Lowcountry Weekly December 6 – December 19 by Lowcountry Weekly

.{ Reflections on the good life in coastal South Carolina }.

Lowcountry Special Pull-Out Holiday Gift Guide

Happiness & The Holidays 4 Why we start so early

Death Cleaning 6

Declutter like a Swede

Cook on Bay 7

Tasteful holiday shopping

Foodie Talk 20

Jesse Blanco dishes

The Sleeping Garden 23 December down time

Dataw Veterans Week 5 Phil & Mary Marshall

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. December 6 – December 19, 2023

Weekly

cover notes The painting on our cover is "Fetch" by Murray Sease. You can see more of Murray's work at La Petite Gallerie in Bluffton. For more

Weekly

Lowcountry

information, visit www.lapetitegallerie.com December 6 – December 19, 2023 Publisher: Jeff Evans — Jeff@LCWeekly.com Editor: Margaret Evans — Editor@LCWeekly.com Marketing Director: Amanda Hanna — 843-343-8483 or Amanda@LCWeekly.com Advertising Sales: Hope Falls — 757-274-7184 or Ads.TheIslandNews@Gmail.com Sandy Schepis — 678-641-4495 or SandySchepis@Gmail.com Art Director: Lydia Inglett Layout & Design: Amalgamated Sprinkleworks Contributing Writers: Katherine Tandy Brown, Debbi Covington, Sandra Educate, Wendy Hilte, Carolyn Jirousek, 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.

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 4

On Happiness & The Holidays

t was the day after Thanksgiving, and we were driving to the Snowman Lot on Lady’s Island to pick out our Christmas tree. Our daughter would be leaving that afternoon – thanks, Carolina-Clemson game, for cutting so many Thanksgivings short – so this was our only chance to do it as a family. We also knew that if we waited ‘til the following weekend, the tree selection would be slim to none. The Snowman’s not long for this world anymore. “The holidays start earlier every year, and it makes me crazy,” I snapped, voicing my annual cranky refrain. “I’m still in Thanksgiving mode. Still enjoying my pumpkins and gourds! Why is everybody in such a rush to start Christmas?” From the back seat, our daughter replied, “I think it’s because everybody’s so miserable.” Thud. Her words fell hard on my heart. Here was my 22-year-old college senior, my fresh-faced baby girl, sounding ridiculously world-weary and jaded. I chalked it up to timing. She was heading into that crunch time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that every college student dreads. I asked her about it later. “Were you serious, earlier, about everybody being miserable, or were YOU just feeling miserable thinking of everything you have to do between now and Christmas? Term papers and exams and all that?”

“Probably a little of both,” she said. Upon further interrogation, I Iearned that she and her GenZ cohort tend to view the world through lenses that aren’t exactly rose-colored. “I mean, we were born around 9/11, and things just went downhill from there,” she told me, citing school shootings, climate change, intense political polarization, economic insecurity, and multiple military conflicts as just a few of the components that might be contributing to, if not exactly mass misery, at least a collective sense of anxiety. She had a decent point. But could that really be it? The reason people are starting Christmas so much earlier? Are we just sadder now than we used to be? More desperate for sparkle and light, spiritual awe and spiked eggnog? I got curious and started Googling for an answer. While there were lots of articles written about how unhappy Americans were during the Covid years, it seems that was just temporary set-back. (Sheesh. Didn’t feel temporary at the time, did it?) Apparently, we have mostly bounced back from the Covid slump. But “bouncing back” is a relative term in this case because we were already less happy before the pandemic. This is what I learned when I stumbled upon Chapter 5 of the ‘World Happiness Report’ (WHR), written by social scientist Jean M. Twenge in 2019, just before

Covid threw off the data. The report focused on adolescents and young adults, but its conclusions have implications for us all. Based on data collected over several decades, the WHR concluded that young Americans are much less happy than they were in the past, and the reasons have little to do with world events and a great deal to do with how they spend their time. From the report’s conclusion: “The large amount of time adolescents spend interacting with electronic devices may have direct links to unhappiness and/or may have displaced time once spent on more beneficial activities, leading to declines in happiness. It is not as certain if adults have also begun to spend less time interacting face-to-face and less time sleeping. However, given that adults in recent years spent just as much time with digital media as adolescents do, it seems likely that their time use has shifted as well . . . “Thus, the fundamental shift in how adolescents spend their leisure time may explain the marked decline in adolescent well-being after 2011. It may also explain some of the decline in happiness among adults since 2000, though this conclusion is less certain. Going forward, individuals and organizations focused on improving happiness may turn their attention to how people spend their leisure time.” While stopping short of advising us to start Christmas in October, the report does make some radical proposals for addressing our collective unhappiness – more sleep, more real live human interaction, and less time online. That’s just crazy talk! Seriously, though, at this point I think we all know about the detrimental effects of social media. It’s not exactly breaking news. Members of GenZ, who don’t remember a world without internet, seem both well-aware of the disease that’s depleting their joy and helpless to cure it, though they do make touching efforts to treat it. I’ll never forget taking my daughter and a small group of her friends to dinner one night many years ago – I think it was Amelia’s birthday – and watching as the girls solemnly placed their smart phones face-down in the middle of the table upon being seated. They were in middle school at the time – maybe 8th grade? – and had already established this ritual for themselves. I had no idea! I remember being deeply moved, even tearing up a little, then grilling the girls

Margaret Evans

RANTS & RAVES

on their thoughts about social media, with a possible column in mind. b (Incidentally, this is not an unusualv response for me, a fact that has undoubtedly contributed to my daughter’s GenZ misery over the years. Heh.) After reading the World Happiness Report last week, I spoke to my daughter on the topic of social media, this time over the phone. I reminded her of that tender scene at her long-ago birthday dinner – tender to me, anyway – and asked her if her friends still believed social media was bad for them. “Yeah, everybody kind of knows it,” she told me. “And some people try to limit themselves. For instance, Olivia doesn’t have TikTok on her phone. I send her videos sometimes, and she loves them. She knows she’d become addicted if she had the app, so she just doesn’t go there.” Wise young lady. Aging adolescent that I am, I’m pleased to say I’ve chiseled away at my own social media addiction over the past year or so. Facebook has always been my drug of choice, and I’ve really weaned myself lately, checking in only once or twice a day and avoiding controversial posts. I feel better for it, though I occasionally still crave a good argument likei a recovering smoker craves a cigarette. o I was pondering all this last night as JeffT and I bobbed and weaved down Bay Streeta during Night on the Town. Talk about yours “real live human interaction.” This annual event always provides a heaping helping. w In fact, it’s become so crowded and chaotic, I sometimes feel I’ve been overserved. And I’m not talking about wine. Tonight, we’re headed to the annual Christmas party of some dear friends. It’ll be every bit as festive – lots of real live human interaction – but a bit more intimate, and, perhaps, restorative. Like many of you, we’ve got lots of mixing and mingling on our calendar this month. Just doing our part to add some positive data to the next World Happiness Report.

Margaret Evans is the editor of Lowcountry Weekly. She has been writing her award winning column, Rants & Raves, for over 20 years.

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 5

Dataw Events Raise 70K for Wounded Veterans Jorge Guerrero named Veteran of the Year

nce again, Dataw Island members and supporters presented an amazing week-long celebration of service to benefit wounded veterans. Together, the events raised nearly $70,000 to benefit Tee It Up for the Troops and local veterans organizations!

considering a charitable organization for a golfing event. The celebration then included a tournament, a dinner, and a short program around the flagpole where residents were inspired to remember and recognize all veterans. This activity soon morphed into a much larger event resulting in financial support to veteran service organizations such as Wounded Warriors, Folds of Honor, and others, and hence the Dataw Veterans Golf Classic was formed. In 2017, the event chair teamed with Tee It Up for the Troops (TIUFTT), a highly regarded non-profit whose vision is “to h e lp a c t ive - d u ty service members, veterans and their families from all branches and all conflicts to heal, transition, grow and thrive.” And they have Veteran of the Year, Jorge Guerrero, receiving the Quilt of Valor accomplished just “Every year our members come together that, impacting the lives of 304,595 heroes, in support of veterans, and every year they through 690 events, donating over outdo themselves,” says General Manager $15,000,000 to partnering veteran support Ted Bartlett. “The sacrifices made to present organizations that direct grants for critical all these events and the fundraising efforts are areas of need. Partner organizations are held simply phenomenal.” accountable for the use of donated funds, It all began about seventeen years ago some of which are groups in our own when the Dataw Men’s Golf Association was backyard. We recognize that when people

donate to organizations, they want to make su re t he i r hard-earned money is making a difference. TIUFTT is committed to being a good steward of the funds entrusted to them, and they have been awarded a perfect rating by three third-party nonprofit watchdogs – Charity Navigator, GreatNonDataw Island veterans and guests gather for the flag ceremony profits, and GuideStar. This Veterans’ Week, Dataw Island members raised nearly $70,000. In addition to the substantial donation to the Tee It Up for the Troops organization, Dataw donations also benefited local and regional veteran’s organizations such as Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12, PGA Reach Carolinas, PGA HOPE Charleston, Fischer House Charleston, Fairway for Warriors, BMH Adaptive Golf Experience (Parris Island), Adaptive Golf Savannah, and Leases of Valor. “We should never forget the service and sacrifice of the many brave men and women of the Armed Forces whose needs can never be fully met by our nation,” says event chair Phil Marshall. “I am grateful that again this year Dataw showed tremendous support for this significant annual fundraiser to help deliver critical services to our beloved veterans.” A VERY special Thank You to ALL of the volunteers, especially our Event Chairs, Phil and Mary Marshall.

