The painting on our cover is "1961 Honda 50 Motorcycle" by Shannon Fannin. It took Honorable Mention at Biennale 2021, Art League of Hilton Head's national juried art exhibit. The league is currently seeking entries for Biennale 2023. See our story on page 5.
February 1 – February 14, 2023
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Lowcountry Weekly is published every other Wednesday and distributed throughout Beaufort County at various restaurants, retail locations, hotels and visitor’s centers. The entire contents of Lowcountry Weekly is copyrighted 2023 by P. Podd Press, LLC. No part may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions expected to be returned.
Iread a funny, provocative column in the NY Times last week called “Future Cringe.” It posed the question: What are the things we do today that will seem embarrassing or otherwise regrettable to our future selves – the stuff that will make us cringe when we look back on how we lived our lives in the early 2020s?
History demonstrates how difficult it is to successfully predict the future. (My husband often quips, “When do I get my flying car? I was promised a flying car!”) Nevertheless, there is something deep in the human genome that delights in trying.
To that end, the Times had more than 30 people weigh in on the question above –hailing from academia, the arts, fashion, media, and business. Below, I will highlight some of their responses – and weigh in, myself.
Cord Jefferson, TV writer and essayist: “The world is so humiliating in so many ways these days, and its embarrassments only seem to multiply year after year. There’s a lot I could mention — Crocs is the easy one. Another one that’s been on my mind a lot lately is the idolatry of tech people. Blech!"
My take: Don’t be so sure about Crocs. Like a cat with nine lives, they have a mysterious – and proven – staying power. As for idolizing tech people? Everybody was
just fine with it ‘til Elon Musk bought Twitter. My guess is that some hip, progressive wunderkind in a beanie will invent a cool new app and restore the “brand” to its pedestal.
Maria Avgitidis, matchmaker: “We will cringe at the thought of how we swiped away our soul mates.”
My take: I hope we will have enough soul left to cringe at that thought. I am forever grateful to have married before the invention of Tinder.
Michael Musto, columnist: "Genderreveal parties will become totally obsolete when people realize that you won’t know the baby’s gender until quite some time later."
My take: Clearly, opinions will vary on this one. I’ve long found it strange that the rise of gender reveal parties – which didn’t even exist when I had my baby two decades ago, though the technology certainly did –has been concurrent with the rise of gender fluidity as a cultural/political issue. Or maybe it’s not strange at all. Action, meet reaction?
My husband and I both cackled with glee over this next one, giving it our full endorsement . . .
Sarah Thyre, actress: “Using the word ‘journey’ to describe anything other than a perilous trek through Middle-earth to throw the One Ring of Power into a volcano. (Also: You must be a hobbit.)”
My take: More gleeful cackling.
Natasha Stagg, essayist, novelist: “I think we’re probably going to be embarrassed by the pandemic, every kind of reaction to it and the way it’s sort of defined our time. To me, it’s already sort of becoming an embarrassing topic, and you can feel people not wanting to talk about it, because it brings back these very recent memories of us behaving in a way that was not the way we’re behaving now.”
My take: Girl, yes! Whether you were an ever-masker or a never-masker, a many-vaxxer or an anti-vaxxer, pro-shutdown or anti-shutdown . . . Can we all just step back, take a deep breath, and admit – in hindsight – that we all lost our minds, at least a little bit? Come on. You know you want to! Self-reflection is difficult, but there is comfort in numbers.
Christina Oxenberg, writer, fashion designer: “Monarchy.”
My take: Maybe. In fact, it even seems likely. But if recent months and years are any indication, we are perfectly capable of cringing and obsessing simultaneously.
Mark Manson, author: “ . . . testing people based on memorized information will become an awkward memory in a world full of artificial intelligence. The same way we look back on the ridiculousness of grading kids by the quality of their handwriting 100 years ago, we will look back at tests based on memorization as a colossal waste of time and talent.”
My take: Highly likely. Which kind of makes me regret all the hours I wasted in school. I had a feeling, even back then, that I would never need to know all the state capitals.
Crystal Moselle, filmmaker: “I’m embarrassed that we didn’t create a campaign for forgiveness earlier. I think there will probably be a wave of forgiveness, because of all the cancel culture. I think the next thing that’s going to happen is people actually wanting to forgive and giving people chances and opportunities for change. I think generally our planet needs that shift so badly — and so I think we’ll be embarrassed that we let cancel culture go on so long.”
My take: If you read my column regularly, you can probably guess that I love this idea and endorse it wholeheartedly. In fact, if I knew Crystal, I’d call her and tell her about a “campaign for forgiveness” that’s been around for a very long time, though it doesn’t get much press. Not good press, anyway. To learn more about this unique campaign, visit a local church.
Agnieszka Pilat, artist: “Selfies (and social media as we know it). Because our relationship to data and to privacy has to change drastically, I strongly believe that selfies on social media will be something we will look back at with embarrassment. Posting close-ups of our faces, our families with locations and time stamps, will seem terribly reckless. The amounts of information we give up for free because of our vanity will seem not only stupid but also tasteless.”
My take: Who can argue with this? I can only hang my head in shame. Convicted.
Bill Schulz, TV writer, journalist:
“You know how the very idea of a phone
conversation, regarding anything that can otherwise be texted, seems rude at this point? I think we’ll feel the same way about face-to-face conversations 20 years from now, whether it be a random inter-action on the street or having dinner with actual friends. It will seem offensive to ‘future us’ if a person attempts actual verbal contact.”
My take: I truly hope Bill has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek here. I fear he does not.
Rachel Rabbit White, poet: “We’ve spent years caught on digital hamster wheels, spinning solipsistically in our most base states: angry, jealous, needing to be accepted. It’s almost cute, in a tragic way, the fact that we’ve been driven by such a human and vulnerable need — to be liked. Our continued embrace of the internet, after we realized it was making us spiritually decrepit, is embarrassing.”
My take: Preach, Rachel! And when you do, repeat that phrase “spiritually decrepit” over and over. It hurts, but we need to hear it.
Dino Stamatopoulos, comedian, writer: “The idea of cancel culture will be embarrassing. But I’m too scared of being canceled to say that.”
My take: And yet he did say it. Right there in the NY Times . Seems like cause for hope to me!
And now I will add my own prediction to the mix, which is really more like a wish:
I think that “future us” will cringe at the way we once treated each other over politics. I’ve read enough social science to be convinced that our place on the left/ right spectrum is mostly a matter of temperament, largely innate – as much nature as nurture – and very hard to change. I look forward to the day when this last acceptable prejudice – acceptable hatred, to put it more bluntly – is no longer tolerated by society.
And I hope my husband gets his flying car.
Art League of Hilton Head invites you to enter the 2023 Biennale, its 28th National Juried Exhibition, held every other year and featuring multiple media types including; Oil, Acrylic, Pastel, Watermedia, Photography, Mixed Media, and Three-Dimensional. Over $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. All accepted works of art selected by three jurors will be on display at the Art League Gallery inside the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The prestigious juror, Aline Ordman, will choose the prize winners. This state-of-the-art gallery provides the finest exhibit space with high tourist and community visibility.
The 28th Biennale Judge, Aline Ordman, received her BFA at Cornell University, and continued her training at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, earning a degree in Illustration.
“My goal as an artist is to find those times and places where beauty is not only evident but startling and suddenly present.”
Aline is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America, a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, a signature member of the Oil Painters of America, and a Master Circle Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). She has juried for the Pastel Society of America’s National Juried show; The Pastel Journal’s Top 100 Animal and Wildlife Competition, the Pastel Society of New Mexico’s Annual Juried Show, and the Adirondack Plein Air Festival Awards.
She was featured in an article in the February issue of the Pastel Journal and she has been honored with awards at the 33rd and 34th and 38th Annual Juried Shows of the Pastel Society of America in New York City. Aline has won awards several times in the Top 100 Pastels issues of the Pastel Journal. Her work has been accepted in national juried shows of the American Impressionist Society, The Pastel Society of America, and the Oil Painters of America. Aline teaches workshops throughout the country and in Europe. She is
represented by Camden Falls Gallery in Camden, Maine; Blue Heron Gallery in Wellfleet, MA; Brickhouse Gallery, VT; Little Gallery in Mackinac, MI. Her website is www.alineordman.com and she maintains a blog at http://alineordmanartwork.blogspot.com/
Deadline to Enter: March 31, 2023
Where to Enter: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_ unique_info.php?ID=10213
Cost: A non-refundable fee of $35 enables each artist to enter 1 application of work. Artists may submit additional applications for $10 each. Limit three. 1 image per application.
Exhibition Dates: May 16 – June 17, 2023, Monday-Saturday from 10am-4pm, Sunday from 12-4pm and 90 minutes before all Arts Center performances.
Awards Reception: Friday, May 19, 2023, from 5-7pm. Enjoy refreshments, meet the artists and enjoy the award-winner announcements. Free & open to the public.
Where: Art League Gallery located mid-island inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843.681.5060.
Truly a military town, Beaufort is rife with active duty and retired veterans, their families and friends, and folks interested in vets’ affairs of all sorts. The “Sound of Freedom” resounds across our Lowcountry skies most every day, as the F-18s, F-35s, and C-130 transports practice readiness and take my breath away every time I hear one – or more – overhead. But that’s another column entirely.
On January 17th the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for Performing Arts (USCBCFA) hosted South Carolina Educational Television’s local supporters and the public for the season premiere of an important series that aired on SCETV on January 9th. New one-hour episodes of the seven-part series, After Action, will air weekly on Monday nights at 9 p.m.
