The painting on our cover is "Precarious Pipers" by Bluffton artist Lauren Terrett. Lauren's work hangs at the SOBA Gallery, and also at La Petite Gallerie, 56 Calhoun St, where she'll be happy to greet you on any given Saturday. For more information, visit www.lapetitegallerie.com
May 24 – June 6, 2023
Publisher: Jeff Evans — Jeff@LCWeekly.com
Editor: Margaret Evans — Editor@LCWeekly.com
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Art Director: Lydia Inglett
Layout & Design: Amalgamated Sprinkleworks
Contributing Writers: Vivian Bikulege, Katherine Tandy Brown, Debbi Covington, Sandra Educate, Carolyn Mason, Laura Lee Rose, 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 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.
What do you think about Martha Stewart on the cover of Sports Illustrated?”
I asked Jeff while he was relaxing in his chair after work with the remote, surfing around for some news.
“I haven’t thought about it at all,” he replied. “Is it something I need to think about?”
“I just wondered how you felt about seeing an 81-year-old woman on the cover of a magazine geared toward men, airbrushed to look like she’s in her mid-30s, posing insipidly in a bathing suit, like some would-be ingenue, instead of the highly accomplished, formidable woman she is.”
“Just seems like more fake news to me,” cracked Jeff, still surfing away with the remote.
He didn’t even recognize the brilliance of his observation.
Reams have been written about fake news, of course – plenty of ‘em by me – but this is not where I want to go this week. Not exactly. It’s related, but it’s something else entirely. Let me explain . . .
Most everywhere you look, people are celebrating the appearance of Martha Stewart on the cover of our country’s premier Swimsuit Edition. They’re using terms like “groundbreaking,” and “paradigm-shifting.” A mature woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated! In a bathing suit! Looking fabulous!
“You go, girl” is the general sentiment, and I’d love to join the party. I really would. But I just can’t muster up the enthusiasm.
Because here’s the thing: Martha Stewart’s not a girl. Not even close. And thanks to a rare combo of expensive “procedures” and Photoshop magic, this cover is not even close to an accurate representation of a normal 80-year-old woman. The whole celebration makes me uncomfortable. It feels like one more fake-out in a country where reality is becoming harder and harder to distinguish.
Or maybe it’s just getting easier to avoid.
Have you heard about preventative Botox? Apparently, if you start getting Botox in your 20s, your wrinkles will appear much later in life, if ever. All you have to do is paralyze your facial muscles every few months for several decades, and you’ll never look old. This regular maintenance is expensive, especially for a young person just getting started in life. And it involves needles. In your face. But it’s growing quite popular. That’s how far young women are willing to go to avoid looking their age in some faraway future.
(Were you even thinking about aging when you were in your 20s? Was it even on your radar? I was still dealing with zits, myself. “Regular maintenance,” for me, meant slathering on some Oxy10 every night before bed. But I digress.)
Most folks I talk to seem perfectly happy with this state of affairs. Me? I feel like I’m being dragged against my will into a dystopian future where nobody’s face expresses emotion, everybody looks the same age – young! – and robots write all the poetry.
You’ve heard about ChatGPT, right? The Artificial Intelligence language program that can spit out a solid essay on just about any topic imaginable in a matter of seconds?
Colleges and universities are twisting themselves in knots trying to figure out what this easy-access technology means for the future of higher education. How to keep students from cheating? How to ensure students are actually learning? Radical suggestions I’ve seen include bringing back the Blue Book and having students write all their essays in class. On paper. By hand.
One problem I see there is that too many students can’t write in cursive.
I wrote back in September of 2022, “Remember Common Core? Those controversial national education standards that everybody was arguing about back in 2010? Well, at least half the states have now abandoned those standards, but not before they left their mark. Apparently, cursive was omitted from Common Core in 2010 and never quite made a comeback.”
As a result, many college students today can neither read nor write cursive, so the idea of penning long, intricate essays by hand – while in the classroom – seems pretty far-fetched. There are no easy answers here.
The scary thing about an AI essay – or anything written by AI – is that it’s virtually impossible to tell it’s a fake. I know, I tried!
I created a free account on the ChatGPT website – it’s super easy – and began asking questions. The first I asked was, “What is preventative Botox?”
(Where’d you think I got my info? The NY Times!?)
The article appeared almost immediately. It was well-composed, grammatically impeccable, and quite informative. (I fact-checked it!) There was an option following the article allowing me to “regenerate” it. I hit that button, and a different article on the same topic appeared –shorter, more concise, equally well written. Wow.
But surely it would be easy enough for a professor to detect a student’s use of AI, right? Wrong. I copied and pasted whole paragraphs from each article into Google and did searches. Nothing. As far as I could tell, these ChatGPT-generated articles appeared nowhere else on the internet. They are not “plagiarized,” per se. Though made up of information gathered elsewhere – like a normal research paper – they are original compositions.
Intrigued, I decided to try something a bit more wacky and far more challenging – or so I assumed, anyway.
“Write a Shakespearean sonnet about a cat,” I commanded ChatGPT.
And it did. Three times. Each sonnet took about 10 seconds to materialize, and each seemed better than the one before. They had 14 lines, followed the proper rhyme scheme, and ended in a couplet. Just so. And they sounded . . . well, maybe not perfectly Shakespearean, but at least Elizabethan. Here’s an example stanza:
In twilight's hush, there stirs a feline grace, A creature draped in shadow's soft caress, Its eyes, twin orbs, enchanting depths embrace, With nimble paws, it doth my heart possess.
Freaky, right? To my eye, the sonnets lacked the Bard’s signature depth – his wit and word play – but I studied Shakespeare in college and grad school. To the average reader, I’m pretty sure they’d pass muster.
That’s the thing about all this fakery that’s multiplying around us – from the Photoshopped Martha Stewart cover to the frozen faces of women – young and old – to the robot-written essays and sonnets of ChatGPT. It might look good, but it’s not good. Because it’s not real.
