Christmas In July!
cover notes
The image on our cover is "Resilience and Morning Glories" by Peg Weschke from "Imagine," an exhibit of art quilts currently on display at Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head.
yWeekly
July 17 – July 30, 2024
ro w c o unt
LPublisher: 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, 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.
Conspiracy Theories in Meme World RANTS & RAVES
Do you ever feel like you’re surrounded by conspiracy theorists? Or maybe becoming one yourself?
These days, it seems I’m always either scrambling down a dark rabbit hole or clinging to higher ground by my fingernails. I never want to don the dreaded tin foil hat – perish the thought! – but putting my head in the sand seems equally unappealing. To paraphrase the old adage about paranoia: Just because you’re a conspiracy theorist doesn’t mean there are no conspiracies.
I saw a meme on Facebook the other day reading: “The only difference between a conspiracy theory and a conspiracy is about six months.”
Frankly, six months may be a generous assessment. I’ve noticed that it usually takes the NY Times at least a year, usually more, to turn a “conspiracy theory” into “news,” lending legitimacy to what alternative sources – and, heck, regular people on social media –have been saying for ages, only to be branded conspiracy theorists.
For instance, it’s now officially kosher to discuss the possibility that Covid came from a lab leak. (Though I’m not sure it’s kosher to say “kosher” anymore.) It’s also fine – now – to say that lockdowns were damaging to children’s education, and even that the Covid vaccines have had some harmful side effects. The NY Times and other mainstream sources have finally come around, so you’re no longer a “conspiracy theorist” for voicing these possibilities aloud.
The same goes for the suggestion that Joe Biden just might be too old for another four-year term as president. Until a few short
weeks ago, that, too, was supposedly a figment of the far right’s fevered imagination, perpetuated by “cheap fakes” and Russian bots . . . much like Hunter Biden’s laptop. Or something?
According to recent polls, public trust in American institutions is at an all-time low, and that includes the media. (Actually, the media is held in particularly low esteem.) It’s not that surprising, really, since in order to gain trust, you must be trustworthy. When our public institutions repeatedly fail to tell us the truth in a timely manner – no matter their intentions – trust erodes.
In a stroke of uncanny timing, while I was noodling on this column – I typically noodle for several days – a Facebook memory appeared on my feed, something I’d written two years ago. It reminded me that I’ve been fretting about this low-trust situation for a while now.
On July 12, 2022, I wrote: “I’m torn between my conviction that Americans desperately need a common narrative – or at least a few common facts – and my certainty that censorship is rampant and the media, increasingly lame. I dutifully read my NY Times every morning, but I can't ignore the fact that they're consistently telling me things I learned AGES ago, from sources they label "conspiracy theorists" or "dissidents" or "radicals" or – most horrible of horribles –"conservative." (How weird is it that conservatives are the dissidents and radicals today?) The Times merely gives these stories and opinions – the ones I've already read and formed – the veneer of social acceptability, and they're always late to the party. So why am I paying for this subscription? Because I still
care about the common narrative! How does our country survive without one? Is anybody out there just reporting the facts – as they come to light – without a righteous (in their minds) agenda steering the narrative? Wish I were la-la-la enough to ignore this gargantuan conundrum, but I'm not. ‘Go along to get along’ is something I simply can't stomach.”
(Ironically, I had set this FB post to “only me,” which means nobody ever saw it. Apparently, I got those thoughts off my chest, then decided they were too controversial to share publicly. In other words, I went along to get along.)
But despite corporate media’s repeated failures to earn my trust – not to mention those institutions on whom they report, or don’t – I still stop short of seeing conspiracies around every corner. Maybe it’s just my nature, but I tend to lean toward Hanlon’s razor as an explanation for much of what others spin conspiracy theories around:
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” Or incompetence. Or peer pressure. Or natural bias. Or buck-passing.
Another meme I saw on FB recently made this bold claim: “There are two types of people in this world. People who think the government is looking out for their best interest and people who think.”
That binary set-up didn’t sit right with me. In fact, it ruffled my feathers – and not just because I believe there are WAY more than two types of people in the world.
Fortunately, someone had left a comment beneath the meme: “Actually, there are three types of people. Those who think the government is looking out for their best interest, those who think the government is a deep state conspiracy, and those who think.”
That one hit the spot.
Yet another meme that’s been making the rounds was created by somebody called The Healing Doc. I think he was referring to the Covid vaccine when he wrote: “Once you understand that the ‘solution’ wasn’t created to solve the ‘problem,’ but the ‘problem’ was intentionally created for the ‘solution’ to be rolled out – then you will comprehend the magnitude of evil in the people behind everything.”
Really, Healing Doc?
I just don’t see the world that way. Not only because I don't want to, but because I literally CAN'T. Call me naïve – you wouldn’t
be the first – but the idea that the people "behind everything" are EVIL – in magnitudes far greater than the rest of us – just doesn't ring true to me.
In my experience, most people in positions of responsibility are trying to do good work. But sometimes, big screw-ups occur – like a deadly virus escaping a lab, for instance – because people are imperfect. And then those same imperfect people try to fix the problems they've created, mostly in good faith, but inevitably, more screw-ups occur, because . . . people. And yes, some people have various baser motivations – money, prestige, power, ass-covering – which is why institutions have checks and balances in place. Sometimes, even those fail, because once that cycle of screwing it up/fixing it begins, all manner of self-protective survival instincts kick in.
Still, I believe there are plenty of people out there sincerely trying to do the right thing. I know too many of them not to believe that. Don’t get me wrong. I’m certain evil plays a part in human affairs – that goes without saying – but somebody’s going to have to show me a lot more evidence to convince me that the “problem” of Covid was intentionally unleashed on the world so a secret cabal of exceptionally evil people could create a “solution.” That’s just too diabolical a concept to contemplate.
Just as I was finishing this column, news came that Donald Trump had been shot at a campaign rally. Within 10 minutes, several of my friends – the ones most likely to accuse others of being “conspiracy theorists” – were publicly speculating that the assassination attempt, which damn near succeeded, was a set-up orchestrated by . . . Donald Trump.
See how easy it is to go there, guys?