Providing viewers with a deeper appreciation of the lives of these American heroes before, during, and after service, the series features conversations with three different vets each program –a total of 21 from across the nation, representing all branches of the military. Major topics covered are brushes with death, transforming new recruits, connections to citizenship, being the first women in their respective fields, experiences with military sexual trauma, the power of service animals, and the trials of returning home “after action.”
PBS will distribute After Action to affiliates throughout the United States. Episode One, entitled All Gave Some, premiered on November 11, 2022, in honor of Veterans Day, and began the current showings on January 9th. Hosted by SCETV, the ETV Endowment, and USCBCFA, the Beaufort event featured a screening of a clip from Episode Two, followed by a panel hosted by ETV Lowcountry’s Holly Bounds-Jackson and series host Stacy Pearsall, a retired Air Force combat veteran and the visionary behind After Action. More about her later.
Panel members included veterans Bambi Bullard, Dan Wrightsman, and Meggen Ditmore. A bit about each follows.
Having joined the Marine Corps with the goal of obtaining the GI Bill, Bullard served in the corps for 15 years, was one of the first women to go through Military Police training, became a drill instructor at Parris Island, and worked at the Pentagon for the Secretary of the Navy. Ditmore became the first woman to enlist as an A-10 Thunderbolt crew chief in Air Force history and served in the frigid wilds of Alaska and the wide deserts of the Middle East during Operation Desert Fox.
The third panelist, Dan Wrightsman, enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman, completed Ranger School, and after 30 years in the Army, serves as the current Deputy Director of Operations for the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA; 803-734-0200) as a way to aid veterans during their transition process and to help when they face challenges. One SCDVA peer-support initiative, the Palmetto Pathfinder Program (scdva.sc.gov/palmettopathfinder-program), provides personal support for transitioning veterans by connecting them to relevant resources and services in their community. It assists them in accomplishing their personal and professional goals and thriving after military service by helping with issues such as health care, employment, suicide prevention, nutrition, establishing social networks, housing and judiciary incentives for incarcerated and recently reintegrated veterans.
What makes the SCETV series extremely powerful is the fact that as a veteran herself, host Stacy Pearsall knows the right questions to ask, challenging her interviewees to delve deeper into their stories.
“Focusing on shared values such as diversity, strength, commitment, generosity, and resilience, After Action seeks to demystify the military experience, provide a platform for dialogue among military family members, bridge the gaps that often grow between veterans and their families, and preserve military stories, many of which have, to date, been left untold,” says Pearsall.
Starting in the service as an Air Force photographer at the age of 17, she traveled to more than 40 countries and attended the Military Photojournalism Program at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, graduating as a 50 Forward Distinguished graduate. During three combat tours, Pearsall earned the Bronze Star Medal and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq.
Wounded by an IED in the Middle East, she suffered a traumatic brain injury and emotional stress that Pearsall has accepted as a permanent injury all its own. Frustrated at a diagnosis that forced her to leave the Air Force at 27 with a “trash bag full of pills,” she had a cathartic, life-changing encounter with Chester native, fellow vet, and World War II hero Mickey Dorsey, who had survived D-Day and helped liberate an Austrian concentration camp.
by Katherine Tandy
Bolstered by their conversation, the combat-disabled young woman revived her crushed spirit, rose above her combat injury-related challenges, and picked up her camera again. With America’s VetDogs Charlie by her side, she continues to work worldwide as an independent photographer. (At no charge, America’s VetDogs provides service dogs for veterans and first responders with physical injuries, PTSD, hearing and vision loss, and seizures; vetdogs.org). Also an author, educator, and military consultant, Pearsall is a BRAVO748 public speaker (a military and law enforcement speakers’ bureau; bravo748.com) and in 2008, founder of the Veterans Portrait Project (veteransportraitproject.com). Since late 2008, this talented photographer has taken more than 8,500 portraits of veterans. The project has been cathartic and healing for her, and, I’d guess, certainly for a number of her subjects.
Check local listings to be sure about airtimes in your area. Find more info on the series itself at AfterActionShow.org. In addition to scetv.org as a PBS-distributed series, After Action will also be available for streaming on the PBS app, PBS Amazon Prime, and on PBS.org. Visit pbs.org/afteraction to learn more about the series itself, the veterans featured in the show, and resources for veterans.
Viewers can also engage with the show on social media by searching the @AfterAction ETV handle on Facebook and Instagram. Those interested in interviewing vets featured in the show can contact SCETV Communications at scetv.org or (800) 922-5437.
View a teaser for Episode One at youtube. com/watch?app=desktop&v=SvhuAAyDp-Q
Kudos to SCETV for bringing attention to, and providing vital information about, some available options for assisting returning heroes make the transition to living productive and positive lives “after action.”
After Action host Stacy Pearsall and Her Service Dog Charlie
Brown
WHOLLY HOLISTICS
It’s been almost ten years since local travel journalist and food columnist Lynn Seldon donned his novelist’s hat. This month, he’ll do just that with the publication of Carolina’s Ring, the long-awaited sequel to Virginia’s Ring, published in 2014.
That first novel, set in the early 1980s, focused on cadets at Seldon’s alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Virginia. Some of its characters and locales make return appearances in Carolina’s Ring, which is set in the early 2000s and split between VMI and The Citadel in Charleston.
A modern coming-of-age story, the novel traces the lives of Carolina Stone and her childhood friends, twin brothers Ben and Alf Marshall, following them from the foothills of South Carolina to Lexington and Charleston, and ultimately, to the Global War on Terror in Iraq and beyond. A protégé of the late Pat Conroy, Seldon does his mentor proud with this lyrical novel of love, loss, and loyalty.
I recently spoke with Lynn Seldon via email . . .
Margaret Evans: It’s been almost ten years since Virginia’s Ring was published. Are you intentionally following in the (notoriously slow) footsteps of your late mentor Pat Conroy? Will it be another decade before we get Part III in your trilogy?
Lynn Seldon: That wasn’t the plan. Heck, Pat and I talked a lot about Carolina’s Ring and I hoped I would finish it years ago. I just kept wanting to make it better and I suspect Pat felt the same about his long-awaited books. And, I hope to finish Georgia’s Ring, Part III of The Ring Trilogy, much quicker. It’s already outlined, so I just need to march forth with Georgia’s story.
ME: You wrote most of Carolina’s Ring in Pat Conroy’s office. What was that like?
LS: For more than four years, at Cassandra King’s invitation, I reported to Pat’s desk and focused on Carolina’s tale. Often, a cheery cardinal appeared at the window, and I’d swear it was Pat’s large-than-life spirit checking on my progress. When I groped for the right word, which was often, there was lots of inspiration (as well as procrastination possibilities) nearby, thanks to more than 5,000 of Pat’s beloved (and recently cataloged) books.
Writing Carolina’s Ring in Pat’s office was a true blessing, and I didn’t take it lightly. Pat set the bar very high, and I felt that influence with every word written (and deleted). Thus, Carolina’s Ring is a love letter of sorts to The Citadel, Charleston . . . and Pat.
ME: You started out as a military journalist, travel writing is your bread and butter, and you do some great food writing for us here at Lowcountry Weekly. But writing novels is a whole different animal. How does it compare with your “day job,” satisfaction-wise?
LS: I once thought that writing fiction would be easier because I could just ‘make stuff up.’ Boy was I wrong! Writing travel articles is actually much easier, in that I’ve had 30-plus years of practice after first writing for Stars & Stripes when stationed in Germany. The travel articles also provide immediate gratification, versus fiction.
ME: You and Cele have worked as travel writers for decades. In fact, this email exchange is happening between Beaufort and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lots of people dream of a life like yours! Where are some of your favorite professional destinations? Is there a place on your “bucket list” that you’ve not yet visited/written about?
LS: Well, we love exploring and writing about the Carolinas. And, wine regions anywhere in the world. Small ship cruises are also a fave (we’ve been on 60 or so cruises) and we embark tomorrow on a 14-night cruise with Windstar in the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands. Our “bucket list” is still long and ever-evolving, but #1 is currently an African safari paired with South Africa’s wine country.
ME: Who are some of your favorite writers?
LS: The list is long. Pat, of course. In no particular order . . . the late Jim Harrison; Barbara Kingsolver; Ron Rash; Elizabeth Berg; Mark Powell; Anita Shreve; Wiley Cash; Ernest Hemingway; James Michener; F. Scott Fitzgerald. And, Cassandra King, natch.
ME: What are you reading right now?
LS: The Rum Diary, by Hunter S. Thompson (of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas fame). It’s about his time spent as a journalist in San Juan and you can really see the evolution of gonzo journalism on every page. I’m pairing
my evening reading time with Don Q rum, which locals recommend over Bacardi.
Local Book Launch Events for Lynn Seldon’s Carolina’s Ring.
Wed., Feb. 15 – 5 to 7 pm
Carolina’s Ring Publication Day Pop-In Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street Sat., Feb. 18 – 4 to 6 pm
In Conversation with John Warley Beaufort Bookstore, 2127 Boundary Street
Thurs., Mar. 2 – 5 to 7pm
Reception & Signing
NeverMore Books, 910 Port Republic Street
Sat., Mar. 4 – Noon to 4pm
Signing, McIntosh Books, 919 Bay Street
We moved to the South Carolina Lowcountry because of two dogs: Hank the Handful, a wild terrier/pit mix; and Otis, a dignified, dachshund/terrier rescue.
My husband and I were teetering on the edge of retirement and had created a spreadsheet with the criteria we wanted in our forever town.