That’s how I feel now, anyway. As the line between real and fake continues to blur, so might my opinion. Perhaps there will come a time when I can see absolutely no difference between real and fake and will simply cease to care. That thought makes me deeply sad, but I can’t quite explain why. Perhaps I should ask ChatGPT to generate an essay on the topic.
Though I’m not sure AI is capable of grappling with such nuance. Not yet, anyway. After it churned out the three cat sonnets, I asked ChatGPT to answer the question:
“Is Donald Trump an honest man?”
ChatGPT replied, “As an AI language model, I don’t hold personal opinions or biases.” Whew. That’s a relief. While poets should probably start looking around for a new gig, I guess my job as an opinion columnist is safe. For now.
In partnership with the South Carolina Writers Association and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be held at Sandies in the BCBCC (711 Bladen St.,
National Center for Victims of Crime, and the Georgia Victim Assistance Academy. Her writing has been published in The Savannah Anthology, Savannah Magazine, The Savannah Morning News, and Law Enforcement Magazine. She volunteered for 10 years with Deep Center, a Savannah youth literacy program that won a 2015 National Endowment for the Arts award.
In August 2022, Helen won first place in a national essay contest out of a field of 55 entries. NextTribe, the “voice of women aging boldly,” sponsored the contest in which Helen’s essay, “From High Heels to Hot Wheels,” reveals how she unexpectedly became a first-time mom at the age of 52, when her husband’s two-year-old grandson came to live with them.
Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroy literarycenter.org
This year’s Garden a Day event, celebrating National Gardening week, is June 5 to June 9, and features gardens on The Point, Bay Street, Broad River Rd, Beaufort downtown and Lady’s Island. The Beaufort Garden Club invites the public to visit these gardens, free of charge, from 9 AM to Noon, rain or shine.
The Garden a Day schedule can be found on beaufortgardenclub.com and is as follows:
Mon. June 5 – 2203 & 2009 Bay St.
Tues. June 6 – 1 Laurens St., The Point
Wed. June 7 – 2215 Wilson St. & 610 Bladen St.
Thur. June 8 – 882 Broad River Dr.
Fri. June 9 – 41 Sunset Bluff
“We are thrilled to offer seven beautiful and very distinctive gardens for this event –in spite of the challenging conditions created
by our December freeze. These will please and inform all types of gardeners,” said Deena Culp, 2023 Garden-A-Day Chair.
“We continue our long history of demonstrating the many benefits of gardening in the Low Country and we are very appreciative of the dedicated gardeners who are making this possible,” 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 since 1994.The event draws large crowds from South Carolina, surrounding states and even as far as Canada.
Garden visitors are asked to not bring pets.
Read descriptions of the gardens on page 6.
Beaufort) on Thursday, June 8, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Open Mic Night features short readings of 3 to 5 minutes by local writers, followed by an extended reading by a featured author. To request to read from your work during Open Mic, email contact@patconroy literarycenter.org in advance.
Our featured writer for June is Helen P. Bradley, author of the newly published novel Breach of Trust. The book draws from the author’s experiences during twenty-seven years heading a nationally-recognized crime victim advocacy program. A former newspaper journalist, Helen has written curricula, essays, and articles for the National Organization for Victim Assistance, the
Donna and Don Altman (Monday)
2203 Bay Street
Landscape architect Brad Hill designed this garden in 2019 to take advantage of the beautiful live Oak, Dogwood and Tulip trees as well as to attract pollinators and to provide privacy for outdoor living on a busy corner lot.
Many of the plants selected had a purpose – Podocarpus contribute a privacy hedge, oak leaf red holly trees buffer the property line, and juniper trees serve as screening. A variety of low maintenance native plants adorn the shade areas – autumn ferns, Farfugiums, hydrangeas and azaleas.
Through a careful selection of perennials and annuals, the garden provides a wonderful habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. The sun garden lends a unique calming touch with a water feature and a reproduction of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Garden Sprite. A raised garden bed for herbs and vegetables completes the garden.
Alexis Bomar (Monday)
2009 Bay Street
The Schein family built this house in 1939 when this end of Bay Street was considered the country. It then sat on three lots and has
been through several changes. The current owner fell in love with the mature Camellias, the house and the view and loves to experiment with plants.
carriage/guest house which adopted the original home’s style.
Naomi and Paul Trask (Wednesday)
610 Bladen Street
The garden, like the house, has many influences: Edward Marchetti with Buds and Blooms, designed the parterre to the right of the house. The late Frances Parker helped with the plantings around the brick patio added four years ago. The tall ginkgo tree in the back left yard was brought from China by a sea captain in the mid 1940’s. The odd-looking plant in the blue pot on the patio is a Plumeria, or Frangipany, and is kept in the garage in the winter. The raised beds on the right side have been reserved for strawberries and whatever volunteers to grow there.
Katie and John Tashijan (Tuesday)
1 Laurens Street – Tidalholm
Anyone familiar with Beaufort history knows about Tidalholm, the mansion Edgar Fripp built in 1853 and is surrounded by the Beaufort river. The home welcomed many Fripp family members until 1861when the union seized it, turning it into a union hospital during the Civil War. It was later auctioned and purchased by a Frenchman who gifted it back to the Fripp family.
Today, the home’s 1.38 acres display an English garden relying on Asian jasmine ground cover, magnificent live oaks, as well as countless Magnolias, Palms, Gardenias and Podocarpus.
