Lowcountry Weekly May 22 – June 4

Reflections on the good life in coastal South Carolina }.

Lowcountry

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }.

May 22 – June 4, 2024

Advice for Graduates 4

It's pretty simple

Mindy Friddle 8

At the Conroy Center

The Art Posse is Here 10

And it's hilarious

Sheet Pan Supper 12

Debbi's favorite recipes

Garden A Day 13

Celebrating 28 years

Hurry Up and Wait 17

Punctuality & patience

Land-Escapes 11

Photographer Lyndsi Caulder

The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra EUROPEAN Excursion

cover notes

The image on our cover is student art from the new YouTube show The Art Posse, set right here in the Lowcountry. To learn more, see our story on page 10.

yWeekly

May 22 – June 4, 2024

rL o w c o unt

Publisher: Jeff Evans — Jeff@LCWeekly.com

Editor: Margaret Evans — Editor@LCWeekly.com

Marketing Director: Amanda Hanna — 843-343-8483 or Amanda@LCWeekly.com

Art Director: Lydia Inglett

Layout & Design: Amalgamated Sprinkleworks

Contributing Writers: Katherine Tandy Brown, Debbi Covington, Sandra Educate, Wendy Hilte, Carolyn Mason, Margit Resch, Cele & Lynn Seldon, and Sutty Suddeth What’s Happening Calendar: Staff – Editor@LCWeekly.com

Letters to the Editor, comments or suggestions can be addressed to: Lowcountry Weekly 106 West Street Extension, Beaufort, SC 29902 Call: 843-986-9059 or Email: editor@lcweekly.com

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 2024 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.

Advice For The Graduates RANTS & RAVES

Occasionally, I read something I’ve already published here and determine it might bear repeating. When that happens just as I’m at my wit’s end for a column topic – and the timing is just right – it’s like a gift from above. Such is the case with the following.

To all you high school and college graduates out there, whose institutions steadfastly and wisely continue to withhold my invitation to be your commencement speaker, I offer the same unsolicited advice I offered the classes before you last year.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way. I don’t know what your career should be. I didn’t know what my career should be when I was your age, either. I’m in awe of people who set professional goals as children and pursue them relentlessly with no looking back. If you’re one of those magical super-humans, carry on and Godspeed! You don’t need my help.

To the rest of you, I wish I could just trot out that old cliche, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” It’s true –most cliches are true – but it’s not that helpful at this point in your young life. It’s hard enough to figure out what you love, much less get somebody to pay you a living wage to do it. But eventually you will need to get a job, and it’s quite possible that it won’t be your dream job. In fact, you might not like it at all. But life is long, and the world is changing fast,

so you probably won’t be stuck in that job you don’t like forever. It’s quite possible, in fact, that A.I. will soon swipe that job you don’t like right out from under your nose. Keep the faith!

(Insert laughter here. I’m kidding. Sort of. The point is that I have no decent career advice. Consult a professional.)

Find your thing. Your thing doesn’t have to be your job. I repeat: Your thing doesn’t have to be your job. Your thing is your joy. Maybe it’s photography. Or music. Or cooking. Or NASCAR. If you live long enough, you’ll probably have lots of things. I have, and I do. I am currently in search of a new thing, and the search, itself, is a thing – and its own kind of joy. Kids, search for your thing, find it, and nurture it.

Learn to listen and listen to learn. When you’re in a private conversation. When you’re in a group. When you’re on social media. Listen to what people are saying – not what you imagine they’re saying, not what you expect them to say, but what they’re actually saying. Listen to understand, not to respond. Far too many people are busy thinking up a snappy retort when what they should be doing is listening. To apply this advice to the ever-expanding realm of social media, you need only read closely – and curiously – then think before you type. I recently heard an ethics professor on a podcast say, “I always instruct my students to approach a text with

the greatest sense of justice possible – even charity. I instruct them to construe what they’re reading in its highest possible form before they respond to it.” Yes! Do that. Grow things. Gardeners are the happiest people I know. You may not have the time or energy to keep a garden, but you really should think about growing things. Flowers in a window box. Tomatoes in a pot. A fern hanging over your porch. I aspire to having a garden, myself, but have thus far been too lazy to learn about the soil in my yard. But I do grow things, and it makes me happy. I know I’d be happier still if I had a garden. I hope to one day. #goals

Pay attention to birds. Yes, birds. You don’t have to be obsessed with them – like I am – but you should really start noticing them, and sooner than later. I didn’t start paying attention to birds ‘til I was in my 40s, but you don’t have to wait that long to enhance your life exponentially. I’m telling you – watch birds. Once you start seeing them – really seeing them – you will start to see everything else, and appreciate everything else, on a much deeper level. This is a profound truth that can’t be explained, only experienced. You don’t have to wait ‘til middle age to experience it, but most of us are too busy and/or self-absorbed ‘til then to do it. Trust me, I’m offering you a life hack here. Notice birds.

Sing in a choir. If I could give only one piece of advice that would change the world if taken en masse, that advice wouldn’t be “recycle” or “respect pronouns” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” That advice would be “sing in a choir.” If we all started our day with choral singing, the world would be a better place. Period. Choral singing changes you – mind, body, and soul. It raises you up. It requires discipline and humility, deep breathing and good posture, listening and blending and feeling and harmonizing – all on a voluntary basis. For your efforts, you become part of something greater than yourself. Greater than the sum of its parts, even. You get to create beauty. You actually get to become beauty. And you get to do it with other crazy, imperfect, messed-up people like yourself. It’s a bonding exercise in a world of increasing isolation and alienation. Take my word for it. Join a choir.

Don’t join a gang. Street or otherwise. It’s highly unlikely anybody reading this twee column is on the verge of joining a street gang, but those aren’t the only gangs doing

real damage out there. Don’t join an internet gang. Don’t jump on social media with a bunch of like-minded folks and gang up on a fellow human, possibly wrecking his life. Don’t even “rumble” with another cyber gang if you can help it. You weren’t a bully on the playground, were you? You wouldn’t get together with your pals today and heckle people on the street, would you? Well, you shouldn’t do it on social media, either. Joining an internet gang, much like joining a choir, is a bonding experience, and that’s one reason people do it. But being cruel is never cool, even if your cause is righteous. In fact, when you’re not righteous, you undermine your cause. There are better ways to promote your position without shredding our social fabric, which has already worn dangerously thin. “All the other kids are doing it” has never been a good excuse for bad behavior. Your mama taught you better. I’m running out of space, so I’ll finish with bullet points:

Value what’s real. With the rise of tribe-driven news, social media filters, normalized cosmetic surgery, and – of course – Artificial Intelligence, “real” will become much harder to distinguish – or even find – in your lifetime. Treasure it when you see it. Read books. Full length books written by humans, not A.I. (And good luck telling the difference!)

Find some great podcasts. They make house cleaning much more tolerable. Fall in love with walking. Your body was made for it, and it’s a fitness routine you can do anytime, anywhere, with no special equipment. It makes you feel good. And you’ll see birds.

