Friday means Food Trucks
NEW KIAWAH EVENT ON ALL SUMMER
BY THERESA STRATFORD
For The Island Connection
Fridays just got more fun on Kiawah Island. Arts and Events Council Manager Caroline Wall announced a new venture for Kiawah that will take place on one Friday a month. From April to August, Wall and her team picked one Friday a month to transform the green space near Kiawah Island’s Town Hall into a Town of Kiawah Island Bites and Brews: Food Truck Fest.
These events will last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Town of Kiawah Island Town Hall green space at 4475 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. The first one was held on April 18. Five to six vendors and a variety of games kicked off the first event, along with bluegrass music from Moto Grass Trio. Food trucks included Kee’s Kitchen, Krystyna’s Polish Food, Area 51 Foods and King of Pops. Chugalug Wagon served drinks.
Friday dates for the other Bites and Brews: Food Truck Fests will take place on May 16, June 6, July 18 and August 15.
(continued on page 3)
Kiawah Island Considers what is Criminal
BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
At the April 1 Kiawah Island Town Council, Mayor Bradley Belt enlightened everyone on what it means to breach the Town’s code enforcement policy. Are some of the infractions just innocent rule-breaking? Or could you be considered a criminal under the Town’s current code?
Belt noticed that the Town deems infractions like public drunkenness, public indecency and shoplifting as the same level of crime as infractions like not filling in a hole dug at the beach or taking a dog off leash in an on-leash-only area.
He noted that although many municipalities recognize these rule breakers on the same playing field, that doesn’t make it right.
The discussion at the Town Council meeting wasn’t intended for action. Belt simply wanted to let Town Council members and the public know about the inconsistencies with code enforcement.
He explained that code enforcement’s main goal is to encourage compliance voluntarily, not to write tickets.
(continued on page 3)
Feeding Hungry Caterpillars
MONARCH WAYSTATION CONTINUES TO FLOURISH
BY JULIE MINCH AND BETH WRIGHT For The Island Connection
illions of monarch butterflies migrate every fall from the United States and Canada to the mountains in central Mexico where they stay throughout the winter until the conditions are favorable for a return flight in the spring. This migration of monarchs is one of the world's greatest natural wonders, but it is threatened by habitat loss at overwintering grounds in Mexico and throughout breeding areas in the United States and Canada.
Monarch waystations are gardens designed to specifically provide the resources for these butterflies to reproduce and continue their migrations. Without milkweeds and nectar from flowers, they are not able to populate and make their annual migration journey.
In the Spring 2024, a monarch waystation was established by the Seabrook Island Garden Club, and has flourished in its first year. This special garden is located just outside the entrance gate to the SIPOA Community Garden plots. Since its completion, Garden Club members have observed monarch caterpillars on the milkweed plants and swallowtails on their host plant, Zizia aurea (Golden Alexander). Every butterfly and moth has specific plants (a host plant) that they lay their eggs on for the emerging caterpillars to eat. Many insects are also visiting the garden. This, my friends, is success.
Even though “non-deer preferred” foliage was planted,
some of the deer on the island still enjoy eating them. The January cold spell took a slight toll on the garden, as a few plants did not survive the frost and temperatures. And unfortunately, a donated birdbath froze and cracked as well. But the good news is that many plants were resilient and are coming back to grow and flourish.
We have been fortunate to have garden club members volunteer to sign up for specific weeks to water and tend to the garden over the past year, and we are adding some new native plants this spring and making sure we have enough milkweed plants for the monarchs. We ran out of milkweed leaves last year due to many very hungry caterpillars! That’s a good problem to have, and we are making the necessary corrections to ensure the milkweed leaves are plentiful.
There are many varieties of native plants that help to attract pollinators to a garden. The staff at Roots & Shoots Nursery in West Ashley has been a tremendous help with providing advice regarding plants for the waystation. They only sell native plants! If you are looking to encourage pollinators to your yard, you should visit their store. You are also welcome to stop by the community garden area and check out the monarch waystation, as well as the herb garden located next to it.
A monarch caterpillar (above) can turn into a beautiful monarch butterfly (right) if given the right garden.
PHOTOS BY JULIE MINCH
PUBLISHERS OF
The Island Eye News, The Island Connection & SiP Magazine
ITurtle Patrol Time is Here
TIPS TO HELP SEA TURTLES THRIVE
BY ANNE SNELGROVE
For The Island Connection
t’s that time we look forward to all winter long.