The home’s new owners have thoughtfully restored the mansion, and added a large
‘Napa's Garden' is a dream come true for Naomi and Paul. Four years ago when the couple started a plant based diet, the short supply of organic vegetables motivated Naomi to research a simple way to grow her own tasty favorites. This is not an ordinary farm garden; it is an urban garden growing in the backyard parking space just two blocks from Bay Street. Using well designed rectangular tubs, the garden has grown to 14 tubs. With a blend of soil enriched with healthy mulch, carrots, kale, berries, etc. are sweeter, full of moisture and most appealing in flavor and color. The guru/mentor supporting this development is "Rita's Roots" a store and agriculturist in Charleston, SC. Rita Bockman's website was a guide for seeds, soil and other simple strategies to create your own organic vegetable garden. Naomi's knowledge has provided the basic skills for eating healthy, as well as the skills to preserve, dehydrate or freeze the overflow from this small 21st century home garden.
Frances and Jim Ackerman (Wednesday)
2215 Wilson Drive
Our garden and yard is blend of our personalities and commitment to nature. We endeavor to celebrate our beautiful live oak that is the pinnacle of our yard and home by minimizing the used of grass while substituting ornamental shrubs. We celebrate neighborhood garden history with transplants of Agapanthus and pink perfection camellias from Fletcher and Pinkney gardens. We try to incorporate our strong utilitarian values with our kitchen garden and chicken enclosure. We blend in our love of entertaining with our whimsical back yard, patio and fire pit. We finish with our love of peace with a walkway for reflection.
Lindsey and Paul Varnes (Thursday)
882 Broad River Drive
What a thrill to be part of the Garden a Day Tour. We are a large, busy family and our yard is broken into two distinct areas. The backyard is a functional, natural area for our family to play in.
Our front yard is still a work in progress as it grows and matures since its 2017 rebirth. What started as one large bed along the road is slowing becoming the walk-through garden we dreamed of. Our garden style is low/no maintenance evergreens and perennials,
allowing more of a natural growth with minimal pruning. A large live oak allows for shade gardening while other areas are in full sun. We are still adding, transplanting, and loving the experience. We want to pass the wonder and joy of gardening on to our kids, who helped to plant over 30 bulbs this winter.
Cindy and Dr. Brad Collins (Friday)
41 Sunset Bluff
Melrose was built on the banks of Factory Creek in 1905. The garden has thoughtfully evolved over the years with respect for the surrounding beautiful low country landscape and to maintain natural habitats for wildlife. The stately live oaks from the original landscape plan create a canopy over century old camellias and azaleas where the owners have incorporated hydrangeas, ferns and other shade loving plants. The westerly facing side of the home has a lawn flooded with afternoon sun and views of sunsets over Beaufort’s old point.
The garden features a mix of elements old and new. Boxwood gardens have been restored and expanded around a kitchen parterre created as a gift by a loving husband. An old pump house serves as a potting shed adjacent to the original cistern tower wile a new outdoor living space and pool were added for outdoor family fun.
The garden is a mix of past and present, shade and sunlight, formal and whimsical but most importantly it is a reflection of a spot enjoyed by family and friends over the years with places to rest, reflect, work and play.
Beaufort Art Association is now offering discounted memberships to new applicants under 40. Contact us today to learn more.Ackerman Garden, 2215 Wilson Dr.
The Swingin’ Medallions, known as “The Party Band of the South,” will perform at the Jasper County Farmers Market, Friday, June 9TH at 8pm.
Celebrated for their signature hit song, “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love,” which Bruce Springsteen once called, “The Greatest Fraternity Rock Song of All Time,” the Swingin’ Medallions, are South Carolina bred from Greenwood. Their timeless high-octane style, features an ever-popular horn section. The band has been energizing crowds at colleges, festivals, reunions and beach venues almost continuously since 1962. They blend the sounds of yesterday and today and this is their fourteenth summer-opening concert in Ridgeland.
Gates at the Jasper County Farmer’s Market will open at 7:00 p.m., with the concert starting at 8:00 p.m. Advance admission is $20. Tickets purchased at the gate on concert night will be $30. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce at 843-726-8126.
“We are honored to host the Swingin’ Medallions at the Jasper County Farmer’s Market for the fourteenth year,” said Kendall Malphrus, executive director of the sponsoring Jasper County Chamber of Commerce. “The
band appeals to a remarkably broad age group from boomers to teenagers. They are true entertainers and electrify audiences like no other group. No true classic rock and roll fan will want to miss this concert!”
Concert goers can expect to hear “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love,” as well as the Medallions’ hit singles “Hey Hey Baby,” “She Drives Me out of My Mind” as well as favorites like “Wooly Bully” and “Barefootin'” and other great hits from that era.
Food trucks will be on site from 7pm-11pm. There will be “drinking wristbands” for persons 21 and older available for $20 each. Special VIP “up close” tables can be purchased in advance for $300. VIP Packages include tickets for 10 people drinking wristbands, which must be purchased separately).
Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs. The event will be held rain or shine. Coolers are not permitted.
Jasper County Farmers Market is located at 9935 South Jacob Smart Boulevard, Hwy. 17, on the south side of Ridgeland, which can be accessed from Interstate I-95 at Exits 18 or 21. For more information visit the County’s website: www.JasperCountyChamber.com
Because I was born in Kentucky with horses in my soul, I tear up every time I hear “My Old Kentucky Home” wafting through the springtime television air as a group of gorgeous three-year-old Thoroughbreds step onto the Churchill Downs track the first Saturday in May for the start of the Kentucky Derby. Whether I’m perched on a stool at a noisy New Jersey sports bar sipping a few fingers of house bourbon or decked out in a flowery fascinator clutching an icy mint julep at a party in a Bluegrass farm manse, my eyes stay misty until Stephen Foster’s beloved anthem ends and the racing crowd gives up a mighty roar.
Until this year. A horse-loving friend and I watched what the late, great commentator Howard Cosell called “the most exciting two minutes in sports” in a quiet living room, complete with iced julep cups containing a jigger of Woodford Double Oaked and a rock or two. The setting was perfect for a nostalgic canter down memory lane. But with the recent news from Churchill Downs uppermost in my mind, this lady didn’t weep.