Be kind. This phrase has become a hackneyed bumper sticker slogan, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Treat every person you encounter as someone worthy of care and respect – not just because they are, but because that’s how we grow better people. Just like plants and animals, humans thrive under care and respect. And better people make a better world. If you really want to change the world, be kind. It all starts there.

Margaret Evans

Rebecca Thompson Wins Fifth Annual Ann Head Literary Prize

As creators and sponsors of the annual Ann Head Literary Prize for Short Story Fiction, the family of Ann Head is pleased to announce the winner of the fifth annual award is Beaufort High School senior Rebecca Thompson.

Thompson’s prize-winning story “The Canary Rain Boots” a contemporary fable, dusted with humor, in which the protagonist Wendell sits at his desk struggling to make sense of a calculus problem as a necessary part of achieving the single goal his set himself: Harvard University. Almost everything the overachieving Wendell does, and he does an awful lot, is to bring him closer to fulfilling that goal represented by the crimson Harvard pennant on his wall. Until, frustrated, staring at his window to the rainy day outside, he sees a flash of color. “It was,” Thompson, writes, “bright yellow—no, canary yellow—and belonged to a pair of oversized rain boots.” Could that really be a life changing experience? The story balances reflection, revelation, and comedy, but it ends with a kick to make sure we remember its lesson.

Thompson will receive a cash prize of $500 and her name will be engraved on the Ann Head Literary Prize plaque to be permanently displayed at Beaufort High School. She will also be honored at the Pat Conroy Literary Center where she will be given the opportunity to read from her story later this summer.

Ranked academically in the Top Ten of her BHS graduating class, Thompson is a past commander and current member of the Junior ROTC, the Green Team, and the Kitty Hawk Honor Society. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), BHS orchestra, and Beaufort Children’s Theatre. A Beaufort County School District Senior Scholar and AP Scholar, Thompson has also been honored with the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, the Nu Delta Omega Chapter Scholarship of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the Air Force ROTC Scholarship, the Air and Space Forces Association Award, the Distinguished Cadet Award, and National Sojourners Award, among other honors. She is the author of two published novels, The Girl in the Tree and its sequel, Seeking the Truth. Thompson will begin her studies in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina this fall, majoring in psychology.

Two Ann Head Literary Prize finalists were also identified by the judges this year: freshman Kenadie Daniels for her story “One Day,” and fellow freshman Shaniya Martin for “The Death of an Artist and the Resurrection of the Muse.”

“One Day” by Kenadie Daniels begins in a bright kitchen where a girl is making herself a sandwich for lunch, humming a tune while her sister runs around looking for something to eat. As ordinary as life in the kitchen seems, Daniels swiftly breaks the idyll. Readers finds themselves caught in the same kitchen at night while a father who claims to be repulsed by his eldest daughter’s body abuses her. In her spare prose, Daniels, without the need of being graphic, relentlessly details the horror of discovering that, from some homes, there is no escape.

Shaniya Martin starts her story, “The Death of the Artist and the Resurrection of the Muse,” with this sentence: “The world is dark and gray, and when I hold the paintbrush in my hand, nothing is created.” What starts out to be the tale of a young artist struggling to regain within herself the inspiration to paint reveals itself to be, instead, a gentle, unhurried love story.

The winning stories were chosen from entries written by BHS students and submitted for consideration. The high caliber of the stories made the decision of the judges, all family members of Ann Head, extremely difficult, although highly enjoyable. The family is grateful for the enthusiastic support of the BHS English Department and English teacher Michael Gautier, as well as for the support and partnership in this endeavor of Jonathan Haupt, executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

The family of Ann Head congratulates each of the students who submitted a story for the competition this year. They are writers all, and they have proved that they can each craft an original short story. Keep it up, writers of

Beaufort High! Who knows how many more future Pat Conroys Beaufort High might foster?

About Ann Head: Writer Ann Head, the pen name of Anne Wales Christensen Head Morse (1915–1968), was the granddaughter of Abbie Holmes Christensen, who came to Beaufort during the Civil War to educate the recently freed enslaved populations of the Sea Islands. Moving back and forth between Boston and Beaufort, Ann carried on the family tradition of bucking traditions and creating new literary forms. Ann was Pat Conroy’s first creative writing teacher at Beaufort High School and became Conroy’s mentor, confidante, and friend. She was a central figure in Beaufort’s midcentury literary scene, befriending many of the famous authors who wintered in Beaufort, including Samuel Hopkins Adams (whom she considered her mentor), Somerset Maugham, John Marquand, and Katherine and E. B. White among others. Ann published over fifty short stories and serials in the major national magazines of her day, with many of her stories set in a small town just like Beaufort. She wrote of divorce, snobbery, affairs both emotional and sexual, prejudice, death, and out-of-wedlock childbirth, championing the non-typical heroines of the magazines that eagerly accepted her work. In addition, she authored four novels which were published internationally, most notably Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, a compelling story of teen pregnancy which was on school reading lists for 50 years and is credited with helping create the Young Adult novel genre.

Ann died suddenly in 1968, at the age of 52, cutting short a vibrant life and promising literary career. She was posthumously inducted in our state’s literary hall of fame, the South Carolina Academy of Authors, on May 4, 2024. The life of Ann Head is chronicled by her daughter, Nancy Thode, in lectures originally presented at the Beaufort County Library and now available on YouTube, and in a forthcoming biography. To learn more about Ann Head, please visit her entry on Wikipedia. Her stories and books are available locally at the main branch of the Beaufort County Library.

EXCERPT FROM “THE CANARY RAIN BOOT” BY REBECCA THOMPSON, ANN HEAD LITERARY PRIZE WINNER

Wendell failed his calculus test. He got a B. He crumpled the results into a ball, tossing it in his bedroom wastebasket. This exam was definitely not fridge-worthy.

“Harvard won’t care about a B on a single

calculus test.” His mom had tried to reassure him, surprising him with a trip to the local frozen yogurt shop and even buying him a Harvard sweatshirt. “Advanced Placement Calculus test,” Wendell emphasized as he pushed a lone chocolate chip through the melted ocean of strawberry yogurt.

Now, he was hidden in his room with his math textbook thrown open and his head buried in the tangled swoops and harsh angles of trigonometry. He recited definitions, scribbled down calculations, and reset his TI-84+ for good measure.

His phone buzzed on the table.

“Going out 4 dinner. Anyone wanna join?” read the text from his friend Mark in their obnoxious ten-person group chat.

His phone buzzed again and again as everyone typed out a response, eagerly accepting the invitation.

Wendell opened the app and let his thumbs hover over the keyboard. He wanted to go — he really did — but Harvard wasn’t in the dark, greasy booth at McDonald’s. Harvard was in the crisp pages of his textbook.

Sighing, he composed his infamous response. “Sry. Busy with HW.”

His phone instantly became a disturbed beehive.

“Dude! Again?!” asked Mark, adding a frowning emoji for good measure.

Wendell set his phone to Do-Not-Disturb and tossed it onto his bed, listening to the muffled thump when it settled in his sheets.

