Bluffton and the Lowcountry Magazine - April 2023

PRESIDENT KEITH BACH keith@anthemmediagroup.com

PUBLISHERS

SASHA SWEENEY sasha@anthemmediagroup.com

MEREDITH DIMUZIO meredith@anthemmediagroup.com

EDITOR

ANTHONY GARZILLI anthony@anthemmediagroup.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR REBECCA CASHWELL

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALLYSON VENRICK

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MARY ANN KENT maryann@anthemmediagroup.com

WRITERS

Amy Bartlett, Amy Coyne Bredeson, Clay Bonnyman Evans, Jessica Farthing, Nina Greenplate, Justin Jarrett, Barry Kaufman, Mark E. Lett, Vickie McIntyre, Dean Rowland, Edward Thomas

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Hrizuk, Rob Kaufman, Jeff Keefer, Ruthe Ritterbeck

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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Hilton Head Island Magazine Bluffton and the Lowcountry Magazine

COVER

Our Hilton Head Island Magazine cover was taken by photographer Jeff Keefer. Our Bluffton and the Lowcountry Magazine’s cover features the Blue Angels, which will be at the MCAS Beaufort Air Show.

2 Finch St. Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

we are mad about plaid.

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing returns to Harbour Town Golf Links.

The 55th edition of the annual golf tournament is full of prestige, passion and some of the world’s best players.

We have you covered with a RBC Heritage guide, which includes a look at what’s new, players to watch and a full schedule of events.

The Lowcountry continues to grow and harbor a sense of community. The growth is reflected in Corner Perk’s expansion. Read about how the popular coffeehouse continues to evolve.

Our music scene is eclectic and invigorating. Longtime favorites Cranford Hollow are set to return with a new album. We have the details on their latest sound.

It’s tax time, but don’t fret. We have a handy primer on what’s new and what to consider when filing this spring. We also keep you updated on the real estate market: Things expect to be busy.

We love to watch an engaging movie, and we especially enjoy learning about the local businessman who produced the film. Walter Czura has a fascinating story of drug smuggling that’s inspired by true events.

It’s a must-read.

When you are hungry after being out and about enjoying our beautiful springtime weather, let somebody else do the cooking. For 25 years British Open Pub has been a mainstay for fabulous food — the ‘fish n’ chips are topnotch. Read about why it continues to be a community go-to year after year.

If you are inspired to cook at home, we offer seafood recipes that you’ll whip up and enjoy in no time.

Looking for a trip that combines leisure and adventure? Head to Amelia Island for fantastic beaches and parks, and plenty of shopping and history.

We are thrilled to share these and many more stories with you.

Enjoy your spring.

KEITH BACH, PRESIDENT keith@anthemmediagroup.com

taking comfort in a cup of tea

My affinity for a cup of tea began when I was a child.

I have warm memories of spending overnights at my grandparents’ house. As we prepared to watch TV after dinner, undoubtedly waiting anxiously for “Full House,” “The Facts of Life” or “The Golden Girls” to begin, I knew we’d also enjoy a few cookies and a cup of hot tea.

My aunt would often join us in the living room, and there we’d sit, sip tea and laugh at the high jinks of Danny Tanner and his family or the wacky exploits of Rose, Sophia, Blanche and Dorothy.

I don’t remember many of the plots of those shows, but I recall our shared laughter, the smiles, the dog blissfully sleeping nearby in his bed and feeling content being in a loving place.

And I remember the tea.

Maybe that’s why tea – not coffee — has always been my preferred drink. My parents drank coffee each morning (the pot brewing before sunrise), but when I was young my morning drink was hot tea with sugar and milk. Still is.

Much like my grandparents, my mother made the perfect cup, with just the right amount of sugar and milk. It was warm and tasty and comforting.

To this day my mornings include a cup (or two) of tea – I enjoy Twinings Irish Breakfast black tea — and in the evening I’ll often pour a cup after dinner. And, yes, there may also be a cookie or two.

When reading on the couch or sitting at my desk, a cup of tea is often an arm’s length away.

There was a time in college and a few years after when I strayed and gravitated to Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. It was convenient (drive-through), relatively inexpensive, and I could drink it during class.

But it always felt workmanlike. The cup of coffee became something to consume to get through the day instead of a beverage to enjoy and savor.

Eventually I returned to the satisfaction of drinking tea.

There are studies about tea’s health benefits: how it may reduce the risk of death by heart disease and might help lower blood pressure. But for me there are benefits that can’t be defined.

Filling a pot with water, igniting the stove’s burner, selecting the packet of tea and adding scoops of sugar to a mug are all routine acts, but they are linked to a history filled with fun evenings with family, groggy winter mornings and sunny springtime moments of relaxation. Moments embraced in the comforts of a cup of tea.

ANTHONY GARZILLI, EDITOR anthony@anthemmediagroup.com

NEW Y O RK CI T Y PIZ Z A has been a Lowcountry favorite since 1996

We have 2 locations on Hilton Head, 3 in Blu ton and 1 in Charleston

We use only 100% all natural ingredients in every housemade favorite Whether you’re a local or just coming for a visit, NYCP is a must eat!

NEW YORK CITY PIZZA has been a Lowcountry favorite since 1996. We have 2 locations on Hilton Head, 3 in Bluffton and 1 in Charleston. We use only 100% all natural ingredients in every housemade favorite. Whether you’re a local or just coming for a visit, NYCP is a must eat!

Make sure to visit our website, “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram! Don’t forget to use #Ilovenycp!

Make sure to visit our website, “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram! Don’t forget to use #Ilovenycp!

Snapshot, page 128

A Pennsylvania native, Michael Hrizuk has spent the greater part of his professional career developing his craft in the “DMV” – DC, Maryland, Virginia metro after graduating from college in 1999. He’s a former Creative Director/Art Director working with global entertainment brands, including Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and History Channel before moving South in 2012.

British Open Pub, page 68

Clay Bonnyman Evans grew up at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and now lives on Hilton Head Island part-time with his wife and three dogs. He has climbed all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and South Carolina’s Foothills Trail.

Cranford Hollow, page 90

Barry Kaufman has been living in and writing about the Lowcountry for 20 years. The host of B-Town Trivia, he lives in Bluffton with his wife, three children and entirely too many pets.

Allure of Amelia Island, page 102

Nina Greenplate is a freelance writer and editor with a great love for people and their stories. In 2014 she self-published her first book of poetry and is currently working on her second, a children’s Christian poetry work. Her family is her greatest joy.

< MICHAEL HRIZUK I PHOTOGRAPHER

< BARRY KAUFMAN I WRITER

< CLAY BONNYMAN EVANS I WRITER

< NINA GREENPLATE I WRITER

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

cheerful

If you have photos of an event to submit for consideration, please email them to anthony@anthemmediagroup.com

Hilton Head Island was in a

mood during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Town of Hilton Head captured all of the festivities.

MA DAISY’S PORCH GROUNDBREAKING BUZZARD DAY

If you have photos of an event to submit for consideration, please email them to anthony@anthemmediagroup.com

The community joined together to celebrate the groundbreaking for Ma Daisy’s Porch in Bluffton.

Buzzards were on display at Martin Family Park in Bluffton at the inaugural Bluffton Buzzard Day. The Store photographed all the action.

AT MARTIN FAMILY PARK

Find everything you need to know about the 55th edition of the prestigious tournament held at Harbour Town Golf Links.

72

The popular coffeehouse has expanded. Hilton Head Island’s space just opened and a new Bluffton store is on the horizon.

78 I ART ACHIEVEMENT

Local high school students earned top recognition in an acclaimed regional arts and writing contest.

90 I MUSIC SCENE

Revered Lowcountry band Cranford Hollow ready for rocking new record that highlights an evolving sound.

94 I EDRA STEPHENS

Late-blooming poet and novelist hopes to share her story and encourage young people to follow their dreams.

100 I THE COLORFUL PAINTED BUNTING

Widely recognized as the most colorful bird in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, this iconic species is ‘without equal.’

RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing

38 I RBC HERITAGE PRESENTED BY BOEING

I CORNER PERK GROWS

18 I THE Q&A

Heather Price keeps Bluffton informed.

20 I RENAISSANCE MAN

Randolph Stewart lives life to the fullest.

24 I AIR SHOW ANNOUNCER

Rob Reider is the voice of Beaufort aviation spectacle.

26 I AIR SHOW ADVENTURE

Beaufort event will draw thousands for weekend of captivating entertainment.

28 I AROUND TOWN

Highlighting the top news items from throughout the Lowcountry.

32 I GIVING SPOTLIGHT

Collins Group continues to help support non-profit organizations.

34 I TAX TIPS

Here’s what to consider when filing this spring.

36 I MARKET UPDATE

Real estate activity looks to be picking up.

50 I FASHION

Stunning spring styles.

56 I HEART OF THE HOME

Kitchens are getting a stark and stunning restart in 2023.

60 I GARDENING GADGETS

Technology that will make life easier for your green thumb.

62 I TURF TIME

Learn if artificial grass is right for your home.

68 I FABULOUS FARE

British Open Pub a longtime go-to for golf fanatics.

75 I SAVORY RECIPES

Seafood dishes that will have everybody asking for more.

86 I MOVIE MAGIC

Walter Czura puts passion into producing films.

98 I STAY ACTIVE

Exercise tips for seniors.

102 I ALLURE OF AMELIA ISLAND

Take a trip to a treasure on the Florida coast.

110 I DESIGNED BY GREATS

Lowcountry golf courses developed by many renowned architects.

114 I MAXIMIZING HIS POTENTIAL

Jaylin Linder motivated to leap to a state crown.

118 I DARIUS RUCKER RECAP

LSU takes home team golf title.

Randolph Stewart photographed by Rob Kaufman

heather price

BLUFFTON ASK & ANSWER

Heather Price started the Bluffton/Hilton Head Ask & Answer Facebook page in 2015, and 31,000 plus members later, it has grown into a nexus point for the community. Here is where the Lowcountry comes to commiserate, seek guidance and, occasionally, help locate a lost pair of flip flops.

Through it all Price and her team of moderators have been there to guide those seeking assistance and swat away the trolls. We asked her about Ask & Answer’s growth, juggling the responsibilities of family and Facebook, and some of the more unique posts she’s seen in the group.

Q: What does running this page entail? We’d imagine it can be like herding cats trying to keep things civil on Facebook.

A: Herding cats is a good analogy. I would also liken it to nailing Jell-O to a tree. It was a lot worse until I put it on post approval, which allows us to monitor posts before we post them. I resisted doing that for so long and, afterwards, I wished I had done it sooner. If it is inflammatory or against rules, we can nix it out of the gate.

People say so many things I know they wouldn’t say in front of their mothers. But I work really hard on making this page a good group, a place to come, to be, to ask and to help. I can’t control people, and honestly, I don’t want to. Then it is Heather’s group, but I want it to be a community group.

Q: Why do you suppose the group has grown the way it has?

A: If you go back to when it started, it was just me and a few friends asking questions. I was so excited when I hit the first 1,000 people. Then Hurricane Matthew happened, and the media reports were scattered and conflicting and not concise. I started watching all the media outlets and taking good notes, and putting it in laymen’s terms, using my skills and experience as a first responder from my paramedic years.

I put it all together where people could know what was happening here, what the officials were saying and what it all meant. I worked on this about 18-hour days for several days and for hours a day for weeks. Our page grew so quickly, I went from 2,500 to 8 or 9,000 during that time.

Q: How hard has it been to juggle running such a successful group on top of all of your other responsibilities?

A: I work a full-time job, started a jewelry business and have an 8-year-old daughter and a grown son. There are times I need to take a break or am doing something fun and need a mental health break. I will message the moderators and ask that they take over so I can just focus on what I am doing. I am going to Vegas in July and am working extra hard to make that happen. But I am always approving posts, dealing with private messages and doing group housekeeping

Q: What’s the most absurd thing anyone has ever posted in the group?

A: The most absurd thing was the woman who wanted us to help her nail her husband she thought was having an affair. (LOL.)

Like Nowhere Else on Earth

A view worth climbing for –And treasures on the ground floor.

seen anything like it. Offering the best views of the Island, keepsakes from the ground-floor Maritime Gift Galley, a history tour of exhibits on the stairway landings including an Official Coast Guard Museum, and Hilton Head Island’s most unusual Shoppe at the Top, the Lighthouse provides an experience unlike any other you’ll find.

People from all over the world – and people who have been everywhere – tell us they’ve

The Harbour Town Lighthouse Museum is a must-see during your stay on Hilton Head Island Travel through time as you view real artifacts and learn about the different eras of the Island’s history Don’t forget to pick up a souvenir at the “Shoppe At The Top” or browse the ground-floor Maritime Gift Galley for historic books and authentic artifacts you can treasure and pass down, for memories that endure.

And for those who’d like something to show for it, here you’ll find everything from art photography to books, memorabilia, children’s toys, and Lighthouse apparel. It’s a collection as unique as the setting.

Join us for the Lowcountry’s most spectacular sunsets Don’t forget to wave to friends and family on our live webcam And visit our sister store, the Legacy of Golf Shop & Museum, in the Shops at Sea Pines Center The Lighthouse is open seven days a week from 10 a m to sundown Modest admission, and children 5 and under are free

The Lighthouse is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to sundown. Modest admission charge and children 5 and under are free.

* Photographer Jeff Keefer and the Harbour Town Lighthouse have partnered to create, produce, and sell this and other distinctive art photos. All of the proceeds are donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The Foundation is a leading force in providing funding of research for a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. The photos can be purchased at the Harbour Town Lighthouse, or at Vivid Gallery in the Shops at Sea Pines Center.

149 Lighthouse Road Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 harbourtownlighthouse.com 843-671-2810

Key photo and inset photos below by Jeff Keefer, Vivid Gallery

Key photo by Rob Tipton, courtesy of Harbour Town Yacht Club

never

renaissance man

RANDOLPH STEWART NEVER STOPS LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

Written by Mark E. Lett I

Curiosity, it has been said, is one of the great secrets of happiness.

No wonder Randolph Stewart is smiling.

Curiosity has been a driving force throughout his 74 years, propelling the Bluffton resident along an ever-growing list of interests, pursuits and careers.

Innate curiosity was a constant as Stewart built a portfolio of experience and expertise that includes accounting, design, architecture, antiques, urban planning, historical preservation, music, theater, writing and publishing.

And, for good measure, he has sailed international waters aboard a world-famous Norwegian tall ship.

Stewart’s resume is so broad and deep that friends and associates consider him the Renaissance Man of the Lowcountry.

For Stewart it’s a way of life and an inquisitiveness influenced by experiences as an Army brat in Europe, the son of an attaché in Korea, attending high school in Maryland and living in the South as a member of a family well-populated by designers, creative personalities and high achievers.

These days, Stewart is at home at his business and residence on Johnston Way, just steps away from the library and post office in the heart of Bluffton. As founder of R. Stewart Design, he operates from a third-floor headquarters to direct a business that includes residential design, urban planning and preservation.

“It’s my penthouse in Bluffton,” he says, sitting among an array of artifacts and pieces from the antiques store he owns in the building.

Stewart, with family extending six generations in Savannah, is a former owner of antique shops in Savannah and Tampa. He said he was drawn to Bluffton on visits to his sister, popular interior designer Corinne Reeves.

“I thought it was a nice little town back then,” he said, adding that he was — and is — charmed by “the history, the river and the people.”

“I thought I would live here for maybe two years. It’s been more than 20,” he said.

“For the first five years or so, I was known as Corinne’s brother. That was kind of neat.”

It wasn’t long, however, before Stewart’s skills and interests left a mark on Bluffton and the Lowcountry.

Stewart sails around Cape Horn.

Photographed by Rob Kaufman

Randolph Stewart’s life exploits include publishing, design, historical preservation and sailing international waters.

Educated as an accountant at Georgia Southern University, Stewart shifted his career path to work as a general contractor. Before long, he was designing homes.

“Being a CPA was not for me,” he said, “but accounting helped me succeed in design and architecture and contracting.”

In those pursuits, Stewart has been involved in restoring homes on the National Register of Historic Places and creating concept designs and construction plans for more than 350 custom homes in nine states from South Carolina to Idaho.

Local projects have included homes on the May River, the Tabby Road and Stock Farm communities and the Calhoun Street Promenade. He is an authority on Victorian design and furniture, a former trustee of the Bluffton Historic Preservation Society, Vice-Chairman of the Beaufort County Planning Commission, an occasional performer with the May River Theatre and co-author of the Historic Preservation Manual for the Town of Bluffton.

Stewart’s curiosity and community involvement were evident in 2013 when he became owner, publisher and editor of The Breeze, a magazine for Bluffton and the Lowcountry.

As the magazine’s leader, Stewart said he pursued a content plan that he called for “quick reads” on key topics. Among those: history, architecture, fiction, music (contemporary and classical), cooking and food, and the environment.

The magazine’s mission, Stewart said, also was “to do some good and help some people.”