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 6

Death Cleaning: Decluttering the Swedish Way

he plan for Thanksgiving was to get an early start on the dessert I promised to bring to the family dinner that afternoon. The first step was to find my Death by Chocolate recipe in the kitchen cabinet where aging cookbooks, loose index cards, and faded clippings threatened to slide into my arms in escape from the chaos behind the door. The next challenge was rifling through a jumbled pantry for the cake and pudding mixes, then teasing out the spatula and whisk from an angry tangle of utensils that spontaneously generated in the drawer over time. My best-laid plans fell apart when I teetered on a kitchen chair to excavate the large glass bowl buried in the cabinet above the fridge. Rummaging through an assortment of vases and mismatched mugs, my grandmother’s cracked juice pitcher, and a jumble of wine glasses emblazoned with now defunct wineries and restaurants long shuttered, I found the bowl wrapped in a yellowed plastic bag. The bowl itself was filled with smaller bowls, vases, and pitchers. I was quickly overcome

with the surge of dread that clutter brings on, heightened by the guilt of procrastination. Decluttering has been on my To-Do lists for years. My recent 70th birthday has made the discomfort of clutter even more acute. Living in the same house for 40 years, and having lots of room for Stuff (with a capital S) of my own, our two grown sons, and my deceased parents, I am slowly suffocating. Medical research has shown that clutter is dangerous. It impedes concentration and increases cognitive overload, which takes up space in our working memory. Depression, anxiety, helplessness, and hopelessness set in. Clutter also makes it hard to keep the house clean as it provides havens for messy spiders and dust balls that catch the rays of the morning sun along the baseboards. Clutter blocks the flow of creative energy, undermines feng shui, and offers opportunities to goblins hiding under piles of papers and laundry to hide car keys and reading glasses. A quick online search for decluttering shows many programs offering helpful tips and

challenges. Examples are: The One Touch, where you deal with something immediately by putting it where it belongs or in the trash; The Rule of 5, a down and dirty procession from room to room to identify and toss five items per room; Project 333, in which you wear only 33 items of clothing for the next three months and see what you really need; The 12-12-12 Challenge, which requires you to pick 12 items to toss, 12 to donate, and 12 to return to their proper home; and The 3 Second Rule, where you give yourself three seconds to decide to keep or not to keep. I was drawn to the website of Marie Kondo (konmari.com), a renowned tidying expert enchanted with organizing things since her childhood in Japan. She learned early that it was not so much discarding Stuff as looking for reasons to keep things. Her KonMari Method is based on one’s feeling as the standard for decision making. The key is to pick up each object and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If so, keep it and the rest goes. For myself, I am not sure if the “spark joy” concept helps. I do find joy in my piles of rocks and seashells, the pressed leaves that drift out of my books, shoe boxes of birthday cards, and crumbling albums dating back to the dawn of photography. From the sheer amount of this material, I should be beyond joyous and deep into the state of perpetual ecstasy. I am also a 70-year-old “snowbird” and have joyous Stuff in two places. I hear my late mother’s words when the burden of clutter closes in: “What are you going to do with all this Stuff when Daddy and I kick the bucket?” she’d say with a cruel chuckle. With that, my sister and I were left to disperse 60 years of Stuff, much of it valuable antiques and items of sentimental value. We chose what we wanted, then hired a liquidator to conduct an estate sale, which winnowed things down to the least desirable miscellany languishing in the basement and garage. For that we called 1-800-GOT-JUNK. My sister was reduced to tears when she followed the loaded trailer down the road and spotted the grandkids’ Raggedy Ann and Andy toy box rattling around in the final heap of detritus headed for who-knows-where. I swore I would never do that to my kids, yet I remain paralyzed by procrastination. At least I have the energy to scroll online for the comfort of guidance and touching stories of kindred spirits in the same boat. But then I opened up an essay in Psychology Today, posted May 7, 2020, with the ominous title “Swedish Death-Cleaning in the Time of Corona.” The Guest Blogger was Margareta Magnusson of Stockholm, Sweden.

WHOLLY HOLISTICS by Carolyn Jirousek

Describing herself as an “85-year-old with reduced lung capacity who likes to dance a little too much,” she grabbed my full attention. She used pandemic isolation as the opportunity to engage in döstädning, the Swedish word for Death Cleaning. Magnusson introduced the topic in 2017 with her book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter. The idea is that “when we die we should not leave a mountain of crap behind us for our loved ones to clean up.” It is not about dying, but rather getting organized so you can enjoy what’s left of your life. Her strategies are similar to others I have seen, but her philosophy is motivating and she guides you with good humor. Start with the basement or attic, where the most unnecessary items reside, or tackle clothing first. Work on categories by size: furniture, down to smaller things that fit in boxes. If friends or family admire an object, offer it to them on the spot, sending it on to a new life with someone who will appreciate it. What troubles me most are the personal and sentimental items that I am not ready to toss. For this, Magnusson suggests a box labeled “Throw Away.” When you are gone, it can simply be thrown out without having to be opened, no explanations needed on why these things were kept. I decided that neatly packed and labeled plastic bins can also be stored for disposal by someone else at another time if I just can’t do it myself. Magnusson says to devote 30 minutes a day to Death Cleaning. “Reward yourself after every accomplishment: a nice coffee, a piece of cake, a warm shower . . . if you hit three hours of Death Cleaning, I would suggest a cold beer.” As for my lovely glass dessert bowl, my daughterin-law’s eyes lit up when I placed it on her counter at Thanksgiving dinner. “Oh I’d love to claim that someday, not that I want it any time soon!” she said. I told her, “It’s yours!”, and went home to freshly uncluttered space above the fridge that is just the beginning of letting go!

Carolyn Jirousek grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Dividing her time between Cleveland and Beaufort, she enjoys the best of both worlds. A retired RN and Art Historian, she is crazy about making music, dancing, writing, working out, and always taking time for Nature.

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 7

Tasty & Tasteful Holiday Shopping at Cook on Bay

hen it comes to giving (and receiving) gifts during the Holidays, these self-professed “foodies” who love to cook love anything from Cook on Bay. Quite simply, the iconic Bay Street shop, where their sign promises, “Cooking Tools & Foodie Fun,” has something for everyone. And, that includes us . . . hint, hint.

Spatula girl, photos by Cook on Bay

Cook on Bay, 720 Bay Street

When we finally moved to Beaufort full-time and experienced our first Holidays season here, we really enjoyed joining in on the tradition of sharing tasty and tasteful gifts with our neighborhood and beyond. Whether it’s homemade cookies and other sweets, seasoned nuts of some sort, treats from the Chocolate Tree (hint, hint), and more, we have really enjoyed giving and receiving dozens of perishable gifts from near and far . . . and the yummy gifts typically “perish” quite quickly. And, nope, we don’t regift food . . . even if it’s fruitcake. In fact, we may just try southern author Johnathan Scott Barrett’s “Mama’s Christmas Fruitcake Cookies” this year. The recipe is in one of his great cookbooks, Cook & Celebrate, and Johnathan also has a new and highly recommended novel called Ship Watch that’s coming r fout this month. We also really yenjoy making Holidays recipes dfrom beloved area caterer and popular Lowcountry Weekly

contributor Debbi Covington’s popular cookbooks, as well as from Mary Martha Greene’s bestseller, The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All (cheese biscuits, anyone?). But, when it comes to a gift that’s a bit more substantial, we love giving (and receiving) something from Cook on Bay. Founded in 2017 by sisters Jodi Campbell and Anne Willey, it was obvious to us the first time that we entered Cook on Bay many years ago that, like us, they love to cook and have a passion for food, family, and friends.