Here’s a little background . . .
At that storied track, the day before the Derby is known as “Oaks Day” because the 3-year-old-filly equivalent of the Run for the Roses – the Kentucky Oaks – takes place. And this year on Derby Eve, the University of South Carolina’s remarkable OLLI (Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute) program offered a racehorse-centric class featuring Lisa J. Hall, the curator of the Aiken Thoroughbred Hall of Racing and Museum. In case you don’t know, the SC town of Aiken is all about horses –racehorses, steeplechasers, polo ponies, Standardbreds, three-day eventers, show jumpers, hunters, and good ol’ backyard mounts that one so inclined can hop aboard and ride on some 65 miles of deep sand trails through 2,100-acre Hitchcock Woods, a carefully-maintained, urban longleaf pine forest, one of the largest in the country. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley entitled her novel that features Aiken as a setting, Horse Heaven. Enough said.
At any rate, I attended that class, and through Hall’s marvelous knowledge of Aiken’s equine traditions, the museum’s historic photos and memorabilia, and her well-told tales of its horsemen, horsewomen, and four-legged “rock stars,” I returned for a few hours to the 1970s and the three happy winters I spent there galloping young Thoroughbreds in the mornings and riding through those luscious woods in the afternoons. Needless to say, I left that OLLI experience in my mind’s own version of “horse heaven.”
Where I remained until that evening, when I Googled the Derby entries for the next day’s big race, and happened across the
headline “Seven Horses Die at Churchill Downs in the 10 Days Before Derby.” Brought me up short. Purely unexpected news. And sadly, true. The track issued a statement calling the incidents “unacceptable.” One trainer who trained two of the horses that died was suspended pending investigation.
Next day, throughout the mile-and-aquarter first leg of the Triple Crown of Racing, I held my breath. As did, I feel certain, many more spectators, all hoping for the best. Fortunately, the race itself was a terrific one, won in an impressive come-from-behind stretch run by 15 – 1 longshot Mage, beautifully ridden by Eclipse-Award-winning jockey Javier Castellano in his first Derby victory.
Without going into detail about specific injuries that either ended those unfortunate seven horses’ lives or seemingly, called for euthanasia, let’s just say that Thoroughbreds are animals bred for racing competition. The majority seem to thrive on the challenge, though a potentially catastrophic injury can occur at any point when a horse is racing or even frolicking in a field or paddock. The thousand-pound animals’ spindly legs sustain a lot of concussive force, and their “breaking down,” i.e. becoming seriously injured, on the track while training or racing has always been a tough part of the sport. Some horses can take time off to rest an injury, be brought back to training slowly, and recover to race again.
However, these equine athletes are expensive to maintain. If they’re not running, they’re not earning paychecks. Often even if they are running, they’re not earning paychecks. So the temptation can be to relieve the pain of an injury with a drug and get them back on the track ASAP. Sometimes too soon. Statistics indicate that the US has far more racehorse injuries that result in an animal passing away than does Europe, where racing is popular and horses tend to thrive on “hay, oats, and water” without nearly as much drug usage as in America.
During my stint as an exercise rider in the ‘70s, horses certainly suffered injuries and the occasional euthanizing occurred. I remember while working as assistant to the Horsemen’s Bookkeeper one spring at prestigious Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington KY, the track had to be shut down temporarily for complete resurfacing after a number of
WHOLLY
by Katherine Tandy Brown
equine injuries came about as a result of a track surface issue. And the deaths of more than three dozen horses during Santa Anita Park’s late 2018 through fall of 2019 season resulted in stricter protocols on drug usage and closer monitoring of horses at that track. Fortunately, the Thoroughbred industry has recently created brand-new watchdog legislation, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Act. Says Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action, “We’re committed to the long haul of stamping out doping, and other abuses in American horseracing, and seeing proper enforcement and implementation of the first new federal horse protection law enacted in half a century that we worked so hard to secure.”
This gives me hope. As does Churchill Downs’s promised investigation to get to the bottom of its recent loss of too many horses in too short a time. Another has died there since the Derby. What I know for sure is that the Thoroughbred industry is filled with people who are caring and are committed to treating animals humanely. Some of the finest folks – animal lovers all – I met while in that business, and that fact remains today. The loss of those vibrant equine lives must serve as a wake-up call in an industry where the search for a path to a quick buck is destroying its reason to be.
“In the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing is his spirit, how generous is his heart.”
– Author Unknown
Horses are dependent upon the humans who care for them and are likely to give back 100 percent if they have the capacity and are treated fairly. We owe them that much.
“Horses change lives . . . They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls. They give us hope!” –
Toni Robinson
Savannah Kemper’s upcoming photography exhibit captures the unique colors and textures from her travels. “Colors of the World” will exhibit from June 5-July 2 at The Society of Bluffton Artists gallery in Old Town Bluffton. An opening reception will take place from 5-7pm, June 7 at the gallery and is free and open to the public.
Kemper, a self-described opportunistic photographer, does not seek out her subjects, but instead scenes that stand out to her. She credits her style to her family’s travels early in her life and their encouragement to see beauty in the world. Many of her photos reflect her unique take on nature scenes as well as interesting architecture in bustling cities.
“Since my father grew up on a ranch in Texas, he was very in tune with nature and I think he definitely instilled that love and appreciation for the outdoors in me,” Kemper said. “I grew up being taught how significant the world outside our homes was and that’s why I find my work more often reflecting my travels rather than where I live because whenever I travel somewhere I’m always trying to take in all the details.”
Kemper exclusively prints on aluminum and acrylic which maintain clarity and sharpness to show the fine details of her work. While she likes the modern feel that aluminum and acrylic affords, she doesn’t use photo editing software to overly edit her work as we often see today. She only edits to reflect what her eye saw through the camera lens.