The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol is ready to go after weeks of preparation. The weather is warm, the (benign) cannonball jellies are dotting the beach; tan t-shirts with the purple logo have been ordered and delivered; the beach renourishment project has been completed; the new Patrol members have been trained; and the old hands have cleaned and checked their supplies.
The turtles are out there, and reports of mating turtles have been received. A cold stunned, juvenile Green Sea Turtle was found by Glen Cox and she/ he is now recovering at the Sea Turtle Hospital in the South Carolina Aquarium thanks to an assist by Mike Vinson and Gary Holtz.
They have named the turtle Rose. Please ask about Rose if you go there or check out the hospital's blog. Hopefully this young turtle will be out of intensive care soon and able to be seen in the Turtle Hospital.
Even with all this preparation, we still depend on all of you to help out the turtles.
1. Since the Town has determined there will not be trash cans on the beach this year, it is more important than ever for beachgoers to pack out what they have brought in. The most dangerous items to leave on the beach would be fishing line and plastic bags. In fact, even without setting foot on the beach, you can help by reducing your use of disposable plastic by using reusable bags, bottles and straws.
2. Minimize light pollution by turning off or shielding lights visible from the beach and using red-light flashlights when on the beach in the evening. These have the added advantage of improving your night vision and allowing you to see the stars more fully.
3. Please don’t leave sand castles, holes, beach furniture, tents, umbrellas, or any other signs of your presence on the beach, even if you are planning to come back later in the day.
4. Get a permit from the gatehouse if you want to have a bonfire on the beach. The permit is free, and they are really helpful with information about best practices.
5. Please stay off the dunes, and don’t disturb the nests or any adult turtles or hatchlings you may encounter. Please contact the Turtle Patrol or the Beach Patrol if you see anything that concerns you or if you have any questions.
We are looking forward to a productive season and hope the momma turtles find the newly renourished beach welcoming. When you see the patrol out there in the early morning, please feel free to stop us to ask questions or tell us about your experiences.
TOWN OF KIAWAH
Ways & Means Committee
Tuesday, May 6, 10 a.m.
Kiawah Island Town Hall
Town Council
Tuesday, May 6, 1 p.m.
Kiawah Island Town Hall
Planning Commission
Wednesday, May 7, 3 p.m.
Kiawah Island Town Hall
State Accommodation Tax Committee
Wednesday, May 14, 10 a.m.
Kiawah Island Town Hall
Environmental Committee
Wednesday, May 14, 1 p.m.
Kiawah Island Town Hall
TOWN OF SEABROOK
Planning Commission
Wednesday, May 14, 1:30 p.m.
Seabrook Town Hall
Community Promotion & Engagement
Thursday, May 15, 1 p.m.
Seabrook Town Hall
Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m.
Seabrook Town Hall
Environment & Wildlife Committee
Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m.
Seabrook Town Hall
Utility Commission
Thursday, May 21, 8:30 a.m.
Seabrook Town Hall
Cannonball jellyfish are like candy to sea turtles.
May 16 will feature Mike’s Chicken Salad, Mac Daddy, Kee’s Kitchen, Krystyna’s Polish Food, Smash City Burgers and King of Pops. Drinks will be served by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, Spritz Cart and Chugalug Wagon.
June 6 will feature Foxes Fried, Lowcountry Caviar, Krystyna’s Polish Food, Smash City Burgers, Braised and Glazed and King of Pops. Drinks for June 6 will be served by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, Spritz Cart and Chugalug Wagon.
July 18 will feature Mac Daddy, Area 51 Foods, Mike’s Chicken Salad, Smash City Burgers, Braised and Glazed and King of Pops. Beverages will be served by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, Spritz Cart and Chugalug Wagon.
The last event on August 15 will be a bit more expanded, featuring food trucks from Smash City Burgers, Braised and Glazed, Foxes Fried, Area 51 Foods, Mac Daddy, Lowcountry Caviar, Kee’s Kitchen, Krystyna’s Polish Food and King of Pops. Beverages will be served by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, Spritz Cart and Chugalug Wagon. There will be a bluegrass band, The Bluestone Ramblers, playing live music at the final Bites and Brews: Food Truck Fest.