We had made the same want/need spreadsheet when deciding upon the characteristics we wanted in a dog after the heartbreak of putting down our beloved 18-year-old Alabama mutt.
Both spreadsheets were as useless as you might imagine.
Before making my dog list, I paid an elite trainer to suggest breeds that were low-energy, mellow, sweet-natured and attached to me over all others. Hank, the rescue we found at an adoption event, was everything we had painstakingly researched not to choose.
I spent massive resources and time training him, but he never adjusted to city life. A therapist friend diagnosed him as being on the spectrum. My father said to send him back. My husband reminded me he never wanted another dog. The trainer said it was the combination of high-energy terrier mix and likely traumatic early life in a kill shelter. No matter. I was determined to drag him into a semblance of my spreadsheet dog. We
were living in historic Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia where aggressive city squirrels tormented him and conniving ducks lured him into the Potomac River. Once, he pulled away and leapt into the icy river swimming after a family of ducks. People watched, horrified as the mother duck swam ahead of him to the middle of the river in an attempted homicide by drowning.
But he never drowned. Nor did he even whimper when a city snake bit his face or shiver after falling through weak ice. He ate a poisoned rat and survived. He ran into traffic and lived to run another day.
I never gave up on him, but it was hard. He didn’t like me. At all. If I came into the room where he lay snuggled with my husband, he’d give me a hard, cold look and stalk out with a sigh of contempt.
I loved him like a woman loves a bad boyfriend. I showered him with treats and threw tennis balls until my arm ached. I believed it was my fault he didn’t love me back and was determined to win his affection with long runs, toys, and lavish attention.
As our work world came to an end, we started looking at websites with titles such as, “How to Choose the Right City to Retire In.”
We knew we wanted to be warm and near salt water and close to our two daughters who lived in the South Carolina Upstate. We traveled to places in Florida, North Carolina,
Georgia and South Carolina, spreadsheet in hand as we looked for places with access to boating and fishing, live music, restaurants and arts, airport, good medical system, university vibe and the southern DNA we were most comfortable with.
While away on a city tour, Hank the Handful went missing from the dog sitter’s back yard and was never seen again.
Losing Hank leveled me. I often thought it would have been easier on me if he’d died from a snake bite or drowned in a river than the ambiguous loss of never knowing his fate. Was he with someone that kept him tied up in a back yard? Was he now part of a dog fighting ring? The not knowing was excruciating.
Then, on one of our speed-dating city tours, we detoured through Beaufort, South Carolina so I could step into the literary center devoted to my favorite author, Pat Conroy.
That’s when a little brown and white dog named Otis (Redding) trotted up to me, nudged my foot and followed me around the exhibits. His owner, a docent with kind, brown eyes, told me a sweet lie. “He never takes to someone like he has to you,” she said. And invited us to her home in the downtown historic district.
Once there, he climbed in my lap and stayed while I tried t o answer her question, “Do you have a dog?”
We began dog sitting for her while we checked out Charleston, Savannah and other coastal cities that marked many of the boxes on the spreadsheet.
by Carolyn Mason
The allure of Beaufort began to creep up on us. We took Otis to Hunting Island, a beach so wild and beautiful it stabs you in the heart. He trotted alongside me through long walks through downtown, under live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, the air perfumed with a soupy mix of wisteria and tidal marsh. He spent time sitting with me with on the dock of the bay. Really.
He slept with me, nosing his way under the covers until his warm body heated my legs.
And so, we moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, a town that marked off the salt water, marshland box on our spreadsheet, but also included a dog who clearly loved me.
Otis stays with us when his owner travels. I keep a stash of treats, toys, water bowls and blankets here for this funny, sweet fellow. He follows me from room to room, anxiously waiting to see where I will settle, checking on my health and well-being.
He’s not my dog but he brought us to his town where we have found a community that revolves around literature, fly fishing, boating, history, and people who don’t even know we once lost a dog.
Author’s Note: Otis’ mom Nancy Ritter wrote a book, Slack Tide, inspired by the loss of Hank the Handful, that will be published in March 2023 by Evening Post Books.
Carolyn Mason is a freelance writer who writes about everything from long haul trucking to how to retire gracefully. She and her husband Jeff live on Lady’s Island and have embraced the delights of the Lowcountry lifestyle.
"There is no word in the language I revere more than 'teacher.' My heart sings when a kid refers to me as his teacher, and it always has. I've honored myself and the entire family of man by becoming a teacher.”
— Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides
Established to encourage and support high school seniors with a declared intent to pursue a career in education, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Future Educator Scholarship honors the teaching legacy of the late Pat Conroy (1945 - 2016), acclaimed bestselling author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and more. The inaugural scholarship is funded through the generosity of former educators and will be presented in spring 2023. The $5,000 scholarship will be
awarded in two parts: (1) $2,500 on high school graduation and college acceptance, and (2) $2,500 in the awardee's junior year of college as a future candidate for teaching. In addition to receiving the cash award, the scholarship recipient will also be paired with a teaching mentor who will serve as an additional supportive resource throughout the student's degree program.
Who Should Apply: The Conroy Center’s Future Educator Scholarship is open to all Beaufort County, South Carolina, graduating high school seniors with an interest in pursuing a career in education and meeting the following criteria. The ideal candidate will:
(1) have earned a GPA of 3.0 or greater on the SC Uniform Grading Scale, have earned a 21 or greater on the ACT and/or a 1080 or greater on the SAT, (2) be a legal U.S. citizen and a legal resident of Beaufort County, (3)
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center's seventh annual March Forth will be held on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, with a special preview event the evening of Friday, March 3. March Forth commemorates the anniversary of acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy's passing on March 4, 2016, with programs on major themes of his writing and teaching life, including social justice, inclusivity, conservation, education, and storytelling. Learn more and register in advance at https://marchforth2023.eventbrite.com.
The 2023 March Forth will include appearances by MacArthur Fellowship honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, and poet J. Drew Lanham; South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet, and novelist John Lane; New York Times bestselling novelists De'Shawn Charles Winslow and Megan Miranda; and former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker.
March Forth is presented in collaboration between the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center and Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Storybook Shoppe, the Port Royal Farmers Market, Catering by Debbi Covington, and the DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization) chapters of Beaufort High School and Beaufort Academy, and sponsored in part by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, a nonprofit organization inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage.
NeverMore Books, Fri., March 3
5:00-6:00pm – New York Times bestselling novelist De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of newly released Decent People, in conversation with Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public, this book discussion and signing. Seating is limited; please call 843-812-9460 to reserve in advance.
FREE TEDDY BEAR PICNIC READ-ALOUD
Port Royal Farmers Market, Sat., March 4
9:00-Noon – High school students from the DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Org.) and National Honor Society chapters of Beaufort High and Beaufort Academy will be reading children's picture books to young readers and their families, light snacks provided, in partnership with the Bluffton-based children's bookstore, the Storybook Shoppe. This free event will be near the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd, Port Royal). No registration needed.
YORK W. BAILEY MUSEUM
Penn Center, Sat., March 4
10:00am to 4:00pm Museum admission: $7.00/adult, $5.00/child. Learn more at www. penncenter.com
DARRAH HALL
(a part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park)
Penn Center, Sat., March 4
9:00am to 5:00pm – Free admission. Learn
submit two letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors not related to the applicant, and (4) complete the required application form and two essays. Priority will be given to need-based applicants.
When to Apply: The 2023 scholarship application period is now open and will conclude on March 20, 2023. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection committee, and finalists will be contacted for brief interviews. The scholarship recipient and all other applicants will be notified of their status by April 10, 2023.
How to Apply: Apply online at https:// forms.gle/Su5QxtyZMVihtFdJ8 or via the Conroy Center’s website at www.patconroy literarycenter.org. Please contact the Conroy Center with any questions at patconroy literarycenter@gmail.com
more at https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyour visit/penn-center.htm
TICKETED MARCH FORTH EVENTS
Penn Center, Sat., March 4 (Register in advance by February 24.)
11:00 – 11:30am, Attendee check-in.
11:30 – Noon, Lunch by Debbi Covington.
Noon – 1pm, A conversation with South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet, and novelist John Lane, author of Still Upright and Headed Downstream and Coming into Animal Presence, with interviewer Margaret Evans.
1:00 – 1:20pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
1:20 – 2:20pm, A conversation with New York Times bestselling nature-themed mystery novelist Megan Miranda, author of The Last to Vanish and (forthcoming) The Only Survivors.
2:20 – 2:40pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
2:40 – 3:40pm, A poetry reading and discussion with former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker, editor of Colors Wash Over Me: Poems by Lowcountry Students and author of The Birth of All Things and (forthcoming) Hold What Makes You Whole. (Amaker will be assisted by student readers.)
3:40 – 4:00pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
TICKETED MARCH FORTH EVENTS
Penn Center, Sun., March 5 (Register in advance by February 24.)
10:30 – 11:00am, Attendee check-in.
11:00am – 12:30pm, Nature walk of Penn Center led by environmentalist J. Drew Lanham (a MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" honoree and author of Sparrow Envy) and John Lane (a SC Academy of Authors honoree and author of Still Upright and Headed Downstream)
12:30 – 1:00pm, Book signing.
To learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center, visit online at www.patconroy literarycenter.org or in person at 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m.
“In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina.”
James Taylor, Carolina in My Mind, 1968If you love family and friends, food, fun, and football (or basketball and beyond), you’ll love going to The Carolina Tavern in Port Royal. If you don’t, stop reading now.
there’s not a table available, you might be invited to join another table that has available seats. It’s just that kind of place.