Sighing, he returned to studying with renewed energy, tracing the tiny, typed letters with his finger. Tap, tap, tap, rat-a-tap.

Wendell glanced at his window. The famous gloomy Louisiana weather never disappointed.

Rat-a-tat, tap, tap.

Gray popcorn clouds burst with rain, letting out a waterfall of dancing droplets. They mercilessly attacked the house, throwing themselves wildly against each asphalt shingle. Wendell scrunched his shoulders, trying to prevent the mesmerizing rhythm from worming their way into his head, twisting his practiced focus into a whirlwind of distracting thoughts. Did I sign up for the service thing in National Honor Society? I need to fix my opening move for chess. I have lacrosse practice and orchestra this Thursday, which should I go to? Do you think she’s outside?

His shoulders fell. The girl in the rain boots. Would she be out there, in the rain . . . ?

To read excerpts from the finalists’ stories,

Michael Gautier, Rebecca Thompson, Jonathan Haupt

Music On and Off Fripp Island

By Margit Resch

You have been to some (or to all five) of our concerts here on Fripp Island this past season, haven’t you? So you know that they are always a pleasure, no matter whether they are jazzy, pop-py, or classical, no matter whether a five-piece band is playing, a duo of some kind, or a solo pianist. And not only are these concerts a treat for the ear and the soul, but for the taste buds. Yes, taste buds, because included in your ticket is a Meet-the-Artists reception after the concert with delicious hors-d’oeuvres created by Harold’s Chef Services.

Do you know that Fripp Island Friends of Music, FIFOM, which has been providing the musical and culinary treats for the Beaufort community since 1983, actually pursues several other important and impactful missions? By virtue of grants, generous donations by our members and sponsors, and two very special memorial funds, FIFOM is able to conduct several outreach programs designed to enhance music appreciation and practice by our local youth. FIFOM is an appreciative vehicle for the beneficence of our musical community. Thank you!

The Peg Gorham Memorial Fund sustains our popular Music-in-the-Schools program. Music-in-the-Schools? Peg’s passion was “bringing music to children and children to music.” So, on the Monday after every concert, the musicians visit a Beaufort school and provide not only an age-appropriate performance, but interact with the students, much to the delight and enrichment of all involved.

Furthermore, FIFOM makes substantial contributions to youth music organizations, such as the Beaufort Symphony Youth Orchestra, for music lessons, summer camps, and other endeavors. In February, FIFOM supplemented a state grant toward a public concert coordinated by Beaufort Middle School Music/Band/Orchestra Director, Amanda Trimpey: the Electrify Your Symphony Concert, where Amanda and internationally known musicians Mark Wood and Dr. Javier Stuppard conducted—in most senses of this word—the splendid performance of over one-hundred students from six different schools, all demonstrating mastery of an array of instruments, some quite unusual, such as electric cellos and violins. The project

included a day-long workshop in which these professionals instructed the students how to bring motion and emotion into their music.

What a fabulous, well-attended concert.

Kathlyn Gray, who is in charge of FIFOM’s “Mission Money,” was happy to report another remarkable project: scholarships for two students of the Beaufort Middle School Orchestra/Band, enabling them to join their band members on a trip to Atlanta this April to participate in the Southern Star Music Festival competition, the band’s first attendance in any music festival. They came home, believe it or not, with a Silver rating and a trophy. They are very proud of their achievements. So are we!

To close out this school year and to celebrate our upcoming 40th Anniversary season, the Gorham Fund is also providing five FIFOM School Grants of up to $1000 to the music teachers of Beaufort County schools north of the Broad River for the 24-25 school year. Applications (fifomschoolgrants@gmail.com) will be considered by the selection committee May 1.

Oh, and last but not least, the Peg Gorham Memorial Fund allows us to admit students to our Fripp Island concerts for free. Yeah!

Our second wonder-full memorial fund was established by the Aldrich family in memory of their beloved matriarch Hildy Aldrich for the benefit of St. Helena Elementary School (SHES) in Beaufort County, where Hildy served as a volunteer for many years. Merilyn Smith oversees the Hildy Fund and has faithfully pursued the stated purpose: to promote music education and music appreciation in all SHES grades. The generous Aldrich gift helps students with the

purchase of music and musical instruments, and with instrument-specific instruction. It also offers grants to music teachers for resources needed to further the students’ education in the musical arts, such as classroom sets of ukuleles and recorders, and it subsidizes the Music-in-the-Schools program.

According to Brooke Pearson, who organizes Music-in-the-Schools: “Of special note this past season was Roots Grown Deep’s two-day residency at SHES, during which the musicians worked an hour each day with four different classes, culminating in a Wednesday school performance in which the kids participated and taught songs to other kids. This immersive musical experience was hugely successful, and we hope to be able to maintain this new Artist-inResidency program in seasons to come.”

Wouldn’t you like to help support music in your community and in our local schools? Then consider becoming a member of Fripp Island Friends of Music and help the organization celebrate its 40th season and its continuing success. By the way, you save $50 with a season membership versus paying $30 for each individual concert. The membership drive for our 40th season begins in June 2024. If you have any questions about membership in FIFOM, contact Vanessa Peñaherrera, Membership Chair, at vandy116@gmail.com.

Roots Grown Deep at St. Helena Elementary Tues - Sun: 11am-9pm

Also visit the FIFOM website: https://www. frippfriendsofmusic.com

To many more happy musical experiences on and off Fripp Island!

Award-Winning Novelist Mindy Friddle Returns

In partnership with NeverMore Books, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle, author of Her Best Self, in conversation with Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt, on Thursday, May 23, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort).

This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.

About Her Best Self (from the publisher): Janelle Wolf longs to be the woman she once was—an adored wife, a loving mother, a career woman, a force in her community—before a mysterious car accident stole her memories, ruined her reputation, and upended her life. These days, her troubled family needs that capable woman from the past, the one she calls “Janelle Before.” Enter Lana, an alluring and magnetic psychic healer who meets secretly with Janelle. Lana coaxes Janelle to remember the circumstances of her accident

in order to recover Janelle’ s “best self.”

Instead, Janelle uncovers the ugly truth behind that night. The revelations unravel Janelle’ s marriage, disrupt her family, and turn her small southern town upside down.

Written with wry humor, this diabolically entertaining tale of deception, temptation, and love is filled with dark twists, exploring what happens when the transgressions of the past come back with a vengeance.

“Fast paced, clever, and wickedly compelling.”

— Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree About the Author: Mindy Friddle’s novel, Secret Keepers, won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. The Garden Angel, her first novel and SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’ s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

About the Interviewer: Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, the past director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards.

To learn more about the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, please visit www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

Kierra Thompson and Jonathan Haupt

Lowcountry Birds & Nature

Birding enthusiast and photographer Patty Kappmeyer is delighted to introduce Lowcountrybirdsandnature. com, a dedicated online platform for birding and nature photography on Hilton Head Island. Here, visitors can download her new e-book: Flight through the Seasons: Discover Birding and Photography in the Lowcountry of Hilton Head Island. This interactive book offers a captivating journey into the world of birding and photography on Hilton Head Island. The book and website have been inspired by the inquiries of visitors, new residents, and budding birders or photographers who frequently seek insider tips on the best birding and nature spots to explore during their stay on Hilton Head Island . With Flight through the Seasons, hospitality professionals, business owners and local organizations now possess a

valuable resource to extend to guests and residents, furnishing them with expert insights and recommendations to enhance their island experience.