“When you visit our store, you'll be immersed in a cook's dream come true,” Jodi says. “Our mission is to make shopping for cooking tools and much more fun and educational.” Jodi adds, “We offer special coastal cooking tools and serveware, locally sourced Lowcountry foods and seasonings, and an extensive collection of unique kitchen tools and gadgets, cookware, bakeware, grilling accessories [we’ll admit to having four grills, including a new Big Green Egg], knives, barware, and more.” We’re also huge fans of spatulas and have more than a dozen, so we always say hey to their fun apron-donning Spatula Girl “sculpture” in the front window when we’re in Cook on Bay. Along with spatulas, we can personally attest to the “more” part of Jodi’s lengthy menu of possibilities. There’s something for everyone, including: dog and cat owners; boaters and RVers; crab, pineapple, flamingo, bird, and bee lovers; Beaufort and South Carolina items; lots of collegiate stuff for fans; and a lot more. And, did we mention their great knife sharpening service, which we highly recommend? Along with adding a plug for their special kids section (for the budding young chefs in our lives), Jodi says everything they carry is hand-selected based on quality and performance, Cook’s Illustrated reviews (a “foodie” magazine that we have used and collected for years), personal experience, and special requests from customers like us. Of Cook on Bay’s great staff, Jodi says, “These are the gals who work so hard and deserve all the recognition.” We’ve found all Cook on Bay staff are very knowledgeable and can assist in finding the perfect Holidays gift. They have 2,500-plus items and more than 200 brands! We thus thought it best to simply ask for favorite “Staff Picks” and let them take it from there.

THE LOWCOUNTRY

DISH Cele & Lynn Seldon

JODI’S PICKS:

*Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens: “This iconic Dutch oven is the most versatile pot in my kitchen! Think casseroles, one-pot meals, soups & stews, breads, desserts, frying, braising, slow-cooking. It does it all!” There’s an in-store Holidays special on the 3.5 quart Dutch oven! *Wusthof Classic 5” Santoku Knife: “The Santoku is my go-to knife in my kitchen — perfect for chopping, slicing and dicing. I love that it is lighter and more manageable than a chef’s knife, and the blade is thinner than a chef’s knife, making it less likely to produce rough cut.” There’s an in-store special on this knife for the Holidays! (continued next page)

Inside Cook on Bay

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 8

JANET’S PICKS:

*A set of Wusthof Steak Knives in Olivewood Box: “A beautiful gift that will last multi-generations.” There’s an in-store Holidays special on this set.

*Le Creuset Cocottes: “Great holiday hostess gift or Le Creuset starter items. They are microwavable.” We are huge Le Creuset fans and these colorful cocottes are also specially priced during the holidays *Smithey Cast Iron Pan: “Another beautiful gift that will last multi-generations.” *FinaMill Grinders and Mills: “Perfect gift for someone with arthritis - no twisting to grind the salt or pepper! They come in several colors and have a light to show how much salt or pepper is dispensed.”

A matching Swedish Dish Cloth makes it a perfect gift with a good price point — this is an ideal hostess gift!” *The GreenPan 10” Skillet with a Supoon Spoon: “The GreenPan is a healthy alternative to the traditional non-stick pans because there are no chemicals in the ceramic finish and the surface is slick and non-stick. Cleanup is a breeze! The Supoon is a fun pop of color to add to this gift and it is very functional. It sits up off the counter and measures as a tablespoon. I love to use it for sauces.”

MICKI’S PICKS:

LAURA’S PICKS:

*Avery’s Home Dish Towel with a Matching Swedish Dish Cloth: “I love the Blue Crab Christmas Tree! But there are so many great choices. I like these dish towels because they are a lovely fabric and the artwork is very expressive, fun and beautiful!

*Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet: “I love this skillet for many reasons. I love that it goes easily from stovetop to oven. Perfectly sear and caramelize a delicious steak. Easily make one skillet meals. Even bake focaccia or cornbread. Available in a variety of beautiful Le Creuset colors. This skillet will last a lifetime. An investment you could even pass down.” *Fred Good Measure Cocktail Mixing Glass and BOLD Unbreakable Barware: Perfect for Holidays cheers . . . and, “Cheers!” Jodi says customers can also shop at the comprehensive online store, with free shipping over $100, so they can ship to friends and family across the United States. Every product they carry in the store is available for purchase online. For those who aren’t sure what to get that special someone for the Holidays, they also offer gift cards — both in-store and online . . . hint, hint. Cook on Bay often holds events, with special promotions, product demos, and giveaways — especially First Fridays! They are especially known for their signature cocktails for First Fridays. Cheers to that! Cook on Bay has special extended Holidays hours, giving us even more time to find tasty and tasteful gifts for the Holidays.

Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www. seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world, and Lowcountry Weekly recently lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This will include articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. They welcome suggestions for topics.

Cook on Bay

720 Bay Street Beaufort, SC 29902 843-379-2202 • www.CookOnBay.net

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 9

Lunch with Author Jon Clinch

he USCB Center for the Arts Lunch with Author Series is proud to welcome Oprah Book Club author Jon Clinch to Bluffton, on December 19th for a special event. Clinch will discuss his latest novel, The General and Julia, which tells the story of Ulysses S. Grant during his final days, as he reflects on his life and reckons with his complicated legacy.

I read a book that is so utterly fascinating that I can’t stop talking about it. Jon Clinch’s The General and Julia is that book. We meet Ulysses S. Grant as we’ve never seen him before—not just an American hero, but a loving husband, and a somewhat reluctant celebrity caught up in the razzamatazz of Gilded Age America. Jon Clinch gives us a deeply human and compelling portrait of a man whom most of us know of—but few of us know about. A love story, a compelling piece of American history, a page-turner, with a star-studded cast of characters—not since All the Light We Cannot See have I read such a perfect example of what historical fiction should be. I predict that every book club will soon be reading this book.” Jon Clinch is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Finn, Kings of the Earth, and The Thief of Auschwitz. He is a two-time finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and a recipient of the GugAuthor Jon Clinch genheim Fellowship. New York Times Bestselling Author His first novel, Finn — the secret history Elizabeth Letts (A Perfect Horse and The Ride of Huckleberry Finn’s father — was named of Her Life) writes, “Every once in a while an American Library Association Notable

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Book and was chosen as one of the year's best books by the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Christian Science Monitor. It won the Philadelphia Athenaeum Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Sargent First Novel Prize. His second novel, Kings of the Earth — a powerful tale of life, death, and family in rural America, based on a true story — was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post and led the 2010 Summer Reading List at O, The Oprah Magazine. His latest novel, Marley, was praised by British actor/director Simon Callow in the New York Times: "Clinch has done something remarkable in Marley, not merely offering a parergon to Dickens’s little masterpiece, imagining the soil out of which the action of A Christmas Carol grows, but creating a free-standing dystopian universe, a hideous vision of nascent capitalism in which nothing is real and every transaction is a fraud issuing from the brain of a master forger, who by the end has reduced even his own life, quite literally, to a trompe l’oeil. Clinch’s Marley is one of the great farouche characters, at once frightening and dangerously attractive." Jon has lectured and taught widely, in settings as varied as the National Council of Teachers of English, Williams College, the Mark Twain House and Museum, and Pennsylvania State University. In 2008 he organized a benefit reading for

the financially-ailing Twain House — enlisting such authors as Tom Perrotta, Arthur Phillips, Stewart O’Nan, and Robert Hicks — an event that literally saved the house from bankruptcy. A native of upstate New York, Jon lives with his wife in Vermont. Books will be available for purchase and the author will be signing books. Reservations must be made by December 12. Tickets are $60. For additional information go to www.uscbcenterforthearts.com or call 843-521-4145.

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Halle Hill at Conroy Center G ood Women, the debut short story collection from Halle Hill, has been recognized as a Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2023 in Fiction, one of Oprah Daily's Best Books of the Year, one of Electric Literature's Best Short Story Collections of 2023, a People Magazine Best Books of Fall, one of the Boston Globe's 20 Books We’re Excited to Read This Fall, and a Poets & Writer's "Page One" New and Noteworthy Book. The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with Hill on Thursday, December 7, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.). Copies of Good Women will be available for sale and signing. Please register in advance at 843-379-7025. "In Halle Hill's Good Women, we meet mothers and daughters, lovers and friends, saints and aint's – all longing for something, some place, someone. They are curious, messy, and determined, and Hill's fierce and dazzling pen lets us feel every ounce of their

Author Halle Hill complicated desires. Every mistake, every realization, every triumph, every tragedy. This is a fantastic firecracker of a collection I'll return to again and again!"—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

"This heralds a bright new talent." – Publishers Weekly In this dynamic debut, Hill delves into the lives of twelve Black women across the Appalachian South. A woman boards a Greyhound bus barreling toward Florida to meet her sugar daddy’s mother; a state fair employee considers revenge on a local preacher; a sister struggles with guilt as she helps her brother plan to run away with a man he's seeing in secret; a young woman who works for a scam for-profit college navigates the lies she sells for a living. Darkly funny and deeply human, Good Women observes how place, blood ties, generational trauma, obsession, and boundaries or lack thereof influence how we navigate our small worlds, and how those worlds so often collide in ways we don’t expect. Halle Hill is from East Tennessee and lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A graduate of Maryville College and the M.F.A.