Text me if you need instructions on how to make a tin foil hat. That’s easy, too.
Margaret Evans
Fripp Island Friends . . . of Local Music Programs
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, poppy, 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 .
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 celebrate our upcoming 40th Anniversary season, the Gorham Fund is also providing five FIFOM School Grants 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-inthe-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-in-Residency 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 June 2024. If you have questions about membership in FIFOM, contact Vanessa Peñaherrera, Membership Chair, at vandy116@ gmail.com. Also visit the FIFOM website: https://www.frippfriendsofmusic.com
To many more happy musical experiences on and off Fripp Island!
Electrify Your Symphony concert at BHS
Vince Covington, Owner
Novelist Martha Boone at the Conroy Center
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with retired surgeon turned novelist Martha B. Boone, author of Mother Charity, in conversation with retired FBI Special Agent turned novelist Dana Ridenour, author of the Lexie Montgomery Series, on Thursday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort).
Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025.
About Mother Charity: Evolving from a naive girl to a competent female surgeon, Elizabeth has survived the first round of surgery training. What happens next will change her or the hospital forever. After barely surviving her first six months as a trauma intern at Charity Hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Roberts is exhausted from the long hours, senseless violence, and breakneck pace.
Despite the tough experience, she has grown to love New Orleans-its food, culture, music, and people. But now she must endure the hardest rotation in the hospital, led by her nemesis . . . who doesn't think Elizabeth even belongs in the world of surgery. Navigating the brutal and exhilarating world of trauma surgery, she wants to do her duty, but has bitten off more than she can chew. It's great training for a
surgeon, but the emotional toll on a previously sweet, young southern lady may be too much to bear. Once the young doctor discovers what she has to give up to overcome her challenges, the question arises: will she continue to pursue her dream? If so, at what cost?
This sequel to Martha Boone’s novel The Big Free continues the gripping story of an intern in surgery and all the trials and tribulations that come with it, from devastating horror to ribald dark humor.
About the Author: Martha B. Boone, M.D. was a surgery resident and urology resident at Tulane and trained at Charity Hospital in New Orleans from 1985- 1991. She is one of the first one hundred women board certified in Urology in the United States. Boone retired from the practice of urology after 35 years to travel and write. She was challenged by her mentor Dr. Norman McSwain to memorialize the great Charity Hospital in her novels. Mother Charity is her third book and the sequel to The Big Free. She is also the author of the nonfiction book, The Unfettered Urologist.
About the Interviewer: Dana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask, Beyond the Cabin, and Below the Radar. Ridenour is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. She now lives and writes in the South Carolina lowcountry.
Author Martha B. Boone
DAYLO Honored with Richard W. Riley Award
Founded in 2021, DAYLO, or Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, is a student-led book club and community literacy service group fostering empathy and understanding through the power of story, with a growing number of chapters across South Carolina.
DAYLO was recently honored with the Richard W. Riley Award for Human & Civil Rights, presented by the South Carolina Education Association, the Palmetto State’s affiliate of the National Education Association. SCEA’s mission is to be the leading advocate for quality public education in South Carolina.
Named for former South Carolina governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, this award recognizes student achievements and leadership on campus and in the community which enhance the sense of worth and dignity of others by promoting an appreciation for diversity, opposing prejudice, and working to improve the conditions and self-esteem of minorities and the disadvantaged.
The award was accepted on behalf of DAYLO’s many student members and advisors by Millie Bennett and Madelyn Confare (past leaders of the Beaufort High School chapter), E Achurch (founding president of the Complete Student chapter), and Mickie Thompson (founding president of the USC Beaufort chapter), accompanied by DAYLO’s mentors Claire Bennett and Jonathan Haupt.
In accepting the award, Millie Bennett said, “To be recognized with an SCEA Human & Civil Rights Award for our efforts as pro-literacy advocates is especially meaningful, and even more so to be honored with the Richard W. Riley Award. We believe, as Mr. Riley said as U.S. Secretary of Education, that every time a student’s imagination is sparked by the transformative power of language, story, and the arts, our nation gets a little stronger. Defending students’ rights to read and educators’ rights to teach is vital to making certain that we continue to have access to the stories and histories which inspire, empower, and educate all of us.”
DAYLO was first established at Beaufort High in 2021 by Holland Perryman, then a high school junior, inspired by literary
and social justice community programs she experienced as an intern of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center. (In a serendipitous connection to the legacy of one of Conroy’s own mentors from Beaufort High, in 2004 Gene Norris was honored with the Richard W. Riley Award of the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English for his lifelong service to public education.)
During the 2022-2023 school year, six DAYLO students from Beaufort High, Beaufort Academy, and Battery Creek High spoke out in public comments at Beaufort County School Board meetings in response to challenges against 97 books in district school libraries. The inspiring advocacy of DAYLO students led to additional opportunities regionally and nationally, and has since empowered the creation of new DAYLO chapters across South Carolina.
In addition to being on-campus book clubs, locally, current DAYLO student leaders and members enhance community literacy efforts through community read-alouds at the Port Royal Farmers Market on first Saturdays, by stocking dozens of little free libraries across our communities with inclusive books
for all ages, by decorating and donating little library book boxes for local laundromats and a food pantry, by facilitating the annual Beaufort Human Library, and by collaborating with the Conroy Center to host local and visiting authors at public events like the Lowcountry Children’s Book Fair and the Lowcountry Book Club Convention.
DAYLO’s student-led pro-literacy efforts have been profiled nationally on Nick News and in Education Week, Book Riot, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, and regionally as front-page news stories in the Charleston Post and Courier and The Island News. DAYLO students have spoken at the annual conferences of the American Library Association, South Carolina Association of School Librarians, South Carolina Council of the Teachers of English, and Palmetto State Literacy Association, as well as in virtual events hosted by the American Library Association, the Children’s Book Council, the Kids Right to Read Network of the National Coalition Against Censorship, and (later this month) EveryLibrary’s Library Advocacy and Funding Conference. Early this year, DAYLO was also awarded a national commendation from the American Association of School Librarians.