The website contains other valuable resources such as free bird identification tools, guided birding and photography walks, and engaging content via her blog, Twitcher’s Patch. Patty is available for speaking engagements, providing local organizations and the hospitality industry with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of local birding and nature hotspots while emphasizing the importance of conservation through education. Whether it's a casual Q&A session or a formal presentation, Patty can tailor the content to suit your specific needs and interests. To learn more, visit www.lowcountrybirds andnature.com

The Art Posse is Here!

If you find yourself stumbling upon dinosaurs mingling with moon men kidnapping humans – don’t panic, you haven’t been abducted by aliens. You’ve just stumbled across an episode of The Art Posse, being filmed here in the Lowcountry.

spent years creating the worst art ever. Others admitted they really wanted to change their hopeless artistic direction and actually get better. Some of them wanted to get better so that their families could fight over their masterpieces at the reading of the will after the funeral!

Executive producers, Ginny Cassidy and Danie Connolly of Art Posse Productions, created the zany reality show based in Beaufort County after discovering that they both had the same warped sense of humor. They might have come from different business worlds, but logistically and artistically talented, they’ve created a very funny “how to paint masterpieces” television show. Their synergy is hilarious and an outrageous party atmosphere rules the set. It’s a Welcome Back Kotter meets I Love Lucy vibe that emphasizes crazy humor.

“Tame is a word that would NEVER be used with our names in the same sentence,” Connolly says.

They began casting for the show in mid-November. The call went out searching for people of all ages without one iota of artistic ability. Easier said than done! Since this was a reality show, contestants definitely had to have a fun personality too! At first, they didn’t think they could find untalented students. The degree of ineptness was off the charts, but the reasons these contestants wanted to be chosen were truly sweet.

People with day jobs such as chefs, teachers, restauranteurs, executive assistants, bank managers, rappers with high aspirations, and sales personnel were a few of the potential student base. Age was not a factor either. They range from 26 to 91!

Contestants confessed that they had

One of the contestants desperately wanted to win at Pictionary because he was a legend in the family as the worst artist who ever played the game. Another person was married to an artist and assumed it couldn’t possibly be that difficult. One woman was 91 years old and soulfully admitted that all her life she could never draw a straight line. The list of artistically challenged folks grew and the stories got funnier. The producers settled on eight candidates trying to keep it to a manageable number, but an addition to the group proved kismet.

The camera and production crew conducted interviews with the local personalities. The show’s set location was a well-kept secret; people were coming by randomly auditioning on the spot. It was hard to turn away eager students who not only thought they’d cure their painting deficits, but that this just might be their ticket to Hollywood!

Danie Connolly shifted into art teacher host, and together with sidekick comedian Tamela (who gives new meaning to Best Supporting Actor role), the producers created a program for the students that introduced them to a different way to create art. They rolled up their sleeves and set the pace journeying into the artistic unknown! Once a week, the participants gather and conquer new techniques in different periods of art and a new genre of style –all with the same goal: achieve trust and go forward.

The second episode found them heading to the Paris of days gone by – complete with berets and mustaches – to learn a little bit about George Seurat and pointillism. The secret weapon? Q-tips! The following week the students thought they were having a Life Class (Nude) but found out the teachers were pulling their legs since it was April Fool’s Day! Moments later, a model entered with a parcel beneath her cape that proved to be two hairless cats which looked nude. The show progressed to a male model finally appearing, but he felt he wasn’t artistically appreciated so it was a very short-lived Life Class. It was all part of a grand ruse to have them settle into their floral lesson - Fauvism!

At the end of each three-hour lesson, the art is judged. Finding the perfect judge who was understanding of new artists, compassionate, and stuck to the lesson of the week was another difficult challenge. Judge Gloria was selected not only because she has a career in graphic marketing, but also because she teaches yoga. The yoga was going to prove valuable in the weeks ahead!

So far, the students have tackled pointillism, fauvism, life, and still life with pastels, acrylics and watercolors. Portrait painting, designing tattoos, and learning how to get ready for an exhibit were some of the necessary lessons. Paint pouring was another departure, but important for them to learn about instructions and paint mixing.

Co-producer Ginny Cassidy has spent her time behind the scenes, coordinating dinners for the cast and crew, handling scheduling and logistics and the hundred details that make executive producing no piece of cake. What’s next on the horizon?

Cassidy and Connolly are continually busy with The Art Posse students and street team contributing to charity events and appearances. They are currently coordinating artwork surrounding businesses, art projects and murals.

The show is currently televised on YouTube under The Art Posse, and if you subscribe, there are bonus shows detailing each lesson. Visit www.artposseproductions.com

Life class

Land-Escapes: Through My Lens

Art

League’s Lyndsi Caulder to exhibit this June

This June, Art League’s Gallery Manager, Lyndsi Caulder, has her chance to shine when she showcases her landscape photography in Land-Escapes: Through My Lens. The photographs depict scenes ranging from Lowcountry beaches and marshes to Arizona mesas and the Colorado mountains. Lyndsi wants you to walk away from each photo with the feeling she had when taking the photo. “I just want people to love the Landscape!” She is very excited to display at Art League of Hilton Head exclusively and has waited for this moment of a gallery Featured Artist Exhibit for 25 years!

Caulder, an Arizona native, first fell in love with photography when fulfilling a requirement for her degree in journalism at Northern Arizona University. “What began as a requirement for school became a requirement in my life,” she says. This eventually led to her changing her major to Photography, which she received her degree there in 2023. In addition to her work for Art League, she is the owner of her own professional photography business, where she specializes in landscape, special event, advertising, corporate, and family and newborn photography.

Land-Escapes: Through My Lens runs June 18 through July 19. An artist’s reception will be held Wednesday, June 26, 5-7pm. Caulder will also host a Gallery Walk and Talk on Friday, July 12, 12-1pm, where she will discuss her work, influences, and processes. The exhibit and gallery walk are both free and open to the public.

Art League Gallery is located mid-island inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060.

Lake Powell Moonrise

Snowmass Village Rainbow

Hunting Island Boardwalk

My Favorite Sheet Pan Supper

Sheet pan meals are such a great idea. The conundrum is, for most sheet pan recipes, you still have to mess up a skillet to brown the meat. Not this one! Mediterranean-Style Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Vegetables is straight-up, only one sheet pan for everything. Last weekend I made it for a little dinner party at our house. I even discovered a new ahead-of-time preparation shortcut. Make and bake the vegetables and the chicken according to the recipe. 20 minutes before the chicken is cooked through, remove the pan from the oven. Let the pan cool for a few minutes, cover, and refrigerate. When it’s time to serve dinner, take the pan out of the oven for 20 minutes and then uncover and bake for a final 30 minutes to reheat the vegetables and finish baking the chicken. Be sure to top the chicken and vegetables with kalamata olives and fresh dill. I like to serve tzatziki sauce on the side, too. The meal was perfect – and best of all, I didn’t have to stay in the kitchen. I was able to hang out with Vince and our guests. White Bean and Cucumber Salad, Baklava Bundt Cake and a delicious bottle of cabernet sauvignon completed our dinner party meal. Reheat any leftovers, covered, in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.