Kemper is in her final year at Clemson University, majoring in international business and Italian. She heads to Florence for a study abroad in the spring which will be more opportunity for discovering treasured photos. She has been exhibiting her photography at The SOBA gallery for 3 years and won first place in the photography category of SOBA’s 28th Annual Judged Show.
For more information, visit http://www. aproposllc.com or follow Savannah on Instagram at @apropos_photography.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor National Heritage Area, presents “HOW DA WADA KEPT OONA,” a Gullah Geechee art exhibition, in partnership with the Port Royal Sound Foundation Maritime Center. The exhibition is on display through May 29 at the Maritime Center located at 310 Okatie Highway, Okatie. The event is free and open to the public.
“HOW DA WADA KEPT OONA” provides a brilliant glimpse into the contemporary artwork of nine local and regional creatives, who share their connections with Gullah Geechee culture and their connections to our beautiful coastal waterways.
The exhibition incorporates creations from public and private collections, featuring mixed media assemblages, photographs, poetry, and paintings by Mary Inabinett Mack, Saundra Renee Smith, Mahoganee Amiger, and Lisa Rivers of St. Helena Island, Clyde Williams of Beaufort, James Simmons of Burton, Amiri Geuka Farris of Bluffton, Quadre Stuckey of Mount Pleasant, and Quincy Howard of Columbus, Ga. The exhibition includes a small selection of limited-edition reproductions featuring the art of Jonathan Green.
Gullah Geechee Corridor Executive Director Victoria Smalls says the group is honored to present “HOW DA WADA KEPT OONA” to the public in partnership with the Port Royal Sound Foundation, an organization with a like-minded mission “to preserve the Port Royal Sound for environmental, cultural and economic well-being of our area.”
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and Sea Island cotton plantations of the lower Atlantic coast. Many came with exper knowledge from the rice-growing region of West Africa.
The nature of their enslavement on isolated island and coastal plantations created a unique and beautiful culture with deep African retention that are clearly visible in the Gullah Geechee people’s distinctive arts, crafts, food, music, and language.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Area managed by the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. The National Heritage Area program is managed by the U.S. National Park Service.
National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. The purpose of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor NHA is to preserve, share and interpret the history, traditional cultural practices, heritage sites, and natural resources associated with Gullah Geechee people of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Amiri G. Farris, right Clyde Williams, below right Saundra Renee Smith, below
Song of the South your music weaves a magic spell. Song of the South, I see the scenes I know so well. Cottonwoods in blossom over my cabin door, pale moonlight on a field of white, you bring them back once more. I seem to hear those gentle voices calling low, out of the long, long ago. This heart of mine is in the heart of Dixie. That's where I belong. Singing a song, a Song of the South.” – by Sam Coslow
This time of year always makes me a bit nostalgic. Growing up in eastern North Carolina, the month of May brings back memories of tobacco and cotton fields just starting to turn green and flower. Back in the day, harvesting for both used to begin at just about the same time that industrious teenagers got out of school for the summer. In the late 1970’s and early 80’s, many of my friends made ridiculously huge amounts of money “putting tobacco on sticks” during our summer vacations. My son-of-a-tobacco-farmer Daddy wouldn’t let me toil in the barns, so I made my summer cash by sewing sundresses for my newly wealthy and hard-working girlfriends. If you look in a 1981 yearbook from any of the three high schools in Wilson County, you’ll see multiple examples of my handiwork. I think a lot of people believe that North Carolina and South Carolina are pieces of the same puzzle. In reality, the Carolinas are two different planets. I love the scent of South Carolina pluff mud, but sometimes my heart aches for a whiff of cured tobacco and freshly turned North Carolina soil. This week’s recipes are some of my favorites from both of the Carolinas. (photography by Mark Shaffer)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Marinate chicken in buttermilk for a least 8 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cereal, cheese, mustard powder, garlic salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or pie plate. Shake
By Debbi Covington
gravy is thickened, stir in syrup and heat through.
To assemble chicken and waffles: Place of piece of chicken on top of a waffle and drizzle with generous amounts of maple gravy. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and/or hot sauce, if desired. Serves 4.
For the pimento cheese:
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ to ¾ cup mayonnaise
1 (8-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash tabasco sauce
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
For the cornbread:
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, melted butter, eggs and milk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir just until mixture is moistened. Pour batter into a lightly greased 8x8-inch baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 6.
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups buttermilk
2 cup corn flakes cereal, crushed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted
excess buttermilk from chicken and dip each piece in the cereal mixture, coating well on both sides. Place chicken on a baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spay the rack with cooking spray. Drizzle chicken with melted butter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
For the waffles:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup butter, melted
Combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. Combine egg yolks, buttermilk and butter; add to flour mixture, stirring briskly until blended. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form; carefully fold into batter. Bake in preheated oiled waffle iron.
For the maple gravy:
1 (2.64-ounce) package country gravy mix
½ cup pure maple syrup
Prepare gravy mix according to package directions. When
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
½ cup diced red onion
¾ cup raisins
8 to 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup chopped pecans
Stir together first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill the dressing for at least 3 hours. Mix broccoli, red onion, raisins, bacon and pecans. Toss gently with dressing to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon. Serves 4 to 6
1.25 ounces bourbon
2 ounces freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
.75 ounce ginger liqueur
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish
Combine bourbon, grapefruit juice and ginger liqueur in a martini shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig. Serves 1.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup self-rising flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
Dash ground nutmeg
1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour melted butter evenly into a one-quart baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together flour, sugar, milk and nutmeg. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the baking dish. Pour the can of peaches into the center of the flour mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until cobbler is lightly browned. Serve warm. Serves 6 to 8.
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host Kristen Ness, author of the debut novel At Loggerheads, on Friday, May 26, at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, this special author event will be held at the Conroy Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call 843-379-7025 to reserve in advance.