To learn more about DAYLO’s pro-literacy community service outreach and continued advocacy for the right to read freely, please follow DAYLO on Instagram at www.instagram.com/daylo_reads or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DAYLO.reads
Travel Writer Pens Children’s Book
Age eight. Sharon Baker and her cat Sula launch “The Cool Cats Writing Club.” Together they create bizarre poems, romantic songs, bohemian plays, and ridiculous sorta true stories.
Age twenty-five. Sharon snares her Dream Job: Travelling Planet Earth on assignment for national/ international travel magazines, publishing her life changing encounters with jaguars, seahorses, polar bears, whale sharks, orca killer whales, and a 100- year- old Shaman.
Mentored by her high school guidance counselor, her Northwestern University professors, and renowned Travel Journalist Sylvia McNair, Sharon wins awards and teaches travel writing classes worldwide.
Age seventy. Sharon debuts her first children’s book, “Where is the Magic?” and exhibits whimsical mixed media art in galleries. She lives happily with husband Kenny Baker in Bluffton, South Carolina. Enjoy her comedy YouTube video, “May I Call You Sister?” Email Sharon: sharonspencelieb@gmail.com
About Where is The Magic? Sharon Baker writes: Our mentors guide us through life, helping us discover health, happiness, and success. Travelling the world, Sage the curious Cat receives funny and sincere advice from his
A Higher Sense Of Freedom
mentors: a penguin, a llama, a jaguar, a lizard, and an elephant. By journey’s end, Sage finds The Magic: warm sunshine in the front hall.
Where is The Magic? is a hilarious, joyful journey for kids aged 3-7 who treasure cats, and all creatures great and small.
Magic is in all of us . . . and maybe, right at home. This book is dedicated to all my loving cats. And the Earthly Mentors and Heavenly Angels who believe in me. Especially my beloved husband Kenny Baker, and my many creative Friends.
Praise for Where is the Magic? “This sweet adventure of a curious cat and the Magic of home, goes straight to the Heart. Sure to be a favorite for little ones and those who offer them a cozy lap for reading.” – Anne Hillerman, New York Times Best Selling Author. Mom, Grandmom, author of the Chee, Leaphorn, and Manuelito mysteries.
“I live for Adventure! Love my many cats! I found this to be the greatest cat adventure I’ve ever read. My cats agree.” – Wayne L. White, author, Cold: Three Winters at the South Pole.
Where is the Magic? by Bluffton writer Sharon Baker is available on Amazon and Ingram Spark.
Paid Advertorial by The Christian Science Society of Beaufort
I once heard the Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian David Hackett Fischer explain that he sees certain countries as each representing an ideal: for instance, New Zealand, a sense of fairness; Canada, diversity; and the United States, freedom.
Centuries before the US was founded, the Apostle Paul thought deeply about the meaning of freedom. We know of Paul’s thoughts and actions from his letters in the Bible’s New Testament as well as from the book of Acts.
As a young man, Paul sought to take away the freedom of those who followed Jesus, because he felt they were corrupting true religious doctrine and practice. Later, after he experienced a spiritual conversion and began to tell people about Christ Jesus and his teachings, he himself was the target of similar persecution and was imprisoned and beaten several times. Once, when arrested by Roman authorities, he informed his captors that he was a Roman citizen and was appealing his case to the emperor. He then traveled under guard to Rome, where even under house arrest he continued to preach.
What impresses me most about Paul and his views on freedom is that he didn’t think of freedom as just doing whatever you want. For Paul, true liberty meant freely committing to loving others and loving God, who is infinite Love. To truly do that requires selflessness.
As I’ve studied Christian Science, I’ve come to see that wherever in the world we may live, freedom is inherent in our nature as children of one entirely good, all-powerful God. In truth, beyond the human appearance of a person being born at a certain time and then evolving materially, the identity of each one of us is entirely spiritual, not born into or defined by matter. It requires spiritual sense to perceive this, but we can actually enjoy this freedom now. To me, this is the meaning of the Bible’s statement that we are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26, 27)
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE
own spiritual perfection as God’s reflection, constitutes a powerful prayer that supports growth in grace. In the Bible there are many other accounts of people expressing grace, displaying a confident sense of who they are and their present, God-given freedom. Joseph, for instance, was sold into slavery by his own brothers and falsely imprisoned, yet he continued to steadfastly follow God, rose to a prominent position, and not only saved the lives of countless others but forgave his brothers (Genesis, 37, 39-45). He expressed freedom by not thinking of himself but wanting to serve God.
As we come home to this higher sense of ourselves, we increasingly find dominion over discord and limitation. We see more and more that rather than being limited by circumstances, human decisions, or even our own mistakes, we are governed by God’s law of harmony. And in the same way that a good mother could never want anything other than good and harmony for her child, God provides only freedom for us.
To not be a mere abstraction, the absolute truth of our present freedom must be demonstrated in our experience. That often requires soul-searching, reform, sacrifice, and unflagging persistence. Self-knowledge – an awareness of our thoughts and actions as well as an understanding of who we actually are as a child of God – can show us some stern views of who we seem to be. But the pure desire to do better, which has its origin in God, Spirit, and in our
Freedom meant much to the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. She grew up in a time and place where women’s ideas were generally little valued or even ridiculed. Yet, she didn’t let that stop her from valuing herself and treating graciously even critics of her ideas –especially, of her founding of Christian Science.
In her main work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she includes an extended passage on freedom that begins: “Truth brings the elements of liberty. On its banner is the Soul-inspired motto, ‘Slavery is abolished.’ The power of God brings deliverance to the captive. No power can withstand divine Love” (p. 224). She goes on to say, “Love is the liberator” (p. 225).
By Lyle Young
BDC Brings Back ‘Run Forrest Run’ 5K
The Beaufort Digital Corridor (BDC) is excited to announce that its annual fundraiser, the Run Forrest Run 5K, returns on October 5th, 2024. Captivating Forrest Gump fans and avid runners alike, this is the race's fourth year opening the famous Woods Memorial Bridge to all who, like Forrest, just feel like running. Registration is now open, with early bird tickets available.
Beaufort. The race, which begins on Bay Street, takes racers over the same iconic bridge Gump crosses in the Forrest Gump movie. This family-friendly event welcomes runners, walkers, pets, and children of all ages to participate. All attending are encouraged to don their best Forrest Gump getup and race to the finish line in hopes of claiming the Fastest Forrest Award.