Writing program at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), she is the winner of the 2021 Crystal Wilkinson Creative Writing Prize and was a finalist for the 2021 ASME Award for Fiction. Her short stories have been published in Joyland, New Limestone Review, Southwest Review, and The Oxford American, where she won the 2020 Debut Fiction Prize. Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

Paid Advertorial by The Christian Science Society of Beaufort

Embracing the World’s Children

A lighthearted and productive group of high school students had become moody and difficult to work with. At first, their teacher felt unsure what to do, and even a little afraid. However, as a student of Christian Science, she knew that prayer would not only free her from debilitating concern but also lead to a way to help these young people. Christian Science turns thought to the one infinite God, good, and His ever-present law that governs all creation. This law is the foundation of the spiritual fact revealed in the Bible that each of us is created in God’s image – complete, spiritual, perfect – and that we reflect God’s power over all threats, discord, and affliction. As my friend embraced the truth of the students’ spiritual nature as expressions of God, good, it occurred to her to listen to some of their favorite music. In doing so, she discovered that it focused on suicide but could have also applied to a range of children’s problems worldwide such as school and public safety, dislocation, migrating families, child labor, war, adoption, malnutrition, and others.. She prayed with strong conviction of the students’ inseparability from infinite God, divine Life, and the infinite good that divine Mind, God, unfolds. She saw that because of Mind’s infinitude, depraved influences could have no source, existence, or power. Armed with this spiritual understanding, my friend assured them of their God-given authority over any influences that would threaten their well-being. As they glimpsed this, their joy returned almost immediately.

Jesus taught that children represent the qualities found in the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 19:14). Through prayer we can protect young people by seeing them, and helping them see themselves, as whole, spiritual children of God, rather than vulnerable, immature mortals subject to danger and harm. The spiritual nature of children is their one true identity. Like every one of us, as children of God, they are inseparable from their all-harmonious Father-Mother and can never be separated from Life – their true source of joy and peace. They are one with the divine Mind, whose wisdom leads to right decisions and fills consciousness with the recognition of ever-present good. These guiding truths are a firm basis for trusting children to express their freedom from disruptions, evil actions, loss, and separation. There is nothing that can “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:39). Christian Science, founded, by Mary Baker Eddy, helps us to understand why unity with God – divine Love and Life – is always the reality. For instance, in the Lord’s Prayer, Christians pray, “Thy kingdom come,” (Matthew 6:10). Christian Science advances the understanding of this thought to spiritually grasp the idea that God’s kingdom is come – that divine Life and Love are everpresent, (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p.16). How can we say that, given the influences and dangers that seem so prevalent? When we accept the ever-presence of God and His kingdom of infinite harmony, we inevitably

understand the spiritual nature of all those in our thoughts – men, women, and children. Grasping this Christlike understanding of others and expressing it to those we encounter supports them in realizing their inherent desire to see goodness in themselves and others – and to act from that basis. In this way we can each increasingly realize that everyone is governed safely and harmoniously under the laws of divine Love. As children of God, young people are free to exercise their divine rights – to express innocence, purity, health, and strength wherever they are. Armed with the consciousness of this dominion, they are invulnerable to harmful influences and dangers. But what about the rest of us, if news of world events obscures our clearer view that all children are the children of God, safe and secure? Any temptation to fear that a material power or law exists that can separate God, divine Spirit, from His children is thwarted by the spiritual understanding that no other cause or creator exists but infinite God, good. This Christmas season, so dear to children worldwide, as we prayerfully embrace the world’s children with the spiritual facts – the truth of their being – as Christ Jesus embraced them, we are able to trust that their innocence and purity are permanent, always intact. This opens the way for each to discover for himself or herself the joy, peace, and dominion that are divinely theirs as a child of God.

A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

By Lynne Buckley-Quirk

Our Perspectives discuss a topic that needs our local attention. For December it is “Praying for the Children of the World.” How can you express God’s love to address this in your life, our community, and the world? Learn more about Christian Science and our local services at BeaufortChristianScience.Org and view more Perspectives at CS Monitor Perspectives.

Herald the Holidays with LCCB

he Lowcountry Community Concert Band’s final concert of the year opens on Tuesday, December 12, at 7 pm, at the Center for the Arts Building (CFA) at USCB’s Beaufort Campus, located at 805 Carteret Street. Free and open to the public, the event is wheelchair accessible. Come and enjoy great seasonal music favorites played by 60+ volunteer musicians.

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

Fanfare for the Festival Of Lights, setting by Evan VanDoren; Herald the Holidays (Holiday Flourish for Band), by Robert W. Smith; Sleigh Ride, by Leroy Anderson; O Magnum Mysterium, by Morten Lauridsen, transcribed by H. Robert Reynolds; Greensleeves, arranged

by Alfred Reed; Christmas and Sousa Forever, by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Julie Giroux; Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming, arranged by Larry Kerchner; and Minor Alterations (Christmas Through the Looking Glass), by David Lorien. The LCCB performs under the baton of Conductor/Artistic Director David Carbone, who has over 30 years of experience in music education and the marching arts as a performer, conductor, educator, arranger and adjudicator. Associate Conductor, Deborah Hamner, currently teaches Band, Music Appreciation, and Piano at May River High School. Her background includes years of prior experience with the Marine Corps, as a clarinetist and later conductor of Marine Bands at Parris Island, as well as various overseas locations. The LCCB is sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of South Carolina - Beaufort. The LCCB provides an opportunity for musicians of all ages and abilities

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to play instrumental music together for enjoyment as well as to perform for the community. Any OLLI member is welcome to join. Students and adults of any age can also join the band. The LCCB is 100% self-sustaining, and receives no state or local funding. Donations are welcome, and are used for buying new music and equipment, repairing instruments, and rental of venue space for performances where required. For further information, visit our LCCB website, at www.ollilccb.com, and click on the “Donate” tab.

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Holy Trinity Presents Annual Christmas Program

oly Trinity Classical Christian School is hosting its annual Christmas program titled The Gift at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Community Bible Church. This is a Christmas musical celebration including musical and dramatic performances featuring Holy Trinity students in grades K-12. This year's program is inspired by the beloved Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Holy Trinity Fine Arts Teacher and Choral Director Anna Booman said, “O. Henry’s story reminds us of the many joyful aspects of Christmas: the celebration of gifts; the love of friends and family; but most of all, it reminds us that Christmas is a time for remembering the

ultimate gift: the sacrifice of God’s son for the good of the whole world. We hope that our Christmas program The Gift will inspire us all, through story and song, to

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several familiar favorites such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “The Little Drummer Boy.” Throughout the program, there will be many opportunities for congregational participation in the singing Christmas carols. The event is free. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The program will be held at Community Bible Church, 638 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort 29906. Founded in 2012, Holy Trinity Classical Christian School (HTCCS) provides students with a distinctly Christian and reflect anew upon this sacrifice with distinctively classical education in gratitude and praise.” Beaufort. Holy Trinity serves students Holy Trinity students will present from preschool-12th Grade. For more an array of musical offerings, including information, visit www.htccs.org

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eatballs, sausage balls, spinach balls, crab balls, pecan pie balls, rum balls, bourbon balls, peanut butter balls, cheese balls, snowballs… ‘tis the season! I can’t think of any other time of year when little balls of food are so popular. Sweet or savory, it’s easy to pop a small bite of deliciousness into your mouth. Balls are the perfect party foods. Served in a sauce, on a platter or on a skewer, everyone loves a canape! I’m featuring three of my favorite party dessert balls. Tasty, full of flavor and not too sweet, they’re the perfect sweet treats for your holiday party finale. Merry Christmas!