A February 2020 issue, for example, included articles describing how to avoid scams and the stories of notable people who succeeded despite a learning disability or attention deficit disorder.

Stewart recalls, with some pride, when he debated within himself whether to publish an article by the mother of a schizophrenic son.

“Then I woke up one day and said to myself, ‘If I can help just one person by running this article, then it’s worth it,’” he said. The magazine was closed in 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic.

In November 2021, Stewart tapped another of his many interests and crossed the Atlantic Ocean on one of the world’s

In those pursuits, Stewart has been involved in restoring homes on the National Register of Historic Places and creating concept designs and construction plans for more than 350 custom homes in nine states from South Carolina to Idaho.

largest tall ships, the Norwegian Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The captain and executive officer of the 278-foot vessel were sons of the late Albert Seidl, a friend who owned a classic sailing ship once moored in Savannah.

The so-called “Legendary Lehmkuhl” is part of the One Ocean Expedition. Described as a “floating university,” the vessel conducted a 20-month circumnavigation of the globe to share knowledge and raise awareness about the ocean’s importance, health and future.

The century-old vessel, with a mast 18 stories tall, is equipped with state-of-theart research equipment that continuously collects data as it sails around the world.

Stewart also sailed on the Lehmkuhl in Singapore, Jakarta, and around Cape Horn.

In addition to soaking up the science of the oceans, Stewart said he spent time with international travelers and heard their views of America. What they told him, he said, was disappointing.

“We are the most powerful nation in the world, and we should be the example to follow,” he said. “But so many of them are laughing at us” because of America’s current climate of political discord and disharmony.

“I’m don’t believe in a Democrat or a Republican. I believe in America.”

Stewart’s passion for lifetime learning is as strong as ever. Two words, he said, are essential: “Live Life.”

What’s next?

These days, he’s kicking around the idea of “exploring and experiencing more of the U.S.”

One option, he said, is to “jump on a plane to Chicago and take a train across the Rockies.”

No wonder Randolph Stewart is smiling.

the air show announcer

ROB REIDER IS THE VOICE OF BEAUFORT AVIATION SPECTACLE

Written by Mark E. Lett I Photos Supplied

The sights and sounds of the Beaufort Air Show are something special to see and hear.

Among the most enduring: The familiar baritone of veteran air show announcer Rob Reider, widely acknowledged as “the most sought-after announcer on the North American Air Show circuit.”

It’s no wonder. Reider, 74, has been calling the action for more than four decades at more than 400 air shows from coast to coast.

His skilled narration and encyclopedic aviation knowledge have described hundreds of breathtaking flights, including performances by the Navy’s Blue Angels, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and the Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team.

For Reider, it’s a labor of love fueled by his passion for aeronautics that began in his Ohio childhood, building model airplanes with his father.

Reider will be back at the microphone April 22-23 for the Beaufort Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station, nicknamed “Fightertown East” as the Atlantic Coast home to fixed-wing, fighter attack aircraft.

“Coming to Beaufort is always a great experience,” said Reider, who has worked full-time as an air show announcer for nearly three decades.

“Beaufort is one of the shows where it feels like family. It is truly special to have the show at a military base, and I look forward to returning. Six words said it all: My heroes now are my friends.”

Reider’s air-show duties combine his enthusiasm for flying with a career that has made the most of his melodious voice.

As a student studying music and broadcast journalism at the University of Cincinnati, Reider landed a gig as a singer and cast member of the Bob Braun Show, a 90-minute live telecast in Ohio and the Midwest. The show – featuring a live band – attracted guests that included Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Red Skelton and Johnny Carson.

As a show performer for more than a decade, Reider was called on to sing tunes ranging from John Denver to

Rob Reider has announced more than 400 air shows.

Earth, Wind and Fire and Cole Porter.

Reider won a fistful of regional Emmy awards for on-air performance and carried that show-biz experience into announcing.

“I learned a lot and it influenced what I do today,” said Reider. “On TV and at an air show, it’s live – there is no net.”

A licensed private pilot, in 1987 he became the host and voiceover talent for the Sporty’s Pilot Shops “Learn to Fly” video courses.

“It’s missional,” said Reider. “I get to help people learn to fly, and fly safely.”

In the decades since, Reider has delivered more than 20 of the best-selling training programs. Along the way, he became a sought-after voice for audio books, especially non-fiction works with military and political themes.

He remains best known for his work at air shows, winning the “Sword of Excellence” from the International Council of Air Shows. The award is the highest an air show performer can receive.

Reider’s longevity in the air show world has not been without tragedy. He was working the Beaufort show in 2007 when a Blue Angels jet crashed near the end of its performance, killing the pilot and injuring eight nearby residents. An investigation by the Navy concluded that the pilot lost control due to G-force-induced loss of consciousness.

The disaster tested Reider’s presentation skills to calm and counsel show attendees. Over the years, Reider said, he has committed to memory a checklist to guide his announcing during a catastrophe.

His advice for show-goers in an emergency includes:

• Have children turn away.

• Stay off cellphones.

• Be alert, with your “head on a swivel.”

• Don’t interfere with emergency workers.

• Turn in videos that could assist an investigation of a cause.

A key principle for a show announcer confronted with a disaster, he said: “Be like a dad caring for a family.”

Reider’s advice for families attending this year’s show is to “arrive early, wear sunscreen, stay hydrated and keep your kids hydrated.

“And be sure to help your children during the day so they are feeling well for the end of the show and the Blue Angels’ performance,” he said. “The sun will do you in, even on a cloudy day, and you don’t want children falling out before the show is over.”

And there’s plenty to learn by positioning yourself near a speaker to hear the announcer.

“I’ll take everybody through what is happening throughout the show and what everybody is doing — the show and the music and the beauty of it all,” Reider said.

“There is great history. There is special excitement.”

“It’s missional,” said Reider.

“I get to help people learn to fly, and fly safely.”

MCAS Beaufort airshow

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort will host nearly 150,000 people at the upcoming MCAS Beaufort Airshow. They have scheduled numerous performers and static displays for everybody’s enjoyment. The show is the same on Saturday and Sunday. General admission and parking are free. Tickets are not required.

General Admission is located in paved and grassy areas where attendees can stand or sit on their own blankets or lawn chairs. Premium seating providing the best view of the MCAS Beaufort Airshow are available for purchase.

In addition to the airshow there are exhibits and experiences to enjoy: Monster trucks, Top Gun experience, Blue Angel experience, airplanes to see and exhibitors to visit.

DATES: April 22-23. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Rain or shine.

PARKING: Upon entering MCAS Beaufort, security will direct you to the general parking areas. Parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

BAG POLICY: Backpacks, purses, fanny packs, baby bags, camera bags and other bags are permitted. Before entering the MCAS Beaufort Air Show, all bags will be inspected and all individuals are subject to search.

FOOD & DRINKS: No outside food and drinks (including alcohol) are permitted at the MCAS Beaufort Air Show. Ice chests and coolers are also prohibited and subject to confiscation. Only coolers containing medicinal items or infant formula will be allowed. There will be food and drinks available for sale at concession stands.

HEARING PROTECTION: Hearing protection is highly encouraged for all MCAS Beaufort Airshow spectators, especially for young children.

ADDITIONAL INFO: beaufortairshow.com

Photo Submitted

BLUFFTON HONORS ‘MR. TOMATO’

Bubba Crosby had a passion for the outdoors

Richard “Bubba” Crosby, who farmed much of his life and grew and sold vegetables and daffodils at his farm, recently died at 96 years old. He was famous for sharing his tomatoes with everyone.

Crosby, known as “Mr. Tomato,” was honored by the Town of Bluffton when it proclaimed March 4, 2023, as Bubba Crosby Day. Crosby served in World War II. The Town noted that the Crosby family is an “institution,” and the day is one to remember “how important local farmers are to our area.”

He lived his life in Beaufort and Jasper counties where he farmed until he was in his 60s, according to an obituary. He then started a sand-blasting company and worked until his late 80s. Crosby had a passion for the outdoors, playing ball, hunting and fishing. He played softball until age 79, the obituary said. He loved planting a garden and was well known for his delicious “Bubba” tomatoes.

BLUFFTON MAKES 50 BEST SMALL TOWNS IN THE SOUTH LIST

Bluffton is considered one of the best small towns in the South, according to Southern Living. The annual list puts Bluffton at No. 16.

The town is hailed as “the poster child for the Carolina Lowcountry.” Southern Living highlights Bluffton’s “tranquil marshland, elegant homes, colorful art scene and palmettos.” Bluffton is praised for its character, history and hospitality.

“This enclave on the May River has everything to love about South Carolina all in one place,” Southern Living writes. St. Augustine is ranked No. 1. Towns closer to home are also recognized. Beaufort was ranked No. 2 and was noted for its “wild beauty” and invites visitors to “Marvel at the columns and sweeping porches of stately mansions.”

Tybee Island in Georgia was ranked No. 7. Southern Living said the “bikeable escape’s calling cards are salty breezes and freshly caught seafood.”

PALMETTO BREEZE TRANSIT EARNS INDUSTRY AWARDS

Two transportation industry associations recognized Palmetto Breeze Transit for excellence. The team earned the First Place Transit Fleet Maintenance Award at the Transportation Association of South Carolina (TASC)/South Carolina Department of Transportation annual conference and Bus Roadeo. Palmetto Breeze was recognized by the American Public Transportation Association for its “Breeze Trolley ROCKS!” ridership campaign, with a first-place marketing and communications award. The award is one of the most prestigious honors that transit agencies and their industry partners across North America can receive for excellence in marketing and communications.

SUN CITY DEATH RULED A MURDER-SUICIDE, SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said a death investigation in Sun City has been ruled a murdersuicide. Deputies responded to Sundance Lane in Sun City at 7:30 p.m. March 2 where Robert Caravello, 71, and Marcella Caravello, 69, were found dead inside their home. Police found a firearm near the bodies, according

to the sheriff’s office. Autopsies showed Marcella’s death by gunshot wound was murder, and Robert’s gunshot wound was a suicide, the sheriff’s office said.

ALEX MURDAUGH FOUND GUILTY

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of his wife and son. After deliberating for less than three hours, the jury found Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder.

The trial in Walterboro lasted six weeks. Murdaugh, 54, was sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman.

BEACH PARKING PASSES EXTENDED THROUGH MAY

The Town of Hilton Head Island has extended validity of 2022 Resident Beach Parking Passes through May 31 as it transitions to its new parking management vendor, PCI Municipal Services. The town expects the 2023 passes will be available by the end of May.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GATEWAY CORRIDOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE

Volunteers are sought by the Town of Hilton Head to serve on its William Hilton Parkway Corridor Independent Review Advisory Committee. The committee, which will be appointed by Town Council, will include a Town Council member, a current or former licensed professional engineer, one citizen member and an alternate from the Stoney Community, and two at-large citizen members from the community. Citizens may apply at hiltonheadislandsc.gov.

HIGH SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL IS STATE FINALIST

Hilton Head High’s South Carolina School Improvement Councils was named a statewide 2023 award finalists for its accomplishment in parent and civic engagement. The Riley Award for SIC Excellence is named in honor of former S.C. Governor and U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley and his late wife, Tunky. The winner will be announced during an awards luncheon later this spring.

HILTON HEAD UPDATING TRAFFIC SYSTEM

The Town of Hilton Head said it is updating its traffic technology. A new adaptive traffic signal management system will use advanced technology to improve travel times and the flow of traffic along William Hilton Parkway, Town officials said.

“The Town is making a significant investment to upgrade our coordinated signal system technology to ensure we are providing our residents, commuters, and guests with the most efficient signal operations made possible by recent technological improvements,” Town Manager Marc Orlando said.

The ATSM system offer an ability to adapt operations in real time. ATSM uses technology to change and adapt the timing of traffic signals based on actual traffic demand and variations in demand, the Town said.

The upgraded signal system will:

• Monitor the location of pedestrians and bicyclists within the immediate vicinity of traffic signals to minimize delays for motorists when the bicyclists and pedestrians have finished crossing the street.

• Adapt signal changes as warranted to allow pedestrians or bicyclists that are still in the crosswalk to complete their crossing before motorists are given the green traffic signal to drive through the crosswalk.

• Feature video cameras to provide enhanced detection. These cameras will not record any footage nor be used for any law enforcement purpose, the Town said. The video camera technology will make it possible to locate and monitor the movement of all pedestrians and bicyclists in the vicinity of the traffic signal.

The Town expects to have the system operational by June.

Pedestrian signals at strategic locations will be motion-activated and provide audible spoken-word messages to better serve pedestrians with disabilities. Installation of the adaptive traffic signal management system is an initial step towards advancing work on a regional integrated system, a news release said. The public can follow the progress of the adaptive traffic signal management system installation on the Town’s website at hiltonheadislandsc.gov.

FAIRFIELD POST OFFICE RENAMED

Caesar H. Wright Jr., a Hilton Head Island native who spent decades working in postal service on the island, was honored by the U.S. Congress by having the island’s north end post office renamed after him.

A bill renamed the Fairfield Post Office, the original name of the building, as the Caesar H. Wright Jr. Post Office Building. Wright, who died in 2019, served as the first black postman on the island and inspired other local African Americans to pursue careers with the U.S. Postal Service, a town news release said. He joined the postal service in 1968, serving one of two existing routes on the Island during that time. He delivered mail for 29 years before retiring.

“Wright’s career goes back to a day when mail carriers knew everyone on the Island, their comings and goings, their heartaches, and their habits. His customers adored him and would frequently call on him at home,” said U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in announcing the passing of the bill to rename the post office. “The naming of this post office represents the Gullah roots of the community, the history in the community, and Caesar Wright’s lifelong service to his Nation and to his community.”

AIRPORT SEES RECORD NUMBER OF PASSENGERS

The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport saw 3,533,294 passengers travel through its airport in 2022. The mark set a record for the most annual passengers in the airport’s history and is 27 percent higher than in 2021.

The growth can be attributed to expanded services offered by airlines and the popularity of the area. The airport has 11 airlines with more than 50 daily nonstop departures to more than 30 destinations.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

The Carolina Heritage Insurance Scholarship is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to a county student. Submit applications no later than April 15. Carolinaheritage.net/scholarship.

BLUFFTON TOWNSHIP FIREFIGHTERS SAVE HOME

Firefighters from Bluffton Township Fire District extinguished a fire in a detached garage on James O Court in Bluffton before flames could cause serious damage to a nearby residence, a news release said. The fire broke out just before 1 a.m. March 6 and required the response of Battalion Chiefs, fire engines, a rescue truck, and a water tanker truck, from BTFD Station 31 (May River), Station 34 (Sun City), Station 35 (Headquarters), Station 37 (Palmetto Bluff), and Station 38 (Hampton Parkway). Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Beaufort County EMS, and Dominion Energy also responded to the incident to provide support. No injuries were reported.

collins group

2023 COMMUNITY RESULTS PROJECT

Collins Group Realty has partnered with Bluffton Self Help for its third annual 2023 Community Results Project. Through this partnership the real estate company’s charitable arm seeks to support existing 501(c) (3) organizations by facilitating programs, events and fundraising to boost community well-being and local non-profit organizations.

Collins Group Realty has previously partnered with The Deep Well Project’s Livable Housing Program (2021), raising $14,000 to fund critical home repairs for neighbors in need, and the Lowcountry Trash Heroes (2022), conducting litter sweeps along the waterways.

Bluffton Self Help, founded in 1987 by Ida Martin, is a well-established organization with a staff and hundreds of volunteers who support the community through education, training, and providing basic needs.

The 2023 Community Results Project aims to provide Bluffton Self Help with muchneeded supplies and support. Throughout the year Collins Group Realty has planned four charitable drives and a team volunteer day at the Bluffton Self Help facility.

The first internal workwear clothing drive has taken place, with three additional charitable drives open to the public, including a Diapers and Hygiene Supplies Drive from March through May, a School Supplies and Snacks Drive through the summer months and the Annual Toy Drive for the Bluffton Self Help Holiday Shop in early December.

“Our goal for the Community Results Project this year is to provide more goods to Bluffton Self Help so they can help more of our neighbors. With the cost of goods higher, we believe it’s more important than ever to support our community,” said Chip Collins, Owner/Broker-in-Charge of Collins Group Realty.

spotlight on giving

BLUFFTON KIWANIS CLUB GIVES BACK

The Bluffton Kiwanis Club donated to the Town of Bluffton’s Lutzie 43 Scholarship fund. The donation will help support the annual Bluffton Lutzie 43 scholarship that is awarded to high school seniors who live in Bluffton.

HARBOUR TOWN BAKERY & CAFE DONATES TO HERITAGE FARM

The Heritage Farm creates space for Sea Pines residents to grow produce and herbs that chefs use at restaurants in the resort. Last year Harbour Town Bakery & Cafe raised more than $12,000 to donate to the farm.

tips for tax season

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN FILING THIS SPRING

Written by Dean Rowland

April showers, a new Major League Baseball season, The Masters golf tournament and, oh yes, tax returns are due by Tuesday, April 18.