The Run Forrest Run 5K leads runners through beautiful, historic Downtown
Tuesday - Sunday 11am-4pm John Meckley
The Run Forrest Run 5K serves as the BDC's grandest fundraiser. All proceeds support programs that provide accessible educational pathways and opportunities for individuals to upskill and thrive in high-wage tech jobs. Last year, the race drew in just over 500 runners from across the Lowcountry and neighboring states. The Corridor hopes to surpass those numbers this year to support its new charitable foundation. Additionally, those interested in further supporting our mission can give a tax-deductible donation to the Beaufort Digital Corridor Foundation (BDCF) which is the new 501(c)(3) arm of the BDC. The BDCF is dedicated to advancing economic growth and social equity by empowering individuals from all backgrounds to pursue careers in technology.
Supporters of our mission can donate at https://runsignup.com/Race/Donate/ SC/Beaufort/2019 Run Forrest Run5k
Runners can join the Beaufort Triple Crown Race Series (BTC) which supports three local nonprofits. The BTC, which includes the Run Forrest Run 5K, is a collection of races hosted in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of the LowCountry and Holy Trinity Classical Christian School. The series comprises the Swing Bridge Run happening November 2nd and the Turkey Trot 5K scheduled for November 28th. Dedicated runners can sign up at bit.ly/beauforttriplecrown to participate in all three races and support multiple impactful organizations.
The race’s organizing committee is currently seeking sponsors. Businesses
interested in sponsoring the Run Forrest Run 5K, can email a completed sponsorship form (attached) to info@beaufortdigital.com
Lowcountry Children’s Book Fair
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s annual Lowcountry Children’s Book Fair will be held on Saturday, July 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Port Royal Sound Foundation Weezie Educational Pavilion (310 Okatie Hwy, Okatie). The Maritime Center will also be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and admission is free.
Presented in partnership between the nonprofit Conroy Center, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, the Storybook Shoppe children’s bookstore, and DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, this special event is free and open to the public. This year’s book fair is made possible by the generous support of Oyster Cay Collection of Beaufort. Student volunteers from DAYLO will be hosting picture book read-alouds and bookmark art projects throughout the day. Featured middle-grade mysteries author Susan Diamond Riley will read from her newest Delta & Jax Mystery, The Sea Devil’s Demise, at 11:00 a.m. National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman will also host a special Read with a Ranger program at noon, featuring a reading of With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School, with a special corresponding art project. Featured bestselling children’s picture book author Antwan Eady will read from his newest book, The Last Stand, at 1:00 p.m.
Author Susan Diamond Riley
ABOUT THE FEATURED AUTHORS
Author of the Delta & Jax Mysteries, award-winning writer and editor Susan
Diamond Riley has worked in the fields of publishing, journalism, and education for more than thirty years and has taught and tutored writing at the middle school, high school, and college levels. She holds a master of arts degree in children’s literature and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, the South Carolina Writers Association, and the Island Writers Network. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island.
Antwan Eady is the author of the award-winning picture book Nigel and the Moon (illustrated by Gracey Zhang) and the recently released The Last Stand (illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey). Down the dirt roads of South Carolina’s lowcountry is where Antwan’s understanding of — and appreciation for — family, community, and land unfolded. Now he shares those stories with the world. When he isn’t writing, he’s visiting schools, libraries, and colleges throughout the country. A graduate of Clemson University, Antwan lives in Savannah.
Author
Antwan Eady
Other participating authors and artists include Patricia Bee, author of Try’umsee’s Wings; Rebecca Chamberlain, author and artist of Maralee & the Turtles of the Sea; Mary T. Jacobs, author of the Big Daddy Series; Kellie Langan author of the Tinkie and Bobo series; Emma McClure, author/artist of Beautiful Beaufort: A Coloring Book; Susan Montanari, author of My Dog’s a Chicken; Katherine Robinson, author of The Crabs on Calhoun; and Laurie Suber, author of Hunting Island Adventures: A South Carolina State Park Adventure with Levi and Skylin. The Storybook Shoppe will have additional local books available for sale. All participating authors will be available to sign copies of their books. And a food truck will be available for lunch purchases.
To learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center, please visit www.patconroy literarycenter.org. To learn more about the Port Royal Sound Foundation, please visit www.portroyalsoundfoundation.org
The Beauty of Wood
Nicholas Di Mona at SOBA Gallery
Nicholas Di Mona, acclaimed for his distinctive wood sculptures crafted from deceased and fallen trees, announces his upcoming exhibition, “The Beauty of Wood: Creations by Nicholas Di Mona,” hosted at the Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) gallery from August 5 to August 31.
The exhibition’s opening reception will take place on Tuesday, August 6, from 5-7 p.m. at SOBA gallery, providing art enthusiasts an opportunity to meet the artist and engage with his works firsthand.
Di Mona’s work celebrates the natural intricacies of wood, transforming imperfections such as knots, inclusions, and grain into singular pieces of art. Each creation, born from a reverence for nature and a spontaneous artistic process, exemplifies his lifelong dedication to wood carving and turning.
“I see myself as a conduit in the creative process, where the wood’s inherent beauty guides the final form,” Di Mona remarked. “It’s a journey of discovery with each piece.”
Originally from New Jersey and now residing in Bluffton, Di Mona’s artistic journey began at the age of 10, inspired by his grandfather’s wine grape boxes. Over the years, he honed his skills, specializing in realistic depictions of birds, animals, and wood spirits. His leadership roles in the Nature Coast Carving Club and the Hands On WoodTurners Club underscore his commitment to sharing knowledge and fostering artistic talent.
Located in Bluffton’s historic district, SOBA is a vibrant arts organization offering a wide range of art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions, and community events. For details on upcoming events and membership opportunities, visit www.sobagallery.com
All About That Basil
Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Called the “royal herb” by ancient Greeks, this annual is a member of the mint family. Fresh basil has a pungent flavor that some describe as a cross between licorice and cloves. It is a key herb in Mediterranean cooking, essential to Italian pesto and is becoming more and more popular in American cuisine. Choose evenly colored leaves with no sign of wilting. Refrigerate basil, wrapped in barely damp paper towels in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Basil has traditional uses as a digestive aid and an herbal tonic as well as being used in aromatherapy.