Then there’s the food. At the risk of regurgitating the menu (there’s something for everyone), here’s a quick-ish summary.
The lengthy appetizers list includes: Tavern Crisps (house made chips served with beer cheese); BBQ Chicken or Pork Nachos; Buffalo Chicken
There are also four types of aptly named French fries on the apps list, including Tavern Loaded Fries, Tavern Chili Cheese Fries, Tavern Garlic Parm Fries, and Tavern Ale Gravy Fries.
With the NFL playoffs continuing, the Super Bowl on the horizon, and March Madness about to commence its craziness, there’s never been a better time to head to The Carolina Tavern for the first (or 40th) time. Plus, “Carolina” is on our minds in a big way, thanks to the release of Lynn’s Carolina’s Ring novel this month (shameless, but proud, plug).
Let’s start with family and friends. The bottom-line is that The Carolina Tavern is a VERY popular gathering spot for family, besties, and beyond. It shows as soon as you walk in the door, in that it often feels like a family reunion. And, if you’re not family and
Dip (shredded beer-can chicken tossed in hot sauce, blue cheese, and cream cheese, and served with tortilla chips); their delectable riff on traditional nachos (three-bean and beer chili topped with melted shredded cheddar and Jack cheeses, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and jalapeños, and served with sour cream and salsa); and a lot more (really, it’s a long list).
The first appetizer listed also remains the top-selling app: Pretzel Dippers, which are fresh-baked pretzels rubbed in garlic butter and dusted with Parmesan cheese. They’re served with honey mustard & cheese sauce for dipping. The “Tavern Triple Play” offering is a great deal for 14 bucks, where you can choose three from a list of six apps (including Pretzel Dippers, thankfully). If we have six or more people at our table we order two Tavern Triple Plays and get all six choices.
Next, there’s a choice of eight different eight-ounce tavern burgers, which are hand-pattied and served on a potato roll, with French fries or a side of your choice. Trust us when we report that these are very good burgers. One of our goals at The Carolina Tavern is to try all eight options. It’s a tough job, but we’ll do anything for our readers. We love that the menu explains the various “temperature” choices (“medium rare” for our burger, please).
There’s also a choice of seven sandwiches, which are also served on potato rolls. You can substitute a flour wrap for a roll on any sandwich. Sandwiches, plus subs and Tavern Flats below, are also served with French fries or a side of your choice. Highlights for us from the sandwich board include the Big Pig Sandwich (think pulled pork, applewood smoked bacon, baked ham, smoked sausage, and cheddar cheese . . . yeap, all of it); the BBQ Smoked Sausage Sandwich; the Corned Beef Sandwich; and the Beer Battered Fish Sandwich.
Subs are served on sub rolls, but you can also substitute flour wraps for any sub roll. The Tavern Steak Sandwich is very popular, with shaved ribeye or shredded beer can chicken, topped with mushrooms onions green peppers, and Jack cheese. There’s also the Tavern Philly Sub, Buffalo Chicken Sub, and the Tavern Chicken Sub.
A menu category called Tavern Flats features flatbreads. Options include the Cheesy Garlic Flat, the Club Flat, the Buffalo Chicken Flat, the unique Scampi Flat, and several more.
They’re rightfully proud of their sides. Standard sides for just 99 cents include: sweet potato tots; French fries; mashed potatoes; coleslaw; tasty grilled veggies; and beer cheese served as a side. Premium sides for just $2.99 include: yummy onion rings; their Garlic Parm Fries; their Tavern Chili Cheese Fries, Tavern Chips; and loaded mashed potatoes. You can also substitute or add a salad for a small upcharge.
But wait, there’s more. Next comes a choice of seven entrées, served with a choice of one side. The possibilities include shrimp, corned beef, a 12-ounce rib eye, a barbecue plate, beer-battered fish and chips, and more. We’ve tried several of these and seen them all served, so we’re comfortable with recommending all of their entrées as well, if that’s more your style.
The Carolina Tavern’s very popular and seriously tender fall-off-the-bone ribs are slow-cooked for 16-plus hours and sauced to perfection. They’re served in half and full rack portions. Their rib sauces range from dry beer rubs to sweet honey options and BBQ blends with a full range of heat.
Their wonderful (and wonderfully large) wings are served bone-in or boneless and they’re fresh and never frozen. All servings include celery and dressing. They come in batches of 6, 10, 15, 20, and 50. Their extensive wing sauces list includes more
than a dozen options, with some of our favorites including Tavern Classic, Garlic Parmesan, Sweet Red Chili, Tavern Beer Rub, which is dry, and their Tavern Blend. Extra sauces are available in two and four ounce portions, as are additional servings of celery and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
The hand-breaded and sauced-to-order tenders are family faves. They are also fresh and never frozen.
We also love their four combo possibilities, including Ribs and Chicken Tenders, Ribs and Pork, Ribs and Wings, in both boneless and bone-in, and Ribs and Shrimp. In our experience, you’ll very likely have leftovers if you order a combo.
The wings wind up the meandering menu and our march through it for our loyal readers, but there’s much more to The Carolina Tavern story. Lynn’s mentor Pat Conroy often said, “Tell me a story,” so here’s the short version of The Carolina Tavern tale, which is very much a tale of family, friends, food, football, and much more.
Brothers Larry Fries and Ryan Fries own and operate The Carolina Tavern in Port Royal, which opened in 2010. Their Murrells Inlet location opened in 2013 and is operated by Larry’s business partner, Ryan Heenan. Their Greenwood option opened in 2015 and is operated by McKenzie Baldwin. Larry and Ryan Heenan oversee all three.
Larry’s lineage is with Carolina Wings franchises elsewhere in the Carolinas and it shows. The food, service, and atmosphere at The Carolina Tavern is topnotch. And, so are the 23 large screen high-quality TVs, with the guests picking what game will air on “their’ TV (including several situated in booths and above the bustling bar).
Larry comes from a family of eight, as does Ryan Heenan, and he has three kids. He reports that The Carolina Tavern is very active in the community, including festivals, donations, events, many military milestones (including everything from graduations to retirements), and much more.
Their menu says it all: “For the love of the game and our love for this community.” That’s why we love goin’ to Carolina . . . The Carolina Tavern, that is.
Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www. seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world, and Lowcountry Weekly recently lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This will include articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. They welcome suggestions for topics.
Love is in the air! Every year, I have all kinds of great ideas for Valentine’s Day treats and before I realize it, time has flown by and I’ve missed the food part of the holiday entirely. Not this year! Best of all, these beautiful creations were quick and easy to prepare. Please make and share one of these fun recipes with someone that you love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
I’d love to take credit for this easy and fun recipe, but I can’t. I found it on Pinterest.
Oreo cookies
Red melting candies
Royal icing eyes
Candy sprinkles
Place a baking rack on a baking sheet. In a microwave safe bowl, melt red candies following package directions. Dip cookie three-fourths of the way into the melted red candies and tap lightly to remove excess.
Place on baking rack and immediately add candy sprinkles. Add a drop of melted red candies to the backs of the eyes using a toothpick. Stick eyes to the chocolate part of the cookie. Let cookies dry on baking rack until chocolate is set. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, lemon cake with lemon frosting or even a white cake with cream cheese frosting would also be great with this recipe.
1 (15.25-ounce) strawberry flavored cake mix (eggs, water, and vegetable oil, to Bake)
1 (16 oz.) container strawberry frosting
1 (14 oz.) bag conversation hearts candies
Bake cake according to package directions, using 8” or 9” round pans. Cool cake rounds completely on baking racks. After cakes have cooled, place first layer on a cake plate or cake stand. Frost first layer. Top with second layer, frost the
By Debbi Covington
top and the sides of the cake all the way around. Smooth frosting as evenly as possible. Start placing the first row of candy hearts around the bottom edge of the cake. Repeat until the sides of the cake are completely covered. Pick a color pattern and emulate it throughout the entire cake decorating process. Stager the candy hearts in between each other as much as possible to get the most coverage. Be sure to add the candy hearts before the frosting begins to dry. For the top of the cake, repeat the same process stating your row on the outer edge working to the center. Store cake, covered, for up to three days. Serves 10 to 12.
The third edition of the Beaufort Human Library will be held as a free public event on the afternoon of Sunday, April 23, opening day of National Library Week. The program is hosted in partnership between the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the Pat Conroy Literary Center, the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (DAYLO), and community organizers and volunteers.
We’ve all heard the old adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” A human library is an opportunity to check out a person
instead of a book and share stories to foster greater empathy and understanding in our community. Look for additional details to be posted this spring. The planning committee is now recruiting individuals who have overcome stereotypes, prejudices, adversity, etc., and are willing to share their stories as “books” for the Beaufort Human Library project. Interested? Learn more and apply by March 1 to be a “book” at https://forms.gle/12DMKBBQ7maDrdLF8 or through the Beaufort Human Library’s Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/beauforthumanlibrary.
After a Lowcountry debut book signing event at Beaufort Book Store last year, author Iris Jackson has been busy on her Telling Trails tour. Offering workshops for writers locally and virtually, authors enjoyed her “Finding Your Storytellers’ Voice,'' sponsored by the Pat Conroy Literary Center. This season, Iris is leading hikers, readers, writers and those who love the great outdoors, on new shared adventures.
For the upcoming Honey Hike, February 14 from 10:30 – 12:30, participants are encouraged to find their “sweet” inspirations during a beautiful outdoor hike/workshop on Hilton Head Island, at Honey Horn. Partnering with Dawn at the Coastal Discovery Museum, Iris invites you to begin a new journey, that may lead you to new creative outlets – with the Telling Trails Tour book series.