COCONUT RUM BALLS

This is a variation of my Mama’s recipe from the 1970’s. She used rum flavoring instead of rum until my brother and I were in our teens. She also rolled the balls in powdered sugar instead of coconut. 1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafers, crushed ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes ½ cup chopped pecans ¼ cup orange juice 3 tablespoons dark rum Sweetened coconut flakes, for rolling In a medium bowl, mix crushed cookies with coconut flakes, pecans, orange juice and rum. Roll into 1-inch balls and then roll to cover in sweetened coconut flakes. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Makes 30.

SNOWBALLS

Also known as lady fingers or wedding cookies, these buttery treats were always a staple at our house at Christmastime when I was a child. 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup butter, softened ½ cup finely chopped pecans ¼ cup powdered sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Powdered sugar, for rolling Combine flour, butter, pecans, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir until well blended. Mixture will be stiff. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated

By Debbi Covington

350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Roll cookies in powdered sugar and cool completely on wire racks. Store in an air-tight container. Makes The dough for these no-bake treats is very 24 cookies. sticky. Wet fingertips or hands dusted with powdered sugar makes them easier to roll BOURBON BALLS into balls.

1 package graham crackers, crushed (approximately 1 cup) 1 cup finely chopped pecans 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon corn syrup ¼ cup bourbon Powdered sugar, for rolling Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Shape dough into balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Roll balls in powdered sugar and store in an airtight container. Makes 30.

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

Not One Crumb Left A

pple orchards, apple picking and apple desserts all scream fall. Glowing with bright yellows and reds, apples are juicy and more than ready to be used in your favorite fall recipes. If you’re looking for something sweet and full of texture that can turn your taste buds upside down, look no further. This Spiced Apple Crumble is a family favorite. It’s the perfect dish to pack up and deliver to your next gathering of loved ones. Kids and adults love the deliciously sweet apple chunks filling the bottom of the pan along with the crumble topping. Top this killer sweet treat with vanilla ice cream for a sensational, melty, oozing-with-goodness dessert no one can forget. It’s one of those recipes your friends will call you about after the gathering wondering “where did you get that recipe?” The best part: It’s perfect for crowds of any size. The bite-size chunks of apple and oats are appetizing for any sweet tooth. The fall season leading up to the holidays is one of the times of year family and friends traditionally come together most. Nearly everyone loves a satisfying apple, especially when it is baked to perfection, covered with a crumble and topped with creamy, cool vanilla ice cream. Not to mention the splash of lemon added to this mixture brings out a unique tart twist. Make your next fall festivity or holiday gathering just a little sweeter for all. Spice things up then cool things down. This dessert does it all in just one bite.

Find more recipes for the fall season and holiday fun at Culinary.net

SPICED APPLE CRUMBLE,

Filling: 6 medium Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cubed 1 tablespoon white flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 lemons, juice only Topping: 1 cup quick oats 1 cup white flour 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/8 teaspoon salt vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. 1. To make filling: In medium bowl, add apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice. Toss to evenly coat. Spread evenly in 8-by-8-inch baking dish. 2. To make topping: In medium bowl, add oats, flour, brown sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, melted butter and salt. Fork mixture to create crumbles. Pour crumble topping over apple mixture. 3. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves: 6-8.

Snowball Cookies

hen it’s cold outside and snow blankets the ground, try heating up the oven and whipping up a batch of Snowball Cookies. These cookies are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and with a hint of coconut added to the frosting, your senses might think you’ve been transported to a tropical beach.

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Heat oven to 400 F. 1. Cream together shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. 2. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add mixture to wet ingredients, alternatively adding in Greek yogurt. 3. Flour surface and roll out cookie dough.

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SNOWBALL COOKIES 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup butter 3 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons coconut extract 1 cup shredded coconut

Use top of jar or biscuit cutter to make round cookie shapes. 4. Bake 8 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack immediately.

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5. In medium bowl, using mixer on low, mix powdered sugar, butter, milk and coconut extract until thoroughly combined. Beat on high until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

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Gifts from My Kitchen

just spent the last three days in my kitchen -- stirring and tossing and tasting and bagging and then stirring and tossing and tasting and bagging some more. Eighteen batches of Covington Christmas Party Mix, three batches of Firecrackers and one recipe of Cinnamon Sugar Pecans later, I’m all set for Christmas treat sharing. Perfect for baking up to several weeks in advance, these delicious snacks make wonderful Christmas goodie bags for friends, family, teachers, postal workers, bank tellers – all the people in your life that you’d like to say “thank you” to. They also make great hostess gifts. There’s no better time than Christmastime to share a gift from your kitchen. Merry Christmas!

COVINGTON CHRISTMAS PARTY MIX

The secret ingredient in my party mix is the evenly on two baking sheets. Bake until ingrelemon juice! Make your own version of party dients are completely dry, stirring every 20 mix with these seasonings and use 12 cups of minutes. Serves 12 to 15. your favorite snack stuff. 1 stick butter, melted 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 3 teaspoons seasoned salt 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cups corn cereal 2 cups rice cereal 1 cup wheat cereal 2 cups pretzels 2 cups small bagel chips 1 cup cheese-flavored mini crackers 1 cup pecan halves 1 cup mixed nuts Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter with seasonings and lemon juice. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour butter mixture over snack mix, toss lightly to coat well. Spread party mix

CINNAMON SUGAR PECANS

Perfect for sharing, snacking and on salads, these sweet pecans are sure to become one of your favorites! ¼ cup sugar 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg white, beaten 1 pound pecan halves Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, cin-

namon, and egg white together. Pour mixture over pecans. Coat thoroughly. Spread on a foil-lined baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until crispy and dry, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool completely; store leftover pecans in a tightly sealed container. Makes 1 pound.

By Debbi Covington

FIRECRACKERS

These fiery cheese snacks are addictive! 1 (21-ounce) box Cheez-Its ½ cup vegetable oil 2 (1-ounce) packages ranch dressing mix (5 tablespoons) 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine all in ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat well. Spread seasoned crackers on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until crackers are crispy and completely dry. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes about 10 cups.

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Poetry Workshop with Jacquelyn Markham

he nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a poetry writing workshop with Jacquelyn Markham, author of Rainbow Warrior, on Tuesday, December 12, at 6:00-7:30 p.m. Registration is $45/person; learn more and sign up at https://patconroyliterarycenter. eventbrite.com Have you ever struggled with the shape and form of your poem? Or, simply wondered what form best fit the experience you wanted to express? Whether your poem is inspired by the “heat of feeling” or you must invite the muse to your poem, the interplay between form and content is important to your creative process. In this generative workshop, participants will draw on guidance from poets Denise Levertov and Mary Oliver, as we explore different containers for our experiences. We will move from organic form through free verse to formal patterns, such as the cinquain and rondeau, to see our experiences take shape in new ways. Who should attend this workshop? Those who love language and long to express their

experiences in words. Any level can take away some tips for the process of hearing and expressing what Levertov calls our “constellations of experience.”

Jesse Blanco & Seldons Talk Food

he nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening of with Eat It and Like It host Jesse Blanco, author of Savannah Food Crawls, in conversation with food and travel writers Lynn and Cele Seldon. Free and open to the public, this event will be held on Friday, December 8, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Weather permitting, the event will be held outside. Books by all three authors will be available for sale and signing. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.

Dr. Jacquelyn Markham has been writing, teaching, and publishing poetry for over three decades. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in creative writing with a focus on poetry from Florida State University. Her recent chapbook Rainbow Warrior adds to her many publications in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies.

Author and Savannah foodie Jesse Blanco ABOUT JESSE BLANCO AND SAVANNAH FOOD CRAWLS Savannah Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite and Libation at a Time is an exciting culinary tour through one of Georgia's most beautiful cities. Each crawl is the complete recipe for the perfect tourist day, a new way to experience your own city, or simply great food stories to enjoy from home. Put on your walking shoes and your stretchy pants and dig into Savannah one dish at a time. Jesse Blanco is, without question, one of Savannah's most recognizable personalities. His laid-back style and ability to connect with viewers and readers remain his calling card following a 24-year career in television news. During his 5 years as primary news anchor at

the local FOX affiliate, Jesse always found creative ways to connect with his audience. That talent extended to his weekly column in the Savannah Morning News, which very quickly became one of the paper’s most popular features from 2012 to 2018. In 2010, Jesse and his business partner created a blog and later a television show dedicated to the underappreciated side of Savannah's food scene. Four years later, Savannah's food scene exploded and Eat It and Like It found itself sitting in the front row to witness it all. Since 2014 he's been the Savannah area's only full-time food writer. This year, his first book documenting Savannah's food scene, Savannah Food Crawls, was published, to be followed next year by Charleston Food Crawls. Jesse was born in California but calls Miami his hometown. Having been raised in a very large Cuban-American family where the genetic makeup consists of food, music, dancing, laughing, and friendship. Throw in an insatiable desire to travel and explore and you get someone who is only happy learning or trying new things. Jesse is married with one child. Jesse will be interviewed by husbandand-wife writers Lynn and Cele Seldon, the authors of 100 Things to Do in Savannah Before You Die, 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die, and countless travel and food articles appearing in local, regional, and national publications. Learn more about the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

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SOBA Calls for Entries

owcountry artists are invited to submit their works of art for The Society of Bluffton Artists’ (SOBA) 30th Annual Judged Show. Winners will be awarded first, second and third place cash awards in the following categories: oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography,drawing (includes pastel, pencil, ink), collage and 3-D (includes pottery, wood, stained glass, sculpture).