Iadore fresh basil. Luckily for Vince and me, we have an abundance growing in our back yard. Uncooked fresh basil adds a unique flavor to all kinds of salads, sandwiches and pastas. It’s the perfect summertime herb. As long as you have access to a good sunny spot, growing basil is something that everyone can do. More importantly, I think that it’s something everyone should do, especially if you enjoy cooking. Buying those small containers of herbs from the grocery store is far more expensive than growing your own. I’ve found that when I have basil, mint and chives right outside my back door, I toss them onto everything. Growing herbs has become my go-to strategy for making easy meals into elevated ones – a handful of fresh herbs can transform a simple supper into something bright, flavorful and delicious. If you’re one of my loyal readers, you know that I load my LCW column with salad recipes in the summertime. Hot weather calls for cool and refreshing foods. Add a protein and some crusty bread to any of these basil-kissed salads and you’ll have a complete meal. If salads aren’t your thing, please stay tuned anyway. In just a few weeks we’ll be talking about pumpkins and tailgating. Happy Summer!
PEACH CAPRESE SALAD WITH WHITE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
For the vinaigrette:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake to combine. Refrigerate any leftovers.
For the salad:
4 cups spring mix
3 medium peaches, cut into slices
20 grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
¼ cup fresh basil, julienned
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add peaches, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, fresh basil and toasted almonds. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serves 4.
GRILLED CORN, BLUEBERRY AND FETA SALAD WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE
For the basil vinaigrette:
¼ cup basil-infused olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.
Refrigerate any leftovers.
For the salad:
Mixed salad greens
Fresh basil leaves
3 ears grilled corn, removed from the cobs
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
By Debbi Covington
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
4 tablespoons salted pistachios
Place salad greens and basil leaves in individual salad bowls. Drizzle each serving with a bit of the basil vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, toss corn with blueberries, tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion and vinaigrette. Divide corn mixture evenly over greens in each salad bowl. Toss with pistachios before serving. Serves 4.
MIXED GREENS SALAD WITH GRAPES, BLUEBERRIES AND GOAT CHEESE
For the vinaigrette:
For the salad:
6 cups mixed salad greens
½ cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 (8-ounce) goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted
Place greens in a large salad bowl. Add basil leaves and toss to combine. Add grape halves, blueberries, goat cheese and walnuts.
Drizzle with champagne vinaigrette. Serves 4 to 6.
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine. Refrigerate any leftovers.
The writer owns Catering by
and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate
Everything! and Dining Under the
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
Debbi Covington
Beaufort, Celebrate
Carolina Moon.
USCB Center for the Arts Announces New Season
Tickets for the USCB Center for the Arts 2024-25 performing arts season are now on sale, including the fall production of “Oklahoma,” which recently held auditions.
From electrifying live music concerts to stunning theater productions and captivating tributes, the upcoming season offers something for everyone. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/3XPbZoS. Here are the events for Fall 2024:
“OKLAHOMA!”
September 14, 20, 21 - 7:30 pm & September 15, 22 - 3 pm
Beaufort Theatre Company presents, Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Oklahoma!,” a love story between confident cowboy Curly and feisty farmer Laurey. As the road to romance and the road to statehood converge, Curly and Laurey are poised to carve out a life together in a brand-new state.
“SHREK, JR.”
November 22, 23 - 7 pm & November 24 - 3 pm
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, “Shrek The Musical Jr.” is a Tony
Award-winning fairy tale adventure. Featuring new songs by Jeanine Tesori and a side-splitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire, this musical brings all the beloved characters to life on stage. A Beaufort Children’s Theatre production.
“QUEENS OF ROCK AND SOUL”
October 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Join American Idol Finalist LaKisha Jones in a celebration of the great ladies of soul, including Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, the legendary Aretha Franklin, and the one and only Whitney Houston. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening! “ . . . from sound stages and concert halls across the country and around the world, she’s got them standing in the aisles!"
“CHRISTMAS WITH PAM TILLIS”
December 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Pam Tillis, daughter of Country Music legend Mel Tillis, brings her unique blend of Country, R&B, Bluegrass, and Rock to the stage. With a career spanning film, TV, and theater, Pam Tillis offers a Christmas show that the entire family will enjoy.
Pleasantly Stunned
What would you say if I told you there are far fewer victims than you’ve been led to believe? A victim can never recover. This notion is taught in recovery. But what does it really mean?
Crocodile tears await their command to distract and dissemble. Double down if the person is attractive. Approach with caution, for they are quick to anger when confronted regarding the dung they flung. Fear not, for mea culpa is right around the corner. “Sorry about that, it just wasn’t me. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Oh yes, it was sooo you. A shady shadow came over you, is what.”
“But you just don’t understand my angst. All I’ve been through.” Right there is some truth. After all, the best lies are cloaked with truth. J.R. Ewing teaches us to, “Never tell the truth when a good lie will do,” right? Hilarious when the greatest fictional TV villain of all time says it, but reality is not set on Southfork. These victims probably have been through stuff. We all have our crosses to bear, to one extent or the next, they just choose not to handle their s***.
A classic example is of someone coming from a challenging youth and becoming a successful adult, while another from a good family upbringing never enters the arena of adulthood.
Let’s go ahead and make the necessary disclaimer here: The victims I refer to in this column are those that choose to wallow and continually look to use their victimhood to defer, deflect, and deny any and all toxic behavior. I am drawing the line here between those people and real victims. These are the people that need compassion for horrific holistic damages done. I’ll let y’all fill in the blanks there with whatever traumas just popped in your head.
Wise ones scatter like the scalded dawgs you made them into.
All who wonder are lost.
It’s always something, isn’t it?
Pensive is the hand that rocks the cradle of our collective, or, at least, it should be. Again, mindfulness, like victims, assumes many forms.