As usual there are some changes to this year’s form, but nothing too staggering or too frightening.

“I don’t think substantially there are changes this year but, progressively, changes as years go on,” said Thomas Dowling, head of wealth management with Alliance Global Partners, a national company with offices nationwide, including Hilton Head.

First, the good news.

Almost everyone can file electronically for free on IRS.gov, effective in January. The IRS Free File program offers eligible taxpayers brand-name tax preparation software packages to use at no cost. Some of the Free File packages also offer free state tax return preparation. The software does all the work of finding deductions, credits and exemptions for you.

For do-it-yourself taxpayers, you can use Free File Fillable Forms, regardless of your income, to file your tax returns either by mail or online.

There’s no change to the taxability of income, but taxpayers must report all income on their tax return, unless it’s excluded by law, if they receive a Form 1099-K, a Form 1099-NEC, (NonEmployee Compensation), or any other information return.

Some tax credits return to 2019 levels. This means that affected taxpayers will likely receive a significantly smaller refund compared with the previous tax year. Changes include amounts for the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child and Dependent Care Credit.

• Those who got $3,600 per dependent in 2021 for the CTC will, if eligible, get $2,000 for the 2022 tax year.

• For the EITC, eligible taxpayers with no children who received roughly $1,500 in 2021 will now get $500 in 2022.

• The Child and Dependent Care Credit returns to a maximum of $2,100 in 2022 instead of $8,000 in 2021. Dowling noted a couple of tax changes:

• Those 73 years and older in 2023, up from age 72, are required to take minimum distributions from their IRAs. In 2033, the age will be 75.

• Catch-up IRA contributions for those 60 to 63 years old are now up to $10,000 annually in workplace plans.

• For those making at least $145,000 annually in the prior calendar year, catch-up contributions have to be moved into ROTH accounts, not the traditional IRAs. Traditional IRAs are taxed on withdrawals; ROTHs are taxed on contributions.

The IRS said there’s no “above-the-line” charitable deductions. During COVID, taxpayers could take up to a $600 charitable donation tax deduction on their tax returns. In 2022, those who take a standard deduction may not take an above-the-line deduction for charitable donations.

If you haven’t done so yet, start gathering your tax documents from 2022.

The annual dread is upon taxpayers now because they “worry they have to pay more taxes, and they also haven’t kept track of all the documents they need to track down now,” Dowling said. “That becomes stressful.”

It’s important to know where all your accounts are.

“Keep a list of all your accounts,” he said. “This way when the end of the year comes and you have to track down your 1099s or your K1s, you know that you have that account and you know which institutions you have that account with.”

If you have required documents, check them off your list; if you don’t have them, get on the phone and request them.

“Keep the documents in a folder on your computer or in a folder in a drawer, which will keep it much less stressful,” Dowling said.

“I think what you really want and what we try to do here, is keep your financial life simple and elegant; progress is in simplicity,” he said. “If you keep a list and keep yourself organized during the year, it’s less stress and less work at the end. When something is stressful, we know we try to avoid it. If you’re organized, it will be less stressful and easier to accomplish to get your taxes done.”

business news

STONEWORKS EARNS NATIONAL AWARD

StoneWorks of the Lowcountry earned a 2022 Pinnacle Award presented by the Natural Stone Institute in the Kitchen/Bath category for a project completed in Palmetto Bluff. The home features natural stone throughout its grand interior, featured prominently in the kitchen. The NSI is a trade association with more than 2,000 members.

HILTON HEAD NAMES HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PLANNER

Krishana Jackson Perry has joined the Town of Hilton Head as its principal planner for Historic Neighborhood Preservation. Perry will work in the Town’s Community Development Department and manage programs that preserve the island’s historic neighborhoods. Most recently, she worked as an analyst for the United States Government Accountability Office.

PSD GENERAL MANAGER NAMED PRESIDENT OF WATEREUSESC

Pete Nardi, general manager of the Hilton Head Public Service District, has been named president of WateReuseSC, the South Carolina chapter of the national WateReuse Association, the nation’s only trade association solely dedicated to advancing laws, policy, funding and public acceptance of recycled water.

ISLAND TIME PLEDGES TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER

Island Time, a vacation rental company, signed the Working with Cancer pledge, which will secure the job, salary level, and benefits of any of their employees diagnosed with cancer for at least a year. The pledge, which was launched at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January, aims in part to develop “tangible commitments from employers to be more supportive of those working with the disease.”

HILTON HEAD PREP NAMES BOYS GOLF COACH

Chris Tremblay has been hired as boys golf coach at Hilton Head Prep. Tremblay has been a member of the PGA since 1988. For the past three years he has been named one of the Top 25 Elite Junior Golf Coaches in the country by Future Collegians Golf. Tremblay was the 2004 Northeast New York section PGA Teacher of the Year, a Top 50 Instructor in North America as listed by the Golf Range Association of America, and a Top Teacher-in-State as listed by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.

BARBERS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY ADDS LOCATION

Barbers of the Lowcountry, which has locations in Bluffton and Beaufort, opened a shop in Pooler, Ga. The shop, led by Brent Nelsen and his father, Lou, opened on the island in 1997, moved to Bluffton in 2007 and expanded to Beaufort in 2020. The Pooler location is at Morgan’s Corner at the intersection of Pine Barren and Pooler Parkway.

CLOTHING SHOP OPENS IN BLUFFTON

Monkee’s of Bluffton recently opened on 14 Promenade Street in Bluffton. The store for women’s clothing, shoes and accessories held a grand opening in March. Established in 1995, all Monkee’s high-end boutiques are independently owned and operated, according to its website.

SEAGLASS WINDOWSCAPES OPENS SHOWROOM IN BLUFFTON

Seaglass Windowscapes has opened a showroom at 70 Pennington Drive in Bluffton. Specializing in blinds, shutters and shades, awnings, and retractable screens, Seaglass Windowscapes customizes windowscapes for inside and outside homes.

Have some business news to share? Please email anthony@anthemmediagroup.com

Tremblay

StoneWorks

Perry

Nardi

Seaglass

normalizing market

REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY LOOKS TO BE BUSY THIS SPRING

Written by Dean Rowland

Is it boom or bust now in the local real estate market?

Neither, really, but it is slowly returning to its pre-pandemic condition and a return to market normalcy.

“The status of the (local) residential real estate market seems to be normalizing,” said Cindy Creamer, last year’s president of the South Carolina Realtors organization and a former Realtor of the year. “There is more inventory, the average home is on the market a bit longer, but prices are evening out. We should see a typical spring market, probably on the level of pre-pandemic activity, but we'll know more after the end of the first quarter.”

Sales were down 31 percent statewide in January, “but this is more of a normalization when comparing the market to the last few years,” she said. “We’re starting to see early signs that this spring should have a lot of activity due to a lot of pent up demand. The question is, will the pent-up demand be enough to get buyers into the marketplace? Interest rates could have an impact on this, of course.”

Creamer, a Realtor with Dunes Real Estate on Hilton Head, said economists have predicted that many of 2022’s housing trends nationally will continue this year: Home sales will soften, price growth will moderate, inventory will remain tight, and there will be greater variability between markets nationally. Some regions possibly will see price declines, while other, more affordable areas of the country will remain in high demand and experience price growth.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that the beginning of 2023 showed the market rebalancing, with buyers and sellers remaining cautious awaiting signs of things to come. Median home prices inched forward 4.2 percent to $500,000.

Existing-home sales fell for the 12th straight month in January, including in the South region, dropping 36.9 percent from the previous year.

Demand for housing persists, but high mortgage rates have adversely affected housing affordability, with total home sales down 17.8 percent over 2021. New listings and pending sales decreased but housing inventory rose.

“Home sales are bottoming out,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in a press release. “Prices vary depending on a market’s affordability, with lower-priced regions witnessing modest growth and more expensive regions experiencing declines.

“Inventory remains low, but buyers are beginning to have better negotiating power,” Yun added. “Homes sitting on the market for more than 60 days can be purchased for around 10 percent less than the original list price.”

Real estate data below is provided by the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors:

• In Bluffton new listings and closed sales were down in January 2023 over 2022, but the inventory of homes for sale was up 196 percent. Median sales price was up 18.3 percent to $537,500.

• In Hilton Head (total) new listings and closed sales were down in January 2023 over 2022, but the inventory of homes for sale was up 57 percent. Median sales price was down 2.3 percent to $599,000.

• In Hilton Head (condos/villas) new listings and closed sales were down, but the inventory of homes in this category for sale reached 126.4 percent. Median sales price was up 30.1 percent to $475,000.

• In Beaufort County, the median home price is $546,850, according to RealtyTrac. There were 6,336 home sales in the county over the past 12 months.

• In Hardeeville, new listings and closed sales were down in January 2023 over 2022, but the inventory of homes for sale shot up to 59.5 percent. Median sales price dropped 2.3 percent to $394,451.

Home values in the county range from $13,100 to $26,775,450 with Okatie being the priciest city with a median listing home price of $917,000. Port Royal is most affordable with average house prices of around $344,500.

Inflation, mortgage interest rates and the economy will all have a bearing on the market this year.

“We will not see the records we have seen the last couple of years, which was an anomaly due to people moving from other states,” Creamer said.

time to get plaidyour on

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE 55TH RBC HERITAGE PRESENTED BY BOEING

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing returns to Harbour Town Golf Links this month, and the golf tournament continues to be one of the most prominent in the country.

In fact this year’s April 10-16 PGA Tour event will be one of four with an elevated purse of $20 million – and has a commitment from the Tour’s top players, including defending champion Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy.

The other three elevated events are the WM Phoenix Open, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Travelers Championship.

The RBC Heritage was chosen for several reasons including RBC’s commitment, the tournament’s position on the 2023 PGA Tour schedule, its storied history and recognizable venue. Both the field makeup of 132 players and eligibility criteria remain unchanged.

“It is a true honor to be chosen to become an elevated event on the PGA Tour,” RBC Heritage tournament director Steve Wilmot said. “Our fans and sponsors are now guaranteed to see the top players compete, and we couldn’t ask for much more than that.”

Love III named tournament chair

Also new at the Heritage is the announcement that five-time champion Davis Love III is the tournament chairman.

Traditionally, the tournament chairman is a member of the Heritage Classic Foundation, but to celebrate the 55th event, the board asked a past champion with a big connection to the No. 5, according to a news release.

Love’s duties include attending the opening ceremony and the Pro-Am Draw Party.

Love has played in the tournament a record 33 times. He was 23 years old when he won in 1987 and still holds the record for being the youngest champion. His fifth win was in 2003. On Thursday of tournament week, he will celebrate his 59th birthday.

He has earned 21 victories on the PGA Tour.

New skyboxes on the 18th

The 18th hole will feature new skyboxes. The updated double-decker skyboxes are the same ones used at the Honda Classic.

players to follow

Will Zalatoris. His first PGA Tour victory was at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Max Homa. Has won six times on the PGA Tour since he became a member in 2014.

Patrick Cantlay. Runner-up at 2022 Heritage. PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2021.

Jordan Spieth. Defending champion will make his seventh start at Harbour Town.

Xander Schauffele. Will compete at the Heritage for the fourth time.

Rory McIlroy. World No. 3 has competed at Harbour Town two times.

Photos courtesy PGA Tour

schedule of events

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Photos supplied

MONDAY, APRIL 10

Pro-Am Presented by Boeing: Course closed to public

11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.*

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

Pro Practice Rounds: All Day

Opening Ceremony: 12 p.m.

Youth Day Putting Contest. Children 15-under.

(Putting Green): 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

RBC Heritage Pro-Am. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.*

Starting on the 1st and 10th tees.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

First Round

Morning starting times: 7:20 a.m.-9 a.m. *

Afternoon starting times: 11:50 a.m.-1:30 p.m. *

Starting on the 1st and 10th tees

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Second Round

Morning starting times: 7:20 a.m.-9 a.m. *

Afternoon starting times: 11:50 a.m.-1:30 p.m. *

Starting on the 1st and 10th tees

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

Third Round

Starting times: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.*

Plaid Nation Day – Wear Plaid

Plaid Nation Contests on the Heritage Lawn.

12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

Sunrise Service

(Liberty Oak). 7:30 a.m.

Final Round

Starting times: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.*

Trophy Presentation

18th green: Immediately following the close of play.

* Times are approximate.

2022 winner Jordan Spieth

the caddie classic

NEW FOR 2023

The RBC Heritage has added a new event, one expected to offer some fun before the intense competition begins.

On the Tuesday of tournament week caddies are invited to compete in the Heritage Caddie Classic.

It will be the first caddie tournament the Heritage has hosted. The Heritage said it added it to give the caddies a fun activity.

“We are always looking to elevate the RBC Heritage experience for sponsors, spectators, volunteers, pros and caddies,” said Angela McSwain, RBC Heritage marketing and communications director.

tournament facts

DATES: April 10-16

LOCATION: Harbour Town Golf Links, The Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island

PAR: 71

YARDAGE: 7,191 yards

TOTAL PURSE: $20 million

CONTRIBUTIONS: $50 million has been distributed to those in need throughout South Carolina and Georgia since 1987. In 2023, $2.4 million has been distributed to charitable organizations, the arts, medical institutions and for college scholarships.

TICKETS: Tickets are limited. For updated information, visit rbcheritage.com or call 843-671-2448.

ATTENDANCE: 101,290 people attended

the RBC Heritage in 2022.

VOLUNTEERs: More than 1,500 volunteers work throughout tournament week.

HISTORY: Harbour Town Golf Links was designed by Pete Dye, in consultation with Jack Nicklaus, in the fall of 1969. Past champions include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink.

ECONOMIC IMPACT: Each year, the RBC Heritage brings more than $102 million into South Carolina’s economy.

DEMOGRAPHICS: 60% of spectators have an annual income of more than $100,000. The average spectator age is 52, and 59% completed a four-year college degree.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: The RBC Heritage is broadcast in 27 languages to more than 200 countries outside the United States. More than 1 billion households across the world can tune in to see Harbour Town’s famous candy -cane striped lighthouse.

TELEVISION: (all times EDT)

The Golf Channel

Thursday-Friday 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. -3 p.m.

CBS Sports (Times subjected to change)

Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

PGA TOUR RADIO

Thursday-Friday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. -6 p.m.

Source: rbcheritage.com

spectator information

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Photos supplied

GENERAL POLICIES: All individuals will be subject to security screening, including metal detector screening and inspection of bags. Tickets must always be worn on tournament grounds.

TICKETING

Guests are required to present a valid digital ticket to enter tournament grounds and may proceed through the gates once a valid scan has been registered. Each spectator will receive a ticket to wear. Ticket Services is in the Clubhouse parking lot for answering

digital ticketing questions. Lost and found and bag check are also located inside Ticket Services. Hours: Monday, April 10, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, April 11 to Saturday, April 15, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, April 16, 7 a.m. to end of play.

MOBILE DEVICE POLICY

Devices must always be silent; flash may not be used. Devices may be used to capture video, audio and photos in all areas throughout tournament week. Content may be used for personal purposes (e.g. personal social media)

but no commercial use. No live streaming or real-time coverage (e.g. no shot-byshot coverage). Data use (e.g. texting) is permitted in all areas. Phone calls are allowed in designated areas: The Ultra Club, inside Clubhouse, concessions located at holes 9, 10, 13, 15, 18 and neighborhood roads. Be respectful of play and don’t interfere with players, caddies or media. All posted signage and instructions from tournament staff must be observed. Failure to comply may result in the revocation of your ticket.

AUTOGRAPHS

The PGA Tour has established the following guidelines:

• Autographs can only be obtained at designated Autograph Zones.

• On-course autographs are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, tees, fairways, greens and practice areas during practice rounds and tournament rounds.

FIRST AID

First Aid Stations are in the Harbour Town Golf Links parking lot and the Heritage

Lawn. If the need for medical assistance should occur, please notify the nearest RBC Heritage volunteer.

MERCHANDISE

The RBC Heritage Merchandise Pavilion is located between the 1st and 9th holes. Additional pop-up tents can be found on the Heritage Lawn (Peter Millar tent) and at Liberty Oak.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Concession stands feature specialty items from The SERG Restaurant Group. They are found in the following areas:

• Between 1st and 9th fairways

• 2nd green/7th tee

• 8th green

• 10th fairway

• 13th green

• 15th green

• 18th fairway

• Heritage Lawn/17th green

Clubhouse Ticket Pack holders may purchase food and beverages at the Clubhouse, the 8th green OASIS and the 15th green Clubhouse II.

For all other food and beverage information, visit rbcheritage.com/ spectators

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Items not allowed on the course may be checked at Guest Services. Chairs left overnight will be removed by course

maintenance. Here is a list of items to leave at home:

• No bags larger than a small 6-inch-by6-inch purse, including carrying cases, backpacks, camera bags, or chair bags.

• No clear plastic, vinyl, or other carry items larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches.

• No glass cups or bottles except for medical or infant needs.

• No memorabilia including pin flags, photos, trading cards, balls and other sports paraphernalia.

