“I
t was all very innocent in the beginning” said Babbie Guscio, owner of The Store on Calhoun Street, who founded the Bluffton Village Festival in 1978. She’s right; it seems the best celebrations always start out that way. “We needed a social event,” she said, and so she chartered the Bluffton Village Festival, sometimes known as Mayfest, with 25 vendors and a prayer. Guscio estimates 500 patrons showed up. “Every person was a godsend that first year,” she said, and the celebration hasn’t looked back since. But as the Town of Bluffton has evolved and changed, so has the festival. Lead continuously by Guscio for the first 30 years—a remarkable feat—the festival was adopted by Bluffton Creature Rotary last year as Guscio’s handpicked successor, appropriate Comforts as the foundation and principles of the festival jibe with those The rooms of Bluffton Rotary. at Southpaw are According to Guscio, when the Houlihan Bridge was built private suites, to crossensuring the Savannah that the River in 1922, it was the second blow to commerce in Bluffton animals have nofollowing the 1863 torching of the town by Union forces. the town was (and is) resilient, and physical orHowever, visual contact that first bridge to with Savannah, long before the development of theirbecame neighbors. Hilton Head, instrumental in shaping Bluffton’s identity. This greatly The decline of large commerce allowed the town to become a reduces the musicians, stress haven for artists, craftsman and the distinct culture associated with found in town. the typical kennel Missingenvironment. when Guscio arrived in 1972 was a celebration of that culture. “We needed an event for the community,” she said. As for the name, Guscio explained that in 1978, the town still felt more like a village. Like any worthwhile endeavor, it wasn’t without challenges. The first year planning revolved around
getting the town and authorities to buy into the enterprise. “I had to convince the ladies at the Church of the Cross to make the sandwiches. They didn’t think anybody would eat them,” said Guscio. This year, they’ll sell out as they have every year (including the first). Beyond sandwiches, in her 30 years of stewardship, Guscio has witnessed everything. A gentleman tried to sell homemade knives one year. To kids. No. Another year an individual decided to sell fireworks, against Guscio’s will, which yielded Roman candle battles on Calhoun Street. Bad. Kids set fire to a boat at the town dock one year. Whoa. With her from the beginning as a vendor and friend has been Jacob Preston, of Preston Studio on Calhoun Street. “When the festival originated,” said Preston, “I was the third highest grossing business in town behind the speed trap and Scott’s.” Renowned for his pottery and ceramic work; Preston threw pots under an old oak in front of the Church of the Cross for the first six years. The tree fell. So he moved his location to the sidewalk in front of his studio and has been there since. According to Preston, the timing was right for passing the torch from Guscio to Bluffton Rotary. “Babbie is so sweet; people would say they were selling wooden toys and show up with car alarms” said Preston. “With the size of the festival now, Rotary brings new blood and changes— the changes it needs. They take care of the carnies and scammers.” Preston’s participation in the festival has never been a venture focused on personal gain. Among other things, each year he is tasked with creating the trophy for the Ugly Dog Contest. “It never gets old,” said Preston. “I remember a dog