Other events taking place on Kiawah Island soon are the Colour of Music Chamber Concert at Town Hall on May 3 at 6 p.m., the Piccolo Spoleto Preview on May 4 at 4 p.m. and the Bobcat Bash on May 22 – just to name a few.
For more information on events on Kiawah Island, visit the Town’s calendar at kiawahisland.org.
Kiawah Council (continued from page 1)
That being said, there are levels of fines based on the circumstances.
When code enforcement writes a ticket for a violation of any of the Town’s municipal code violations, that ticket is essentially a uniformed summons. The municipal court is a criminal court.
“When people pay the fine, they are essentially pleading guilty to a crime,” Belt said. “It’s a misdemeanor, but still a crime nonetheless. We need to get to a place where we distinguish between a lot of our general offenses, like shoplifting, public indecency, public drunkenness and a host of other things, which are properly under the misdemeanor category and where you would issue a summons and confer jurisdiction under the municipal court. But a lot of our ordinances are better described as civil infractions and should not involve the criminal court process.”
Belt wants to start dividing the ordinances, like the off-leash policy or
any other beach ordinances, and whether they should be considered crimes or civil infractions.
He added that when separating the offenses, they need to specify penalties and fines. For example, the Town would enforce a fee penalty, and if unpaid, it would become a debt. That would go to collections or a circuit court.
“In those instances, it is just a civil infraction and doesn’t involve the criminal court system, plus avoids automatically added state assessment,” he said.
Belt said that rewriting ordinances to differentiate between crimes and civil infractions would be a significant undertaking. Stafford J. McQuillin, Kiawah Island’s Town attorney, said that he would look at what other cities do, particularly Charleston, on how they categorize civil infractions, and would get back to Council about it.
Giving the Gift of Time THE 2025 ANGEL OAK AWARD GOES TO KELLY CARROLL
BY LISA MCDONALD For The Island Connection
The Exchange Club of KiawahSeabrook Foundation is honoring Kelly Carroll of Wadmalaw Island with the Angel Oak Award for her outstanding contribution to the people and quality of life on Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island. The Angel Oak Award Banquet will be held May 21 at 5:30 p.m. at Wingate Place, located at 3850 River Road. The public is invited to attend.
Once again, the Club received many nominations, but Carroll stood out for the breadth and depth of her volunteer activities. As her nominator Phyllis Barber stated: “Kelly Carroll is the most unbelievable community volunteer I have ever known.” The committee agreed she is a worthy Angel Oak Award recipient due to her numerous volunteer activities, which benefit the residents of Wadmalaw and Johns Islands.
Carroll was nominated for her involvement with The Point, which is a volunteer nonprofit organization of 35 women who support local Lowcountry groups focused on women in need. They provide aid through fundraising events and volunteer services. The women of The Point respond to the needs of individual women in crisis through local organizations in the Charleston County
area.
Her additional charitable activities are numerous and include work with Wadmalaw Community Center, Share Our Suzy, Feeding of the Multitudes, Because Logan Wood, RJ’s Mission, Islands Against Cancer, and Abundantly More. Her involvement with these groups includes support and fundraising, as well as recruiting and coordinating volunteers.
Carroll is also quick to support her family and friends in a crisis, often
throwing together a benefit to meet their immediate needs. Charleston Women magazine recognized Carroll’s efforts when she was honored as the She Shines Shining Volunteer/Philanthropist 2024, and she was also invited to speak at the 2024 She Means Business Conference hosted by Stephanie Postell.
Carroll also knows how to motivate people to join her. While she says “I can’t do any of this by myself,” she sets a strong example by being physically involved. She likes to give not just monetarily but to have personal involvement with each organization. As a result, she created and nurtured several new grassroots efforts to help veterans in her community. Since 2019, Carroll has spent two Fridays a month coordinating a hot meal and food pantry for previously homeless veterans. She also started Adopt A Vet, which provides a Christmas experience for veterans in need, including a visit from Santa. She describes building relationships with the veterans as “a very important part of [her] life.” “My freedom is a direct result of their sacrifices. I owe them at the very least my time,” she says.
Carroll and her husband Kevin have raised six daughters on Wadmalaw, and they now have eight grandchildren as
well.