South Carolina Lowcountry, where the often-opposing forces of mother nature and human nature influence what people will do for money, for power, and for love.
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
“Kristen Ness’s At Loggerheads is a thrilling debut novel intertwined with mystery, nature, romance, and betrayal. Set on a lush barrier island, Ness offers the reader a rich sense of place in a whodunit that reflects on the meaning of home.” — New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe
About the Novel: Brooke Edens, a scientist who studies loggerhead sea turtles, has longed for a sense of home and belonging ever since her return to Anders Isle. But something is amiss on the Lowcountry island where she grew up. For years, loggerheads have been disappearing from the beach and development has been encroaching on the island's natural beauty and maritime forest. When a dead body is found on the same day as a mutilated loggerhead, Brooke uses clues from her knowledge of sea turtles to help Detective Drew Young investigate the many big crimes beginning to surface on their small island. This murder mystery includes romance, nature, politics, real estate, and science. With a captivating sense of place, the story unfolds as a love letter to the barrier islands and coastal towns of the
Kristen Ness grew up mostly in South Carolina, spending countless days with nature and falling in love with the ocean and its creatures on Isle of Palms, where she walks the beach at sunrise each summer in search of sea turtle nests as a volunteer for the Island Turtle Team. While practicing immigration law for the past twenty years, Kristen has been moonlighting in pursuit of her lifelong passion for writing and her obsession with marine biology. Writing, real estate, politics, and even publishing run in her blood as the daughter of an English teacher and a land developer, and the great-granddaughter of the 14th Governor of North Dakota whose family owned and published The Bismarck Tribune. She has a BA in English from Duke University, a JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and serves as an appointed member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Coral Advisory Panel. Kristen lives in Charleston, SC, with her husband, their two children, two guinea pigs, and a cat. At Loggerheads is her first novel.
The Conroy Center is open to the public for guided tours on Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at 601 Bladen Street in downtown Beaufort. Admission is free; donations are always welcome. Learn more at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
Yes, finally! After three years of COVID, Thumbs Up is back to “full strength.” We have suffered multiple interruptions but are thrilled to share that our full-day summer program will run June 19th through July 28th; and our after-school program will begin in September. Thanks to a very generous donation of $40,000 by the Versacare Foundation, the majority of our summer program activities are fully funded. We couldn’t be more grateful to them for their support for our critical work.
Established in 1995, Thumbs Up is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Sister Mary Trzasko who had a passion for helping disadvantaged young students. Our multi-year after school program’s mission is to build learning skills, trusting relationships, and positive parental involvement, all resulting in the enhanced academic success and self-confidence of our students.
We recently hired a new Executive Director, DR. CHRISTOPHER C. THOMPSON who succeeds Ms. Rosalyn Browne, who retired last year. Dr. Thompson is a Beaufort native, a creative educator, and a community-focused leader with exceptional communication skills. He received his undergraduate and graduate training at Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL. He also received additional
undergraduate training at Southern Adventist University. He completed his doctoral studies at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH.
Dr. Thompson’s passion is education and ensuring his young students develop into agents of positive change, with strong critical thinking, social, and language skills. He first became familiar with Thumbs Up when founder, Sister Mary Trzasko launched the program in the former Boys & Girls Club on Boundary Street in Beaufort. He was a teenager at the time who admired Sister Mary as he watched her care for struggling students after school each day. Because of her influence on him, his passion is to follow in her footsteps and grow the minds and character of local students.
Dr. Thompson’s summer program will utilize the “Freedom School" curriculum as envisioned by Marian Wright Edelman, during the civil rights movement, who was the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund. Other activities will include STEM learning, Tech Tuesday at Beaufort Digital Corridor, swimming, tennis, and a variety of field trips. Breakfast and lunch will also be served daily.
Our success is dependent upon the help of our community as both donators and volunteers. We hope many of you will continue to stand with us as we transform the lives of our local children for the better. We thank you!
This may seem very strange, but the hottest things in the horticultural world right now are American prairie plants. You know - those wildflowers and grasses waving in the wind in every western movie you have seen. I participate in many zoom meetings with horticulturists around the world and I have learned that prairie plants are used in Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, England, and many other places world-wide. It took me a long time to figure out why.
Most of the indigenous flowers in Europe and other areas of the world have their bloom time in the spring and early summer. By August, gardens are looking rather shopworn. Our native plants tend to bloom later. Yes, we do have spring blooming wildflowers, but many plants in colder areas like the northern Midwest tend to do their “thing” later. This desire to have late blooming plants and autumn color goes way back in time, especially for the British Isles.
In the eighteenth century, a Quaker in Philadelphia named John Bartram made quite a bit of money shipping over North American plants in what became known as “Bartram Boxes.” He had another Quaker businessman at the other end receive his shipments and sell them to wealthy landowners who wanted their own “American Garden” on their lavish estates. I read that the two most popular items sent to England were Liquidambar styraciflua and something known as Rhus. Imagine my surprise when I found out that they were Sweetgum and Sumac. I hate Sweetgum
with all those seed heads that look like the Corona virus! They are all over one area of my garden and I am forever pulling out baby Sweetgum trees. Why would these two plants be in such great demand? Fall color! The foremost tree in Britain is the Oak and we all know that they are pretty drab when their leaves turn. Even their beloved Linden trees, which they call Limes, are not noted for fall foliage.
The desire for some color and interest at the end of the summer and into the fall is what has driven gardeners outside of the United States to covet our trees, shrubs, and prairie plants.
What prairie plants are popular? Cornflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are a
particular favorite. I have them in my garden. They are a short-lived perennial, but they do re-seed vigorously. There are many new cultivars coming out in different colors. I prefer the open petal varieties because most pollinators always like flowers with open blossoms that make it easier for them to get to the pollen. Coneflowers are longer lived in colder climates and there are all sorts of plant trials going on right now to see which varieties live the longest and how plant breeders can produce longer lived cultivars.