• No computers or laptops.

• No fireworks or laser pointers.

• No lounges or over-sized chairs with extended foot rests.

• No seat cushions in a carrying case or that have pockets or compartments.

• No pets, except for service animals.

• No knives, firearms or weapons.

• No video cameras (all week)

• No point-and-shoot, film or DSLR cameras (during competition rounds).

• No selfie sticks or hand-held camera stabilizers.

• No beverages (patrons may not bring in or exit with beverages) or coolers.

• No radios, TVs, or portable speakers.

• No posters, signs or banners.

• No motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles, bicycles, skateboards, hoverboards, or similar devices permitted. Segways, motorized scooters or other personal transportation devices are prohibited if not used as a mobility aid by individuals with mobility impairment.

• No drones, remote controlled model aircrafts or other devices that can be operated in airspace.

PARKING

General Parking at the Coastal Discovery Museum at 70 Honey Horn Dr.: Complimentary parking with motor coach service to and from Harbour Town Marina (approximately a 20-minute ride), 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. There is no general spectator parking inside Sea Pines.

Official Tournament Shuttle from Coligny Beach Parking Lot: Complimentary shuttles to a drop-off near Harbour Town, 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Bicycle parking is available in the Coligny Plaza area. Parking is first-come, first-served.

Bicycle Parking at Harbour Town: Complimentary bicycle parking is available inside Sea Pines at the tennis courts next to the Harbour Town Golf Links Clubhouse parking lot. Owners are responsible for locking their bicycles. All cyclists must show a digital ticket

or a volunteer badge to be admitted through the gates of Sea Pines. Cyclists may enter Sea Pines at the Ocean Gate on South Forest Beach Drive or at the Main Gate on Greenwood Drive.

Designated Parking for People with Disabilities: Located close to the shuttle loading area at The Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. Disabled Person Parking Identification Placard must be visible entering the lot.

Wheelchair-accessible buses will be available.

Ride Share App & Taxi Policy: During tournament hours the taxi and Ride Share App designated pick-up and drop-off location is The Shops at Sea Pines Center. After hours, taxis and ride shares will pick up at locations around the Harbour Town Golf Links once play ends.

sources: pgatour.com, rbcheritage.com

students win scholarships

HERITAGE CLASSIC FOUNDATION NAMES 2022-23 SCHOLARS

Photos supplied

Eleven outstanding Beaufort County seniors have been named Heritage Classic Foundation scholars for the 2022-2023 school year. The students come from seven different high schools, and one is home schooled.

Seniors in all Beaufort and Jasper County high schools were eligible to apply, and applications were reviewed on the basis of academic success, community service, essays written by the student and financial need. Thirteen finalists were interviewed by the Scholar Committee; the two not selected were awarded a one-time $2,500 grant.

Six of the scholars will receive a $16,000 scholarship over the next four years.

Four additional awards carry a $20,000 amount. Two of the latter scholarships honor Scholar Committee chairmen who have passed, John Zimmerman and Mike Malanick. One honors the late Scholar Committee member Charlie Brown, and the Tartan Club Award recognizes the donations made by the Tartan Club. Created by the Heritage Classic Foundation, the Tartan Club is a group made up of individuals throughout the community who share a desire to help others through the awarding of scholar grants for area students.

The Kirby Scholarship, a one-year $4,000 scholar award, was created in memoriam of past Scholar Committee chairman Ward Kirby and will be granted every year moving forward. Two additional students will receive a one-year $2,500 award.

The winners are: Battery Creek: Ella Gordon; Beaufort Academy: Benjamin Steen; Beaufort High School: Megan Alvarez, and Susan “Elizabeth” Livesay; Heritage Academy: Kellen Kubec; Hilton Head Island High School: Cynthia Gudaitis, Benjamin Lewis, and Laurel Hawkins; Hilton Head Preparatory School: Emma “Hayes” Wilkinson; John Paul II Catholic School: Samantha Reilly; and Homeschooled: Levi Bates.

Next fall, 41 Beaufort County collegians will be attending school and will have received Foundation grants at an expenditure of $200,000. A total of $5 million will have been awarded to 375 students after the 2023 distribution.

In addition to these 11 scholarships, the Foundation is funding four $2,500 annual scholarships to the University of South Carolina Beaufort and two $1,500 annual scholarships to the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

“We believe the resumes of these young adults are better than ever. The teachers and administrators of our school systems, as well as the award winners, deserve special praise,” said Heritage Classic Foundation Scholar Committee Chairman, Scott Richardson.

boutique fashions

FEATURING: SHOP!, CURRENTS, ISLAND CHILD, SM BRADFORD, B-JACK’S DEEP SOUTH MERCANTILE

SHOP! 32 Office Park Road, #105 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

PHOTOS BY RITTERBECK PHOTOGRAPHY STYLED BY ABBY BRADEN

SPRING colors

SM Bradford 1000 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

B-Jack’s Deep South Mercantile 16 Church Street Bluffton, SC 29910

sociable spaces

Written by Amy Bartlett

KITCHENS ARE GETTING A STARK AND STUNNING RESTART

It’s not news that the kitchen is often everyone’s favorite room – where families gather, parties migrate, and conversations are at their best.

Culinary caretaking is about far more than meal prep. The kitchen is a therapeutic outlet, an artist’s studio, and the most expressive “welcome mat” you can have in your home. To be sure your “mat” is sending the message you want, here’s a recipe for a compelling canteen at the heart of your home, intentionally designed to be inviting:

Color Therapy: Gone with the “greige,” after arguably “agreeable gray” décor and waves of whitewash have dominated years of decor, kitchens are starved for an influx of color, and designers are feeding that need. Color wheels are spinning bold and emotional – from bright, uplifting, and effusively cheery to dark and remarkably dramatic. Natural olive, rose gold tones, and soft, saturated yellow are the shining jewel in the crown of color-washed kitchens. But playful palettes are taking a dark turn with trending colors like Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black and Benjamin Moore Jet Black, just two of the “black is the new black” dominating the conversation, brightened with bits of bling like brass accents and hanging racks of colorful cookware.

Going Organic: Being perfectly Instagrammable used to mean cute, kitschy, matchymatchy, and adorned with calligraphy at every corner. Now the kitchen is going back to basics in a full “raw bar” approach to materials, going “paleo” with natural elements and a down-to-earth approach to organic and eco-friendly materials. Design trends are exploring natural and soapstone countertops and single-stone backsplashes and accent walls like full-sized agate wall art. Vintage aluminum aspects, and wood and straw mixes are featured heavily in fixtures and lighting, including driftwood or sweetgrass pendants and half-dowel wraps to round out your island.

Eye Catching Islands: The downside of dowels is the danger becoming the new shiplap – overdone in design shows to the point of parody. But the fact is, we still love shiplap so much, it sells in online DIY kits and the totally-doable dowelrounded surfaces are unquestionably everywhere. Adaptable to any shape, space, and treatment, they’re a good companion to island trends like waterfall-edge construction (running the stone seamlessly as surface and sides), multi-layering high-low surfaces, open faced racks stacked with pottery and dishware décor, and a seasonal stand-alone color. If you’re going to do one thing and one thing alone to your kitchen, this is the most accessible step to start with and experiment with color, a finessed focal point for rolling out your rosemary focaccia with friends and fam.

Sociable Spaces: Especially post-pandemic, people are setting the table for extra guests creating more sociable and spacious spaces, with an eye for ebb-andflow, protecting entrances and exits, creating clean and organized environments) that foster feng shui, and encourage connection. This works best with rounding off edges in counters, creating easy-access open-face cabinetry and floating shelving, expanding available seating and comfort zones like benches and built-ins, creating a space to set a spell (some would say, to squat and gobble). Islands are staying low and wide with flat, single-level surfaces more conducive to community cooking and cross-kitchen conversation.

Get organized. You can blow an afternoon (and a budget) Googling enviable Amazon kitchen gadget-storage-organization musthaves that might also blow your mind. Try Bamboo wall boxes to store plastic wrap and foil, and a layered-design utensil organizer to help you win the war with your silverware drawer. Clear bins for accessible storage, sliding two-tier drawers and lid racks are kitchen form and function solutions that keep your pantries peaceful and your kitchen camera-ready in every corner. These small touches go a long way, by the way, in prepping a home to sell with shoppers snooping every (breakfast) nook and cranny, staging your storage helps you “show well” whether to buyers, partygoers, or VRBO guests in your high-demand Hilton Head Island area rental property.

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gardening gadgets

TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL HELP YOUR GREEN THUMB

Advances in technology have helped make some of the most arduous tasks a little bit easier. Often these innovations improve our lives inside our homes, but what about getting some help for outside our houses?

HERE ARE A FEW GADGETS FOR THE GARDEN:

GARDEN PLAN PRO

With planting guides and recommendations, the Garden Plan Pro app will help you perfect your garden. It uses data from more than 6,500 weather stations in 20 countries to give recommended planting and harvesting dates for your area. Garden Plan Pro also has drawing tools and crop rotation warnings. It recommends natural pest treatments and offers detailed watering recommendations.

Compatible with an iPhone or iPad. Free to download. Premium subscription is $1.99 a month.

SMART SPRINKLER CONTROLS

Give your garden the proper watering it needs. The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller automatically adjusts for the weather and season through its intuitive technology. The app allows users to track their watering schedule from anywhere. Its Weather Intelligence technology will help ensure you water the garden at the most appropriate times, adjusting for weather changes. Compatible with Amazon’s Alexa. Starts at $149.

ROBOTIC LAWN MOWER

Like an indoor vacuum cleaner, robotic lawn mowers do the work for you. A Gardena Sileno City mower automatically mows yards up to 2,700 square feet. Users can set up auto scheduling via an app. Collision sensors ensure the mower operates safely. The Sileno mows through poor weather and offers a “quiet motor” with a decibel level of 57dbA. Starts at $799.

GARDEN POLLINATORS

SEEDLING HEAT MAT

By providing consistent temperatures, a seedling heat map can be invaluable when growing plants from seed. The VIVOSUN heat mat says it maintains temperatures around 68-86 degrees. With advanced far-infrared heating technology it offers optimal conditions for speeding up germination and accelerating the growth rate. A controller allows users to set a temperature or change the display between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Starts at $29.99

SMART WATERING POT

Keep your plants nourished whether you are home or away. A Catleza Smart Pot, made from recycled material, is a self-watering pot. It is weather resistant (UV stabilized and frost resistant). Simple six-step instructions are repeated every 10 days. Comes in various shapes and colors. Starts at $25.95

SOIL TESTER

Make planting easier by keeping track of soil temperature. This 4-in-1 tester measures the soil’s moisture, pH, temperature and sunlight levels. The technology lets users know when water is needed and determines if plants have enough light. Get readings within 10 seconds of inserting into soil. Starts at $19.99.

Sometimes we can’t rely on natural life to pollinate our gardens. We need a little help. The VegiBee Garden Pollinator (handheld) uses sonic vibrations to shake pollen out of a flower. Its system adds a pollen spoon to capture all the released pollen so more flowers on the same vegetable plant can be pollinated. Starts at $29.99

turf time

TIPS TO CONSIDER IF ARTIFICIAL GRASS IS RIGHT FOR YOUR HOME

Written by Fritz Janssens

Artificial grass can help save you money over time and requires little maintenance, but is going to turf in the Lowcountry the right move for you? Here are some topics to help you decide:

CONSIDER THE COST

The first thing to consider is the cost of turf. Artificial grass averages about $12 per square foot, with HomeAdvisor noting installation costs range from about $2,700 to $6,700. A 500-square-foot yard can cost $6,000 on average.

Depending on your budget, it can be a bit pricey. But you won’t have the weekly upkeep such as lawn services and fertilizer. Living in the South requires more water usage. Turf will cut down on those costs (which range on average $65-$200 a month). The average family uses more than 30% of its water on irrigating their lawn or garden, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Keep in mind that the average lifespan of turf is 10 to 15 years. With a little bit of care (cross-brushing every few weeks, raking leaves, removing debris), the turf should maintain a solid longevity.

IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Having artificial grass will cut down on noise pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency said emissions from mowers and leaf blowers are a “significant source of pollution,” and emit high levels of carbon monoxide. Turf negates the noise. Artificial grass doesn’t require chemical products like pesticides and herbicides.

Environmental cons include water runoff, which can contain chemicals, and artificial grass is not biodegradable.

NO PESTS

Insects and other pests won’t be much of a nuisance. With turf, there’s no place to feed on. Bugs are not attracted to turf. And it limits access to soil, which forces bugs to move on to find soil to feed, according to synlawnsacramento.com.

MORE TIME TO PLAY

Wet grass isn’t too fun to play on – neither is a muddy lawn. Artificial turf dries fast, which allows more time to enjoy the surface. Also, you rarely will you have to stay off the grass because there’s no need for pesticides.

WARMER TEMPERATURES

Keep in mind that artificial turf is warmer than natural grass. While we enjoy the weather in the Lowcountry, we have plenty of days of the sun beating down on our lawns.

Natural grass is cooler. Temperature differentials vary, but on average artificial grass is about 20 to 50 degrees warmer.

There are products that are designed with cooling qualities that help turf stay cool. Experts suggest installing high-quality turf, which will get rid of heat quicker than lower-quality turf.

QUALITY TURF

The key is finding the best turf. High-quality turf will last longer, save you money and be cooler.

High-quality artificial grass will often have several colors to look like real grass. Choosing a color that most closely mirrors the natural grass species in your area is a suggestion from Ideal Turf.

By doing research and talking with trusted experts, look for turf that will withstand years of use. The best artificial grass is specifically designed to resist matting and lying flat, Ideal Turf said. Turf fibers should return to being upright when you walk across them.

A cooling infill is recommended, which will help it cool off.

Overall, when choosing options, consider the number of footsteps that will be taken on the artificial grass. Picking a material that will withstand the traffic is vital.

Nylon feels like natural grass and requires not much upkeep but is known for “turf burn,” according to paradisegreens.com.

Polypropylene is a soft material and fairly inexpensive. But it’s susceptible to wear and tear and might not last as long as other materials.

Polyethylene is the “most realistic” looking grass, paradisegreens.com said, and is softer than nylon but more durable than polypropylene. It is susceptible to UV degradation.

restaurant news

WINE BAR OPENS IN BLUFFTON

Wine Time Bluffton held its grand opening last month. The wine bar, located on Promenade Street where Ben and Jerry’s was located, is owned by Rob and Lauren Bazemore. The restaurant features small plates, artisan cheeses and charcuterie created to pair with more than two dozen wine bythe-glass options. The space offers more than 350 different wine labels and 20 different cheeses for retail. It pledges to donate a portion of its sales to a local non-profit each month.

BENNY HUDSON’S ANNOUNCES NEW SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Benny Hudson’s Seafood said on its Facebook page that it’s been working on “something big” for the past few months. The news? Benny Hudson Seafood Market has partnered with Coastal Restaurants And Bars to create a neighboring seafood restaurant, Benny’s Coastal Kitchen. It is named after the market’s founder, Benny Hudson. The restaurant will overlook the docks on Squire Pope Road and will feature two stories, including a rooftop bar. A groundbreaking was recently held. Plans are for the project to be completed by 2024.

BLUFFTON EATERY BREAKS GROUND

Led by chef Bridgette Frazier and backed by Watterson Brands, Ma Daisy’s Porch is an ode to Frazier’s grandmother (Ma Daisy), and the Gullah community. The business held a groundbreaking last month at 1255 May River Road. Described as an entire compound comprised of a restaurant, bakery, open-air market with goods from the Black and Gullah community, and the first Gullah Heritage Center in Bluffton, the project is expected to open early next year.

NEW ITALIAN ICE SHOP

Rita’s Italian Ice and Custard of Bluffton recently opened on Venture Drive. Its Facebook page says it will offer its “famous Italian Ice and frozen custard” and customizable Gelati and Blendini. Rita’s has a selection of dairy free, gluten free, and sugar-free options. The shop operates in 31 states with more than 600 locations.

TOP MARGARITA IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Java Burrito Company has the best margaritas, according to Yelp. In its list of top destinations in the country to enjoy a margarita, Java Burrito Company was ranked No 1. The rankings are based on several factors, including ratings of reviews mentioning margaritas.

LOWCOUNTRY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

Fiddler’s Seafood Restaurant & Fiddler’s Seafood Market, previously owned in Ridgeland by Billy and Donna Rowell, was recently bought by Lynden and Sally Zuniga. The menu includes shrimp baskets, fish sandwiches, seafood platters and burgers. The Rowells had owned the popular restaurant and market in northern Jasper County since 1999. The Zunigas own Tio’s on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton.

fairway fabulousforfare

Written by Clay Bonnyman Evans | Photographed by Rob Kaufman

photo supplied

The Hayes family of British Open Pub celebrates 25 years serving the community.

BRITISH OPEN PUB A LONGTIME MAINSTAY FOR GOLF FANATICS

When Damian Hayes and business partner John DeAngelis decided to open Hilton Head Island’s first golf-themed restaurant in 1998, they thought they’d name it Amen Corner after the famously difficult 11th, 12th and 13th holes at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the annual The Masters Tournament.