WHITE BEAN AND CUCUMBER SALAD

This simple salad is fresh and bright! Don’t be tempted to omit the mint leaves. The mint is very subtle and adds great flavor.

2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 large ripe tomato, diced

4 green onions, chopped

20 to 25 mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Crumbled feta cheese, optional

Roasted pine nuts, optional

Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Rinse and drain beans. Place beans, cucumber, diced tomato, green onions, and mint in a large bowl. Add cider vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Top with feta cheese and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with fresh mint before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

MEDITERRANEAN-STYLE SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH VEGETABLES

I’ve made this recipe for Vince and me more times than I can count. It’s no-fail. Always delicious. Always moist and tender. Even the reheated leftovers are yummy! (For a detailed cooking demonstration, please visit the Lowcountry Weekly website or @chefdebbicovington on YouTube or Instagram to watch this short video.)

For the tzatziki sauce:

1 (5.3-ounce) container Greek yogurt

½ cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Dried dill weed, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. For the chicken:

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lemon, sliced

Mix spices in a small bowl. Season chicken thighs with spice mixture; cover and set aside. Reserve sliced lemon.

For the vegetables:

3 to 4 large red potatoes, cut in a large dice

1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Toss vegetables with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Spread on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove baking pan from oven, gently toss vegetables and then top them with sliced lemon and seasoned chicken thighs. Spray the chicken thighs with olive oil cooking spray and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the thighs are cooked through.

To serve:

Sliced kalamata olives

Fresh dill weed

Tzatziki sauce

Crumbled feta cheese, optional

Sliced grape tomatoes, optional

Toasted pine nuts, optional

Place chicken thighs and vegetables on a large serving platter. Top with sliced olives and fresh dill. Crumbled feta cheese, sliced grape tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts are also delicious toppings. Serve tzatziki sauce on the side. Serves 4 to 6.

BAKLAVA BUNDT CAKE

The addition of sour cream in the batter makes this nutty cake ultra-moist. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator to serve with your morning coffee.

For the topping:

¼ cup melted butter

1 cup chopped nuts (I used a combination of pistachios, almonds, and walnuts)

1/3 cup light brown sugar

By Debbi Covington

1 tablespoon (dark or light) corn syrup

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake:

1 (15.25-ounce) yellow cake mix

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

3 tablespoons sour cream

For the glaze:

¼ cup honey

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a Bundt cake pan with baking spray that contains flour. Combine melted butter, nuts, brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until well combined. Spread mixture evenly in the bottom of prepared cake pan and set aside. Mix cake mix with eggs, oil, water, and sour cream according to package directions. Pour batter into Bundt pan on top

of pecan topping in an even layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes then invert on a cake plate. Add any nuts that remain in pan to the top of the cake. Cool completely. In a small bowl, mix honey with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Serves 12.

The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. For more great recipes and to view her cooking demonstrations, visit and subscribe to Debbi’s YouTube channel. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at dbc@ cateringbydebbicovington.com

28th Annual Garden a Day

This year’s Garden a Day event, celebrating National Gardening week, is June 3 to June 7, and features gardens on Lady’s Island, Port Royal and Beaufort. The Beaufort Garden Club invites the public to visit these gardens, free of charge, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, rain or shine.

GARDEN A DAY 2024 SCHEDULE

Monday, June 3 – 38 Meridian Rd., Lady’s Island

Tuesday, June 4 – 906 9th St., Port Royal

Wednesday, June 5 – 1 Blythewood Rd., Lady’s Island

Thursday, June 6 – 121 Sunset Blvd., Lady’s Island

Friday, June 7 – 749 Broad River Dr., Beaufort

“This year’s gardens have something for everyone, including children interested in gardening,” said Kathryn Klingler, 2024 Garden a Day Chair. “We are featuring gardens that have taken years to form and whose owners have created magical spaces to please all levels of gardeners.”

“Once again, we are excited to promote the many benefits of gardening and we hope the event will inspire more Beaufort residents to garden,” said Lora Quincy, President, The Beaufort Garden Club.

The Beaufort Garden Club, the second oldest garden club in South Carolina, has been holding its Garden A Day event every year in June since 1994. The event draws large crowds from South Carolina and surrounding states.

Tuesday - Sunday 11am-4pm Frank Gorman & Gary Korosi

Garden visitors are asked to not bring pets.

More information and a schedule can be found at www.beaufortgardenclub. com

Good Frustrations

No, the Beach Boys didn’t sing a song about good frustrations. They were right not to because “good vibrations” flows much better. Who doesn’t want good vibrations, after all? That said, we all know most days have at least a little bit of frustration attached to them. You’re hearing the Beach Boys in your head now, aren’t you? Frustrating if you don’t like the Beach Boys, isn’t it?

As you’re reading this, keep in mind that you can find some sort of altercation every day of your life if you allow it. For some, the drama is a drug. For others, the struggle is something that “only” happens to them and they don’t know why. For me, gratefully, I usually just roll with it and try to avoid conflict where possible. I would like to think I am restrained by something I read the other day on @imgur: “If you lose one sense, your other senses become enhanced. That’s why people with no sense of humor have a heightened sense of self-importance.”

Last week, while taking my daughter to the orthodontist, two grown adults on bikes pulled out in front of our car. They never even looked nor did they give any indication that they were aware they could have been, or maybe should have been, mowed down. Good thing they had their helmets on. Safety first, kids. It’s bad enough when children are reckless in this manner. Kids will be kids, and their parents should be chastised for not teaching them any better. No, these people were likely in their 60’s. Old enough to know better and definitely old enough that it’s surprising they’ve survived as long as they have. This can go back to my concept of wisdom being wasted on the old. Good thing I employ lalochezia often and enthusiastically. Lalochezia is the emotional relief gained from using abusive and profane language. I am frequently fluent with my lalochezia game. Yes, I have a potty mouth. It all started in my rebellious youth, but I’m glad I kept the habit for its stress-relieving qualities. I am aware some find it offensive, that it sounds unintelligent, and wasn’t the best example for my daughter. That said, I can’t help myself.

We fast-forward to the orthodontist’s office to find a compact car taking up two spots in a very tight parking lot. This is

another version of those people on bikes. This screams to me, “there ain’t nobody else in this world”. The arrogance and entitlement are head-scratchers. These little things are scoffed at by the toxically positive among us, but it speaks to a thoughtless nature. Most appreciate thoughtful people, do they not? Mindfulness comes in many forms.