Ticket cost for the event is $100 per person and includes drinks, dinner and live music. Table sponsorships are also encouraged. For assistance or any questions, contact rmlegg8@gmail.com. All proceeds go to support the mission of the Exchange Club, which is to enrich the Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island communities. Please consider contributing to the Foundation, which will support the Exchange Club Grant program. The Foundation is a 501c3 entity, and all gifts are fully tax deductible.
Kelly Carroll.
Luxury & Historic Grandeur
Proud to present two exceptional new listings: 1715 Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island, a proposed custom home by Steven Vitek and Ryan Mitchell blending classic Lowcountry style with modern luxury, and 34 Smith Street, a historic Italianate residence offered on the open market for the first time in 70 years.
Visiting from Hummingbird Hill
SEABROOK PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB’S MAY MEETING
BY JEFF DAVIS
For The Island Connection
Elaine Smith is a self-taught nature photographer who resides in Upstate South Carolina. Her husband Tim is an avid birder, so she naturally gravitates toward taking photos of birds – although other natural wonders find their way into her photos as well.
Forty-two years ago, the couple moved to the 14 acres of hardwoods in rural South Carolina, which they lovingly refer to as Hummingbird Hill, after the hundreds of Rubythroated Hummingbirds that visit their feeders every summer. Each year, Elaine sets up an outdoor photography studio to capture images of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in flight. She photographs hummingbirds in natural light, but her specialty is in off-camera multiple flash photography that freezes the wings in flight and captures sharp detailed images of these tiny, incredibly fast birds.
In her presentation, she will cover:
• Understanding hummingbird behavior to aid in capturing the best shot
• Natural light hummingbird photography
• How to set up and use an off-camera flash set-up (deluxe and budget)
• Dream locations for birders and photographers
This presentation will appeal to photographers of all levels, as well as to bird enthusiasts.
Date: Thursday, May 15
Location: Lake House, 2319 Seabrook Island Rd, Seabrook Island, SC 29455
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., refreshments 6:30, announcements 6:45, presentation 7 p.m.
Cost: Free for SIPC members. $5 for SI Birders members. First time guests free.
Access: Non-residents, please email seabrookislandphotographyclub22@gmail. com to arrange a gate pass.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELAINE SMITH
Leisure Trail Improvements Coming to Kiawah
BY THERESA STRATFORD For The Island Connection
It will be a lot more leisurely to walk and bike on the leisure trails along the Kiawah Island Parkway and Beachwalker Drive once improvements to these portions of the trail are complete.
For now, it’s a waiting game. The 10-day construction should happen soon, according to Kiawah Island’s Public Works Director Brian Gottshalk. The Town promised at the April 1 Town Council meeting to communicate the construction dates through all channels as soon as they have them.
During construction, alternate leisure trail patterns and traffic control will be implemented.
As of April 1, Mayor Bradley Belt had the construction contract in hand and was reviewing it. The areas impacted by construction will be a portion of the leisure trail along Beachwalker Drive from Bobcat Lane down to the intersection. Another area will be between Old Cedar Lane at Cassique and down to the end of the bike path at Freshfields Village. The Town recently decided to add an additional scope to the leisure trail project.
This new scope will be located right before the bridge on the inbound side of the Kiawah Island Parkway.
Gottshalk presented at the April 1 meeting. He said, “This added portion of the leisure trail
needs repair. It tends to hold water, like flooding and water retention, after a good rain. It will just be a change order. It will still be covered under the funds we were given from the county. It will not have a grand impact on the Town, but it does extend the scope of the project.”
The next step was to review a traffic control plan during the construction. “Safety is key,” Gottshalk said. “In every project we do, we make sure there is a good and safe plan for pedestrians and bikers around the project area.”
Town Administrator Stephanie Tillerson said they plan to put the info about the construction in the Friday newsletter e-blast. “We are working closely with communications to get the awareness out about the project,” Tillerson said.
Along with flooding and water retention, the portions covered under this project’s improvements needed repairs due to tree root intrusion and cracking. The contractor completed the design and survey work in the middle of April. The next phase of the project was the construction phase.
Any questions about the project should be directed to Public Works Director Brian Gottshalk. He can be reached by email at bgottshalk@kiawahisland.org or by calling 843-768-5111.