Another favorite is something we see along the sides of the road every autumn –Goldenrod (solidago) It certainly does seem strange that gardeners would pay for something that we take for granted. Most of our native goldenrod is Solidago canadensis or Canada goldenrod. It is very tall and flops over. I do have Goldenrod in the back of my garden, but I have to stake it. Growers have come up with smaller varieties and even a dwarf goldenrod. Bees love it. It is an aggressive re-seeder so watch it or keep it contained.
A fall bloomer that seems to grow many places in the United States is aster. Asters are a huge family, in fact, they are their own genus. Members of the aster family are found all over the world. Our most common aster is the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). It grows
By Wendy Hiltyabout 3-4 feet tall and although most sources say that it is hardy in zones 4-8, it seems to thrive down here. It can get leggy so it is a plant that can benefit from what is known as the “Chelsea Chop.” This is cutting the plant down by half to force it to grow side shoots. It is called by that name because it is done in Britain around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show held the third week in May.
And do not forget native grasses for fall and winter interest. Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) grows in the wild here. It is also one of the few grasses that will take some shade. The seeds look like little fish on a string.
We are so fortunate that in the Lowcountry we have something blooming nearly every day of the year. Enjoy those late summer and fall bloomers!
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.
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.
STAINED GLASS CLASSES IN BEAUFORT! Four hour suncatcher workshop with everything included. $175/student. (508) 280-9792
BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY ONGOING
a life lesson or healing message using your own creative expression through song, poetry, reading, art or verbal storytelling. Come away with an uplifting sense of support and connections or to just listen. To register leave voice mail with name, and phone number at 843-525-6115 or email reneesutton@healthierhealing.com. Notification will be done of any location change. Free. 2201 Boundary St. #208, Beaufort.
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
$25 Up to 25 Words
$35 Up to 25 Words with a Photo
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
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
SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY: Non-denominational meditation, silent prayer and healing group forming in the Beaufort area. All are welcome. No previous meditation experience needed. Please call Michael at 843-489-8525
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.
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
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
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.
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
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 10am4:30pm and 8am on Family Graduation Days. Closed all Federal Holidays. Info at parrisislandmuseum.org or 843-228-2166.
MEDICAL SERVICES OF AMERICA SEEKS VOLUNTEERS - 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.
Most retirement gurus recommend taking your time before jumping into volunteer activities once freed from the rigors of the work world. I took that advice to heart when my fulltime work morphed into parttime and began exploring ways I could put my time and energy into something meaningful in my new beautiful city of Beaufort.
My previous volunteer work ran the gamut from leadership and fundraising roles to guiding a vision-impaired runner. It was the runner who changed the way I look at volunteering. He was a police officer, catastrophically blinded in the line of duty. I played a small role that combined my love of running and my desire to do something that had an immediate impact. Guiding him on long runs, via holding a shoelace between us, and through 5Ks and other races worked out for both of us. I got my runs in, and he was able to continue one thing he loved among the debris of all that he lost.
Once I settled into the Lowcountry, I began looking around at various ways to contribute. The joy of docenting at the Pat Conroy Center eventually led to volunteering at Lady’s Island Elementary School in the newly launched Storybuilders program where a group of mostly (not all) retired teachers help 3rd and 5th graders tap into their creativity through poetry, personal narrative and playwriting.
The kids are smart, eager to learn and sometimes exhausted from all the hard things in their world. The teachers, librarian and administration provide amazing guidance and support. I have to say, it’s been one of the great joys of my life. And, like guiding the blind runner, it feels immediate and impactful. I’m not sure how the story writing translates into test scores, but I can confirm the way the kids’ eyes light up with one-on-one attention from the volunteers.
Plus, they crack me up. I was explaining to the group how the kind of personal narrative writing I do has the power to make people laugh or think or roll their eyes. One boy raised his hand and I paused and let him ask his question.
“Do you tell stories about when you were in World War !!?” he asked. Yes. We are really old to these kids. But it’s not lost on them that people from their community care about their success and give up their time to show them how to write about the hero journey of their own lives.
When I make a pitch for the newly retired to explore volunteering opportunities, I suggest keeping it hyper-local and finding something that’s a little out of your comfort zone. The only elementary school kids I’ve ever been around were my own and that was decades ago.
There are incredible volunteer positions in this community and a great need for help. I have friends involved in social justice,
health care, Friends of the Library, and on and on. My husband docents at the History Museum and participates in area conservation programs and the Good Neighbor medical clinic. There’s a huge need for former leaders to assume leadership positions in churches, local and national associations that tackle poverty, food insecurity, land conservation and other critical issues facing this community.
Figuring out a meaningful way to spend time newly free of deadlines, meetings and business travel requires some mindful planning. Take that first (or second or third) step, even if your contribution seems small and is right around the corner. For me, it’s a simple love of both telling stories and teaching
By Carolyn Masonstorytelling that led me to Lady’s Island Elementary School.
To those who say, ‘I don’t have anything to teach someone or particular skills to share,’ I can truthfully respond: I don’t even know you, but I promise you do!
And now, I must get started on my WWII memoir.