As I’m sitting there staring at the Honda Civic through the waiting room window, I pondered what brand of a$$hole the driver was. At that moment, a guy starts texting on his phone in the orthodontist’s waiting room. The keystroke sound is turned UP, so you can hear each character he feverishly pounds out. Congress has tried to legislate some really silly stuff over the years, but I submit a congressperson could win reelection over promising to ban keystroke sounds on all future cell phone production. Yes, iPhones, too. I know you’re better than the rest of us, but this fictional congressperson up for their twentieth reelection has a jitterbug phone. It gets better reception and we don’t need all those bells and whistles.

Back to Mr. Texter McTexterton: Yep, you guessed it, he then received a phone call. I was surprised he didn’t put it on speaker and start pacing around the orthodontist office. He probably saves the speaker feature for the grocery store. I mean, how does the person on the other end of the phone even hear s***? What didn’t surprise me was that I COULD CLEARLY HEAR HIS END OF THE CONVERSATION in the orthodontist office. The person in the bathroom could probably just hear garbles, but I’m sure glad to know he had to SWING BY HIS OFFICE AFTER DROPPING HIS CHILD BACK AT SCHOOL, BUT NOT BEFORE HE WENT TO GREYCO!

I have a theory regarding people, in general: I think most people are goodnatured, well-meaning folk with at least a sense of what a sense of humor is like. All that said, we all have our lapses—our bad days and moments, so give your fellow human the grace they likely deserve on a graceless day. Someone has probably done the same for you and you just don’t know how close you came to being a crimeof-passion statistic.

My recent trip to Disney World illustrated this point to me. If you haven’t been there, it’s a world, slam-packed with people from all over the globe speaking all sorts of languages representing all sorts of ideals. That said, most people are courteous enough. It’s easy and humanly natural for me to focus on that one dips*** that blasted past my family waiting patiently for two handicapped dudes trying to the best of their limited abilities to get in the correct line. I usually don’t say anything because of my desire to avoid becoming the d-bag that has drawn my ire, but a knee-jerk grunt in his direction told the tale of my appalled emotions. Oh yes, he heard me. I’m sure his time is far more important than us little people. And since I possess the ability to see both sides of the coin, I will say that this fella may not have even been aware of the struggle that was going on in front of us. Not for me to say, but it is for me/us to consider before losing our collective cool and making something out of nothing. I’m glad our special family trip that will be talked about for decades by us won’t be marred by an incident that didn’t need to be escalated.

So, after dropping my daughter back at school after the orthodontist, I made my way back to Fripp to get a bit of work done. Upon pulling on to the island, who do I

by Sutty Suddeth WHOLLY HOLISTICS

see? Yep, the older couple on the bikes were still out riding. They were all over the road and just as oblivious as the moment I laid eyes on the them for the first time. First impressions . . . Some people never learn, but we can. This day was a reminder that patience is a virtue, perhaps it’s the virtue. If we had and have more patience with one another where would we be collectively?

While I wish that we could purge frustrations from our existence, it’s not meant to be that way on this side of the veil. Everyone, including you, is bound to throw a curve-ball that gives someone, unintended or not, the blues. “Road rage” is the highway to the danger zone of facing one’s self. The question is: Where does it all end?

The year: 1987. The setting: The Rocks of Fripp Island, SC. Sutty first answers the siren call of writing. In the years and publications since, the destination has been Divinely timed, while being Divinely unknown. A reformed Reiki Master of more than a dozen years, an emotional energetic alchemist, as well as a student in various energetic modalities. My favorite Buddha quote is, “Everything in moderation, even moderation.” Visit Home / Chris Suddeth (journoportfolio.com) for more info.

And Now for Something Completely Different

If you remember that phrase, you are my age and were or still are a fan of Monty Python. I always like a little something completely different in my garden. I push the envelope on what I can or should grow and have some fun. I think that one of my favorite oddities in my garden are my pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp)

Pitcher plants are native to South Carolina, but they are protected as endangered species. I bought my pitcher plants from a nursery in Oregon where they are legally propagated for plant enthusiasts.

I love my pitcher plants and they have their own special bog garden on my deck. They love hot sunny weather. To make a bog garden, take a large plastic container and fill it with a mixture of

peat moss and perlite. Keep it moist at all times because pitcher plants naturally grow in bogs. I let my husband name two of my plants and since he is a Cleveland Indians (okay, Guardians) fan, they are Bob Feller and Herb Score. (Well, they were pitchers!) I love my boys and it is so much fun to see them grow and flower and pitcher plants do have the most usual flowers every spring before they grow new pitchers.

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is another very unique plant. It is a member of the artichoke family. These are great foliage plants with their silver spikes. If you are lucky, they will bloom and produce first artichoke looking buds and then purple thistle like flowers. Once they bloom, they tend to die so plant several. They grow from seed like champs. They seem to like our spring weather and that is when they are at their height. Even though they are Mediterranean plants, they do not like our humidity, but prefer a hot and dry climate.

Speaking of the Mediterranean area, I have an olive tree growing in container on my patio. It is an Arbequina olive tree (Olea europaea “Arbequina”) The birds usually beat me to the olives so I doubt if I will be making my own EVOO any time soon. I just like the silver-gray foliage of my olive tree. It has tiny white flowers in the spring for the bees. I noticed that even big box stores had olive trees the other day. Mine is happy in its container and seems to like our climate.

Passionflower is certain a plant with an unusual flower. Passiflora incarnata is native to our area so you might find it growing in the wild. It is the host plant for our Gulf Fritillary butterfly.

You can watch the orange butterflies lay their eggs, the caterpillars hatch and start eating the leaves and then they form their chrysalis on the same plant and the cycle continues. The fruit is known as a Maypop and is edible. I have never seen fruit on my vine – probably because the caterpillars eat so much of the plant.

Another fun plant to have in your garden is the “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” plant (Brunfelsia pauciflora). This plant which can be like a small woody shrub is native to Brazil and has many common names such as “Kiss me quick” and “morning-noon-night” plant. The flowers first bloom purple and then turn lavender and finally turn white. I have mine in a container and it is perfectly happy there.

It starts blooming in the early spring and continues throughout the summer and fall.

And one final unusual plant is red cestrum (Cestrum elegans). This slender evergreen shrub was first discovered and collected in Mexico and can be grown in tropical regions. It works here if it is sheltered from frost. I had one for several years and it got seriously damaged by our December

By Wendy Hilty

2023 hard freeze. I bought another one and to my surprise, the original one got a new shoot and it is blooming so I now have two. The flowers are dark red and tubular. Nothing else looks like them. It blooms from early spring and as long as the weather is warm, it will keep on going. It might be good to grow this plant in a moveable container for times when we have a freeze. I will be more diligent about covering mine when it gets cold.

Try something new and different in your garden. Gardening is always an experiment or a work in process.

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.

Pitchers in bloom

Vince Covington, Owner

Classifieds Classifieds

TO RENT or OWN

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 In the heart of downtown Beaufort. 2BR, 2BA, W/D, Housewares. Please call 843-812-4229.