Hayes even began collecting memorabilia suitable for a Masters-themed restaurant.

But after realizing there was no British-pubthemed restaurant on the island, they changed their minds and named it after another “major,” the Open Championship, also known as the British Open. That gave them a menu as well.

“We switched to a British theme, fish ‘n’ chips, pot pies, things like that,” says Hayes, who now as sole owner is celebrating 25 years in business on the island and 12 at the restaurant’s Bluffton location this year.

That meant he had to go back to the first tee, so to speak, when it came to collecting the artwork and memorabilia that gives the pub its now-familiar atmosphere. Over time, he got numerous British Open winners, including such greats as five-time winner Tom Watson, three-time winner Seve Ballesteros and two-time winners Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, to sign tournament artwork that graces the walls at both restaurants.

“When Watson signed that fourth one, he asked, ‘How many pubs do these guys have?’” Hayes says with a laugh. “A lot of (the winners) have been in the pub.”

“(Price) wouldn’t sign balls for anybody, because at that time kids were getting balls signed and then just selling them,” Hayes says. “But when he came in the pub and saw the bar, he gave a signed ball to my wife, Andrea, knowing it would go under glass.”

And the British Open Pub remains the world’s only “Titleist Bar.” When the CEO of the Titleist company came in, he asked Hayes where he’d gotten the hundreds of Titleist golf balls on display.

“The Titleist rep had given them to me, but he made me promise never to tell. So, I told (the CEO) I purchased them. He asked, ‘why all Titleists?’ and I told him, ‘It’s the number-one ball in golf,’” Hayes recalls. “He said, ‘Good answer,’ gave me his card and said if you need anything let me know.”

Hayes soon sent the CEO a letter requesting permission to officially use the line, “Bar by Titleist.” The man agreed.

The Bluffton restaurant also sports a “bad-luck” wedge “donated” by 2001 Heritage winner Jose Coceres. During a 2002 Heritage Golf Tournament on Hilton Head, Coceres was searching for a private spot to snap a 60-degree wedge over his knee after four bad pitch shots, when he came upon Hayes’ wife, Andrea, holding a sign in support of her fellow Argentinian and pushing a baby carriage where the couple’s son, Evan, slept.

Each location features a bar where patrons rest elbows atop hundreds upon hundreds of Titleist golf balls under glass, a handful signed by British Open winners, including Ballesteros, 1994 winner Nick Price and Watson.

“I’m fortunate to have some of the same people since we opened our doors. … The staff is the secret and my family ”

“The reunion instantly softened Coceres’ mood,” who decided to give the club to the family, reported the Savannah Morning News.

“And now my son is 21 and waiting and bartending” at the restaurant where the wedge is displayed, Hayes says.

Of course, customers can’t eat golf balls, unlucky clubs or prints. They come for the food, year after year.

“Our locals are our mainstays in business year after year,” Hayes says. “Our servers and bartenders know most of the customer base when they walk through the door.”

One recent day, a British couple came in to sample the fare.

“They both said, ‘The fish ‘n’ chips is better here than back home,’” Hayes says.

The pubs have given back to the community over the years, most notably through nearly a quarter of a million dollars for local youth, raised through the annual British Open Pub Invitational golf tournament (which was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Hayes says two factors have made longterm success possible for nearly a quarter century: his staff and his family.

“I’m fortunate to have some of the same people since we opened our doors. The staff is the secret,” he says. “And my family. They have put up with an awful lot. I’ve missed a lot of things, football games, horseback-riding events and cheerleading performances, because I had to work.”

But family members have always been part of the business.

“My oldest daughter, Brooke, is my general manager at the Hilton Head store. My daughters Ali and Skylar and son Evan fill in serving and bartending when home from college,” Hayes says. “Andrea, while still a hairdresser by day, is a front-ofhouse manager at the Bluffton location.

“It’s all family-owned. Hopefully family will take over some day,” Hayes says.

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Each issue is filled with captivating articles, stunning photography, and exciting features. As a subscriber, you’ll be the first to know about special promotions and events, giving you even more opportunities to dive deeper into your interests and passions.

Southern Beaufort County residents can subscribe for free delivery to your mailbox. Everyone can subscribe to our digital issue for free.

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corner growthperk’s

OWNER JOSH COOKE LEADS EXPANSION OF POPULAR COFFEEHOUSE

Written by Jessica Farthing | Photographed by Rob Kaufman

Josh Cooke considers himself a creator. In fact, if you grab his business card, that’s his title, one that he’s certainly earned. You could also add “risk-taker” for the owner and operator of the much beloved and rapidly expanding Corner Perk Brunch Cafe.

He jumped into opening his dream coffee shop in Bluffton 2009 and hasn’t looked back.

In fact, he’s moving ahead. Corner Perk has now opened on Hilton Head Island — and a new store at Buckwalter Place in Bluffton is just on the horizon.

It all began from need.

“I was a 27-year-old with two degrees,” he said. “I couldn’t get a job. It was just a tough economy at that point. They were laying people off and not hiring. I always wanted to try this, and we didn’t have any kids yet.”

He doesn’t claim all the credit for creating his longstanding business. His wife and business partner, Kali, helped envision the concept and became the supporter of the family.

“She worked as a music teacher, a music therapist for those first five years. I worked part time in a couple of jobs, but she paid the bills,” he said.

“I didn’t go to school for business or management or have training in either of those things,” Cooke remembered, “But I had enthusiasm and persistence and I really loved making drinks for people and being a part of the community. That’s how we got started.”

With a little money left over from student loans and a credit card, the couple opened the Corner Perk in Bluffton, but not at its current location. After they had children, it became apparent that it was time for Cooke to fully step into his dream or quit. He chose to invest in the business, moving to May River Road.

“If I was going to change the location, I was going to find the best spot we could possibly find. It was a long, challenging process to open there.”

It took a year and a half to get the cafe open. Cooke was lucky to get a deal on a purchase of the downtown spot, a gamble that has clearly paid off now that the area is busier. He’s used the equity in his building to fuel growth.

The newest Corner Perk to open is on Hilton Head Island in a former Atlanta Bread Company location (45 Pembroke Drive at Festival Centre at Indigo Park) that Cooke remembers from his high school days on the island.

“It’s huge. It’s more than we need, but I thought if we could figure out how to make it work, it would be ideal,” he said.

The space is now transformed with murals painted by local artists and a huge kitchen. They’ve doubled the amount of indoor and outdoor seating from the Bluffton store. The outpost is now up and running, serving coffee and delicious food seven days a week.

Cooke expects to break ground on the Buckwalter location in a few months. (Corner Perk also has a space in Port Royal).

As for the original location, it’s offering the same menu but without the local favorite concerts, for now. The location held the Roasting Room, a live music venue meant to bring the community together to celebrate the arts. That’s on hold while the restaurant expands.

There was a plan to have live music in the original location from the beginning. Cooke had always been interested in promoting the arts and it made sense to offer concerts for the community in his larger space. The idea for the Roasting Room was a good one, but with expansion on his mind, Cooke made the decision to pull back on scheduling shows and the extra work associated with planning events. The drive to support musicians hasn’t stopped though.

“I anticipate with the right people and the right time, it will be something really great again in terms of music for the community,” Cooke said.

The family is happy to expand Corner Perk locations across the area but won’t venture out for now.

“People are always asking me if we’ll open in Charleston, but we’ve got a 10- and a 12-year-old, and I don’t want to be gone at this point in my life. We’ve got a great thing going,” Cooke said.

The community agrees.

Corner Perk owner Josh Cooke.

benny lowcountryhudson’sbroil

There are three unwritten rules of Southern cooking. First, no self-respecting Southerner uses instant grits. Second, Grandma’s recipe is law, no questions asked. And third, always make enough to share. Perhaps the third rule is the reason why the Lowcountry boil has been at the heart of local gatherings for generations; this dish has a way of bringing people together.

The big one-pot meal was allegedly invented by Richard Gay, the owner of a seafood company from a small town called Frogmore, who needed to make dinner for 100 of his fellow National Guard soldiers. That’s why the dish is sometimes called “Frogmore Stew,” though it’s not a stew at all: Lowcountry boil is made by simmering a combination of shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes together, then seasoning the mixture and serving it alongside cornbread and iced tea. While the ingredients are simple, the process of boiling such a large meal can be time-consuming, which is why we’re partial to making this dish a Lowcountry broil. While broiling is an unconventional cooking method, it’s more efficient and every bit as delicious. So, call your friends and roll out the newspaper: whether you boil or broil it, this Lowcountry classic always tastes better when it’s enjoyed together.

INGREDIENTS: SERVES 4

1 ½ lbs. Small red potatoes, halved

1 ½ lbs. Andouille sausage, sliced ½” and pre-cooked

4 ears of corn, cut in half

2 lbs. fresh shrimp, shell on or off

4 tablespoons of Benny Hudson’s shrimp and crab boil

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons melted butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine potatoes with 2 tablespoons of shrimp and crab boil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread evenly on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through. Pour 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of shrimp and crab boil onto the corn haves and arrange around potatoes. Place back in oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Use remaining butter and shrimp and crab boil to baste onto shrimp and sausage. Add shrimp and sausage to corm and potatoes and stir all together. Return to oven and cook an additional 6-8 minutes or until shrimp are done and potatoes are crispy. Add some of Benny Hudson’s homemade cocktail sauce for dipping!

Tonya Hudson is owner of Hudson’s Seafood Market, known far and wide for selling the freshest and best seafood for over 5 generations. Find them at 175 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head Island, 29926

pan-seared scallops

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of fresh scallops (about 15-20 scallops)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

• Rinse scallops in cold water and thoroughly pat dry.

• Season lightly with salt and pepper.

• Heat skillet with butter and olive oil.

• Once it heats up, add scallops and cook for 2 minutes, then flip for 1 minute. Spread scallops throughout pan.

• Cook until golden crust.

• Remove and add chopped parsley.

• Serve hot.

honey salmon

INGREDIENTS

2 salmon fillets with skin on/off

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

Lemon wedges

Salt and pepper for seasoning

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

• In a bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, garlic (salt and pepper if desired).

• Pour mix slowly over salmon.

• Bake salmon about 15-17 minutes or until cooked.

• Add a pinch of squeezed lemon.

• Serve.

garlic shrimp spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

½ pound of large shrimp, deveined and peeled

6-8 ounces of spaghetti

2.5 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

• Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Keep a cup of pasta water. Drain.

• In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked well. Remove shrimp and set aside.

• In the same pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook until golden brown.

• Add pasta and about ½ cup of pasta water and combine well.

• Then add shrimp and stir in parsley. Season with salt if desired. Serve hot.

scholastic award winners

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EARN RECOGNITION IN REGIONAL ARTS AND WRITING CONTEST

Photos Supplied

Beaufort County School District students won 58 Southeast regional recognitions in the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.

There were 32 winners at Hilton Head Island High, 17 at May River High, five at Beaufort High, and four at Bluffton High.

The prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is known as the “nation’s longest-running recognition program for creative teens and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.”

Students in grades 7 through 12 typically submit more than 350,000 works of art and writing in 30 categories.

The district’s nine top award-winners – Gold Key recipients – advance to judging at the national level. Silver Key works are judged to demonstrate exceptional ability, and Honorable Mention works are judged to show great skill and potential.

Judges evaluate student artwork based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. Former winners of Scholastic Awards include Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Sylvia Plath, and filmmaker Ken Burns.

The Gold Key winner from Beaufort High was Elizabeth Sherbert for ‘Spoons’ (Painting).

Gold Key winners from Hilton Head High were Alondra Colula for ‘Max and Toby’ (Painting); Addison Fisher for ‘The Life of a Flower’ (Fashion); and Karen McDonnell for ‘Lady of the Lake’ (Photography).

Gold Key winners from May River High were Olivia Buck for ‘Evening Subway’ (Photography); Grace EnYart for ‘Self-Portrait’ (Digital Art); Addison Gourley for ‘Swimmers’ (Photography); and Robbin Zetrouer for ‘Grit’ (Photography) and ‘The Boy’ (Photography).

‘The Life of a Flower’ (Fashion) by Addison Fisher.

left: ‘The Boy’ (Photography) by Robbin Zetrouer.

right: ‘Spoons’ (Painting) by Elizabeth Sherbert.

The Silver Key winner from Beaufort High School was Anna Lyles for ‘Fish Camp’ (Painting).

The Silver Key winner from Bluffton High School was Valerie Antonio-Frias for ‘Feeling Blue’ (Drawing and Illustration).

Silver Key winners from Hilton Head High were Camden Bernstein for ‘Naval Yard’ (Photography); Skylar Bruner for ‘Shelter in Self-Image’ (Drawing

and Illustration), ‘Shelter in Substance’ (Mixed Media), and ‘Twisted’ (Photography); Addison Fisher for ‘The Memory Project, Mariama’ (Drawing and Illustration) and ‘Silver Hour’ (Drawing and Illustration); Ashlyn Fleming for ‘Diamond in the Sky’ (Photography); Zoey Forshee for ‘Shell’ (Photography) and ‘Young Girl’ (Printmaking); Nathaniel Greenberg for ‘Manhole’ (Photography) and ‘Ravine’ (Photography); Karen McDonnell for ‘Looking Out’ (Photography); Maritza

Moreno-Tinoco for ‘Relief Spot’ (Photography); and Leydi Salmeron for ‘Portrait’ (Drawing and Illustration).

Silver Key winners from May River High were Addison Gourley for ‘Shells’ (Photography); Emma Morgan for ‘Sweet Treats’ (Ceramics and Glass); Hailey Shupard for ‘Candelabra’ (Drawing and Illustration); and Robbin Zetrouer for ‘Around the Fire’ (Photography).

Beaufort High School Honorable Mentions were

Jamar Knight for ‘Me With No Color’ (Drawing and Illustration); Anna Lemstrom for ‘Morning Contemplation’ (printmaking); and Jasmine Peru for ‘Transfixed’ (Drawing and Illustration).

Bluffton High Honorable Mentions were Arden Brown for ‘Deep Sea Tea Party’ (Ceramics and Glass); Barbara Montelongo for ‘Home’ (Drawing and Illustration); and Addison Snyder for ‘Is this a Dream?’ (Design).

‘Swimmers’ (photography) by Addison Gourley

Hilton Head High Honorable Mentions were Emily Bocialetti for ‘The Future of Politics’ (Digital Art); Izabella Delgado Munoz for ‘Sense of Reflection’ (Digital Art); Maeve Dolan for ‘Self-portrait’ (Drawing and Illustration); Addison Fisher for ‘Details in Dramatic Lighting’ (Photography); Emilie Fister for ‘Reflection’ (Photography) and ‘Columns’ (Photography); Ashlynn Fleming for ‘Beams’ (Photography) and ‘Game Day’ (Photography); Zoey Forshee for ‘Red Light’ (Drawing and Illustration); Maya Gozlan for ‘Jane’ (Photography); Nathaniel Greenberg for ‘Pensive’ (Drawing and Illustration); Nathaniel Greenberg for ‘Stairs’ (Photography); Sheila Hobler Ortega for ‘Dock B&W’ (Photography); Karen McDonnell for ‘Stretched Neck’ (Photography); and Ixel Pineda for ‘Through an Opening’ (Photography).

May River High Honorable Mentions were Madison Dilbert for ‘Skull Crusher’ (Ceramics and Glass); Kate Goldstein for ‘Pressed Flowers’ (Ceramics and Glass); Addison Gourley for ‘Student’ (Photography) and ‘Drift Wood’ (Photography); Megan Gourley for ‘Archway at the Vatican’ (Photography) and ‘Pasta Making’ (Photography); Megan Gourley for ‘Man in the Museum Window’ (Photography); and Robbin Zetrouer for ‘Banjo Bluegrass’ (Photography).

opposite page - clockwise from top: Karen McDonnell’s ‘Lady of the Lake’; Olivia Buck’s ‘Evening Subway’; ‘Max and Toby’ by Alondra Colula

‘Self Portrait’ (media) by Grace EnYart

making movie magic

HILTON HEAD BUSINESSMAN

WALTER CZURA PUTS PASSION INTO PRODUCING FILMS

Written by Edward Thomas I Photos Supplied

If you try to find Hilton Head business executive Walter Czura between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on any given day on Hilton Head Island you will need to search for him somewhere inside the 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

This is where Czura walks purposefully along dirt pathways for three to four hours every day, rain, or shine.

He also has a curious penchant for communicating with associates by writing messages on scraps of paper, then photographing them with his mobile phone and texting the photo. He does not watch television nor own a computer. He rises at 5:30 each morning and is in bed by 8:30 p.m.

Jeff Bradley, S.C. State Representative for Hilton Head Island, is a longtime friend. He describes Czura as “enigmatic, determined and smart.”

Another business associate agrees. “Behind Walter’s enigmatic charm are thoughts impossible to guess,” he said.