Gentlemen Songsters Make Maiden Voyage
On May 14, the Gentlemen Songsters will have their premier performance at Church of Our Saviour on Johns Island at 5 p.m. As the name suggests, this is an all-male a cappella singing group. The group will sing barbershop, spirituals, pop oldies and patriotic melodies. It’s all in good fun, with nothing taken too seriously except the music.
The group was formed as a fusion of the remnants of the Island Choraliers and the offspring of the Charleston Coastal Choir (CCC). It varies in size from six to eight men, depending on the season, and all are senior citizens. While the group has been singing together for almost two years at this point, they have finally decided to “go public.” They have previously performed as part of a CCC Christmas concert, in several Memorial Day Services at Church of Our Saviour and, recently, at the Kiawah Christmas Tree lighting.
Nat Malcolm, who used to be the conductor of the Island Choraliers, says, “We sing together because we love singing harmony. We also really dig the sound of men's voices raised in fun and praise.”
Malcolm invites anyone who likes to hear good men's singing to come hear this introduction of the new group. “This is what I hoped for the Island Choraliers to sound like.”
The “Gents” of the group are Ralph Finno, Rich Goheen, David Schaeffer, Bob Schmidt, Greg Robbins, Gary Walton, Bob Ray and Nat Malcolm. Five were members of the Island Choraliers and six are or have been members of the CCC. They are a mix of both Kiawah and Seabrook Island residents and snow birds.
They claim your spirits will be raised and you will be humming a tune or two if you make it to the concert.
around the islands...
ONGOING
WHAT: Charleston City Market Night Market
WHERE: Charleston City Market
WHEN: Each Friday and Saturday night, 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., from March –December
MORE INFO: The Night Market is located between Church Street and East Bay Street. It provides the opportunity to discover quality, unique, local and handcrafted items.
WHAT: Sea Island Farmers Market
WHERE: 2024 Academy Rd., John’s Island
WHEN: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
MORE INFO: The market is a year-round delight for locals and visitors alike. This market offers a wide variety of fresh produce, artisanal foods and handmade crafts. It's the perfect spot to start your weekend with a basket full of farm-fresh goodies and unique finds.
WHAT: Weekend Wine-Down
WHERE: Deep Water Vineyard, 6775 Bears Bluff Rd., Wadmalaw Island
WHEN: Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MORE INFO: Attendees can expect tastings ($15 gets you a tasting of 6 samples of the vineyard's wine and a souvenir stemless glass), drinks, food trucks, live music, and more.
WHAT: Music on the Green
WHERE: Freshfields Village WHEN: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
MORE INFO: The Village Green will be alive with song and dance from various local artists every Friday night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets, purchase snacks and drinks from surrounding businesses, and come together to enjoy a lively Lowcountry evening outdoors.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
WHAT: Kiawah Heart presents The Power of Kindness WHERE: The Sandcastle WHEN: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
MORE INFO: A workshop on The Power of Kindness. Attendees will approach kindness as a powerful response that creates a pathway for understanding and integrating polarized perspectives, weaving creative solutions in otherwise intractable situations, and bridging across difference while staying connected to what matters most to. Geoff has taught workshops and classes at the University of Virginia for the past eight years. He has spent the last 15 years training in adult development and the science of resilience.
WHAT: The Town of Kiawah Island Presents : The Colour of Music Festival WHERE: Kiawah Town Hall WHEN: 6 p.m.
MORE INFO: The Town of Kiawah Island is proud to present The Colour of Music Festival for a chamber concert experience at Town Hall. This event is free and open to the public, but tickets need to be reserved ahead of time via the The Colour of Music's website, using Promo Code TOKL2025
SUNDAY, MAY 4
WHAT: Piccolo Spoleto Preview
WHERE: Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 3871 Betsy Kerrison Pky., Johns Island WHEN: 4 p.m.
MORE INFO: This event features three captivating performances across a variety of styles and genres, offering a taste of the diverse artistic experiences awaiting you at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. This year's concert will showcase The In-Between Ensemble, students of the Charleston Jazz Academy, and Tonya Nicole.
THURSDAY, MAY 8
WHAT: Jazz Night
WHERE: Freshfields Village
WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
MORE INFO: Jazz Night is held every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 6 to 8 pm at the Porch Bar of the Andell Inn. Guests of the Andell Inn and others can enjoy live music performances from local Charleston groups in a cozy atmosphere.