Register at www.TellingTrailsTour@gmail.com
Signed copies of Telling Trails are available for advance purchase at Beaufort Book Store, and at Coastal Discovery Museum for purchase on the day of the hike. Telling Trails is also available at The Lighthouse at Harbour Town, Mingles at Coligny Plaza, The Sandbox, McIntosh Book Shoppe in Beaufort and at Your Favorite bookstore.
Interested in more? March: Trail Trek. April: Earth Day Hometown Hike. Visit www.TellingTrails.org
Apenny for your thoughts. In the early 1900’s, that’s all it cost to get your message mailed to a friend or loved one. That was the cost of the card and another penny for the stamp. At the height of this craze between 1908 and the mid 1930’s, more than a billion postcards were sent annually around the world. This all ended with the outbreak of World War I in Europe.
Valentine’s Day postcards were extremely popular at the Turn of the 20th Century. Two dozen of these vintage Valentine postcards will be on display at Beaufort Art Association Gallery throughout February. Some were
Spring Love by Sandy Dimke
written and cancelled by the post office and others were never mailed but kept in scrapbooks.
In conjunction with this display, Beaufort Art Association will have an additional exhibit called “Show Your Love” during February. Members will have artworks 12”x12” or smaller, dedicated to LOVE, on exhibit and for sale.
The public is invited to stop by and see this collection of original printed commercial art from one hundred years ago –and new, “lovey” member art, too. Beaufort Art Association Gallery is located at 913 Bay Street, Downtown Beaufort and is open from Tuesday – Sunday from 11am – 4pm.
By Michael Johns
USCB Chamber Music presents a concert of song, dance, and pianistic brilliance on Sunday, February 19 at 5:00pm. Pianist Orion Weiss, Artistic Director/pianist Andrew Armstrong, and tenor Daniel Mutlu will perform music exhibiting introspection, exuberance, searing romanticism, and jazzy panache.
High spirits return after intermission with Franz Schubert's Fantasia in F minor, D. 940, for piano four-hands. Schubert compressed the four movements of a symphony into a single composition of attractive melody, surprising harmony, and warm dialogue. Morgen! (Tomorrow!), Opus 27, No. 4 is a song by Richard Strauss for voice and piano. The hopeful text has a comforting message for our time and place: “tomorrow the sun will shine again . . . and . . . to the beach, wide, wave-blue . . . ” All questioning is swept away with Samuel Barber's set of six whimsical, stylish dances: Souvenirs, Opus 28 for piano four-hands. The music reveals Barber’s fondness for New York, evoking the city’s optimism and saucy swagger that Gershwin so confidently captured. Barber wrote, “Imagine a divertissement in a setting of the Palm Court of the Hotel Plaza in New York, the year about 1914, epoch of the first tangos.”
The performance begins with a perfect opener, one of the twentieth-century's top toe-tappers: George Gershwin's I Got Rhythm for solo piano from the 1930s musical Girl Crazy. The mood becomes more personal with the final Intermezzo and Capriccio from Johannes Brahms autumnal 7 Fantasien, Op 116. Brahms poured a lifetime of compositional craft into these packed miniatures, creating an Intermezzo that caresses with tenderness beyond words and a Capriccio that explodes with wild energy and intense expression. Closing the first half is Robert Schumann's questioning Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love) song-cycle, a universally acknowledged core example of the German Romantic-period lied (song). Piano and tenor are equal partners, closely knitting together words, music, and meaning to evoke the poet's state of mind. There is no factual story line; the poems trace a psychological progression from blissful love to disillusionment and despair.
USCB Chamber Music Artistic Director/ pianist Andrew Armstrong will continue his loquacious commentary and dazzling pianism while introducing two artists new to the series. Andy has regularly delighted audiences across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the United States as a recitalist and concertosoloist, in chamber music concerts with the Elias, Alexander, American, and Manhattan String Quartets, and as a member of the Caramoor Virtuosi, Boston Chamber Music Society, Seattle Chamber Music Society, and Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.
Pianist Orion Weiss is a sought-after soloist who has performed with major American orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His deeply felt, lush-sounding, and exceptionally crafted performances have won him worldwide acclaim. He has an impressive list of awards to his credit and an extensive variety of chamber music collaborations with artists of the highest order including two violinists, James Ehnes and Arnaud Sussman, who have graced the CFA stage earlier this season. Tenor and
Cantor Daniel Mutlu received a bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Masters in Sacred Music from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Ordained as a cantor in 2008, in 2017 he was called to serve as senior cantor at Central Synagogue in New York City. In addition to sacred duties Daniel Mutlu has recorded many solo oratorio and opera roles and received glowing reviews for solo singing with the Trinity Choir Wall Street, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Bach Society.
Experience in-the-moment creativity as the artists exquisitely balance between seeking perfection and letting go of inhibitions. Experience the thrill of being a participant in a communal event that moves across a range from complete silence to on-your-feet applause. The hall is newly refurbished. Great artists have come to perform in Beaufort. The music is attractive, intriguing, soothing, probing, and joyous. The only thing missing from the equation is you. There are multiple ways to enjoy the concerts—In Person, Live-Stream and On-Demand. All virtual concerts are professionally produced, creating great viewing opportunities. On-Demand is accessible four days after the concert and available to view at your leisure for three weeks. For concert/ticket information, go to www.uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-2088246, Monday through Friday. The concert is Sunday, February 19, 5:00pm at the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret St., Beaufort.
Thanks to a new partnership with the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center’s Open Mic Night will begin meeting in person every other month, starting Thursday, February 9. The Open Mic will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Sandies (711 Bladen Street, Beaufort). The event is free and open to the public.
Open Mic Night features short, 3-minute readings of poetry and prose by local writers, culminating in a longer reading by a special guest writer. The featured poet for February is Lola Campbell, author of the debut collection Writing on the Wall. Campbell is also the owner of Binya: Gullah Gifts & More on Hilton Head Island, as well as a blogger and a senior attorney in the financial industry. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Howard University School of Law.
The Conroy Center’s Open Mic Night is also presented in partnership with the statewide South Carolina Writers Association. Upcoming featured writers include novelist Ciera Horton McElroy, author of Atomic Family (virtual, March 30), poet Jacquelyn Markham, author of Rainbow Warrior (in person at Sandies, April 13), and novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, author of Even as We Breathe (virtual, May 11).
To register in advance to read from your work at an Open Mic Night, email the Conroy Center at contact@patconroyliterarycenter. org. Writers may also be able to sign up in person at Sandies just prior to the start of the February 9 Open Mic.
Holy Trinity Classical Christian School is hosting a lecture series on C.S. Lewis's book The Abolition of Man. The Rev. Joe Lawrence will lead the two-night series from 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Tuesday, Feb. 28, on the main campus at 302 Burroughs Ave.
This series is open to the community and is free of charge. Registration is required. To register, go to the school's website at www. HTCCS.org and see News & Announcements on the homepage or use the quick link.
Lewis's The Abolition of Man is a thought-provoking and timely exploration of the role of education and morality in shaping our world and our place in it. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of education, morality, and the future of humanity. Lewis discusses the importance of objective moral truths and the role that education plays in shaping our moral compass. Children are not born with an innate understanding of the moral impulses they should follow; this faculty must be nurtured
in them by their parents and teachers. He argues that there are certain moral virtues, such as courage and compassion, that are universal and timeless, and that education should be focused on instilling these virtues in students. Over the course of two evenings Rev. Joe Lawrence will illustrate how Classical Christian education is the remedy to prevent the abolition of man. For more information about this lecture and future lectures, please contact Celeste Pruit, Director of Advancement, at cpruit@htccs.org or call her at 843-379-9632.
Audrey Hepburn once wrote “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” And at this dark and cold time of the year, truer words were never written. I use this season to plan and plot out what to plant. I do a lot of “creative staring” at my garden to figure out what will look good in the spring. I am hopeful that my perennials will come up and flourish once again, and since there is always room for more plants this year I am planting quite a lot of seeds.
Seeds are a very inexpensive way to add to your garden. For a three-dollar packet of seeds, you will get numerous plants. You also will have a much better selection when you order from a seed company than what you will find at our local nurseries.
Seed catalogs have seeds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Some even carry seeds for ornamental grasses.
This year I am starting many of my seeds inside. I have found that take out and party platter containers make great mini greenhouses - especially the ones with the clear plastic lids. Poke some drainage holes in the bottom and a few slits to make an opening for ventilation in the clear top. I use seed starting mix that is available at any big box store. I will be starting seeds indoors around the middle of February. Our last frost date is usually March 15th and most seeds need around 4-6 weeks to germinate and to produce second leaves so that they are big enough to plant out.
Soil temperature is important and when the soil temp gets up to 50, it is safe to plant things.
Seed packets will give you a time frame as well as a germination rate. They may also tell you how long before the plant matures and flowers. A sunny windowsill is all you need, but on warm days a porch or deck can be a nice little vacation for your seedlings. Once they have some leaves, you will need to acclimatize your seedlings by “hardening off.” This is putting them outside in a part shade, part sun area so that they can get used to being out in the open air and sunlight.
All of my zinnias are grown from seed as well as Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) and ageratum. I direct sowed this past year and due to a colder than normal March, it took
good layer of compost as a mulch protects my plants as well as gives them nutrients to get a nice head start in the spring. Composted cow mature is also a good product to use as well.