If you see yourself in some of these words, that’s good. It’s progress to have any form of self-awareness. Never let anyone fault you for that. It’s okay to be scared. We all are. Take this as an opportunity to cease being lazy with your emotional health. It’s okay if you’ve always been a shoulder looking for a chip or you’ve always sought a shoulder to soak. All things end, and this season as a martyr can, too. Be someone else’s survival manual.
But it was so easy that way. Was it really? Isn’t it exhausting being so put upon all the
time? Sure, and there are more ways than one of interpreting what the term ill-gotten gains means. Gamble all you like with your own time, just endeavor to leave others out of the crap-shoot.
My last column, The Dunning-Kruger Effect, put victim mentality on my horizon for subject matter. I promise to be less tedious for my next entry. The soap box is slippery from all the tears. That said, I will always maintain that it’s freeing to know what not to do or who to avoid. While that will likely always be my perspective to one degree or the next, there are still other venues to mindfulness—to surrounding yourself with the best.
Ways to suss out faux victims include, but are not limited to: Zero responsibility taken, but plenty of blame dealt out. Always powerless and never failing to keep score, while denying any silver lining in a given situation. Observe their eyes glazing over when you point out the positive. So much self-pity, it’s pitiful. Empathy, what’s that like? “Stop me if I told you about getting effed over a decade ago.” Nothing ever changes, does it? Again, be wary, constructive criticism might mean they won’t speak to you for a while. Consider yourself lucky for the respite, it may make you consider retiring from this tiring person. You’re not wrong to think such thoughts.
by Sutty Suddeth WHOLLY HOLISTICS
There are seraphic people that light up a room when walk in. Their smiles always brighten our day. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice the difference between sunshine with a cool breeze and those that suck all the air out of the room with their vortex of doom. Both are captivating, only one is refreshing—not exhausting. So, I’ll end with my beginning. Set phasers to stun. We don’t want to permanently damage anyone, do we? Yes, I want to be pleasantly stunned, not just surprised at the sea-change in our collective when we practice mindfulness daily. It all starts with “little ole me.”
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.
I’m Melting, Melting . . .
Lately when I am in the garden, those immortal words of the Wicked Witch of the West come to mind, but not because someone has thrown water on me. Quite the contrary, I wish someone would throw a bucket of water on me! The heat and humidity definitely “get” to me these summer days. I am doing my gardening most days early in the morning before the sun hits my southwest facing yard.
Here are a few things to watch for in your gardens during this steamy time of the year: Irrigation – For heavens sake, if we get one of those afternoon thunderstorms, turn off your irrigation. More plants are killed from too much water than too little. Rain water is much better for your plants than county water with its chemical treatments, but too much of a good thing is just too much of a good thing. Root rot and fungal diseases are very real problems right now. If you do need to irrigate, remember that early in the morning is the best time – before the sun heats up the soil. Our water department does request that you not water between 3AM and 9AM. Water either earlier than 3:00 or after 9:00 although this is not ideal. If you water in the evening, moisture can cause some disease issues and if you water in the heat of the day, most of it evaporates before the plant is able to take the water up from the roots. When the night temperatures get above 70, our poor plants continue to engage in transpiration all night long. Think of how exhausted you would be if you panted all night long. Unfortunately, the symptoms of over watering and under watering are the same – droopy leaves. If plants are too dry, the leaves droop because they are not getting moisture. If plants are too wet and the roots have rotted, the leaves also droop because the roots are unable to bring water up the stems. A moisture meter is a good investment although I just put my finger down into the soil to see if it is moist or dry.
it keeps weed growth down, and it will keep the soil cooler. Shredded bark mulch or pine straw are perfectly fine mulches and will also break down eventually to help the soil.
Weeds love hot and moist conditions. The worst weed you will see now is Chamber bitter. This innocuous looking little weed has hundred of seeds under its stems and can grow to six feet tall. It
when young. Dog fennel grows well here and looks like a small fluffy tree. Various spurges will try to take over your garden beds as well. Pull, pull, and pull. Do not compost these unless your yard waste goes to a professional composter where the temperature is so high that weed seeds will be killed.
By Wendy Hilty
Sad Plants — Some of your plants may look sad right now. It is fine to cut them back. I have cut my geraniums (Pelargoniums) way back and put them in the shade. When the weather gets cooler, they will come back. I have also cut down some salvias that look tatty. It will not hurt plants to have a summer haircut. Keep on with deadheading flowers. This signals the plant to produce more blooms.
upon compost for nutrients. In the middle of summer though, plants will need a pick me up. Container plants will definitely need a slow release fertilizer. Do not use a liquid as it will just wash away. Granular is better to use. These are just a few tips to help you get through these drippy, three t shirt, two shower days. Remember to hydrate yourselves as well as your plants and we will survive.
spreads like crazy, but fortunately
pulled out
Mulch – Mulching is always helpful to keep the soil cooler. I have been using mushroom compost as a mulch. It helps to enrich the soil as the nutrients leach down,
Fertilizer – With our poor plants in a constant state of transpiring (or breathing to put it in human terms ), you may need to fertilize. I try not to and opt to just depend
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.
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.
Professional Office Space For Rent Quiet therapy Office- $500 mthly w/ utilities, kit, waiting area 843-770-9947.
SERVICES
NEED AN IN-HOME CAREGIVER or private sitter for companionship? Please call Juanita at 843-986-7894.
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
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for the military lounge at the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport. It is operated by a cadre of volunteers. Formerly the USO Lounge it has been renamed “Savannah Salutes,” and continues to provide a respite for travelling active duty, retired and reserve military, veterans and their families. The facility requires volunteers to keep the lounge open from 8 am to 9 pm, seven days a week. There are three shifts each day, with two volunteers on duty for each shift. Interested in volunteering? More info and application forms are available at the www.savannahsalutes.org,or call John Findeis at (912) 507-4848. The airport will provide free parking.
VETERANS FIRST THRIFT STORE is in need of volunteers. Summer hours are Thursday thru Saturday - 10am-4pm. Volunteer hours are very flexible! Stop in the store at 612 Robert Smalls Parkway to fill out a volunteer application or call the store at 843-263-4218. Please consider helping this very worthwhile organization!!