WHAT: Starlight Yoga
WHERE: Johns Island County Park, 2662 Mullet Hall Rd., Johns Island WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
MORE INFO: This year’s Starlight Yoga series will be hosted by local instructor Tashi. A Massachusetts native, Tashi moved to South Carolina in 2017. She holds a 200hour registered yoga teacher training certification and has been teaching yoga consistently throughout the Charleston area for three years. Online registration for Starlight Yoga is available now at CharlestonCountyParks.com for $12 per person per session. On-site registration will be $14 per person if space is available.
FRIDAY, MAY 16
WHAT: TOKI Bites & Brews Food Truck Fest
WHERE: Kiawah Island Town Hall
WHEN: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
MORE INFO: The Town of Kiawah Island is excited to introduce TOKI Bites and Brews, a brand-new summer food truck festival series designed to bring the community together over great food and good company. This food truck rodeo will transform the Town Hall green space into a lively gathering spot one Friday each month from April through August.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
WHAT: Cars & Coffee
WHERE: Freshfields Village WHEN: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
MORE INFO: The monthly Cars & Coffee event happens on the third Saturday of every month, showcasing unique cars and offering the opportunity to purchase coffee from Java Java.
THURSDAY, MAY 22
WHAT: Bobcat Bash
WHERE: Mingo Point, 876 Kiawah Island Pky., Johns Island
WHEN: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
MORE INFO: A new fundraising event dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and extraordinary wildlife of Johns, Kiawah, and Seabrook Islands. This exciting evening promises a delightful mix of local flavors, captivating entertainment, and a chance to make a lasting impact on the Kiawah Conservancy’s conservation efforts. There will be live music, food, drinks, raffles, and more.
Summer Home, Summer Fishing
BY CAPT. GEOFF BENNETT For The Island Connection
Seabrook Island Village hosts Successful Brain Health Seminar
BY SUSAN COOMER For The Island Connection
Seabrook Island Village (SIV) Education Committee hosted a successful seminar entitled, “Challenges to Your Mental Health” on Saturday April 12 at the Lake House with 50 people attending from Seabrook Island, Kiawah River Estates and the surrounding area.
Drs. Mary Hart Bryan and Randi Curtiss – practicing geriatric psychiatrists and assistant professors at MUSC in its Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences – guided the audience through a better understanding of mental health in later life.
Drs. Bryan and Curtiss shared strategies for optimizing mood and mental wellbeing as aging adults. They encouraged attendees to seek help from a medical professional and offered strategies to obtain assistance. Also presented were the wide range of factors that may cause depressionlike symptoms among the elderly, plus treatments and therapies available for patients. They explored healthy habits and routines to maintain mental
What a perfect time to be fishing! With our waters now full of bait, the fish are eating heartily. Almost all the summer seasonal species have arrived, and, when combined with our traditional gamefish, they provide a whole range of options for an angler. If your fishing season hasn’t yet begun, there’s no better time to get going.
Redfish have been making fast work of any well placed bait. Make sure to bring along your cast net and try catching some finger mullet or the soon-arriving menhaden. We’ve been having the most luck around rock walls, docks and other structures while fishing live bait on a Carolina rig. Make sure to use a weight heavy enough to hold the bait stationary, otherwise your rig will drift along the bottom until it snags.
It’s that time of year for topwater trout action at first light. Heddon’s Super Spook Jr. in their silver mullet color works great, but my favorite is the chartreuse and black. Vary your retrieve as you work these lures back to the boat. This is a lure that you need to reel tight to the fish before raising your rod tip. Good luck as a violent boil erupts around
your lure! Once the topwater bite slows, suspended twitch bait lures can keep things going for a little while longer. Sharks are back, and several species like bonnetheads, sharpnose and black tips are already prevalent. You'll start to see the fins of sharks slicing through the water as they seek out food and also find them foraging along drop-offs in the inlets and harbor. Chunks of cut bait, blue crab and live shrimp all work well on these predators. I favor 7/0 circle hooks and just leave the rods in the holders. Fishing for sharks can be a great way to get young anglers involved, as sharks are usually cooperative and put up great fights.
See you on the water!
For the last 16 years, Capt. Geoff Bennett has operated Charleston Charter Fishing providing light tackle fishing charters. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 843-324-3332, visit his website at charlestoncharterfishing.com, or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.
wellbeing, alternative treatments, supplements and reading resources to investigate.