Czura is founder and owner of Marlin Outdoor Advertising. It is the largest private billboard company in the region with more than 1,000 faces in South Carolina and Georgia.

But over the past 18 months, Czura has garnered local public attention by resurrecting his personal love for writing screenplays and launching two feature-length motion pictures.

The first film was an historical drama “Sherman’s March to the Sea,” which premiered last February at the 2022 Poison Peach Festival in Augusta, Ga. The second, titled “The Final Load,” is now in postproduction. It was filmed a month ago in parts of Beaufort County set against the backdrop of reallife marijuana and hashish smuggling escapades from the 1970s and ‘80s that launched “Operation Jackpot” — a major drug investigation carried out by Federal agencies in South Carolina that uncovered

Walter Czura

an $850 million smuggling ring on Hilton Head Island and surrounding communities.

The South Carolina investigation ended with the arrest of more than 200 “gentlemen smugglers” — a nickname given by the media because the smugglers were college educated and did not use violence. Current state governor Henry McMaster oversaw the investigation as the State’s Attorney General and became a major political figure as a result. Czura was one of those arrested and spent 15 months in jail.

According to Czura, the movie is inspired by actual characters and events that took place in the Operation Jackpot era. Written in a contemporary setting, Czura’s fictional characters reflect people familiar from his past, including former Hilton Head

Island resident Les Riley, one of the smuggling ringleaders, who serves as a technical advisor.

A native of Augusta, Ga., Czura started his adult life wanting to be a lawyer. During law school in the 1960s he summered on Hilton Head Island where his folks had a second home.

“I loved the water and the special feeling that this area evokes,” says Czura. “Back then I was a lifeguard at the old Hilton Head Inn. I also sailed and started transporting sailboats down to the Florida Keys and some Caribbean Islands. I met some great people on those trips who were enjoying the good life. They were also smuggling. Those were intoxicating times. Time went on. I got my law degree, but also got too close to the fire.”

Location filming on a shrimp boat loading dock in Beaufort for “The Final Load.”

PRISON PROMPTS NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Czura says he didn’t leave prison embittered. Quite the opposite. “In many ways my prison life was a period of self-discovery,” he says. “When I left prison, I had been disbarred from being a lawyer, so I saw my next chapter as a new frontier.”

“I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and saw the outdoor advertising business as something I could do and still remain living in this area if I worked hard at it,” says Czura. “I admired what Ted Turner had done with his outdoor business and after running the numbers, I quickly realized that if you work hard and efficiently the billboard business could be enormously lucrative.”

Throughout his life Czura has held fast to his love for writing — in particular novels and screenwriting.

“I think a lot of lawyers try their hand at writing novels and screenplays” he points out. “It’s natural. Look at David Baldacci and John Grisham.”

While still in law school, Czura wrote a novel about environmental sabotage focused on the Lowcountry,

but it never got published. He also scripted a series for South Carolina ETV, but it ran into budget cuts and the undertaking was dropped.

Then, six years ago Czura pitched a screen play to a Hollywood producer and distributor. It was accepted by a distributor, but money issues scuttled the project. So, he decided if he was going to get his passion on the big screen he would need to fund it himself.

Forming Fortress Films as a new movie production company in 2021, Czura is now on his second major endeavor and has the support of a seasoned and talented director Chris Helton of Atlanta (Silver Line Films, Inc.) and a cast headed by award-winning actors Jeff Fahey and Judd Nelson, who together have appeared in more than 300 films and episodes.

Additional cast members include social media celebrity Maddie Henderson, who has more than 4.4 million followers on TikTok; American actor and director Drew Waters, who has 37 film and TV credits; and a veteran British actress Katie Amess, now living in Charleston. The

Drew Waters, left, and Judd Nelson at the bar scene of “The Final Load.”

Marijuana bales being unloaded during the filming of “The Final Load” in Beaufort.

cast also includes prominent Broadway actors Meredith Inglesby and her husband, Steve Blanchard, who live in Bluffton, and Shep Rose, a Hilton Head native who has become a TV Reality Series star in Bravo’s “Southern Charm.”

In the film’s original screenplay written by Czura, the main character (played by Fahey) is a former convicted smuggler who must consider committing a major crime again to smuggle 30,000 pounds of marijuana to cover payments that will save his home and shrimp boat from imminent foreclosure, plus pay for his wife’s $325,000 pancreatic cancer treatment.

“It’s a heartfelt but gripping drama in a contemporary setting,” says Czura. “Judd Nelson plays the antagonist as an ex-DEA agent who holds a grudge against Fahey, while Fahey’s granddaughter, performed by Maddie Henderson, plays a key supporting role.”

The film is expected to be ready for release by the fall, and Czura is already well into writing another screen play that will also be set in Beaufort County.

Walter Czura and Maddie Henderson Maddie Henderson

Walter Czura, center, smuggling ringleader Les Riley, left, and actor Drew Waters. Riley served as a technical director for the film.

“I think a lot of lawyers try their hand at writing novels and screenplays. It’s natural. Look at David Baldacci and John Grisham.”

CRANFORD HOLLOW GROWS UP

Written by Barry Kaufman | Photos

supplied

Cranford Hollow is recording a a new record, “Sounds from Big Thunder.”

For those of us who were there when Cranford Hollow (then Cranford & Sons) hit the island, we can recall how John Cranford, Eric Reid, Phil Sirmans and Randy Rockalotta hit the stage like a sonic boom of chaotic Southern rock. Make no mistake, these four can still melt plenty of faces, but there’s far more to the sound these days.

“There’s a noticeable change as we get older. It’s not as rowdy,” said Cranford. “I don’t want to say subdued, but it’s definitely more relaxed.”

When he speaks of the early days of the band, he talks about the “thrash and bash” sound that dominated their early albums like their self-titled album’s “Je Suis En Refugee” and pretty much everything off their later-retitled debut “Crescent Beach Sessions.”

While later albums saw the band venture into a more country-inspired sound before getting downright experimental with “Color/Sound/Renew/ Revive,” he still yearns for the purity of those early songs, calling it “Three chords and the truth.”

“By the fifth record we were trying out complex arrangements and different devices to get from A to B,” he said. “Now I think we’ve reverted to the simplicity of that early songwriting but with much better musicianship. It’s still banjo, fiddle, guitar and fast drums. It’s not as aggressive.”

Fans will be able to find out for themselves when the band drops “Songs from Big Thunder,” their first album not only after COVID forced a long sabbatical for the band, but since the intervening years saw the members acquire the trappings of maturity, like wives and mortgages.

“This is going to be the first record in a long time that is a good representation of us and where we are in our lives,” he said. “It’s this transitional phase between young rock and rollers and this ‘sore knees, gray hair’ era that’s reflected in the songs.”

Like earlier albums, which saw the band entering a hermitage in Colorado and St. Augustine to escape the island’s myriad distractions, “Sounds from Big Thunder” was recorded far from home, in a North Carolina mountain lodge. The seclusion of the lodge gave the band a chance to focus on their music, figuring out what a Cranford Hollow album sounds like now that the one-time Jameson-swilling party animals have become — dare we say it —respectable citizens.

“A lot of old guys go on golf retreats or fishing trips. We’re probably going to be doing this once a year forever,” laughed Cranford.

“Sounds from Big Thunder” was still nearing its release date as we went to press, and a Kickstarter was close to launch to help fans get early access. Visit cranfordhollowmusic.com for updates.

Island’s fab four evolve into the elder statesmen of Hilton Head’s music scene

must read

SYMPHONY OF SECRETS

Brendan Slocumb

A professor uncovers a “shocking secret” about the most famous American composer of all time. In this page-turner, Bern Hendricks, an expert on the work of 20th century composer Frederick Delaney, discovers that Delaney’s music was stolen from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed.

The novel goes back to the 1920s when Reed meets Delaney, then a struggling musician. Reed, however, “hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her.”

Together they helped Delaney’s career soar. Decades later Hendricks is asked by a Delaney Foundation board member to authenticate a newly discovered piece, possibly a famous lost opera, but he learns that truth can be complicated.

new this month:

Emma Jansen learns that the estate where she grew up will be demolished, but after she visits to say goodbye, Jansen remembers that her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate and lived over the garage, like Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Sabrina.” Upon Jansen’s return to the property, the house reveals a “shattering secret.”

Harriet and Wyn, the “perfect couple” since they met in college, break up but don’t want to upset their friends during their annual weeklong vacation. They pretend to stay together for a few more days for the good of the group. How hard can it be to fake being in love?

Catherine Dohan is a New York heiress whose seemingly charmed life is interrupted when her past returns with a vengeance.

In 1934 a luxury cruise becomes a “fight for survival” on a round-trip voyage from New York to Havana in this novel inspired by the true story of the SS Morro Castle. Ozan Varol, a former rocket scientist, posits that genius “isn’t for a special few.” The book suggests that extraordinary people aren’t a different breed, but that everybody can cultivate genius. His book aims to help people look where others don’t look and to see what others don’t see.

sharing her story

POET EDRA STEPHENS FINDS HER CREATIVE VOICE IN WRITING

Written by Amy Coyne Bredeson

Photos by Ruthe Ritterbeck

The challenges of growing up biracial in the South in the 1960s did not break Edra Stephens. Instead they made her who she is today. And they inspired her to eventually share her story through the written word.

The Bluffton woman has just penned her first novel, “Born White, Dying Black,” based on her personal story. Stephens is still looking for a publisher but hopes the book will be available to the public soon.

“The novel is just a glance at some of the things we’re still struggling with in society, unfortunately,” Stephens said.

Stephens was born in November 1962 in Charleston. Her mother was white, and her father was Black. Because her mother was white, her birth certificate identified her as white.

Stephens’ birth mother put her up for adoption, and in those days a white child could not be placed with a Black family. Since her birth certificate identified her as white, she spent the first four years of her life with a white foster family in Horry County.

Stephens’ foster parents wanted to adopt her, but the law would not allow it. While she remembers her foster mother as a loving caregiver, she also has memories of her foster siblings calling her the N-word.

A judge eventually changed her race from white to “Negro,” and Stephens was adopted by a Black couple, David and Ruby Jones of Hilton Head Island.

Stephens grew up in the historic Gullah neighborhood of Jonesville, which was named after Caesar Jones, a freed slave who bought more than 100 acres of land on Hilton Head.

Stephens began elementary school in Bluffton in 1968, which was around the time Beaufort County schools were desegregated. She had a hard time fitting in. The Black children didn’t want to play with her because she was white, and the white children didn’t want to play with her because she was Black.

“Born White, Dying Black” looks at that duality of Stephens’ life, of being in between and never really feeling completely Black or white.

This excerpt from the novel appears after the main character, Ann, had just been taken from her white foster parents and placed with her Black adoptive parents:

Edra Stephens was chosen as a manuscript fellow at the only Southern writing retreat for poets of color.

“We’re not defined or stuck because of anything that may happen in life, we can achieve what we want to achieve.”

“That marked her beginning, and end. The mother she knew was gone, only a hand in a picture, ripped, cut straight out of her life. Baby Ann died. Reborn a negro. Living in a world not formally introduced or identified to her. A world stripped of white, with Black looking back at her pale face. Chills gripped the small heart, holding it hostage.”

Stephens said a birth relative who found her through Ancestry.com, once asked if she was raised Black or white. Stephens didn’t know how to answer the question. She had never thought about how it would’ve been different to be raised by a white couple or to be raised by a biracial couple.

“I think we kind of look at it as a race thing when it’s really a culture,” Stephens said. “My culture is the Gullah culture, and we’re Black, but I never really thought about how that only focused on one side.”

Stephens hasn’t always been in a creative line of work. She studied accounting in college and worked in the field for years.

She had always loved writing but didn’t consider it as a career option until taking a poetry class at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

When Stephens originally went off to college, she ended up dropping out so she could support her son. Her car broke down one day, and that was the last straw. So, she went to work. She promised herself she would earn a bachelor’s degree by age 60. She took classes here and there over the years and accomplished her goal last year.

The hardworking mother of two and grandmother of two had retired from her job as director of business licensing for Beaufort County and gone back to school to complete her classes.

On Dec. 10, 2022, Stephens received her long-awaited degree — a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in sociology and a concentration in creative writing from USCB. It wasn’t the degree she had set out for all those years ago, but it was what she really wanted.

Inspired by writers Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan and Maya Angelou, as well as USCB English professor Ellen Malphrus, Stephens began writing about her experiences as a biracial person in South Carolina.

“As her professor and mentor, Edra Stephens is one of those students who make me overjoyed to have entered the profession,” Malphrus wrote in an email. “Edra’s quiet demeanor belies the powerful force that rises through her words. The work is always a pleasure, but it is also often disturbing. As I’ve said before, she backs away from nothing.”

Some of her work was published in USCB’s literary magazine, “The Pen,” and Stephens was chosen as a manuscript fellow for The Watering Hole, a workshop for poets of color in the South. Stephens said she was the first USCB student to be chosen for the opportunity.

At the workshop in McCormick, Stephens got the chance to share her poetry and a portion of her novel.

“It was an experience I never would’ve imagined having,” she said. “There’s a vibe of ‘It’s a community; it’s your tribe.’ It’s like, ‘OK, I found my people here.’ ”

As part of her fellowship, Stephens will get to return for two more weeklong workshops within the next four years.

For now, she will focus on publishing her novel. She will keep writing and do some contract work with the Native Island Business & Community Affairs Association.

Stephens’ dream is to one day be named South Carolina’s poet laureate. She would also love to work with children, helping them find their voices like she found hers.

Hopefully a little sooner in life for them, she giggled. Stephens wants to encourage young people to follow their dreams.

“We’re not defined or stuck because of anything that may happen in life,” she said. “We can achieve what we want to achieve.”

staying active

EXERCISE TIPS FOR SENIORS

by Hilton Head Regional Healthcare

Exercise is important at every stage of life, but it becomes even more crucial in the lives of seniors.

Even if you’ve gone your whole life without an exercise plan, now is a great time to improve your quality of life.

As the body ages, wear and tear takes its toll. The National Institute on Aging said, “When older people lose their ability to do things on their own, it doesn’t happen just because they have aged. More likely it is because they have become inactive.”

Through the right exercises for your limitations and needs, you can slow the process aging has on your joint, bone, heart, mental and muscle health. Exercise has many wonderful benefits for seniors:

• Gain strength and muscle. As you age, it is normal to experience a loss of muscle, strength and quality of tissue.

• Increase mobility with aerobic fitness. Increase your mobility as well as your endurance.

• Lubricate your joints. Moving those joints causes more blood flow and lubrication to them, which then leads to increased flexibility. Exercise can reduce stiffness and increase range of motion. You may even reduce the chance of injury.

• Find your balance. Balance is so important to the elderly. Seniors are more likely to fall from losing their balance, and the injuries are often catastrophic, such as broken hips and legs. Exercises targeted to balance will help avoid chance of injury, keeping you independent and healthy.

Best Exercises

• Lift weights. Light weights of 2 to 5 pounds are effective in building and maintaining muscle mass. Try to strength train at least twice a week doing at least four repetitions of 10-15 bicep curls.

• Resistance bands are also a good option for strengthening muscles.

• Walking is the most accessible type of low-impact exercise available.

• Swimming is a great cardio exercise for seniors as it offers low impact training and less chance of injury. If you can commit to at least 30 minutes a day a few times a week, you will gradually experience the results.

• Yoga helps with stretching and balance, and there are many classes just for seniors.

There is no one way to exercise. Listen to your body, do what feels right and seek the advice of your physician before starting any type of exercise plan.

winged rainbows

By Clay Bonnyman Evans

THE LOWCOUNTRY’S COLORFUL PAINTED BUNTINGS ARE ‘WITHOUT EQUAL’

Widely recognized as the most colorful bird in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, the painted bunting is also known as “nonpareil,” a French word meaning “without equal.” In Spanish, this rainbow-hued relative of cardinals and tanagers is known as the “sietecolores,” or “seven colors.”

Male painted buntings sport a flashy array of blue, green, red, yellow, red, purple and orange feathers, while females are bright green and yellow. Yet despite its eye-catching plumage, they have a reputation for being elusive and difficult to spot. But here’s a tip from one local bird expert: if you want to see painted buntings … use your ears.

“Listen for their call, find them by ear, then track them,” says Carlos Chacon, Field Trip Coordinator for the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society and Manager of Natural History at the Coastal Discovery Museum. “The call is easy to learn. You can download it from a birding app and memorize it.”

Though not always easy to spot, painted buntings are actually somewhat common around the island and Bluffton from mid-March through mid-September, says Chacon, who spotted his first one of the year on March 7 in the maritime forest adjacent to Mitchelville Beach.

They favor dense cover but can be found searching for seeds and insects in a wide variety of habitats, from semiopen areas to woodland edges, yards and gardens. In early spring, males can be seen perching high branches as they call to attract females and establish mating territories. Females weave nests from grass, roots, leaves and animal hair in dense vegetation, including large clumps of Spanish moss.