SECOND HELPINGS seeks volunteers to crew 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 410212-1468 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 9:30-12:30, Mobile Meals delivers to home bound seniors 5 days/week, routes takes about 30-45 mins. Email Lori at helpbeaufort@gmail.com, or call 843-5241223, 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.fortfremont. 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, emo-
tional 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, 843689-3616 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, 10-11:30am, $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); 843-681-6655 (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 Tuesdays 9am-12pm at 114 Beach City Rd., Hilton Head. Donations of food and funds needed. For info: Rev. Dr. Nannette Pierson at 843715-3583 or email sandalwoodpantry@gmail.com
PARRIS ISLAND MUSEUM. The legacy of the Marine Corps and the history of the Port Royal region. Thousands of artifacts, images, and other materials illustrate the stories in exhibit galleries from Native American to modern Marines. FREE admission. Mon-Sat 10am-4:30pm and 8am on Family Graduation Days. Closed 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 by looking to scripture. Meal at 6pm; Praise, Worship; Big Meeting. 6:30pm; Small Groups at 7pm. 800 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Info at 205-475-3600 or 303-521-1891.
to the Summertime Tomato Sandwich
Earlier this summer, while paying for my stash of freshly picked strawberries from Barefoot Farms, I noticed a woman who looked like she was the type to have shelves full of preserves, jars of pickled things and a rolling pin. So, I asked her if she had a favorite strawberry recipe.
She narrowed her eyes at me and said, “Pick ‘em, eat ‘em,” and then dusted off one from a bucket and popped it in her mouth for emphasis. Because, of course, that’s what one should do with a fresh-picked strawberry busting with sun-warmed juices. I loved the simplicity of her answer but also the unspoken (and perhaps imagined) rebuke: You don’t have to make a big deal about everything, Missy.
So, while I’m good with just pick ‘em/eat ‘em recipes, when it comes time for tomato picking season at Barefoot and Dempsey Farms, I have definite opinions.
The art of the summertime tomato sandwich can have endless variations that I’m sure are valid and based on personal preferences. But for me, there is only one right way.
Ingredients:
• It starts with a ripe, fresh from the ground tomato, preferably picked a few hours before serving. The uglier and more misshapen, the better, and you know it’s perfect if a whiff of dirt blows up your nose when you sniff its freshness.
• White bread
• Duke’s Real Mayonnaise
• Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Wash fat, fresh tomatoes and then slice
them as thick as your thumbnail. If they are the perfect ripeness, the juices will flow from the wound. Allow them to rest on a paper towel while you slather creamy white Duke’s mayo onto both slices of white bread. Gently lay the tomatoes on the bread, letting them overlap the edges.
Add a generous shake of salt and pepper and then lean over the kitchen sink and take a bite. If the red juice flows down your chin and splashes on your arms, you know you are doing it right.
Serve with sweetened iced tea, a bowl of chilled watermelon chunks and a bag of Lays potato chips.
That’s the basic recipe. If you want to add in crisply fried bacon, lettuce and cheese, feel free. But don’t call it a tomato sandwich.
Additional notes:
About the white bread. One day, a week or so into kindergarten, my oldest daughter came home with a note from the mother of a new friend. Apparently, this super mom was
Tues - Sun: 11am-9pm
packing lunches with a delicacy highly coveted by my child. The mother’s note to me read: “Wonder Bread, crusts cut off, 4th child, don’t judge.”
Up until that point, my little angel only consumed whole grain breads, or as she described it once she discovered there were options, “brown.”
Even now, when I purchase a loaf of white bread you should know I don’t do it without overly explaining. “It’s just for the tomato sandwiches,” I tell the Publix check-out girl who surprisingly does not seem to care.
About Duke’s Mayonnaise. Summer caught up with me before realizing my new son-in-law had not indicated if he was a Duke’s, Hellman’s or Miracle Whip guy.
By Carolyn Mason
Because somehow, we forgot to suggest they add that hard conversation to their pre-nuptial planning. One marries into all kinds of traditions, including their salad dressing choices, fat-free versus light, squeeze bottle versus old-fashioned glass bottle and so forth. None of which matters until the time comes to put the mayo on the bread. Luckily, for all of us, he declared my Duke’s/tomato sandwich a perfect match. And he even let the juice drip down his chin.
He's a keeper.
Carry on!
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.
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Johanna Graham johanna@dcgilbert.com
Kathy Crowley kathy@dcgilbert.com
Dawn Shipsey dawn@dcgilbert.com
Derek C. Gilbert Attorney at Law
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! MondaysF&B People Discount. Wednesdays, Friday & Saturday - Karaoke. (843) 379-7676 or Rosie's on Facebook
Saltus River Grill, 802 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 3793474 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. Thursdays - Brian Bazemore; Fridays - Sara Burns; Saturdays - Tradd Makar. – OR – 17 State of Mind St., Bluffton. Tuesdays - Chris Jones; Wednesdays - Trivia. 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. 7/17 Quiana Parler with the Lavon Stevens Quartet, 7/19 & 7/20 The Best of Noel & Maria with Noel Freidline and Maria Howell, 7/24 Bobby Ryder, 7/26 & 7/27 The Billy Thornton Quartet, 7/31 Quiana Parler with the Lavon Stevens Quartet, 8/2 & 8/3 Benny Benack III. (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
Flannel - 90s Rock, 7/27 Jake Hill; Guccihighwaters; Ryan Oakes, 7/28 The New Pornographers, 7/29
Cassadee Pope; Natalie Taylar; The Foxies, 7/30 The Volunteers, 8/2 Taylor's Version - A Swiftie Dance Party, 7/3 Lily's Burlesque - a Femme Fatale Cirque Cabaret. (843) 853-2252 or www.musicfarm.com
The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston. 7/17 House At the Pour House with Oleg Terentiev; Ben Mossman; Slim S.O.U.L; Moonkat Daddi; Joel Schooling, 7/18 The Mike Quinn Super Funk, 7/19 Space Armadillo, 7/20 3rd Annual ELEMENTS
Hip Hop Event, 7/23 Talib Kweli; Skyzoo; Landon Wordswell, 7/24 Flatspell; The Great Outdoors, 7/25 Yarn, 7/26 The Psycodelics - Isley Brothers tribute, 7/27 Ibibio Sound Machine, 7/31 Tomorrow: Beyond the Beatles - Beatles tribute, 8/1 Cosmic Charlie - Dead tribute, 8/2 Kanika Moore & the Brown Eyed Bois; Patrick Marzette; Gavin Smith, 8/3 The Reckoning with Charlie Thompson on pedal steel - play Workingman's Dead. (843) 5714343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com
Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 7/19 Stop Light Observations, 7/20 The Vegabonds, 7/21 Dispatch; Maggie Rose, 7/25 Gavin Adcock, 7/26 SUSTO, 7/27 Mr. Fahrenheit - Queen tribute, 8/2 & 8/3 Muscadine Bloodline; Tyler Halverson, 8/4 Brett Dennen & Langhorne Slim. (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
Weekends in July: “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” performed by the Sea Glass Stage Company in Coligny Theatre on Hilton Head. Performances Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Tickets $35 each, available at www.sgstage.org/tickets Reduced rates for groups of 10 or more. For more information, visit www.sgstage.org, email staff@ sgstage.org, or call (843) 212-4172.