EMPLOYMENT

ADVERTISING SALES Local business seeks sales person for outside sales within the local market. Generous commission, your time is your own, and no micro-managing. Perfect for part-time or semi-retired. Please call 843-986-9059.

CLASSES & SEMINARS

FREE HYPNOSIS/HYPNOTHERAPY INFORMATION session and guided group meditation workshop. This free session will focus on stress reduction and relaxation. Open to the public, every 3rd Monday of the Month, at 7 pm Eastern via Zoom. Bring a friend, learn more and RSVP for Zoom Link at www.guidepathhypnosis.com or contact Chris at chris. guidepath@gmail.com

BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY ONGOING PROGRAMS & CLASSES Stitch Happens, Mondays @ 1:30, Bluffton; Basic Computer Skills Class 1st & 3rd Fridays @ 11:30am, Lobeco; Dungeon & Dragons Teen Club Mondays @ 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

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 and

once a month Line Dance is taught. Beginner,

Intermediate and Advanced lessons. Beginner classes in Jan., Mar, May, and Sep. Open dancing after lessons. Visit www.lowcountryshaggers.com or lowcountryshaggers@aol.com

WEDNESDAYS, BEAUFORT SHAG CLUB meets evenings at AMVETS, 1831 Ribaut Rd., Port Royal from 7-9pm, and the 2nd Sat. of the month 7-10pm. Free lessons to members Sep. to June. Visit The Beaufort Shag Club on Facebook.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECOND HELPINGS is seeking volunteers to crew our trucks in Bluffton and Beaufort to distribute food to local charities. Offering a flexible schedule at your convenience. Email officeadmin@ secondhelpingslc.org

BEMER CIRCULATION THERAPY 10-11a Fridays via Zoom. Already own a BEMER? Never heard of it but curious? Join to ask any questions about this leading-edge German technology that enhances blood flow 30% in 8 minutes. Sessions are designed to support those who have their own unit but everyone is welcome. Brought to you by BEMER Specialist - Human & Equine, Elizabeth Bergmann. Text 410-212-1468 to get the Zoom link. Free.

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 843473-3939 or smilliken@carishealthcare.com

SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY: Non-denominational meditation, silent prayer and healing group forming. All welcome. No previous meditation experience needed. Call Michael 843-489-8525

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.

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

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for HELP of Beaufort, 530 Charles St. Looking for committed volunteers for clothes sorting, pantry help, front desk help and Mobile Meals drivers. We are open M-F from 9:3012:30, Mobile Meals delivers to home bound seniors 5 days/week, routes takes about 30-45 mins. Email Lori at helpbeaufort@gmail.com, or call 843-5241223, 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. The Fort Fremont History Center is open from 10am to 2pm Fridays, Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm at Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land's End Road, St. Helena Island. 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 grounds are open to the public Monday through Sunday from dawn to dusk. For more Information visit www.forttremont.org or contact the Passive Parks Department Director, 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 (706-633-6192) 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 Miss Ann. Definitely shop.

CRESCENT 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., Fridays, 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, Living with Alzheimer's - for those in very early stages - Mondays 1pm, Respite Programs: Social Day Program- 10am-1:45pm $40 Day Fee, Weds. & Friday. All meetings are at Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; In Home - Respite Aides available for 2 hr. minimum, $13-$26. Early Memory Loss: Maintain Your Brain - 2nd & 4th Thursday, 1011:30am, $10/person, $15 couple, Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; Memory Screenings available call 843-521-9190 or make an appointment, 1500 King St., Beaufort, free; Purple Haven Project - Educate local establishment staff to better interact with a person with Alzheimer's call 843-521-9190.

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 843-815-6616 (Bluffton); 843-6816655 (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 Tuesdays 9am-12pm at 114 Beach City Rd., Hilton Head. Donations of food and funds needed. For info: Rev. Dr. Nannette Pierson at 843-715-3583 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 all Federal Holidays. Info at parrisislandmuseum.org or 843-228-2166.

CHRIST CENTERED RECOVERY MEETINGS At Praise Assembly Church Fridays for “Celebrate Recovery”, addressing life’s problems and looking to scripture for solutions. Meal at 6pm; Praise, Worship, and Big Meeting. 6:30pm; Small Groups at 7pm. 800 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Info at 205-475-3600 or 303-521-1891.

Hurry Up and Wait

I’ve always kept a running list of my character flaws and running late is something I’ve spent decades trying to wrestle into submission.

I came from a chronically late family. We would roll into Mass on Sundays and slink into the back row of shame. That wasn’t my fault of course but it’s a bad habit and one that became entrenched in my psyche.

I married an on-time kind of guy. He’s prone to tapping his watch when I come rushing in. I had children who believed I should not be the last one in the carpool line and grew up to send birthday cards that arrived on the day rather than a week later. It pleases me that my daughters were more like their dad, but it was also perplexing.

How hard could it be to be punctual? I would leave early but then . . . I don’t know what happens. I decide to take the longer route or go back to check if the iron is still turned on. I get to the restaurant early but sit in the car to finish reading a chapter in my book.

Perhaps it was due to an “optimism bias,” believing I have more time than I do or that I can finish a task more quickly. More likely, though, it’s a built-in propensity toward procrastination or a distorted perception of time. Those are real things, right?

As shameful as it was to be known for being the late one, it clearly was not enough to make me change my ways. Until it did.

One day, I arrived for a luncheon an uncharacteristically 30 minutes early and one of my friends was already there. She is a gentle soul with an endless reservoir of kindness and grace. I slid in the booth across from her and implored her to help me. She was always early, and I wanted to know her punctuality philosophy and how she achieved it.

She explained her belief that consistently keeping people waiting conveyed a lack of regard for their time and priorities. Ouch. Those words stung like a splinter in a finger and I vowed then and there to become a better person, one who showed up early. And, for a few decades, I did. In fact, I started turning into a punctuality evangelist, even tapping my own wrist when my husband was running late. Hard to know what list to place that trait on.

And then, a miracle happened! I moved to a town with a swing bridge. The first time I was caught on the bridge, watching its rust covered arms swing to the side, it seemed as if it was honoring the passage of ships through its waters. I was entranced. And also, late. There was my old flaw, back at the top of my list. I anxiously apologized

to my new friend in my new town, but she just waved her hands at me to stop.

“Everyone here gets 20 minutes of grace,” she said, not ruffled or judgmental in the least. Random bridge openings are a fact of life in Beaufort, she explained, then asked if I saw the Osprey nest on the piling while I waited.

Decades apart and another sharp shift in perspective happened. Since then, I’ve begun to mentally assign people into one of two categories: those who furiously U-turn out of the slowing-to-a-halt lane and those who hope for a glimpse of the newborn Ospreys.

Could it be that my “issue” with time is part of what allows me to regard an unexpected pause in the hurried rhythm of life as a gift? I turn off the radio and silence my phone for 20 precious minutes of observation. I wish safe passage to the tall

By Carolyn Mason

ships journeying under the span, take note of the tide and the clouds, and check on the Osprey family.