Foolish Frog, 846 Sea Island Pkwy, St. Helena Island. (843) 838-9300. 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. Irish American Sports Pub & Eatery. C'mon down! Rock & Roll Lunch. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday - Karaoke at 10pm. (843) 3797676 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. 5/24 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parler, 5/26 & 5/27 Noel Freidline & Maria Howell - A Little Help from my Friends: A Jazz Celebration of the Beatles, 5/31 Bobby Ryder, 6/2 & 6/3 Folderol - A Roaring 20s Twist on Popular Music, 6/7 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parler, 6/9 & 6/10 Dave Potter's Retro Groove. (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. 5/26
The Midnight City, 5/27 The Elements, 6/2 High Tide Opening Party Westend; Baustin; Discull; BVR, 6/3 Summer Salt; Rare Occasions; Addison
Grace, 6/9 Power of Love, 6/10 Charleston Punk Night - Hanging Judge; Soda City Riot; Shemp Creeps; Anergy, 6/11 Mimosa Fest - DJ Sista Misses. (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; Thursdays - iLLA ZiLLA. 5/24
Nattali Rize; Minori, 5/25 Matthew Logan Vasquez; Danny Golden; Mechanical River, 5/26 Brandon 'Taz' Niederauer; The Shady Recruits, 5/27 Thee Hot Girl Hoedown - April B & the Cool perform Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, 5/28 The Fritz, 5/30 Ballyhoo; The Harbor Boys, 5/31 Squeaky Feet, 6/1 La Luz; Jay Wood, 6/7 Baked Shrimp, 6/8 Triathalon, 6/9 The Band of Heathens; Danny Burns, 6/10 Harvest MoonNeil Young & CSNY tribute, 6/11 Ally Venable. (843) 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com
Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 5/25 Futurebirds; Leon III; Fo Daniels, 5/26 Futurebirds; Leon III; Flat Spell, 5/27 Rock the 90's; High Society, 5/28 FlashMob; Rumors, 6/1 Flipturn, 6/2 & 6/3 Corey Smith, 6/4 Robert Randolph, 6/7 The Disco Biscuits, 6/9 Drivin' 'N' Cryin', 6/10 The Stews; Castellows, . (843) 886-8596 or www.the-windjammer.com
Now – 6/30, Of Earth & Fire, an exhibit of work by Anne M. Kennedy and Traci L. Walter at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery. 913 Bay Street, Beaufort.
Now – 6/17, Biennale – National Juried Art Exhibit at Art League Gallery. Inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060, www. artleaguehhi.org
Sat 6/3, Maye River Quilters meeting at 10 am, Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way in Hardeeville. Social time at 9:30. To attend as a guest, email RSVP to mayeriverquilters@gmail.com. For more information and for membership form, call 843-705-9590.
6/5 – 7/2, Colors of the World, an exhibit of photography by Savannah Kemper at the SOBA Gallery. Opening reception from 5-7 p. Corner of Church and Calhoun Streets in Old Town Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com
Fri 5/26, Debut novelist Kristin Ness (At Loggerheads) will be the featured author at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, starting at 5:30 pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Seating is limited; please call 843-379-7025 for reservations.
Thur 6/8, Open Mic Night, sponsored by the Pat Conroy Literary Center & partners at Sandies at the Beaufort Country Black Chamber of Commerce. From 6 – 7:30 pm. Helen P. Bradley will be this month’s featured writer. To request to read your work (3-5 minutes), email contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org in advance.
email susan@lowcountryhabitat.org or call 843-522-3500.
6/5 – 6/9, 27th Annual Garden a Day Tour, sponsored by the Beaufort Garden Club. From 9 am –Noon, Mon – Fri. For a list of gardens and addresses, visit www.beaufortgardenclub.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 843-8387437. Tours free are and park entry fees apply.
Second Friday, Beaufort Drum Circle 2nd Friday of every month. 6:30 – 8 pm at the Gazebo in Waterfront Park. Eric Roy is the facilitator. Sessions with 15-20 minutes of instruction on djembe playing and a selected traditional rhythm & accompaniment for participants. Time for spontaneous group drumming. All welcome. No experience necessary. Bring a drum, if you have one, a chair, and desire for fun. The Drum Circle has extra instruments anyone can use. For info visit the Drum Circle 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
Editors Note:
Events listed here may be subject to postponement or cancellation. Please check for further information.
Now – 5/28, ‘Company’ at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head. Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking modern musical is a mature, intelligent and wildly funny look at relationships, directed by Russell Garrett. Tickets available at www.artshhi.com
Now – 5/28, May River Magic, an exhibit of oil paintings by John Kenney at thex Society of Bluffton Artists Gallery in Old T own Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com 843-757-6586
Now – 5/29, How Da Wada Kept Oona, an exhibit of Gullah Geechee art at the Port Royal Sound Foundation’s Maritime Center, 310 Okatie Highway, Okatie. Free and open to the public.
Fri 6/9, The Swingin’ Medallions will perform at the Jasper County Farmers Market at 8 pm. Admission: $20. Food trucks on site from 7pm-11pm. “Drinking wristbands” for 21 and older available for $20 each. Special VIP “up close” tables can be purchased in advance for $300. VIP Packages include tickets for 10 people. For advance tickets, call 843-726-8126. Rain or shine. Coolers not permitted.
Saturdays Now – 6/24, Lunch and Learn Gardening Series at the Port Royal Farmers Market, starting at noon. Free and open to the public, around the Gazebo. Bring a folding chair! Sponsored by the Lowcountry Master Gardeners Association.
Wednesdays, 5/31, to 6/29, Drop-in Medicaid Help Sessions, Computer Lab, St. Helena Branch Library. Assistance with Medicaid renewal and enrollment process. Help is free and provided by League of Women Voters volunteers, no appointment necessary. Information on the end of automatic renewals (aka Medicaid unwinding) and on Medicaid expansion efforts in the state. 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island.
Sat 6/3, Inaugural Beaufort Housing Symposium, sponsored by LowCountry Habitat for Humanity. Panels, workshops, heirs property clinic, and more. This all-day event begins with a panel discussion from 9 – 10 am. Building 12 at Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort. For more information,
Ongoing, Beaufort Tree Walk sponsored by the Lady’s Island Garden Club. Meander through the historic Old Point neighborhood, enjoying some unique and noteworthy trees. The “walk” 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.
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
experience servicing Lowcountry buyers and sellers with closings, deeds, and contracts.2 PROFESSIONAL VILLAGE CIRCLE BEAUFORT,