At the end of the presentation, Drs. Bryan and Curtiss responded to questions from the audience. Drawing randomly from a list of attendees, several brain health books were given away.
The seminar was well-received by those attending, as evidenced by audience comments and by participant evaluations that were exceedingly positive. SIV thanks the many volunteers who made this workshop a success and attendees whose insightful questions fostered a robust dialogue.
SIV will hold its next education program on Monday, October 20, from 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Lake House on the topic of how to avoid computer and telephone frauds.
Heather Pippin from Kansas City.
Join the World Labyrinth Day celebration on John’s Island
BY JACK BARNETT For The Island Connection
Every year on the first Saturday in May, thousands of people around the world participate in World Labyrinth Day as a moving meditation for world peace and shared appreciation of the labyrinth experience.
This year, World Labyrinth Day will be observed on Saturday, May 3, in the grove of St. John’s Episcopal Church at 3673 Maybank Highway on Johns Island, located near the intersection of Main Road adjacent to the Angel Oak.
This free event is open to everyone. Johns Island Participants will join the many thousands of pilgrims around the world, walking the labyrinth at 1 p.m. local time, creating a unified rolling wave of peaceful energy passing from one time
zone to the next across the Earth.
Participants should gather at 12:45 for a brief introduction, followed by the walk with time for reflections and conversation – and snacks! Rain or shine (unless it is a gully-washer, in which case check St. John’s Facebook or Instagram page). More information is available on StJohns1734.org.
St. John’s Episcopal Church was established in 1734 and is now in its 290th year of continuous worship and service to the people of Johns, Wadmalaw, Seabrook and Kiawah Islands. We are part of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and the worldwide Anglican Communion with the Reverend Canon Callie Walpole as Rector.
The Art of Giving Back MEET
JUNE ARTIST
TINA MAYLAND
BY ROD MORRIS For The Island Connection
Anative of Charleston, Tina Mayland’s motivation to paint was inspired by the time she spent at her grandparents’ farm on Wadmalaw Island. There, she built forts in live oak trees, played in the mud and rode her horse through the Lowcountry forests. “Capturing the essence of that landscape in my art is a way of recapturing the joys of my youth,” she explains.
After three decades of a tech career that took her places like Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New Jersey, Mayland retired from her first career and began her “encore career” as a full-time artist. Now an oil and pastel painter, her work is represented by the Wells Gallery at the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and by the Lowcountry Artists Gallery at 148 East Bay Street.
Mayland serves the creative community widely, having been on the board of Directors of the Charleston
Tide Chart
1:24am/2:01pm 2:24am/3:04pm 3:22am/4:04pm 4:17am/4:59pm 5:08am/5:49pm 7:45am/7:49pm 8:44am/8:53pm 9:41am/9:56pm 10:33am/10:56pm 11:21am/11:50pm
Artist Guild for four years and part of the Seabrook Island Artist Guild for 18 years. Currently, she is serving as vice president of the Seabrook Island Artist Guild. In addition to giving back artistically, Mayland spearheads the Veterans History Project for the Library of Congress for the Sea Islands. She previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Middleton Place Foundation and on the National Board of Directors of the Archeological Institute of America.
Mayland also does commissions, including dog and cat portraits. You can see more of her work at her website, TinaMaylandArt.com, and she can be reached at Tina@TinaMaylandArt.com.
Please join the Seabrook Island Art Guild for a reception showcasing Tina Mayland’s art on Tuesday, June 3 from 4:30 until 6 p.m. at The Lake House.
Residential Cleaning Services
"A Slow Drift Into Total Tyranny” - David Lucas
BY ROM REDDY For The Island Connection
Article 1, Section 14 of the South Carolina Constitution states, “The right of trial by jury shall be preserved inviolate. Any person charged with an offense shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury.”
In South Carolina, we have 84,000 regulations that unelected agencies and bureaucrats can use at their discretion to charge and convict a citizen. There is no presumption of innocence. They can charge you with a civil or criminal offense, assess fines and even impose jail time at their discretion—and you must go through a process of proving your innocence according to their methods. More than 80 percent of citizens and small businesses cannot afford to go through this process, as these unelected agencies use in-house lawyers at a fraction of the cost it would take a citizen to hire outside counsel.
