SiP magazine
SULLIVAN’S ISLAND ISLE OF PALMS
Volume 4 | 2018
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INSIDE SiP
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FEATURES
62 | ONCE (OR TWICE) IN A LIFETIME A new perspective on this winter’s historic snow storm By Jennifer Tuohy 68 | SHOREBIRD SANCTUARY A restoration on Dewees Island makes critical improvements for wildlife By Stratton Lawrence 76 | NATURE LOVERS Environmental advocates stake a claim in protecting the islands for the next generation By Susan Hill Smith 82 | FIELD (TRIP) OF DREAMS Students take to the seas for real-life learning thanks to Barrier Island Eco-Tours By Stratton Lawrence 88 | PUTTING HAPPINESS INTO PATTERNS Making joy an intentional part of colorful clothing and a life well-lived By Stratton Lawrence 94 | PLACING THE WHY ON THE WALLS A gallery owner’s insistence on storytelling shape her home and business By Holly Fisher
FIELD GUIDE
18 | GAZING AT GREAT BLUES Discover the beauty of this big bird By Jennifer Tuohy 20 | YOU SEE SHIPS ALONG THE SEASHORE Container ships in our waters connect all corners of the world By Mimi Wood 24 | TOSSING TRASH ON THE NAUGHTY LIST An impassioned Santa lookalike spends summers addressing beach pollution By Susan Hill Smith
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HISTORY SNAPSHOT
28 | ONE MONTH AT FORT MOULTRIE The Seminole warrior’s heroic efforts, imprisonment and final weeks in the Lowcountry By Anne Hassold Harris
ISLAND LIFE
Explore what makes life on our islands spectacular places to visit and special places to live 30 | GROWING AN ISLAND OASIS Residents create beautiful landscapes in harmony with their homes By Wendy Sang Kelly 36 | SUMMER ON SULLIVAN’S ISLAND: KIDS EDITION The Cooney kids spend summers adventuring with mom, dad and cousin Eve By Katherine Cooney
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40 | TO MARKET, TO MARKET In its first year, Isle of Palms’ farmers market sowed success for year two By Emma Woodham 24 | KEEN ON LIFE, CRAZY ABOUT IOP A senior social club with history — the Isle of Palms Keenagers make lunch fun By Mimi Wood
RISING STARS
The rising tides of creators and companies new on the scene 100 | GRABBING THE REINS A talented rider and a resourceful entrepreneur, Annie Walters’s stable opened last year By Susan Hill Smith 108 |
102 | COASTAL INSPIRATION A cutting-edge swimwear line buoys the visibility of designer Louisa Ballou By Mimi Wood 104 | BREWSKIS Best friends to beer buddies, Scott Hansen and Brandon Perry created magic in a can By Mimi Wood 106 | PRETTY PALEONTOLOGY Casey Garvin’s handiwork adorns accessory enthusiasts around the globe By Margaret Pilarski
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SIP SALUTES
Dive into the local personalities that make our islands so unique 46 | SHREDDING A MUSICAL WAVE Joel Timmons, founding member of Sol Driven Train, on the islands’ influence By Carol Antman 50 | FINDING A VOICE ON CANVAS The full-circle, full-color life of artist Tammy Papa By Anne Hassold Harris 56 | PAYING IT FORWARD Tom Proctor’s lunch hour benefits East Cooper Meals on Wheels By Colin McCandless
SIP SCENE
After you’ve soaked up the sun, explore the other activities islanders enjoy in their downtime 108 | CRUISING THE ISLANDS’ COUNTER CULTURE Caffeine fiends have new local options to sit, sip and savor By Margaret Pilarski 114 | DOCK & DINE Restaurants along the Intracoastal make it easy for boaters to get a bite By Marci Shore 118 | VIBES & VOCALS Who, what, and where of live music venues By Marci Shore 120 | PEOPLE & PLACES Re-live the sights and scenes of the last 12 months with SiP’s photographic round-up 122 | SIP CALENDAR Your essential guide to island events 124 | LAST LOOK
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EDITOR’S LETTER
W
