING ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH IRISHFEST

St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated on Hilton Head Island with IrishFest – two days of fun that include the annual parade and an Irish concert.

The 38th Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the highlight of IrishFest weekend on the island, will step off at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12, on Pope Avenue near Lowcountry Celebration Park, 94 Pope Ave., and ending at Office Park Road.

The parade is expected to draw thousands of participants and spectators of all ages from around the region, according to the HHI St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

Local tennis legend Stan Smith was named as grand marshal.

The entrance to the staging area is on South Forest Beach Drive and the parade will begin at the Beach Parking entrance onto Pope Avenue.

Scheduled to march are a number of pipe and drum bands, including Boston Police, Charleston Pipe Band, Coastal Carolina Shields and U.S. Border Patrol.

In addition, the U.S. Navy Band will march in the parade for the first time, and an Irish rock band from Boston, The Fenian Sons, will return for the second year.

Several area high school bands and performance troupes will participate as well – for a total of 15 confirmed bands.

Local businesses, schools and nonprofits will be represented with colorful floats, cars, trucks, boats and other vehicles, along with local and state dignitaries.

Registration is open on the website for entries wishing to participate.

On Saturday, March 11, at 4 p.m. the second annual Irish Concert will be held at Lowcountry Celebration Park, featuring The Fenian Sons and Boston Police Gaelic Column Pipe & Drum.

This event is free and open to the public. Food trucks will be onsite, and beverages will be available for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on and enjoy the music.

Founded in 1983 by local business icon Tom Reilley and a few friends and family, the Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the oldest such parade in South Carolina, according to the parade’s website.

For more information and to enter a business, nonprofit, school or other group in the parade, visit hiltonheadireland.org.

IF YOU GO: Concert, 4 p.m. March 11; Parade, 3 p.m. March 12

CANDY/HANDOUTS: Candy and handouts are allowed, but because of safety concerns must be handed to the audience, not thrown or tossed by participants, including marchers, floats, and vehicles associated with the entry.

THE BREEZE TROLLEY: The Breeze Trolley will offer one-way trips from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on parade day, picking up at USCB Hilton Head and dropping off near Lowcountry Celebration Park.