It was during one of those pauses (formerly known as a bridge delay) that I pondered the limited perspective of a character flaw list and how 20 minutes of grace is something that not only I can receive but can also extend.

There’s a lot to ponder, and then, when the light flashes green and the arms remake a bridge, I am on the way from island to town or back again.

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.

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

BEAUFORT/PORT ROYAL

Foolish Frog, 846 Sea Island Pkwy, St. Helena Island. (843) 838-9300. Foolish Frog on Facebook

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. Irish American Sports Pub & Eatery. C'mon down! Rock & Roll Lunch. Weekly Food Specials! Mondays - F&B People Discount. Wednesdays, Friday & Saturday - Karaoke. (843) 379-7676 or Rosie's on Facebook

Saltus River Grill, 802 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 379-3474 or www.saltusrivergrill.com

BLUFFTON/HILTON HEAD

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. 5/22 Lavon Stevens Quartet with Quiana Parler, 5/24 & 5/25 Triad -Dominick Farinacci, Christian Tamburr & Michael Ward-Bergeman, 5/29 Bobby Ryder, 5/31 & 6/1 Ulysses Owens Jr.'s Generation Y Band, 6/5 Lavon Stevens Quartet with Quiana Parler, 6/7 & 6/8 Folderol - a Roaring 20s Twist on Popular Music. (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

OUT OF TOWN

The Music Farm, 32 Ann Street, Charleston. 5/24 Riot Grrrls Night with Lefty Lucy; With Error; The Maxines, 5/25 Cowboy Bebop Live 6/1 Reniaddance: Beyoncé Celebration, 6/5 Saosin; Cove Reber, 6/6 The Steel Woods, 6/7 The Nashville Nights, 6/8 Vandelux; Tyler Mann. (843) 853-2252 or www.musicfarm.com

ThePourHouse,1977MaybankHwy,Charleston. 5/23 Kendall Street Company, 5/24, 5/25 & 5/26 Grateful Shred; Circles Around the Sun, 5/28 Matthew Logan Vasquez; Delta Spirit; Middle Brother, 5/29 HOUSE - Live House & Disco, 5/30 Come Back to Earth, 5/31 Fireside Collective; Sicard Hollow, 6/1 Psycodelics, 6/2 End of the Line, 6/6 George Porter Jr. & the Runnin' Pardners, 6/7 54 BicyclesWidespread Panic tribute. (843) 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com

Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 5/22, 5/23 & 5/24 Yacht Rock Revue, 5/25 & 5/26 Futurebirds; Spencer Thomas, 5/31 & 6/1 Corey Smith, 6/2 The Rob Crosby Band & Friends, 6/6 Steve Earle, 6/7 Rumors ATLFleetwood Mac tribute, 6/8 Drivin' 'N' Cryin'. (843) 886-8596 or www.the-windjammer.com

Editors Note: Events listed here may be subject to postponement or cancellation. Please check for further information.

THEATER/FILM/DANCE

6/13-6/16, Always . . . Patsy Cline at USCB Center for the Arts. Starring Elaine Lake and Melissa Florence. Tickets: $35 adults, $25 seniors & military, $20 students. Available at www.uscbcenterforthearts.com or by calling 843-521-4145.

GALLERIES/ART

Now – 6/2, “Lowcountry Backyard,” an exhibit of work by John Meckley at The Society of Bluffton Artists Gallery in Old Town Bluffton. Opening reception 5/10 from 5-7pm.

Now – 6/14, Now & Then . . . Early and Current Works by Jo Dye at the Art League Gallery of Hilton Head. Opening reception Wed, 5/15, 5-7pm. Gallery Walk on Thur, 5/30, 11am-12pm. Art League Gallery is located mid-island inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. 843-681-5060.

Now – 6/27, Art Beyond Tradition: Visual Theatrics, an exhibit of abstract art at USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St, Beaufort. Opening reception Thur 4/18, 5-7pm.

Now – 6/30, Edges, an exhibit of work by Frank Gorman and Gary Korosi, will be featured at The Beaufort Art Association Gallery. Opening Reception on Fri, 5/3 from 5-8pm. 913 Bay Street, Beaufort.

Now – 7/7, Camera Club of Hilton Head exhibit at the Coastal Discovery Museum at historic Honey Horn,, in the Main Gallery. Admission is free. The public is invited to attend the opening reception, on 5/14, from 5 pm – 7 pm.

Now – 9/20, A Gathering of Artists, a new show by the Artists of Sea Pines. Opening Reception Thur, 5/2 at the Sea Pines Community Center in the Shops of Sea Pines Center, 71 Lighthouse Road, Hilton Head.

Now – 2/22/25, Language of Clay: Catawba Indian Pottery and Oral Tradition at Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, US 17, Ridgeland. www.morrisheritagecenter. org

Now – 7/7, Camera Club of Hilton Head exhibit at the Coastal Discovery Museum at historic Honey Horn,, in the Main Gallery. Admission is free. The public is invited to attend the opening reception, on 5/14, from 5 pm – 7 pm.

6/18 – 7/19, Land-Escapes: Through My Lens, Lyndsi Caulder photography exhibit at Art League Gallery on Hilton Head. Artist reception Wed 6/26, 5-7pm, Gallery Walk & Talk Fri 7/21, 12-1pm. Both free and open to the public. Inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060.

BOOKS & WRITERS

Thur 5/23, Award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle (Her Best Self) at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St, Beaufort, in conversation with the center’s director Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public at 5pm. Books available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.

OTHER EVENTS

Now – 6/29, Lunch and Learn at the Port Royal Farmers Market. A weekly series of classes and lectures on gardening. Under the gazebo, starting at noon. Free to the public. Bring a folding chair!

6/3 – 6/7, 28th Annual Garden a Day, sponsored by the Beaufort Garden Club. Five gardens in five days, each open to the public from 9 am – noon. For a complete schedule of gardens – and their addresses – visit www. beaufortgardenclub.com

Fri 6/7, Gardening Author Louisa Pringle Cameron will be the keynote speaker at the Lady’s Island Garden Club’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, at 2 pm at the St. Helena Parish Hall, 507 Newcastle St, Beaufort. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit www.ladysislandgardenclub.com

First Saturday of the Month, Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud at Port Royal Farmers Market. DAYLO students and other volunteers will read to young children between 9am and noon. Children are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animal.

Tuesdays, Tours of Hunting Island sponsored by Friends of Hunting Island Keeper Ted and his team. For info call the Nature Center at 843-838-7437. Tours free are and park entry fees apply.

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 5:30-7:30pm. 843-470-3506. www. beaufortdigital.com

Thursdays, History Tours of Fort Mitchell by the Heritage Library, 10am. $12/Adult $7/ Child. 843-686-6560.

Ongoing, Beaufort Tree Walk by the Lady’s Island Garden Club through the historic Old Point enjoying some unique and noteworthy trees. Takes about an hour and is a little over a mile, starting at the corner of Craven & Carteret Streets and ending in Waterfront Park. Booklets with a map and info about each tree available FREE at the Visitors Center in the historic Arsenal on Craven Street.