I plan on expanding one of my flowerbeds to give my roses more room. My lawn keeps on getting smaller and smaller and that is fine with me. Turf grass really provides no ecological or environmental benefit so if I can slowly, but surely diminish the amount of lawn, so much the better. Americans seem to love their lawns much to the amusement of other parts of the world. The grasses that we have in our lawns are not indigenous to our continent. Kentucky Blue grass is native to Europe and northern Asia. The first settlers had to bring grass seed with them so that their livestock had something to eat. Who knew?
I really find winter a great time to work in the garden. As long as it is above 40 and sunny, it is so nice not to drip with the humidity and
By Wendy Hilty
swat at bugs. I have also developed a more relaxed attitude towards the bad cold snaps that we do have. If something dies, it will give me a new space to fill with a new plant that might be more resilient to changes in temperature. That hard freeze did take out quite a bit of plant material, but I am optimistic that things will come back with warmer temps. I am now getting spring plant and seed catalogs and I can study up on what will be giving me pleasure in 2023. A Happy New Gardening Year!
Wendy Hilty is a Master Gardener and member of the Lowcountry Master Gardeners organization. She is also a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and likes to spend her time attempting to grow an English Cottage Garden in our heat and humidity. Her Comyagardener blog won a state-wide award from Clemson University last year. Wendy firmly believes that the most important tool for a gardener is a good sense of humor.
awhile for my flowers to bloom. My ageratum bloomed all last winter. This year, our hard freeze Christmas weekend killed them off. Do not be put off by the commonness of marigolds. There are some new varieties that are stunning with white, red, or mixed color blossoms. They are not your grandmother’s marigolds. In fact, every year, growers offer new cultivars of old classics that will amaze you. How about a lime green zinnia with a magenta center? That will be a showstopper.
I do not tidy up my garden until the end of February. I leave up the dried grasses and perennials to provide habitat for hibernating insects. The seedpods are enjoyed by the birds. I have grown to like the looks of the dead plant material. It provides winter interest rather than bare ground.
The winter is also a good time to put down compost to enrich your soil. I buy bags of mushroom compost. It is inexpensive and tends to be alkaline in nature and that is beneficial since our soil tends to be acidic. A
ITALY: Tuscany townhouse for rent by the week in historic UNESCO village. Sleeps 4, large furnished garden, easy walk to shops and excellent restaurants. www.cozyholidayrentals.com or 401-862-2377.
FURNISHED LUXURY APT Heart of downtown Beaufort. 2BR, 2BA, W/D, Housewares. $600/ wk. $2200/mo. 522-9003.
BUYING BASEBALL CARDS and all other sports cards Pre 1980. Looking for personal collections. Paying Top Dollar $. Beaufort County Resident Call Jim 215-266-2975 or jdvescisr@gmail.com
BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY ONGOING PROGRAMS & CLASSES Knitting/Crochet Club 1st Tuesdays @ 2:30; Line Dance Class 1st & 3rd Thursdays @ 3:30; Basic Computer Skills Class Wednesdays @ 9; Hoopla Class 2nd Mondays @ 10 and 4th Wednesdays @ 4; Escape Quest Games daily during library hours; Dungeon & Dragons Teen Club Mondays @ 4; Teen Art Club 1st & 3rd Tuesdays @ 4; Teen Anime Club 2nd & 4th Tuesdays @ 4; Teen Gaming Club 1st & 3rd Wednesdays @ 4
FRIDAY SOCIAL DANCES The Hilton Head Carolina Shag Club hosts Friday dances from 6-9:30 pm at Dolphin Head Golf Club, 59 High Bluff Rd, Hilton Head Plantation. Open to the public. Shag, ballroom, swing, country, or line. Singles welcome. Cash bar and light dinners available. $5 floor fee. HHICSC also teaches beginner Shag lessons Tuesday nights. www.hiltonheadshagclub.com, or www.facebook.com/HHICSC
STAINED GLASS CLASSES IN BEAUFORT Southern Sky Glass Studio is forming morning and afternoon classes for adults 18 and older. Beginning to advanced classes. Cynthia Buckley 508-280-9792 or southernskyglassstudio@gmail.com
ART LEAGUE OF HH CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
With over 25 local professional art educators, and guests from around the world, Art League of Hilton Head offers classes and workshops in all media for all levels of students. Visit www.artleaguehhi.org or email academy@artleaguehhi.org for more info.
POTTERY CLASSES IN BEAUFORT McSweeney
Clay Studio is offering morning, afternoon and evening classes for children and adults. Pottery dates and parties available as well. Classes are on going. Beginner or advanced welcome. mcsweeneyclaystudio.com or call 843-694-2049.
LOWCOUNTRY SHAGGERS Mondays at the Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd. 6-9pm. Carolina Shag Lessons with Tommy & Sheri O'Brien and others. Occasional Ballroom Dance and once a month a Line Dance is taught. Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced lessons. Open dancing after lessons. Visit www.lowcountryshaggers.com or lowcountryshaggers@aol.com
WEDNESDAYS, BEAUFORT SHAG CLUB founded '02, meets Wed evenings at AMVETS on Ribaut Rd., Port Royal. Free lessons to members. The club is an ACSC, SOS, and the National Fastdance Association member. For info visit www.beaufortshagclub.com
CARIS HEALTHCARE: WE HONOR VETERANS Hospice Program. You a Vet with a little time to share with other Vets with limited time? The We Honor Veterans program seeks volunteers who are Vets to offer a listening ear for our Veteran patients. Volunteers also participate in our Pinning Ceremonies for Veteran patients. Contact 843-473-3939 or smilliken@carishealthcare.com
WILDFLOWER FAMILY THERAPY CENTER offers individual, couple, and family therapy for children, teens, and adults. Visit us at www.wildflowercenter.org
HABITAT RESTORE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
We're looking for volunteers for cashiers, sales floor associates, donation processing, donor data entry, and donor ambassadors. Interested? Go to lowcountryhabitat.org/volunteer or call 843-525-0055.
KARAOKE AT THE MOOSE Sing with us Thursday evenings at The Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd. 7:30-10:30pm. Brought to you by #top6entertainment Mardi & Dennis Topcik. The Moose is a family friendly place and Thursdays are also Pizza Night!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for Calhoun Station
Thrift Store in Bluffton. All funds generated are returned to other nonprofits in the community. Store is open Wed & Sat 10am to 1pm and located at 77 Pritchard St. Volunteers can stop by store or contact Cate Taylor, 843-310-0594 or catetaylor@frontier.com
MAYE RIVER QUILTERS meets 1st Saturday of Every Month, at Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. Members meet at 9:30am for social exchange. The meeting starts at 10 am. We welcome new members. Please call 843-707-6034.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for HELP of Beaufort, 1810 Ribaut Road. Looking for committed volunteers for clothes sorting, pantry help, front desk help and Mobile Meals drivers. We are open M-F from 9:30-12:30, Mobile Meals delivers to home bound seniors 5 days/ week, routes takes about 30-45 mins. Email Lori at helpbeaufort@gmail.com, or call 843-524-1223, or stop in and fill out an application.
PORT ROYAL MUSEUM is open Thursday through Sunday at 1634 Paris Ave., from 10 - 3 or upon request. Free admission! Call 843-524-4333 or email historicportroyalfoundation@gmail.com to request a special opening.
PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP - First Thursday of the month at Beaufort Memorial LifeFit Wellness Center, from 1:30-2:45pm, 900 Ribaut Rd. Beaufort. We are individuals with Parkinson’s care partners of those with Parkinson’s, and individuals or companies providing products or services for Parkinson’s patients. For more info: Rick Ostrander at pdawaresc@ gmail.com or Facebook at Parkinson’s Support Group Of Beaufort SC Port Royal & Lady’s Island.
TOUR HISTORIC FORT FREMONT—-Travel to the 1800's and the Spanish American War. From 10:00 am until 2:00 pm every Friday and every Saturday from 10:00 until 4:00pm at the Fort Fremont History Center at the Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land's End Road, St. Helena Island is open. Docent-led tours are every Saturday at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Visitors to Fort Fremont can learn about the fort's history by reading interpretive panels, taking a
self-guided tour with a smart phone, visiting the history center exhibit hall, or attending a docent-led tour of the property. The Preserve is open to the public Monday through Sunday from dawn to dusk. For more Information visit www.forttremont.org or contact Passive Parks manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@bcgov.net
US COAST GUARD AUXILIARY, Flotilla 07-10-01, Port Royal Sound, a uniformed, all volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard. We conduct safety patrols, assist search & rescue, teach boat safety, conduct free vessel safety checks and other boating activities. Monthly meetings are open to all and held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Port Royal Sound Foundation classroom at 7pm. For info call Flotilla Commander Pattie McGowan (706-6336192) and visit us on Facebook - USCGA Beaufort.
BEAUFORT TOASTMASTERS CLUB meets from 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm the first & third Tuesday, in the Beaufort College Building, Rm. 103 (USC-Beaufort Campus), 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort. To learn more visit www.beauforttoastmastersclub.org
FREE ACUPUNCTURE FOR VETERANS – Veterans, Active Duty, Transition. Their Families and First Responders are Eligible. First & Third Wednesday 4 - 6pm. Walk In Clinic. No Need to Pre-Register or Call. Nourishing Health Acupuncture and Herbs Clinic. 1214 Prince Street, Downtown Beaufort
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for a few hours each week at St. Francis Thrift Shop. Open Tuesday thru Saturday. Call 843-689-6563 or come in to speak with Mr. Hal. Definitely shop.
COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE Safe & effective centuries old healing system treats and prevents a wide range of health-related conditions. Experience individualized treatment in a peaceful group setting. Sliding scale fee. Beaufort Acupuncture, 12 Fairfield Rd, 5B, Lady’s Island. For info and to schedule: (843) 694-0050 or www.BeaufortAcupuncture.com
SECOND HELPINGS seeking Day Captains and other volunteers to crew our trucks distributing food to local charities. Flexible schedule at your convenience. Email officeadmin@secondhelpingslc.org
AGAPE HOSPICE seeks volunteers to spend time bringing joy to our patients and families during a difficult time. Activities include playing music, baking, arts and crafts, pet therapy, manicures, listening to stories, holding hands, etc. Provide companionship to the elderly who often feel lonely and unappreciated. Contact Ashlee Powers at 843-592-8453 or apowers@agapehospice.com
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for HELP of Beaufort. Come join the team providing food, mobile meals, clothing and emergency financial assistance to those in need in our community. Open Mon-Fri 9:30-12:30. 2 Ice House Rd., Beaufort. Call or email Jennifer 843-524-1223 or info@helpofbeaufort.org
TIDEWATER HOSPICE SUPPORT GROUP: Last Wed. and Thurs. of the month. Weds. 10-11am at Sun City; Thurs. 12-1pm Brookdale Hilton Head Ct., Hilton Head; for those who provide physical, emotional or practical support to a family member or friend. Jodi Johnson, LMSW. Bereavement Group: 5-6 pm., Thursdays, 10 Buckingham Plantation Drive, Suite A, Bluffton; for those who have experienced a loss and would like support and info associated with grief and bereavement. Corrie VanDyke, LMSW or Marie James, MA. 843-757-9388
INTERESTED IN HEALTHY EATING? Second Helpings, of Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties, seeks committee members and chairperson for
Healthy Food Program. Funding available to procure fresh produce and protein for the 60 food pantries and soup kitchens served by Second Helpings. Contact Exec. Dir. Lili Coleman, 843-689-3616 or execdirector@secondhelpingslc.org
BORN TO READ working for early childhood literacy, needs volunteers to deliver books and materials to new mothers at Coastal Community Hosp., HH Hosp., and BMH. Visits are from 10am – noon. More info at borntoread.org or call 843-379-3350.
ALZHEIMER’S FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATER BEAUFORT, Support Groups: Caregiver - Weds., 12:30pm, Senior Services of Beaufort, 1408 Paris Ave., Port Royal; Living with Alzheimer's - for those in very early stages - Mondays 1pm, Parsons Parlor, Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret, Beaufort. Respite Programs: Social Day Program- 10am-1:45pm $40 Day Fee, Mon. at Cornerstone Christian Church, 2301 First Blvd., Beaufort, Weds. & Friday at Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; In Home - Respite Aides available for 2 hr. minimum, $12$24. Early Memory Loss: Maintain Your Brain - 2nd & 4th Thursday, 10-11:30am, $10/person, $15 couple, Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; Memory Screenings available call 843-5219190, free; Purple Haven Project - Educate local establishment staff to better interact with a person with Alzheimer's call 843-521-9190.
THRESHOLD SINGERS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY A choir to ease and comfort people at bedside by offering gentle voices and sacred songs, with sincere kindness. Two to four singers go to bedside when asked and sing a cappella and in harmony. Practice at St. John's Lutheran Church the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month from 2:30-4:00 pm. Our songs are our gift of service for no charge. Call Pat Keown at 843-476-6073 to either join or ask us to sing for a loved one.
THE LITERACY CENTER is seeking volunteers to tutor adults in reading, writing, math and ESL. Students hope to acquire skills to pursue life goals, support families, and contribute to our community. Daytime and evenings in Bluffton and HHI. Call 843815-6616 (Bluffton); 843-681-6655 (HHI). No teaching, tutoring or other language knowledge necessary. www.theliteracycenter.org
THE SANDALWOOD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY. Volunteer-based, non-profit provides groceries, clothing and basic needs items to ANYONE in need. Open Tues & Fri 11:30am-1pm at 114 Beach City Rd., Hilton Head. Donations of food and funds needed. For info: Rev. Dr. Nannette Pierson at 843715-3583 or email sandalwoodpantry@gmail.com
PARRIS ISLAND MUSEUM. The legacy of the Marine Corps and the history of the Port Royal region. Thousands of artifacts, images, and other materials illustrate the stories in exhibit galleries from Native American to modern Marines. FREE admission. Mon-Sat 10am-4:30pm and 8am on Family Graduation Days. Closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Info at parrisislandmuseum. com or 843-228-2166.
MEDICAL SERVICES OF AMERICA SEEKS VOLUN-
TEERS - Volunteers needed for companionship or skills like yard work, music, and crafts to patients and their families or assist in the office with admin tasks. Volunteers needed in Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties. For info contact 843-322-0063
CHRIST CENTERED RECOVERY MEETINGS Join Shell Point Baptist Church Saturdays for “Celebrate Recovery”, addressing life’s problems and looking to scripture for solutions. Meal at 6pm; Praise and Worship at 6:30pm followed by Small Groups at 7:15pm. 871 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Info at 843-592-1046.
At the end of many films, resolution is defined by when “the bad guy” is subdued. This is because evil is often portrayed as a human individual. While it is always vital to identify and overcome evil and destructive behaviors, only in the movies does evil disappear by eliminating a person. In real life, that doesn’t eradicate the underlying evils that torment our world.
Christian Science teaches that to effectively address evil, a first step is to stop giving a human face to it. The Monitor’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy, explains in her Message to The Mother Church for 1901, “Evil is neither quality nor quantity: it is not intelligence, a person or a principle, a man or a woman, a place or a thing, and God never made it” (pp. 12-13).
Only what God creates, in the ultimate scheme of things, has validity and presence. Everything created by God, who is Spirit and utterly good, is wholly good and spiritual. Evil, rather than being a legitimate acting power, doesn’t have any divine backing at all. This opens up a whole new approach to achieving peace. As we admit the spiritual fact that God is the only legitimate presence, we begin to stop regarding evil as sourced in a human being. We then can start disarming it through inspired prayer. What a blessing it is to know that, continuously, we all on this globe are within God’s all-presence. Knowing this isn’t to ignore evil or to refuse to hold perpetrators accountable; it is to realize
that, given God’s all-present goodness, evil isn’t as powerful or inevitable as it may seem.
In the biblical account of David and Goliath, Goliath –a physically huge, intimidating fighter – said to the people of Israel, “Give me a man, that we may fight together” (I Samuel 17:10). A young shepherd, David, volunteered. With only a slingshot and stone, David prevailed. If David had considered Goliath an insurmountable evil being, David wouldn’t have won the day.
There’s a lesson here for our present times. How are we looking at the Goliaths of our world? Is God, good, all-present –except in the area where some modern-day Goliath is behaving with irrationality, hatred, and domination? No! Evil owns no position within God’s all-presence. It is within the precinct of human consciousness that, with God’s authority, we address and eliminate belief in evil’s potency. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good,” instructs the Bible (Romans 12:21).
In my early childhood, I lived with a number of different families. In one home, I was faced with the rancid ugliness of repeated evil and selfish behaviors. I was overwhelmed by the experience, which had a lasting impact on me. For some time afterward, I trusted very few adults.
During the years that followed, I was introduced to Jesus’ example. He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good” (Luke 6:45). I began to realize that I didn’t need to let evil intimidate me. I decided to spend
focused time in prayer, which enriched my thoughts with a fuller sense of God’s goodness. This simple commitment changed my whole perspective. It empowered me to stop resenting persons and instead to acknowledge the presence of God’s goodness in everyone. Day after day, connecting deeply and actively with the treasure of God’s present goodness brought freedom from the false notion that evil could ever have a personality and unavoidable presence. I began consistently identifying myself, along with everyone else, as made to express God’s goodness and love. This freed me from that lingering mental baggage and helped me express God’s goodness more fully in my own actions.
“To impersonalize scientifically the material sense of existence – rather than cling to personality – is the lesson of to-day,” observes Mrs. Eddy (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p. 310). A prayerful heart overflowing with adoration of God’s goodness defined Jesus’ perspective. We can commit to making it our prayerful perspective, too.
It’s not that God gives us goodness in order to fight with “the bad guy.” No, it’s that God Himself is actually the entire context of real existence, and we each are created as the spiritual expression of God’s flawless nature. Even when evil seems entrenched, seeing just a glimpse of this spiritual reality opens the way for God’s transforming, healing power to become more evident.
By Mark SwinneyOur Perspectives discuss a topic that needs our local attention. For February it is “The Ever-Presence of God, Good.” How can you express God’s love to address this in your life, our community, and the world? Learn more about Christian Science and our local services at BeaufortChristianScience.Org and view more Perspectives at CS Monitor Perspectives.
with Sam Wolfe; Nhexis; Xocar, 2/17 Charles Wesley Godwin; JR Carroll, 2/18 Mimosa Fest with DJ Cabanavibez - doors 11am, show at noon. (843) 408-1599 or www.musicfarm.com
The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston. Sundays - The Motown Throwdown, Mondays - Slim & Friends; Tuesdays - Fusion Jonez, Wednesdays - Grateful Dead Wednesday with The Reckoning. 2/2 Papadosio; Puzzled, 2/2 Papadosio; Moldybrain, 2/4 Neal Francis; The Psycodelics, 2/5 Jaime Wyatt; She Returns from War, 2/6 Grateful Dub - reggae Dead, 2/7 GA-20, 2/9 - 2/11 Big Something . . . 2/9 with Abby & the Echoes, 2/10 with Josh Phillips, 2/11 with the Wright Ave, 2/14 The Great Mountain Groove, 2/16 Jimbo Mathus; Schaefer Llana, 2/17 & 2/18 Doom Flamingo. (843) 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com
Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 2/3 Cowboy Mouth, 2/4 Dysfunction, 2/10 Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi tribute, 2/11 Fo Daniels, 2/17 Weird Science, 2/18 FlashMob. (843) 886-8596 or www.the-windjammer.com
Foolish Frog, 846 Sea Island Pkwy, St. Helena Island. (843) 838-9300. www.thefoolishfrog.com
Luther’s Rare & Well Done, 910 Bay Street. (843) 521-1888 or www.luthersrareandwelldone.com
Q on Bay, 822 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 524-7771 or www.qonbay.com
Rosie O’Gradys Irish Pub, in Beaufort Town Center. December! A Blessed Season! We're open thru the Holidays. C'mon down! Mondays & Tuesdays F&B Nights with Discounts; Wednesday, Friday & Saturday - Karaoke at 10pm. Open daily at 11:30am. 18 Years Now! Closed Christmas Day. (843) 379-7676 or Rosie's on Facebook.