Registration and a full list of rules are available online at https://sobagallery. com/2024-judged-show/ The Judged Show exhibit will be on display from March 4-31 at the SOBA gallery. An awards ceremony will take place from 4-6 p.m. March 6. These events are free to attend and open to the public. Artists can pick up unsold artwork at the end of the show from 9-11 a.m. April 1 at The SOBA Art School.

Abandoned by Murray Sease Murray Sease, who won “Best of Show” for her oil painting “Abandoned,” said the annual Judged Show attracts the best from local artists, making the competition fierce. “Events like the Judged Show encourage artists to do our best, always learning and hopefully getting more proficient,” Sease said. “It brings new eyes to the gallery and attention to the growing arts community in the area. And, of course, it helps the winners gain new followers and customers!” Registration is required by completing a registration form available at the gallery, located at 6 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton or by registering online at https://sobagallery.com/ product/register-for-judged-show/ The cost to register is $25 for SOBA members and $75 for non SOBA members. The registration deadline is February 23. The deadline for dropping off your art is from 9-11 a.m. March 4th at The SOBA Art School, 8 Church St., Bluffton, SC. No entries will be accepted after 11 a.m.

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Open Mic Night Features Robert Maynor

inner of the South Carolina Novel Series prize, Robert Maynor, author of the debut novel The Big Game is Every Night, will be the featured writer in the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center’s final Open Mic Night of the Year. Free and open to the public, this special event will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, December 14, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Copies of Maynor’s novel will be available for sale and signing.

Author Robert Maynor

Open Mic Night is a monthly partnership between the Conroy Center and the statewide South Carolina Writers Association. Maynor’s featured reading will follow short readings (3 to 5 minutes each) by local writers. Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Sign up in advance by emailing contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. Robert Maynor lives and writes in a patched-up fish camp on the bank of the Edisto River, the longest free-flowing blackwater river in North America. His fiction explores the spectrum of complexities and contradictions in the contemporary American South. His short stories have appeared in Blood Orange Review, BULL, The Carolina Quarterly, and CRAFT, among other outlets. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and he is the past recipient of the Larry Brown Short Story Award and the Coker Fellowship in Fiction from the South Carolina Academy of Authors. “Written in spare yet evocative prose, Robert Maynor’s The Big Game is Every Night is a quiet and powerful meditation on broken families, fractured friendships, the pain of reckoning with having the thing that most defines you taken away in an instant, and the legacy violence leaves in its wake.” — John Vercher, author of After the Lights Go Out

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“One of the most honest works of fiction I have ever read. The Big Game Is Every Night is a bruised and brutal debut about a boy on the precipice of manhood and all the terror it entails. Maynor’s novel made me want to cradle my two sons and never let go.” —J.C. Sasser, author of Gradle Bird Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www. patconroyliterarycenter.org

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How Does My Garden Sleep? T’was the night before Christmas and all through the yard My plants are all hoping that it doesn’t freeze hard. The grasses and seed pods are left up for the bees They need to be there in case of a freeze. My garden is resting and sleeping so sound That not a sprout or a seedling is yet to be found But y’all must not fret or have fear For the garden will be blooming the very next year.

This is a wake up call for what we should and can do to protect Tropicals and tender perennials. Many things breeze right through below freezing temps such as most perennial Salvias, Pelargoniums (Geraniums), Dianthus, snapdragons, and pansies. Tropicals should be brought under cover on a porch or inside a garage. If you have large containers, cover them with cloth. Old sheets work well although your yard will look like it is decorated for Halloween. Do not use tarps or plastic –plants need to breathe. You will smother them if you cover them with plastic.

ell, I am not a poet, but you get the idea. December is the month when our gardens are really in a state of rest. And they deserve it. In our area, gardens work extra hard to fight the heat and humidity of summer and to bloom longer than their northern counterparts. And this past February, my garden woke up earlier than ever before. That means a longer growing season and more plant “exhaustion.” Sleep garden, sleep. Actually, someone just walked by my garden and called out “it is in a state of transition.” I like that. Transition sounds better than “You have a lot of dead looking plants!” What can you do in December while your yard rests? I always have lots of indoor holiday plants that I will then put outside this spring. Cyclamens will take a freeze and they look so nice inside or on porch for color this time of the year. Once I put away holiday decorations, the cyclamens stay for some color and then will go outside in February. Some people actually have them return each year. I have not been so lucky. I stagger planting Amaryllis so that I always have one blooming inside. Amaryllis bulbs can be planted outside after they bloom and they will come up and bloom next year - just maybe not at Christmas when you would like them. Only plant the bulb half-way into the soil. Narcissus also can be planted outside and you may find them blooming next year as early as November. Remember last December right before Christmas and the hard freeze that we had?

The most surprising thing I found blooming in my garden now was my Cestrum elegans or Red Cestrum shrub. It is a mass of tubular shaped blossoms. It seems to bloom from autumn through until the heat of summer. Cestrums have only a few arching branches so it is a tidy shrub and does not out grow its space. I highly recommend it so do an online search for it. I have not seen it at any local Lowcountry nurseries. Yet. It is not too late to plant spring bulbs. I will plant mine after Christmas. They have been in the garage fridge since October. I always order species bulbs – that is tulips and daffodils (narcissus) as close to the original

form as possible. They seem to take our heat better than hybrids. Since our ground does not freeze to any great depth, you can plant bulbs any time in December or even January. Do not panic if we have a warm spell and your bulbs start poking up earlier than they should. When we get a little cold spell they will go dormant again. My Chinese ground orchids (Bletilla striata) is blooming right now three months ahead of schedule. I imagine that a few cold nights will send them into dormancy. And we will have some cold nights in December. That is a given. One fun thing that I did was plant a winter garden in a large container to put on my porch. It has all sorts of evergreen plants and a couple of ornamental kale plants. I used silvery shades of green to complete the winter theme. It should look nice all winter long and give me some interest when everything else is appears a little bleak. Once the garden centers

By Wendy Hilty

clear out their Christmas trees, you will find all sorts of interesting winter plants like the kales to put in containers. And don’t forget that my book, Lowcountry Gardening for Newcomers: How to Succeed as a Comya Gardener, makes a good Christmas gift. You can find it at LowCo Gardens, Southern Marsh Nursery, Bruno’s Garden Center, and the Greenery. Best Wishes for a great holiday season and Happy Gardening in the New Year.

Wendy Hilty is a Master Gardener and member of the Lowcountry Master Gardeners organization. She is also a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and likes to spend her time attempting to grow an English Cottage Garden in our heat and humidity. Her Comyagardener blog won a state-wide award from Clemson University last year. Wendy firmly believes that the most important tool for a gardener is a good sense of humor.

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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. FOR RENT Furnished Beaufort Historic District home; 1 mo-1 year, 2br, 1 bath all util/Wi-Fi; walk downtown ref & with credit check. See Furnished Finder #476313

EMPLOYMENT AT YOUR SERVICE CLEANING BUSINESS is new to the Lowcountry! We need experienced housekeepers! You must have reliable transportation, a valid driver's license, and a clean background search! We pay very well! Bonus incentives! If you are interested in applying, please call Sue at 908-285-2685

CLASSES & SEMINARS FREE HYPNOSIS INFORMATION PRESENTATION and guided group meditation workshop. This free session will focus on anxiety reduction and relaxation. Open to the public, Tuesday, November 14th at 7 pm EST via Zoom. 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 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. Oc-

Community Announcements & Classes are FREE Merchandise · Employment • Rental Property • FSBO Automobiles · Motorcycles • Boats • Pets $25 Up to 25 Words • $35 Up to 25 Words with a Photo

To place your ad call 843-986-9059 or email: Amanda@LCWeekly.com

casional 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

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.

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

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.