Now - 8/18, Chicago, the beloved Tony-winning musical, at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. For tickets, visit www.artshhi.com
Lyndsi Caulder photography exhibit at Art League Gallery on Hilton Head. Gallery Walk & Talk Fri 7/21, 12-1pm. Free and open to the public. Inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060.
Now – 7/28, What Dreams are Made Of . . . an exhibit of art by Anthony Collichio at the Society of Bluffton Artists gallery. 6 Church St, Old Town Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com
Now – 7/30, Low Country Egrets in Flight, the art of John Meckley featured at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery. 913 Bay Street, Beaufort.
Now – 9/20, A Gathering of Artists, a new show by the Artists of Sea Pines. Sea Pines Center, 71 Lighthouse Road, Hilton Head.
Now – 10/6, ‘Imagine’ Art Quilt Exhibit at the Coastal Discovery Museum at historic Honey Horn on Hilton Head. www.coastaldiscovery.org
Now – 1/14/25, ‘Timeless Treasures,’ student artwork created at Camp Conroy at Beaufort Art Association Gallery. www.beaufortartassociation.com
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
7/23 – 7/30, Halfway Home, exhibit of Sea Turtle art at Art League Academy, 106 Cordillo Parkway, Hilton Head. Closing reception Tues. 7/30, 5-7pm.
Wed 7/24, Carve & Print, Beginners Lino-Cut Workshop, A hands on experience with live demonstration of the carving and print process. Create a print, a set of notecards, and a canvas bag or tea towels. Complimentary wine and bites. All materials provided. $125 per person. 6-8 pm at Windhorse Gallery & Marketplace, The Shed, 809 Paris Ave, Port Royal
7/23 – 8/23, Painting the Stories, the Gullah Geechee art of Samantha Claar at Art League Gallery. Opening reception Wed 7/24, 5-7pm. Inside the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. 843-681-5060.
8/5 – 8/31, The Beauty of Wood: Creations by Nicholas Di Mona at the Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) gallery. Opening reception Tues 8/6, 5-7pm. www.sobagallery.com
BOOKS & WRITERS
Thur 7/25, Evening with surgeon turned novelist Martha B. Boone, Mother Charity, in conversation with retired FBI Special Agent turned novelist Dana Ridenour, the Lexie Montgomery Series at 5pm at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Books available for sale and signing. Seating is limited: please reserve to attend this free event: 843-379-7025.
Sat 7/27, Author Kerry Peresta (Olivia Callahan Suspense series) book signing event at Barnes & Noble on Hilton Head Island, 1-4 pm.
Sat 7/27, Pat Conroy Literary Center’s annual Lowcountry Children’s Book Fair from 10am-2pm at the Port Royal Sound Foundation Weezie Educational Pavilion (310 Okatie Hwy, Okatie). The Maritime Center will also be open to the public from 10am-4pm and admission is free. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
OTHER EVENTS
Sat 7/20, Tie Dye and Bubbles Family Event at Lobeco Library (1862 Trask Parkway) at 10:30am. Bring a white t-shirt or scarf to decorate and get ready for hands-on, outdoor fun. Registration Required. Call 843255-6479, stop by, or visit https://www.beaufortcountylibrary.org/calendar to reserve your spot today.
Now - 7/21, 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival in Waterfront Park. For more information and a full schedule, visit www.bftwaterfestival.com
Now – 7/28, School Supplies Drive to benefit St. Helena Elementary School. Sponsored by DAYLO: The Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and the Storybook Shoppe. Donated supplies can be dropped off at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort) or the Storybook Shoppe (Tanger 2, A190, 1414 Fording Island Rd, Bluffton).
Sun 7/28, Beaufort Drum Circle at Waterfront Park in Downtown Beaufort, 3:30-5pm. Please join us for our communal drumfest that brings peace and happiness. Everyone is welcome to play, dance, or just listen and enjoy. Experience is not necessary. Extra drums are available for your use.
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.
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.
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.
Monthly Wine Tastings for members of the Monthly Wine Club at Windhorse Gallery and Marketplace at The Shed in Port Royal. Along with 3 monthly wine selections, members have access to these gatherings on every 3rd Thursday, from 5-7pm. Featuring guest vintners, winemakers and growers to discuss the region and origins of each selection. $75/month. For more info visit https:// windhorsegalleryandmarketplace.com/curations
The Music Farm, 32 Ann Street, Charleston. 7/17 Jackyl, 7/18 Jon Langston, 7/19 DIIV; Horse Jumper of Love; Dutch Interior, 7/20 Evan Honer; Leon Majcen, 7/21
7/26
Now – 7/19, Land-Escapes: Through My Lens,
Sat 7/27, Author Jon Bebbington will sign copies of his Spanish-American War thriller The Battle of Fort Scarlet, (a novel of Fort Fremont) at The Beaufort Bookstore (2127 Boundary St). Refreshments. 4-6 pm. www.thebeaufortbookstore.com
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.
Lil Poppa, 7/25 Boys Like Girls; Grayscale,
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