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge “is one of the best locations, but you can find them in a lot of places,” Chacon says, even parking lots. “They like grassy areas, where they find seed, and they are attracted to millet feeders in backyards. Scrubby vegetation in maritime forest with a lot of Spanish moss is ideal for their nests.”

In recent years, painted buntings have been sighted in the Lowcountry in colder months, delighting “surprised homeowners when they spot a glorious splash of color in their yards on bleak winter days,” according to Jennifer McCarthey Tyrrell, Engagement Manager and self-described “Master Bird Bander” for the South Carolina Audubon Society.

But typically they begin migration to winter habitats in south Florida, Mexico, Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America in September and October.

“They are one of the songbirds that fly over the Gulf of Mexico. They gather at the coasts from Florida to Louisiana and fly across 600 miles of open water to land in Central America,” says Chacon, who spots them while leading birding tours in his native Costa Rica.

The precise location of the local population’s wintering grounds is not known. But in 2016 the South Carolina Audubon Society began trying to solve the mystery by capturing a few birds and attaching tiny, $200 “backpacks” that use light sensors to record sunrise and sunset times.

“The trickiest part is recapturing these now trap-shy individuals a year or later when they return to South Carolina,” according to Tyrrell.

Though not officially threatened, the painted-bunting population has been declining in the Lowcountry in recent years, due primarily to loss of habitat from development and landscaping.

Humans “tend to remove the birds’ preferred scrubby-edge habitat in favor of clean lines, manicured lawns, and nonnative landscaping,” according to Tyrrell. “We swap out wax myrtles for crepe myrtles, and unwittingly evict these winged rainbows from our yards in the process.”

Painted buntings also are threatened by practices in their wintering habitats, such as capturing and keeping them as caged birds. In addition, traditional coffee plantations are destroying habitat.

To help local populations thrive, the Audubon Society suggests:

• Planting native plants and simulating “natural vegetative structures” in your yard;

• Buying bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee;

• Using high-quality white millet (“their favorite,” according to Tyrrell) in a caged tube feeder in your yard;

• Supporting Audubon’s research efforts.

Painted buntings are, after all, an iconic local species. “They are really cool, super beautiful,” Chacon says. “I feel like they should be the emblem of Hilton Head.”

the allure of amelia island

TAKE A TRIP TO A TREASURE ON THE FLORIDA COAST

Written by Nina Greenplate

Looking to get away? Indulge your wanderlust with a trip to beautiful Amelia Island.

Southernmost of the Sea Islands and the northernmost barrier island, Amelia is a culmination of 13 gorgeous miles of shoreline hugging the coast. It’s a two-and-half-hour journey to leisure and adventure.

In 2022, Conde Nast Traveler ranked Amelia Island No. 3 among the country’s Top Islands, and U.S. News & World Report said it’s the No. 5 Best Family Beach Vacation.

Year-round mild and sun-drenched, this coastal paradise averages 75 perfect degrees in springtime.

STAY

Southern hospitality awaits. Choose accommodations from modern and luxurious resorts like the Omni and Ritz Carlton, to cozy inns, villas and historic hotels. The Florida House, located in the heart of historic Fernandina, is vintage 1857. Formerly a boarding house, now a charming 17-room bed and breakfast and English Pub, the hotel is home to where Ulysses S Grant, Henry Ford, Laurel and Hardy and Mary Pickford once slept. It is registered with the National Register of Historic Places. Hanging flowers wrap around a large porch, overlooking a picture-perfect landscaped garden and courtyard. It’s just steps away from the bustle of downtown.

TASTE

More than 90 restaurants have made their home on Amelia Island. With many chef-owned and operated, pride and expertise are evident. Choices range from farm-to-table favorites, American fare, bistros, coffee shops, distilleries, a German beer garden, Italian, Mexican, and of course, the freshest seafood. An endless selection.

Don’t want to leave the sand? Grab a barstool at Hammerhead Beach Bar on Fernandina Beach. A popular island favorite, they’re ready to serve you where you’re at, pouring a favorite drink and offering light menu options.

GETTING AROUND

So many exciting ways to explore Amelia Island are right at your fingertips.

On the water, check out endless charter options. Local adventure companies offer kayak/canoe rentals, chartered sailing and fishing expeditions, river cycling, jet skis and boat rentals.

Land-lovers can cruise the island’s immeasurable bike and hiking trails. Go on a self-guided nature hike or hire a guide. Try sight-seeing from an electric bicycle, Segway, FUV (fun utility vehicle), skateboard, carriageride, trolley, or horseback.

BEACHES AND PARKS

Highway A1A runs the coastal length of Amelia Island, along which are several amenity-rich beachfront parks and more than 30 public beach-access points. Each unique, it’s best to verify facility specifics before your outing. Running north to south, the below list of parks will highlight the island’s seven main beaches.

Fort Clinch State Park: Spanning 1,400 acres and holding some of the island’s most private and unrefined beaches, the park has plenty of wildlife, hiking trails, picnic/playgrounds, a historic fort and fishing pier. Fort Clinch connects to the popular Fernandina Beach and historic downtown area. It was once a pirate’s playground, but now is an exciting Victorian seaport village that’s family-friendly and brimming with eclectic shops, restaurants and museums.

North Beach Park: Enjoy a quiet stretch of beach and a private boardwalk to the soft sand. Basic amenities available.

Main Beach Park: The island’s most popular and lively beach has plenty of amenities and is centrally located to

Fort Clinch State Park

Fort Clinch State Park

Fernandina. Sand volleyball, a skate park and playground are all here, as well as on-duty summer beach lifeguards. It’s close to watersport rentals, mini-golf, and fun cuisine.

Seaside Park: Amenities are plentiful, and restaurants are within easy walking distance. A beautiful boardwalk reaches to the beach and holds a reputation as a popular wedding venue.

Peters Point Beachfront Park: Soft sand, fewer crowds and great ocean fishing await. Four-wheel-drive vehicles can ride and park on this beach via Peters Point Road.

Burney Park: Near the historic American Beach, and named in the National Register of Historic Places, Burney Park Beach allows onshore fishing, and boasts ample amenities.

Amelia State Park: Wide sand and horseback riding grace this lovely southernmost beach. An access point for 4-by-4 vehicles is available. Though fewer amenities, it encourages wildlife explorers and sun-loving loungers. $2 per person is the park fee.

DOWNTOWN

Shopping: The Fernandina district is a great place to start, with more than 50 blocks of unique merchants and food establishments. This is a charming nautical village with countless establishments: Independent boutiques, apparel, jewelry, surf shops, vintage finds and so much more.

Art and Music: Art is on display throughout Amelia Island. The Island Art Association is a non-profit and artist-owned organization whose mission is to support the arts and artists in Nassau County. Contemporary, fine art, glass work, jewelry and a variety of other formats are displayed. Music festivals and concert series add to the creative culture of the island. Theater and nightlife are part of the entertainment. Check the local visitor guide’s calendar for more performances, times and locations. Visit ameliaisland.com.

Amelia Island Museum of History: Their mission is to preserve, protect and promote the island’s unique history. There’s a fascinating story-telling tour on the island’s 4,000-year history with the local Timucuan Native American Indians, as well as her thriving shrimping trade. Open every day. Visit ameliamuseum.org.

A.L. Lewis Museum: Formerly known as the American Beach Museum, it explores the legacy and heritage of Florida’s African American beach. It represents the triumphs over former segregation and racial discrimination. Open Friday-Sunday. Visit allewismuseum.org.

Fernandina Beach Pinball Museum: See and play more than 20 new and vintage-restored machines, some that are more than 50 years old. An original 1932 Ballyhoo Pinball Machine from Bally Hotel Casino is waiting. Open FridaySunday. Visit its Facebook page.

COASTAL WILDLIFE

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission preserves and protects the area’s precious birds and animals. Amelia Island has 470 fowl species. The American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer and Wilson’s Plover are imperiled. Experts help point visitors to seven smart viewing spots: Egan’s Creek Greenway, The Omni, Amelia Rivers Club, Amelia Island State Park, Fort Clinch State Park, Spoonbill Pond on Big Talbot Island State Park, and the beach itself.

FISHING

Inshore, offshore, surf or pier, all anglers are welcome. Spring finds redfish, trout and Black Drum. Summer weather brings Bull redfish, trout, Ladyfish, Jacks, tarpon, cobia and sharks.

designed by golf’s greats

LOWCOUNTRY COURSES DEVELOPED BY RENOWNED ARCHITECTS

Written by Edward Thomas

The emergence of golf resorts and recreation communities has transformed Hilton Head Island and its mainland neighbors Bluffton and Okatie into one of the most desirable destinations in America to vacation or reside.

That emergence has been spearheaded by golf courses designed by many of the world’s most renowned architects. More than one million rounds of golf are played here annually.

Jim Chaffin, one of the visionaries with the original Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head, and more recently co-founder of the Spring Island nature-focused golf community in Okatie, credits the early recruitment of premier golf course architects to this area as the impetus that set this Lowcountry region apart from other destinations across the nation.

Chaffin was a top lieutenant to Sea Pines founder Charles Fraser. And, it is Fraser, more than any other single individual, who made Hilton Head Island what it is today.

Although Fraser wasn’t a golfer himself, Chaffin emphasizes he had the foresight that the best way for his new resort community to maximize the value of its heavily wooded interior acreage to its full economic potential was to start building golf courses.

Three years ago National Recreation and Park Association published a treatise about golf courses and their value to real estate development in the United States over the past half century. In their report the NRPA specifically points to “the highly publicized Sea Pines Plantation development of the 1970s” as the catalyst for the symbiotic relationship between golf and real estate that sparked the boom in courses during the latter decades of the 20th century.

“Charles Fraser demonstrated that course construction could be designed to create extensive amounts of green space around which building lots could be wrapped; and they could be threaded through less attractive land to enhance its overall value,” it wrote.

Although Sea Pines had two George Cobb-designed courses underway between 1962 and 1967 it was the resort’s dramatic launch of the Harbour Town Golf Links designed together by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus in 1969 that was the tipping point that sparked the rush for securing top name architects.

The magnificence of the Harbour Town Golf Links has been universally recognized in the world of golf. It launched Dye’s brilliant career as one of the world’s top-five modern golf architects. Sports Illustrated called Harbour Town “nothing short of a work of art.” The World Atlas of Golf named it the ninth best course in America and its 13th hole “the greatest 13th hole in the world.”

Today Sea Pines has four 18-hole courses — three public courses and one for members, while Hilton Head Island as a whole has 24 on-island championship courses crafted by top shelf designers – and if we include the courses in Bluffton and Okatie, the total exceeds 40.

South Carolina’s Tourism publication has gone so far as to pronounce the entire area “Hilton Head Golf Island” — taking note of not only the number of courses, but the quality of design as well with the credibility that accompanies names like Nicklaus, Dye, Robert Trent Jones, Tom Fazio, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and the like.

Nicklaus, who has dozens of highly acclaimed residential designs to his credit, including two courses at Indigo Run on Hilton Head Island and one at Colleton River in Bluffton, has said: “a major element of my thinking when building for a developer is what the homeowner will view from his windows. The more value you create for the owner, the better job you are doing for the project overall.”

Among the Top 50 rated golf course architects with layouts here in the Lowcountry are:

NICKLAUS AND DYE: Nicklaus has four courses in this area since Harbour Town. Three are in private communities: Colleton River; and private (The Golf Club) and public courses (Golden Bear) at Indigo Run. The fourth is May River Club at the Montage Resort in Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton. Likewise, Pete Dye has additional courses here: the private Long Cove Club, built in 1980 and ranked No. 4 in South Carolina; Heron Point in Sea Pines Resort, ranked No. 9 in South Carolina; Port Royal’s Robbers Row (a re-design); the private Hampton Hall Club; and the private Colleton River course in Bluffton, which offers views of Port Royal Sound out to the Atlantic.

ROBERT TRENT JONES AND SON, REES JONES: Robert Trent Jones, the father, built his one course in this area in 1966 at Palmetto Dunes. Rees, his younger son, has four exceptional courses including the ingenious 20hole course at Haig Point on Daufuskie Island plus three in Hilton Head Plantation: The Country Club of Hilton Head, Oyster Reef and Bear Creek.

TOM FAZIO: Named “Best Modern Day Architect” by Golf Digest three times, Fazio has five courses that run along the water’s edge on the north side of Highway 278 in Bluffton. One is in Moss Creek (Devil’s Elbow) and two each are in Belfair and Berkeley Hall.

GARY PLAYER: Hall of Fame golfer and golf architect designed the first golf course in Hilton Head Plantation at Dolphin Head (semi-private) and he also designed the original Hilton Head National public course, which is routinely ranked among the Top 10 public courses in South Carolina.

ARNOLD PALMER: The winner of the first Heritage Golf Classic tournament has designed more than 300 golf courses, and his best in the Carolinas is Old Tabby Links on Spring Island in Okatie. He has a public designed course at the Crescent Pointe residential community in Bluffton.

DAVIS LOVE III: A five-time winner of the RBC championship has already earned his spurs as an excellent golf course architect with his recent Atlantic Dunes Course in Sea Pines, a remake of the Sea Pines Ocean Course. It earned 2018’s “National Course of the Year Award” by the National Golf Course Owners Association.

maximizing his potential

MULTI-SPORT STAR JAYLIN LINDER MOTIVATED TO LEAP TO A STATE TITLE

Written by Justin Jarrett | Photographed by Rob Kaufman

Since he first picked up a basketball and shortly after was tossed a football, Jaylin Linder has been That Guy. You know, the one who catches your eye in pregame warmups and makes you go, “Who’s that guy?”

In the past year he has developed into The Man.

Motivated to make the most of his opportunities following the sudden death of his cousin and lifelong friend, D.J. Fields and spurred on by a fiery new football coach at Bluffton High School, Linder had a breakout senior year on the football field and starred on the basketball court for the Bobcats this winter. He will continue his promising football career as a wide receiver at South Carolina State next fall.

But first, the unfinished business of claiming an elusive state title: his last shot is in May at the South Carolina High School League Track & Field Championships, where he was the Class 4A runner-up in the long jump a year ago.

“Since I made second at state, I have to come back hungrier and get my speed up so I’m ready for college,” he said.

The goal to continue to stay motivated is spurred by the loss of his best friend.

Linder was out of town on March 5, 2021, so like many people who knew D.J. Fields, he had a hard time believing the news he was hearing.

His cousin, best friend and teammate since they were toddlers was gone. Just like that. The victim of a drive-by shooting and a tragic case of mistaken identity. Two more of his best friends were in the car with D.J. and were injured in the shooting and ensuing crash. If Linder had been in town, he very likely would have been in the car with them.

“I was devastated. It still felt like a dream,” Linder recalls. “Ever since then, it was like, all right, we have to come as one, and we have to do this for him. Because he was like a brother to everyone, no matter who you were. He was a brother that we all looked up to.”

The pain and loss unlocked something in Linder, and he says he wasn’t alone.

“Not just me, like everyone wanted everything more,” he says. “It made us hungrier to get to the next level of everything that we do.”

Jaylin Linder of Bluffton High hopes to end his senior year with a state long jump title.

Despite an imposing physical presence and impressive athleticism, Linder’s impact was limited during his junior season in large part due to a rash of drops that turned potential game-changing touchdowns into momentum-crushing incompletions. Then he and his teammates languished through a difficult basketball season, going winless in region play.

But when new Bluffton football coach Hayden Gregory came to town — actually, before he even got here — everything changed. Gregory called Linder when he found out he was going to be coaching the Bobcats and spent about an hour on the phone trying to convince his new star receiver how good he could be.

“That’s when I really noticed I had to step up,” Linder says. “There were going to be shoes to fill, and I needed to be that guy.”

Gregory explained in no uncertain terms that the team would be built around Linder and fellow senior Camauri Simmons, who will play at Navy in the fall, and let him know the rest of the team would be counting on him.

“That put a lot of pressure,” Linder recalls. “I was like, all right, I have to help my team get there. I’m gonna have to do a lot of work, like, no plays off. Because if I take a play off, that’s letting them down, and it’s something that can change the momentum.”

Gregory and assistant Jared Carkuff put a renewed emphasis on the weight room and impressed upon Linder that his size — he’s now listed at 6-foot-5 and 185

pounds — was his greatest asset and helped him perfect using it to his advantage.

They also encouraged him to return to the track team for the first time since middle school, primarily to hone his speed and explosiveness. He wound up finishing second in the state with a long jump of 21 feet, 11.7 inches — and the champion and third-place finisher were seniors.

It has been a long time since someone doubted Linder’s athletic ability. It’s no coincidence he had a basketball in his hands at an early age and joined the Bluffton Bulldogs football team at the coaxing of his uncle, Dwon Fields, D.J.’s father.

But it wasn’t until he made the decision to maximize his potential that he morphed from That Guy into The Man.

Linder says he is grateful for all the coaches and mentors who helped him along the way, and he’s motivated to finish his high school career with a bang before rejoining former Bobcats teammates Rakim White and Kylan Simmons at S.C. State, where he expects to compete for a starting role as a freshman.