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.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS CAR SHOW- "THUMBS UP" Come join us for our 12 annual fundraiser "Thumbs Up", an after school education center for kids in need. The Car Show is on Market Street, Habersham. Saturday December 9th from 102PM. A fun filled event for all ages. EVERY 2ND TUESDAY, SHARING HEARTS SUPPORT GROUP Tell your 10-minute story of a life lesson or healing message using your own 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 843-5256115 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 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. 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 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.

TOUR HISTORIC FORT FREMONT—Travel to the 1800's and the Spanish American War. From 10am to 2pm Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm at the Fort Fremont History Center at the Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land's End Road, St. Helena Island is open. Docent-led tours are every Saturday at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Visitors to Fort Fremont can learn about the fort's history by reading interpretive panels, taking a self-guided tour with a smart phone, visiting the history center exhibit hall, or attending a docent-led tour of the property. The Preserve is open to the public Monday through Sunday from dawn to dusk. For more Information visit www.forttremont.org or contact Passive Parks manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@bcgov.net US COAST GUARD AUXILIARY, Flotilla 07-10-01, Port Royal Sound, a uniformed, all volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard. We conduct safety patrols, assist search & rescue, teach boat safety, conduct free vessel safety checks and other boating activities. Monthly meetings are open to all and held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Port Royal Sound Foundation classroom at 7pm. For info call Flotilla Commander Pattie McGowan (706-633-6192) 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 Mr. Hal. Definitely shop. COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE Safe & effective centuries old healing system treats and prevents many 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 duringa 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 assis-s tance to those in need in our community. Open Mon-Fri 9:30-12:30. 2 Ice House Rd., Beaufort.f Call or email Jennifer 843-524-1223 or info@hel-g pofbeaufort.org

TIDEWATER HOSPICE SUPPORT GROUP: Last Wed. and Thurs. of the month. Weds. 10-11am atb Sun City; Thurs. 12-1pm Brookdale Hilton Headg Ct., Hilton Head; for those who provide physical, emotional or practical support to a family mem-o ber or friend. Jodi Johnson, LMSW. Bereave-a ment Group: 5-6 pm., Thursdays, 10 Buckingham Plantation Drive, Suite A, Bluffton; for those whoH have experienced a loss and would like support and info associated with grief and bereavement.w Corrie VanDyke, LMSW or Marie James, MA.C 843-757-9388

INTERESTED IN HEALTHY EATING? Second Helpings, of Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties,F seeks committee members and chairperson forB Healthy Food Program. Funding available to procure fresh produce and protein for the 60 food pan-a tries and soup kitchens served by Second Helpings. Contact Exec. Dir. Lili Coleman, 843-689-3616 orC execdirector@secondhelpingslc.org N

BORN TO READ working for early childhood liter-S acy, needs volunteers to deliver books and materi-H als to new mothers at Coastal Community Hosp., HH Hosp., and BMH. Visits are from 10am – noon.L More info at borntoread.org or call 843-379-3350.

ALZHEIMER’S FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATERN BEAUFORT, Support Groups: Caregiver - Weds., 12:30pm, Senior Services of Beaufort, 1408 Paris Ave.,B Port Royal; Living with Alzheimer's - for those in very early stages - Mondays 1pm, Parsons Parlor, Carteretc Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret, Beaufort. Respite Programs: Social Day Program- 10am-1:45pm $40 Day Fee, Mon. at Cornerstone Christian Church,m 2301 First Blvd., Beaufort, Weds. & Friday at Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; Inh Home - Respite Aides available for 2 hr. minimum, $12-M $24. Early Memory Loss: Maintain Your Brain - 2nd & 4th Thursday, 10-11:30am, $10/person, $15 couple,M Carteret Street Methodist Church, 408 Carteret St., Beaufort; Memory Screenings available call 843-521- r 9190, 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 843815-6616 (Bluffton); 843-681-6655 (HHI). No teaching, tutoring or other language knowledge necessary. www.theliteracycenter.org THE SANDALWOOD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY. Volunteer-based, non-profit provides groceries, clothing and basic needs items to ANYONE in need. Open Tues & Fri 11:30am-1pm at 114 Beach City Rd., Hilton Head. Donations of food and funds needed. For info: Rev. Dr. Nannette Pierson at 843715-3583 or email sandalwoodpantry@gmail.com PARRIS ISLAND MUSEUM. The legacy of the Marine Corps and the history of the Port Royal region. Thousands of artifacts, images, and other materials illustrate the stories in exhibit galleries from Native American to modern Marines. FREE admission. Mon-Sat 10am-4:30pm and 8am on Family Graduation Days. Closed 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.

.{ Opinion, Arts, Culture, Lifestyle, Cuisine }. More coverage and content at LowcountryWeekly.com 25

Shain & Ventre Play Music on Malphrus

on Shain and FJ Ventre will perform at Music on Malphrus, 110 Malphrus Road, in Bluffton, on Friday, January 5, at 7 pm. General Admission is $25. Doors open at 6:15 pm. Durham, NC’s Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words and his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. Shain had the good fortune to learn directly from a number of North Carolina’s older blues players, and became a member of Big Boy Henry's backing band. He is the 2019 winner of the International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category. In addition, Shain was a finalist (along with FJ Ventre) in the 2009 International Blues Challenge, he won both the 2008 and 2018 Triangle Blues Society’s Blues Challenge and was the 2006 winner of NC’s Indy award for Best Folk Act. Shain’s most recent solo disc, Gettin’ Handy with the Blues: A Tribute to the Legacy of WC Handy, was released in January, 2018. Shain’s newest album, Never Found A Way to Tame the Blues, recorded along with long-time collaborator FJ Ventre was released 2021. FJ Ventre and Jon Shain began playing music together in 1982 when they met in high school. FJ went on to University of Massachusetts-Lowell, earning a B.A. in Music Performance and Sound Recording. He remained in the Boston area, performing in

the city's vibrant music scene. Since relocating to Chapel Hill, NC in 2000, Ventre has performed with his own group The Swang Brothers, as well as most of the Triangle's roots acts. In addition to performing as a soughtafter sideman, he spends his time behind the mixing board, engineering at his own Good Luck Studio. With Jon, they have become sought-after producers in the folk/Americana genre, producing several charting Folk and Blues albums in the last few years. https:// jonshain.com/jon-shain-and-fj-ventre/

Scott Woody of Isis Music Hall writes, “Intricate fingerstyle acoustic blues guitar weaving around upright bass lines, alternatively melodic and thumping. Vocal harmonies and story songs. Modern folk-blues at its best.” For more information call 843-837-3330.

Mac Miller Night - honoring the life & music of Mac Miller. (843) 408-1599 or www.musicfarm.com The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston. 12/6 Susto String Band; Holler Choir, 12/7 Whitey Morgan & the 78s; Sam Morrow, 12/8 John "JoJo" Hermann & Big Chief Juan Pardo; Sam Holt, 12/9 Bruce YarnSteen - Springsteen tribute, 12/10 Sunsquabi; Jason Leech, 12/14 Toubab Krewe; Shira Elias, 12/15 Eggy, 12/16 Broken Speakers Funky Jingle Ball VI, 12/17 Sugar Nova; Future Joy, 12/21 Elise Testone's Psychedelic Soul Party, 12/22 Mr. Holland's Oats, 12/23 Drivin' N Cryin'; Volk. (843) 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 12/16 Drew Dangerfield, 12/21 Stop Light Observations; The Simplicity. (843) 886-8596 or www.thewindjammer.com

BEAUFORT/PORT ROYAL 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. Mondays-25% off Burgers! Tuesdays – 25% off Shrimp & Chips Baskets! Wednesdays-25% off Philly Cheese Steaks! Wednesdays, Friday & Saturday Karaoke. (843) 379-7676 or Rosie's on Facebook. Saltus River Grill, 802 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 379-3474 or www.saltusrivergrill.com

BLUFFTON/HILTON HEAD Big Bamboo, Coligny Plaza. (843) 686-3443 or www.bigbamboocafe.com Captain Woody’s, 6 Target Rd., Hilton Head or 17 State of Mind St., Bluffton. www.captainwoodys. com The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexf1ord, Hilton Head. Sundays - Deas Guyz; Mondays - A Journey Through Jazz with The Martin Lesch Band; Tuesdays - Fat Tuesdays: A Swingin' Celebration of New Orleans and Beyond; Thursdays - Lavon Stevens with Louise Spencer. 12/6 The Lavon Stevens trio with Quiana Parler, 12/8 & 12/9 A Rat-Pack Holiday Celebration - with Bobby Ryder's Swingin' Quintet, 12/15 & 12/16 Blitzen on Bourbon Street: A 'Nawlins Christmas with Mark Rapp & this Mischievous Elves, 12/20 The Lavon Stevens trio with Quiana Parler, 12/22 & 12/23 A Motown Holiday Spectacular with Reggie Deas & Deas Guyz. (843) 842-8620 or www.TheJazzCorner.com Omni Hilton Head Ocean Front in Palmetto Dunes. Buoy Bar - HH Prime - (843) 842-8000 or www.omnihotels.com

OUT OF TOWN The Music Farm, 32 Ann Street, Charleston. 12/7 Frozen - All White Ultra Glow Party, 12/8 Lily's Burlesque, 12/9 A Music Farm Metal Night with Sorrow of Silence; All is Calm; Primo Noctis; Decadence, 12/15 Rip City Holiday Showtacular, 12/16 The Taylor Party - Taylor Swift night, 12/17

Now – 3/24/24, Intimate Oceans: Coral in Contemporary Art at Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head. 70 Honey Horn Dr., Hilton Head. 843689-6767. www.coastaldiscovery.org

BOOKS & WRITERS 12/16, Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud for children, with DAYLO student volunteers, at the Port Royal Farmers Market. 9:30 am – Noon. Thur 12/7, Evening with Halle Hill, short story writer (Good Women) at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St) at 5pm. Books available for sale and signing. Please register in advance at 843-379-7025.