Saltus River Grill, 802 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 3793474 or www.saltusrivergrill.com
Big Bamboo, Coligny Plaza. (843) 686-3443 or www.bigbamboocafe.com
Captain Woody’s, 6 Target Rd., Hilton Head or 17 State of Mind St., Bluffton. www.captainwoodys.com
The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexf1ord, Hilton Head. Sundays - Deas Guyz; Mondays - A Journey Through Jazz with The Martin Lesch Band; Tuesdays - Fat Tuesdays: A Swingin' Celebration of New Orleans and Beyond; Thursdays - Lavon Stevens with Louise Spencer. 2/1 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parker, 2/3 & 2/4 The Kris Tokarski Trio, 2/8 Bobby Ryder, 2/10 & 2 11 The Quentin Baxter Quintet, 2/15 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parker, 2/17 & 2/18 Geoffrey Keezer Trio. (843) 842-8620 or www.TheJazzCorner.com
Omni Hilton Head Ocean Front in Palmetto Dunes. Buoy Bar - HH Prime - (843) 842-8000 or www.omnihotels.com
The Music Farm, 32 Ann Street, Charleston. 2/2
Token, 2/3 Mr. Holland's Oats - Hall & Oates Tribute, 2/8 Cheyenne Giles; ALX, 2/9 G. Love & Donovan Frankenreiter, 2/10 1770 Records
Showcase featuring Simplicity, Hotel Hugo, Homemade Haircuts, and Tree Limbs, 2/11 STRFKR; Das Kope, 2/15 Comedians in Drag
Doing Comedy with Dr. Anna Lepeley, Hagan Ragland, Shawana Jarrett, Rossi Brown, and Kaz Sortino, 2/16 Blade Rave - Vampire themed rave
Editors Note: Events listed here may be subject to postponement or cancellation. Please check for further information.
2/1 – 2/19, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. For tickets visit www. artshhi.com or call 843-842-2787
Now – 2/20, Indelible Moments: 1970 Street Photographs from Two Cultures, Photographs by Jack Dempsey at USCB Center for the Arts. 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort. For more information, visit www.jdempsey.net
Now – 2/23, The Food We Celebrate. This traveling exhibit tells the story of selected foodways and how they are celebrated and shared. Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage in downtown Ridgeland. www.morrisheritagecenter.org
Now - 2/27, "On the Edge of a Forest, A Conversation Begins," an exhibit of artwork by Jean McLaughlin and Tom Spleth at USCB Sea Islands Center Gallery in Beaufort.
Now - 2/28, Show Your Love, an exhibit of small, original art pieces and vintage valentine postcards at the Beaufort Art Association gallery. 913 Bay Street, Beaufort. www.beaufortartassociation.com
Now – 2/29, Reflections of Nature: Painting with Glass. Featuring the work of Sharon Cooper. The Beaufort Art Association Gallery is located
at 913 Bay Street, Beaufort. www.beaufortartassociation.com
2/6 – 3/5, Annual High School Art Show hosted by the Society of Bluffton Artists. Opening reception on Sat 2/11 from 5-7 pm at the SOBA gallery, located in Old Town Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com
Mondays Now - 3/13, Books Sandwiched In hosted by The Friends of the Beaufort Library, Noon - 1pm at USCB Center for the Arts. For a full of books and presenters, visit www.friendsofthebeaufortlibrary.com/books-sandwiched-in
Fri 2/3, Poet Monica Lee Weatherly will be reading her poetry at Sandies at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (711 Bladen St.) at 5:30 pm. Hosted by the Pat Conroy Literary Center, this event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Sandies will be open for dine-in or take-out dinner that evening. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
Sat 2/4, Monica Lee Weatherly will teach a writing workshop – Narrative Poetry and the Oral Tradition of Storytelling – from 10 am –noon at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort. Limited to 15 participants, $45/person. Advance registration is required at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Thur 2/9, Open Mic Night sponsored by the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the Black Chamber of Commerce. Featured poet: Lola Campbell. 6-7:30 pm at Sandies, 711 Bladen Street. Free and open to the public. To register in advance to read from your work, email the Conroy Center at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org
Wed 2/15, Publication Day Pop-In for Carolina’s Ring by Lynn Seldon. 5-7pm at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort.
Sat 2/18, Lynn Seldon (Carolina’s Ring) in conversation with John Warley from 4-6pm at the Beaufort Bookstore, 2127 Boundary Street, Beaufort.
Tues 2/21 & 2/28, Lecture Series on C.S. Lewis’s Abolition of Man. Hosted by Holy Trinity Classical Christian School. Rev. Joe Lawrence will lead the two-night series from 6 to 7 p.m., on the main campus at 302 Burroughs Ave. For more information, please contact Celeste Pruit at cpruit@htccs.org or 843-379-9632.
Sun 2/19, USCB Chamber Music Concert, featuring music by Brahms, Gershwin and Schumann. 5 pm at the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort. For concert/ ticket information, go to www.uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-208-8246
Thur, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, ‘Five Centuries of History’ Lecture Series sponsored by Historic Beaufort Foundation at USCB Center for the Arts. Featuring historians John McCardell, Larry Rowland, and Stephen Wise. $30 per lecture/$150 lecture package for HBF members. $35 per lecture/$175 lecture package for non-HBF members. $20 per lecture/$100 lecture package for full-time students. www. historicbeaufort.org
Sat 2/4, Search for Stuarts Town Symposium. Sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum. 1 pm at USCB Center for the Arts. Free
and open to the public. www.stuartstown.com
Sat 2/11, 34th Annual BMH Valentine Ball. Featuring pre-ball dinner parties followed by dessert, cocktails, silent auction and live music at Tabby Place in downtown Beaufort. Tickets must be purchased by 1/13 to guarantee seating at a dinner party. For more information, visit www.ValentineBall.org or call the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation at (843) 522-5774.
2/21 – 2/26, 17th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival at USCB Center for the Arts. For a full schedule of events and tickets info, visit www. beaufortfilmfestival.com
3/2 – 3/5, 6th Annual Maison Beaufort: Antiques, Home & Garden Show. Tabby Place, 913 Port Republic Street, Beaufort. Preview Party $40 (3/2) in advance. General admission $6 in advance, $10 at the door (3/3-3/5). www.maisonbeaufort.org
Thursdays and some Tuesdays, Tours of the Historic Hunting Island Lighthouse sponsored by the Friends of Hunting Island. Keeper Ted and his team will tell you about the history of the Lighthouse built in 1875. The only Lighthouse in South Carolina open to visitors. If you're 44 inches tall you may climb the 167 steps to the top for a 360 degree view. Reservations are recommended - call the Nature Center at 843-838-7437. Tours are $2 a person and park entry fees apply.
Second Friday, Beaufort Drum Circle resumes on the 2nd Friday of every month. 6:30 – 8 pm at the Gazebo in Waterfront Park. Eric Roy is the new facilitator. Sessions with 15-20 minutes of instruction on djembe playing and a selected traditional rhythm & accompaniment for participants. Also, there will be time for spontaneous group drumming. All are welcome. No experience is necessary. Bring a drum, if you have one, a chair, and desire for fun. The Drum Circle has extra instruments anyone can use. For more info visit the BeaufortDrumCircle Facebook page.
Third Thursday, TECHconnect is a monthly networking event for professionals working in and around technology. Come and join on the for the conversation at BASEcamp 500 Carteret 5:307:30pm. 843-470-3506. www.beaufortdigital.com
Thursdays, History Tours of Fort Mitchell by the Heritage Library, 10am. $12/Adult $7/Child. 843-686-6560.
Alisha Doud alisha@dcgilbert.com
Daun Schouten daun@dcgilbert.com
Laure Gallagher laure@dcgilbert.com
Ashley Hart ashley@dcgilbert.com
Joy McConnell joy@dcgilbert.com
Dawn Shipsey dawn@dcgilbert.com
Johanna Graham johanna@dcgilbert.com
Kathy Crowley kathy@dcgilbert.com
Kaitlyn Kintz reception@dcgilbert.com
Derek C. Gilbert derek@dcgilbert.com
Melissa R. Wicker melissa@dcgilbert.com
Sam Bailey samuel@dcgilbert.com
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FACSIMILE: 843-524-4006
FOR THE BEAUFORT RIVER AT WATERFRONT PARK
experience servicing Lowcountry buyers and sellers with closings, deeds, and contracts.2 PROFESSIONAL VILLAGE CIRCLE BEAUFORT,