Regardless of whether he secures that gold medal this spring or that starting spot next fall, Linder now knows the process is more important than the result, because his race is only now beginning.

‘I needed to be that guy’

Jaylin Linder will compete in football at S.C. State.

Linder is also a football star. He’ll play at S.C. State University.

darius rucker intercollegiate

LSU TAKES HOME THE TITLE

Louisiana State University’s women’s golf team won the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Long Cove Club, which was held Feb. 27-March 1. The Tigers at the time of the event were ranked sixth in the country. South Carolina placed second. LSU shot a 3-over 287 on the final day to finish 54 holes at 6-over par 858, four shots better than South Carolina. Auburn finished third at 14-over 866 at the Pete Dye-designed course.

University of South Carolina senior Mathilde Claisse earned her first collegiate win at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The four-year starter from Paris, France shot a final round 70 (-1) to win the individual title by a shot over LSU’s Edit Hertzman. The tournament featured six top 10 teams.

photos courtesy of The Long Cove Club

Darius Rucker with individual champion Mathilde Claisse of South Carolina.

Team champion Louisiana State University.

55TH RBC HERITAGE PRESENTED BY BOEING

APRIL 10-16, 2023

arts & entertainment

APRIL 11

TWITTY & LYNN: A SALUTE TO CONWAY & LORETTA: Tayla Lynn and Tre Twitty are the grandchildren of the famed duo who have taken the road in an intimate evening of music and storytelling at The Arts Center. The duo recently sold out their shows at the Grand Ole Opry. Tickets are $56. artshhi.com

APRIL 14 & 15

DARIN & DIAMOND~ BOBBY RYDER’S SWINGIN’ QUINTET CELEBRATES MUSIC LEGENDS BOBBY DARIN AND NEIL DIAMOND: Two shows nightly. 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Reservations highly recommended. The Jazz Corner, 1000 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island. 843-842-8620 or thejazzcorner.com.

APRIL 14

TRIAL BY FIRE: THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND: 9 p.m. Rooftop Bar at Poseidon, 38 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. 843-341-3838 or therooftophhi.com

APRIL 15

FRIENDS OF THE BROTHERS: THE ALLMAN BROTHERS TRIBUTE BAND: Come celebrate the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band! 7 p.m. Hilton Head

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing tees off April 10-16.

Beach and Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Rd, Hilton Head Island. Tickets can be purchased on ticketmaster.com or friendsofthebrothersband.com

APRIL 20 & 27

GRACIE YATES LIVE: Watch Gracie take the stage with original music and a voice transcending any genre. Gracie released her first single “Boys Like You” in March 2021 and has been featured on CMT, Country Fix and gets regular radio airplay. 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Rd, Bluffton. burntchurchdistillery.com

APRIL 21

BLINK 180 TRUE: BLINK-182 TRIBUTE

BAND: 9 p.m. Rooftop Bar at Poseidon, 38 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. 843-341-3838 or therooftophhi.com

APRIL 22

“LET’S ROCK” CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE HILTON HEAD ISLAND: An evening of fundraising and classical rock performances for well-known local bands and musicians celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hilton Head Island High School. $20 General Admission, $10 for teachers, $5 for students. 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Follow them online at foundationforexcellence on Facebook. Foundationedexcellence.com.

APRIL 28 & 29

THE HARRY ALLEN QUARTET FEATURING

ROSSANO SPORTIELLO: Two shows nightly. 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Reservations highly recommended. The Jazz Corner, 1000 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island. 843-842-8620 or thejazzcorner.com.

festivals events

APRIL 1

SCRAP IRON 5K HOSTED BY HILTON HEAD RUNNING COMPANY & ALFRED

OLIVETTI: Enjoy the scenery on the water taxi to Daufuskie Island before the race. After the race, enjoy live music, cold drinks and the best seafood in the Lowcountry before you ride back to Hilton Head Island. $85 Race Fee/Water Taxi plus sign-up fee. $50 Race Fee (no water taxi) + signup fee. Race begins at 2:30 p.m. Old Daufuskie Crab Company, 1 Cooper River Landing Rd, Daufuskie Landing. Runsignup.com

APRIL 5

APRIL FULL MOON PADDLE: This twohour guided paddle is perfect for all levels and for ages 16+. Participants will receive water safety information and SUP foundation instruction before heading out on the water. Paddle through May River waterways as you watch the beautiful sunset and rising of the full moon. $75/Board Rental, $55/Bring Your Own Board. standandpaddle.com

APRIL 5 & 6

THE SALTY DOG PINK MOON FULL MOON CRUISE: This cruise includes a two-hour boat ride around the Calibogue Sound. The full bar and galley onboard will be open to purchase food and libations. $38 per person. Ages 21+ Cruise leaves promptly at 6:30 p.m. Arrive 15 minutes to 1 hour before departure. cruise.saltydog.com

DEAS-GUYZ AT THE JAZZ CORNER

SUNDAYS

Deas-Guyz features an entertaining mix of Old Motown, Rhythm and Blues, Pop, Rock, Reggae and Dance beats. The range of musical selections includes Motown sounds of the Temptations, The Drifters, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley classics to the dance sounds of Pharrell Williams and Montell Jordan.

The band currently performs most Sunday nights at The Jazz Corner in the Village at Wexford in Hilton Head which is open to the public. Two shows nightly. 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Reservations highly recommended. The Jazz Corner, 1000 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island. 843-842-8620 or thejazzcorner. com

SHAG LESSONS

The Hilton Head Island Carolina Shag Club hosts Friday night beginner lessons followed by social dancing. Dances are open to the public and include all styles of dance such as ballroom, wing, country or line dancing. Floor fee is $5. Lessons begin at 5 p.m. Christ Lutheran Church, 829 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. 843-363-6008 or visit online hiltonheadshagclub.com.

APRIL 8

LOWCOUNTRY JAYCEES FOOD TRUCK

FESTIVAL: Visit the 5th Annual Food Truck Festival with a variety of food trucks, beer, live music, raffles and a kid zone. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Paris Avenue, Port Royal, SC. Follow @Lowcountry Jaycees Food Truck Festival on Facebook. beaufortfoodtruckfestival@ gmail.com.

APRIL 8

PLAID NATION 5K HOSTED BY PALMETTO RUNNING CO: Official kick off to the RBC Heritage week. Receive a fabulous swag bag, eco-friendly T-shirt, a finisher medal and a free beer for those over 21. Overall male and female 5k winners receive a twoclubhouse ticket pack and a $100 gift card to Palmetto Running Company. $50 Run/Walk. 9 a.m. Lowcountry Celebration Park, 94 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island. runsignup.com .

APRIL 10-16

55TH ANNUAL RBC HERITAGE

PRESENTED BY BOEING: This event will be held on one of the top twenty courses in the country, The Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. General Parking is available at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn: 70 Honey Horn Drive Hilton Head Island. Complimentary parking with motor coach service to and from Harbour Town Marina (approximately a 20-minute ride), 6:30 a.m. –9:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday. rbcheritage.com

APRIL 10 & 24

HERITAGE GARDEN TOUR: Meet at the Coastal Discovery Museum and take a walk through the Heritage Garden to learn about Lowcountry

history. Experience food introduced and grown by Gullah and about native plants that have been used for medicine, food and as tools for hundreds of years. $15/Adult, $7/ Child (ages 4-12).1 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. coastaldiscovery.org .

APRIL 22

BEAUFORT WATER FESTIVAL 5K & 10K: Race starts at 8 a.m. in Port Royal at Live Oak Park with a flat course that takes you along the moss-draped giant live oaks with beautiful views of the Intracoastal waterway. 5K is a run/ walk course and is $20. The 10K is a run-only race. $25. 700 Paris Ave, Port Royal, SC. Register in advance. runsignup.com

APRIL 21

BLUFFTON SUNSET PARTY KICKOFF

EVENT & EARTH DAY CELEBRATION: Join the Bluffton community in celebrating with local foods, vendors, craft beers, boutique wine, live music from Jupiter Coyote Trio and The Minks. $15 Advance ticket or $20 cash. Children 12 & under are free. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf Street, Bluffton. 843-757-8520 or blufftonsunsetparty.com

APRIL 22

ALES FOR AUTISM: Come for an evening of libations and live music as we raise money for LAF. Commemorative glasses, specialty LAF beer, a raffle and an amazing silent auction all benefitting programming and services. 5 p.m.10 p.m. Southern Barrel Brewing Company, 375 Buckwalter Pl Blvd., Bluffton. lafinc.org

APRIL 22

EARTH DAY TOGETHER! ISLAND

WIDE LITTER SWEEP: Litter clean up of all 12 miles of beach and other natural spaces on Hilton Head Island. Organize your own sweep and invite your friends, family and colleagues to join you. Hosted by The Outside Foundation. Email Caitlin@ outsidefoundation.org. Register your sweep on earthdayhhi.com

APRIL 22 & 23

MCAS BEAUFORT HOSTS THE BLUE ANGELS: This event will showcase aviation at its best by the United States Naval Flight Demonstration Team. 9 a.m. Free admission. Follow @MCAS Beaufort Air Show on Facebook for more information. 843-228-7225 or beaufortairshow.com .

APRIL 29

25TH ANNUAL DOG WALK ON THE BEACH: It’s a fun day at the beach supporting the Hilton Head Humane shelter. Also, receive an event T-shirt, dog bandanna, wrist band and goody bag when you register and sign up online. 843-681-8686 or hhhumane. org

APRIL 29

2023 BOCCE TOURNAMENT

PRESENTED BY THE ITALIAN AMERICAN CLUB OF HILTON HEAD: Teams from around the Lowcountry gather for a day of bocce ball, lunch and an awards ceremony. $50 per team of 2/ $20 per child age 10-16/ $25 per person. 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Shelter Cove Park, 40 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. iachh.org/events

MCAS BEAUFORT AIRSHOW

April 22 & 23

meet ups and markets

APRIL 1

WANDERLUST MARKETS: A wandering market with rotating vendors in one spot including Ring Stinger Pepper Co, Peace by Piece, A Sweeter Seat, Soul on Fire candles, Saltwater Hippie Company and more. Lincoln & South Brewing Company, 138 Island Drive, Hilton Head Island. Follow Wanderlust Markets on Facebook for more information. 843-422-3992 or uscroach@gmail.com.

APRIL 6

BLUFFTON NIGHT BAZAAR: Shop small on the first Thursday of the month at this Lowcountry Made market featuring local artisans. Sip on a craft cocktail and enjoy live music all evening. Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Rd, Bluffton. lcmade.com

APRIL 8

PALM TREES & PISTONS: Local car show every second Saturday of each month. Showcases local, vintage, antique, exotic, muscle and unique cars owned

by locals. 9 a.m. -11 a.m. Sea Turtle Marketplace (Former Steinmart parking lot), 430 William Hilton Pkwy, Hilton Head Island.

APRIL 15

CARS AND COFFEE: Cars and Coffee

HHI is a meet up for car enthusiasts. All are welcome to attend this event held the 3rd Saturday of each month. Free to attend. 8 a.m.- 11 a.m. USCB Campus, 1 University Blvd, Bluffton. carsandcoffeehhi@gmail.com or carsandcoffeehhi.com

APRIL 19

GORDON’S HOP STOP AT ROOT & BLOOM MARKET: Visit the mobile bar on tap with over eight drafts including craft beer, hard cider and kombucha. Shop at this natural living/vintage market with a focus on non-toxic living, sustainability, hand made art, natural foods, skincare and wellness products and more. 678-201-2616 or discoverrootandbloommarket.com

easter

APRIL 1

ANNUAL COMMUNITY EASTER EGG

HUNT HOSTED BY THE BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM: Come for an afternoon of face painting, games, a visit from Peter Cotton Tail and an Easter Egg Hunt! 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Bluffton High School, Johnston Baseball Stadium, 12 H.E. McCracken Circle, Bluffton.

APRIL 1

PULSEOLOGY GOLDEN EGG 5K & EASTER EGG HUNT: Bring the little ones out for a fun-filled “Bluffton Bunny Hop” and find the golden egg at the Easter Egg Hunt before the race begins. Event by Pulseology Fitness Club. Palmetto Animal League will also be at this event. Bluffton Oyster Company, 63 Wharf Street, Bluffton. Sign up online at runsignup.com

APRIL 1

EASTER BUNNY AT ISLAND CHILD: Come see the Easter Bunny. 2-4 p.m. 1000 William Hilton Parkway, Suite G-4. The Village at Wexford. 843-6865437. senny@islandchild.com

APRIL 1

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA HOSTED BY THE ISLAND RECREATION

CENTER: Featuring bounce houses, carnival games, zip lines, live music, concessions and an egg hunt. Hundreds of eggs are hidden all over Shelter Cove Park for kids of all ages. Egg hunt begins at 11 a.m. Free. Food and drink sold separately. Shelter Cove Park, 39 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. islandreccenter.org

APRIL 2

PALM SUNDAY PICNIC HOSTED BY LOWCOUNTRY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Bring a chair and spend the afternoon in the park enjoying a picnic lunch provided by LPC. Sign up online and select your choice of sandwich. 1 p.m. Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf Street, Bluffton. lowcountrypres.org

APRIL 8

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA AT COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH: Bring the family to this free event featuring egg hunts, puppet shows, contests, candy and other fun foods. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Community Bible Church, 638 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort.

APRIL 8

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA & WATERFRONT BREAKFAST AT THE SALTY DOG: Enjoy breakfast on the waterfront starting at 8 a.m. Hunting for over 10,000 colorful Easter eggs divided by age groups begins promptly at 10 a.m. Enjoy lots of sweet treats and fun prizes and visit with the Easter Bunny & Jake the Salty Dog. saltydog.com

SPRING SHOP HOP: Stroll your kids down the Village Bunny Hop Trail. First 100 kids receive a basket to fill with treats. Easter Bunny will be at the Island Child patio. 2-4 p.m. 1000 William Hilton Parkway. Village at Wexford. 843-686-5437. villageatwexford@gmail.com

APRIL 9

EASTER BRUNCH CRUISE WITH VAGABOND CRUISE: Southern buffet brunch menu prepared by the chefs of The Sea Pines Resort. Includes free-flowing champagne mimosas or sparkling cider along with complimentary coffee or tea. $89.95 Adult/ $50 Child. Cruise departs at 11 a.m. and arrives back to Harbour Town at 1 p.m. Reserve with your choice of indoor or outdoor seating on vagabondcruise.com .

weekly markets

TUESDAYS THE FARMERS & MAKERS MARKET: A local, charming festival featuring artisans, craft makers and fresh local foods including seafood, produce, breads and baked goods. 10 a.m. -2 p.m. The Shops at Sea Pines Center, 71 Lighthouse Road, Hilton Head Island. 843-363-5699 or theshopsatseapinescenter.com

WEDNESDAYS

ROOT AND BLOOM MARKET: Join us at this weekly market supporting small business and featuring natural foods, organic produce, pastured meats, select artisans and natural wellness products. 3 p.m. -7 p.m. Martin Family Park, 68 Boundary Street, Bluffton. discoverrootandbloommarket.com

THURSDAYS

FARMERS MARKET OF BLUFFTON: Meet local farmers, chefs and artisans and purchase fresh produce, beets, potatoes and more. 12 p.m. -5 p.m., Martin Family Park, 68 Boundary Street, Bluffton. 843415-2337 or farmersmarketbluffton.org

SATURDAYS

HILTON HEAD COMMUNITY MARKET: A volunteer organized food event also featuring local artisans and makers each week. Fifty percent of all vendor fees received are donated to a different local non-profit organization each month. 9 a.m. -12 p.m. Shelter Cove Community Park, 39 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. Follow @hhicommunitymarket on Facebook or contact colleen@ cottownwoodsoap.com

looking ahead

MAY 6

CARING HEARTS OF SC CAR, TRUCK, JEEP & BIKE SHOW : Proceeds benefit Caring Hearts of SC helping families with a critical illness or injury. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Event is free to spectators. Donations are welcome. Camping World, 401 Sycamore Dr., Ridgeland. caringheartsofsc.com

MAY 7

FAIRY & GNOME FESTIVAL: Bring the family and stroll through Oatland’s magical trails. This enchanted event will include a scavenger hunt, fashion show, gem mining, fairyland and gnome home building and food. Tickets can be purchased on site. 10 a.m. Oatland Island Wildlife Center, 711 Sandtown Rd, Savannah, GA. 912-395-1212 or oatlandisland.org.

JUNE 17

PADDLE THE MAY: This event will feature a 3.5 mile short course and an 8-mile long course, plus a 1-mile fun paddle on the May River waterways in Bluffton. Race proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton & the Lowcountry and the Bluffton Youth Theatre. 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf Street, Bluffton. Purchase tickets online at paddle.guru.com/races/ paddlethemay or email standupandpaddlesup@gmail.com for more information.

MAY RIVER NATURE TOUR.

PHOTO: MICHAEL HRIZUK | @HRIZUKPHOTO