Tues 12/12, Herald the Holidays, a concert by the Lowcountry Community Concert Band at 7 pm at USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St, Beaufort. Free and open to the public.

Tues 12/12, Poetry Writing Workshop with Jacquelyn Markham (Rainbow Warrior) at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 6 -7:30 pm. Registration is $45/ person; learn more and sign up at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.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.

Thur 12/14, Robert Maynor, Winner of the South Carolina Novel Series prize, (The Big Game is Every Night), will be the featured writer in the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s final Open Mic Night of the year. Free and open to the public, this special event will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on from 6-7:30 pm. Copies of Maynor’s novel will be available for sale and signing. Interested in reading at Open Mic? Sign up in advance by emailing contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org

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.

THEATER/FILM/DANCE

MUSIC

Tues 12/12, The Gift, a Christmas musical presented by Holy Trinity Classical Christian School at 6pm at Community Bible Church. For more information visit www.htccs.org

12/9 & 12/10, Shore Notes A Cappella Chorus Holiday Concerts. 12/3, 3:30pm at Island Lutheran Church on Hilton Head; 12/9, 3:30pm at

Logan LAW FIRM

Now – 12/18, Super-Natural, an exhibit of artwork by Susanna Glattly and Gary Geboy at USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St, Beaufort. Opening reception Thur 10/19 from 5:30 – 7pm. www.uscbcenterforthearts.com Now – 12/23, SOBA Holiday Market at the Society of Bluffton Artists gallery, 6 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com

Real Estate Closings • Titles • Deeds

Now – 12/30, Holiday Gallery of Gifts, at the Art League of Hilton Head Gallery, inside the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane. www.artleaguehhi.org

Henri Ann Logan

Now – 2/10/24, Anonymous Ancestors at Morris Center in Ridgeland. Artist Susan Lenz uses hundreds of anonymous vintage photographs, letters, and printed materials to form a societal family tree. www.morrisheritagecenter.org

12/9 & 12/10, Holiday I.D.E.A. A concert produced by the Gullah Latino Advisory Council at Christ Lutheran Church, 829 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Two performances – Sat at 7pm and Sun at 4pm. Tickets are $20 (+fees). For Tickets, go to www.lowcountrydiversity.org

Sat 12/9, Palmetto Animal League (PAL) Holiday Open House. 1 – 5pm at the PAL Adoption Center. Enjoy refreshments and good cheer. Adoption fees will be waived. 56 Riverwalk Blvd, Ridgeland

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

Now– 12/9, Wildlife photography Cacky Rivers will be the Artist in Residence at Palmetto Bluff. For more information, visit www.palmettobluff. com/explore/artist-in-residence/cacky-rivers

Fri 12/8, Zoe Lewis at Music on Malphrus. 110 Malphrus Road, Bluffton. 7 pm. General Admission is $25. Doors open at 6:15 pm. www.zoelewis.com

Fri 12/8 Evening with Eat It and Like It host Jesse Blanco, author of Savannah Food Crawls, in conversation with food and travel writers Lynn and Cele Seldon. Free and open to the public. 5 pm at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Weather permitting, the event will be held outside. Books by all three authors will be available for sale and signing. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.

Tues 12/19, Oprah Book Club Author Jon Clinch will be the guest at USCB Lunch with Author series in Bluffton. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Reservations must be made by December 12. Tickets are $60. For additional information go to www.uscbcenterforthearts.com or call 843-521-4145

GALLERIES/ART

Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Bluffton; 12/10, 4pm at First Presbyterian Church in Beaufort. FREE to the public.

Impeccable Reputation • Reasonable Fees

Attorney

email: henriann@loganlawfirm.com

www.loganlawfirm.com 806 Charles Street • Beaufort, SC 29901 • 843 524-0042

OTHER EVENTS

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

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.

Tuesday - Sunday 11am-4pm

All Member Show Now - Dec. 31

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Holiday Market Dec. 16 - Jan. 1 Now ~ October 29

913 Bay Street • 843.521.4444 www.beaufortartassociation.com

experience servicing Lowcountry buyers and sellers with closings, deeds, and contracts. Alisha Doud

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Derek C. Gilbert Attorney at Law

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Tide Chart

FOR THE BEAUFORT RIVER AT WATERFRONT PARK DATE AM PM Dec

6 Wed

3:19A 6.5

9:30A 1.7

3:40P 6.6

9:57P 1.5

7 Thu

4:12A 6.7

10:23A 1.6

4:31P 6.5

10:46P 1.3

8 Fri

5:05A 6.9

11:16A 7.5

5:23P 6.6

11:33P 1.1

9 Sat

5:55A 7.3

12:06P 1.2

6:12P 6.6

10 Sun

12:20A 0.8

6:42A 7.6

12:54P 0.9

6:58P 6.8

11 Mon

1:06A 0.6

7:25A 8.0

1:41P 0.7

7:40P 6.9

 12 Tue

1:51A 0.3

8:07A 8.3

2:29P 0.5

8:22P 7.1

13 Wed

2:38A 0.1

8:52A 8.5

3:18A 0.4

9:07P 7.2

14 Thu

3:27A 0.6

9:39A 8.6

4:07P 1.0

9:55P 7.2

15 Fri

4:18A -0.1

10:29A 8.6

4:57P 0.2

10:47P 7.3

16 Sat

5:09A -0.1

11:21A 8.5

5:47P 0.2

11:43P 7.3

6:02A 0.0

12:16P 8.2

6:39P 0.3

17 Sun 18 Mon

12:44A 7.3

6:58A 0.2

1:15P 7.9

7:34P 0.3

19 Tue

1:48A 7.3

7:58A 0.4

2:16P 7.6

8:31P 0.3

20 Wed

2:52A 7.4

8:59A 0.6

3:17P 7.4

9:26P 0.3

21 Thu

3:54A 7.6

9:59A 0.7

4:17P 7.1

10:21P 0.3

22 Fri

4:57A 7.7

10:57A 0.7

5:19P 6.9

11:15P 0.2

23 Sat

5:57A 7.9

11:52A 0.7

24 Sun

12:06A 0.2

6:51A 8.0

6:17P 6.8 12:45P 0.7

7:09P 6.8

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MLS 174090 | 3BDRM | 3.5+B | Water Views Elevator | Secured Parking Edward Dukes 843.812.5000 www.1105BayStreet.com

3BDRM | 2B | 1465sqft Trudy Arthur 843.812.0967 Nancy Butler 843.384.5445

5BDRM | 5B | 3066sqft Julia O’Hara 1.201.456.8620

PLEASANT POINT | MLS 181907 HORSE ISLAND | MLS 182818 3BDRM | 2B | 1504sqft Dale Glaeser 843.252.9614

.46 Acre Homesite | Water Views Bryan Gates 843.812.6494

4BDRM | 3.5B | 3434sqft Colleen Baisley 843.252.1066 www.23Newpoint.com

2BDRM | 2.5B | 1364sqft Lloyd Williams 1.843.754.4735

2BDRM | 2.5B | 1152sqft Amy McNeal 843.521.7932

3BDRM | 2B | 1342sqft | Lagoon Views Bryan Gates 843.812.6494

2BDRM | 2.5B | 1679sqft | Water Views Trea Tucker 843.812.4852

.66 Acre Homesite | Marsh/Water View Cul-De-Sac Donna Duncan 843.597.3464