Let’s assume you are part of the 20 percent who can afford to hire expensive outside counsel. First, your counsel will have to spend a significant amount of your money to appear in front of an agency board or commission and present your case. Since the agency has already pronounced you guilty, this appearance is merely the first step toward draining your legal resources. With almost 100 percent certainty, the agency will uphold its own conviction. You will have exhausted several
thousand dollars in legal fees and several months of time—and this is only the beginning.
If you decide you have had enough after spending a substantial amount of money, you may cave to these bureaucrats. Otherwise, you must appeal to an administrative judge (without a jury). This is where citizens and small businesses are crushed by legal fees, as this is not merely a hearing but a full-scale trial with full discovery. Here is where the agencies truly stick it to you: they will dump thousands of pages of discovery material from their in-house team on you, and your lawyers must review it all—on your dime. Count on 18 to 24 months and $200,000 to $400,000 in expenses.
Remember Article 1 at the beginning of this article. You can forget that constitutional requirement for a speedy trial in front of a jury.
Assuming you are not bankrupt or haven’t thrown in the towel, you will finally appear before one of their judges— appointed by the legislature, which also controls the agency. These judges, contrary to current federal law, still follow Chevronplus deference, meaning that rather than interpreting the law as written and determining if the law is constitutional or properly applied, they side with the agency’s interpretation over 80 percent of the time.
Assuming the citizen or small business
Next Starlight Yoga Session at Johns Island County Park
BY SARAH REYNOLDS For The Island Connection
Starlight Yoga returned to Charleston County Parks for 2025. The next Starlight Yoga session will be on Thursday, May 8 from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Johns Island County Park.
The moon and stars enhance this flowing yoga class, which is inclusive and open to all abilities and fitness levels. Participants will also receive a special glow-in-the-dark prize.
This year’s Starlight Yoga series will be hosted by local instructor Tashi. A Massachusetts native, Tashi moved to South Carolina in 2017. She holds a 200-hour registered yoga teacher training certification and has been teaching yoga consistently throughout the Charleston area for three years. With a bachelor’s
loses here—which is almost guaranteed— only then can you appeal to a real court and have a jury trial. As for the “speedy” part?
Once you appeal the administrative court’s decision, consider yourself lucky to get a trial date in the appellate court within three years. During this time, the agencies will continue to drain your legal funds through a myriad of requests and motions. Cost to get through appeals: another $200,000 to $400,000.
How am I an expert on this?
I have been berated for building an “illegal” seawall that was originally a retaining wall inside my fenced yard and about 25 feet landward of the setback line. This “illegal” label is widely used, even though, by statute (48-39-290), seawalls in South Carolina are only banned seaward of the legislature-approved setback line.
I was accused in January 2024, convicted and fined by my accusers a few months later, and have spent several hundred thousand dollars fending off agency processes designed to bleed my legal resources while I wait to get in front of one of their judges—again, without a jury.
This is likely to happen in May, and I will almost surely lose, as the judge will defer to the agency. Then I will have to appeal and spend several more years in appellate court before I can finally face a jury.
I say this not to play the “poor me” card but to show why so many people in this state—who call or email me—are unable to stand up to a process that is unconstitutional and stacked against the citizen.
David Lucas, who fought a property rights battle in the 1990s all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, eloquently commented last week that he endorses the nascent DOGESC (dogesc.com) movement and this new property rights fight. He said, “This is not about the wealthy protecting their own. It is about those with means who can help protect everyone else. Property rights are the tip of the iceberg. Every aspect of South Carolina citizens’ lives is impacted by government overreach. This is not freedom but a slow drift into total tyranny.”
I could not have said it better myself, David.
Reddy or Not represents the opinion of Lucky Dog Publishing owner Rom Reddy but not necessarily the opinion of the newspaper. In keeping with our philosophy of publishing all opinions, we welcome responses, which must be limited to 400 words and will be published on a space-available basis.
degree in Sociology, activism and accessibility play a big role in what yoga means to her.
Authenticity also fuels her yoga practice, both as a student and a teacher alike. She shares and celebrates her humanity in hopes that you will find comfort in your own.
Online registration for Starlight Yoga is available now at CharlestonCountyParks.com for $12 per person, per session. On-site registration will be $14 per person if space is available. For more information on Starlight Yoga or any of the CCPRC yoga programs, or to register in advance, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com, or call 843-795-4386.
Rom Reddy.