elcome to SiP, a magazine that showcases the beauty, stories and personalities of Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms and Dewees. Our mission is to explore and celebrate the people, places and icons that make our unique barrier islands such special places to live and such wonderful places to visit. In this issue, our fourth annual edition, take a breathtaking aerial journey over Sullivan’s following this winter’s epic, historic snowstorm. Come learn about the important work on Dewees that has earned it the label “of hemispheric importance” in the effort to help migratory shorebirds; and join in the fight to protect our islands’ natural beauty being spearheaded by five exceptional women. Then, jump on board with a group of school children exploring the intracoastal waterway and its treasures for the first time, and remember just why we are so lucky to live here. Meet your fellow islanders in our SiP Salutes section, where we highlight the interesting, inspiring and creative journeys of our neighbors, including Joel Timmons, Tom Proctor and Tammy Papa. New this issue is our Rising Stars section, where we discover the indomitable spirit of island entrepreneurs, following the skyward trajectories of four new, innovative business owners. Of course, it’s always island time out here. In SiP Scene we show you some of the great ways to chill out, rev up and be entertained. From the best new coffee bars, to the hot spots to dock and dine, live music and special events, there’s a plethora of fun to be found here, year-round. We hope you enjoy our magazine as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.
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Jennifer Tuohy Editor in Chief
Lynn Pierotti Publisher Jennifer Tuohy Editor-in-Chief Alejandro Ferreyros Art Director Margaret Pilarski Deputy Editor Steve Rosamilia Photographer Lori McGee, Marci Shore Advertising Executives Contributors Carol Antman Rob Byko Katherine Cooney Holly A. Fisher Minette Hand Anne Hassold Harris Stratton Lawrence Colin McCandless Hunter McRae Jason Ogden Susan Hill Smith Mimi Wood Emma Woodham About SiP SiP magazine is published annually by Lucky Dog Publishing, LLC., 2205 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island, SC. SiP is mailed to all property owners on Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms and Dewees Island, and distributed free at select locations. Contact SiP tel. 843.886.6397 mailing address: po box 837 Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 for editorial inquiries jennifer@luckydognews.com for advertising inquiries lynn@luckydognews.com www.luckydognews.com Cover Photo by Jason Ogden Station 19, Sullivan’s Island Shot Sept. 9, 2017, 2 days before Hurricane Irma arrived Copyright 2018 www.sipmagazinesc.com
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CONTRIBUTORS Katherine Cooney and her husband Kellen split their time between downtown and Sullivan’s Island – reserving Sullivan’s for summers, of course. With two sons, she’s constantly on the move around town, but makes plenty of time for fashion, art, friends, food and wine. Find her on Instagram at @kemcooney. Carol Antman is driven by creative curiosity. Her passion for travel has led to living on a kibbutz, hitchhiking the Pan American highway, vagabonding in Europe and Central America and camping throughout the U.S. to discover a home on Sullivan’s Island. As a travel writer she is inspired by the idea that everyone has a story. A life-long pianist, Carol was also the founder of Creative Spark Center for the Arts.
Rob Byko is a photographer and realtor at Byko Realty. An environmentalist at heart, Rob hopes his art inspires a protective spirit in others. Rob displays the same commitment when helping his clients sell or find a special home that complements their unique lifestyle. Rob and his wife Karen live on Sullivan’s Island with their two rescue boxers and are committed to working with area nonprofits to improve the lives of Lowcountry residents.
Anne
Hassold
Harris
graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Communication. Originally from the Upstate of South Carolina, Anne’s favorite childhood memories all involve vacations on Sullivan’s Island. She now lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband and their two children. Anne works as a designer/selections coordinator for Renaissance South Construction Company. Jason Ogden is a professional photographer specializing in drone photography around Sullivan’s Island and the greater Charleston area. He loves the incredible Lowcountry scenery and taking images that provide a new perspective on places and things that we see everyday. He is a realtor and father to two daughters who love Lowcountry life and going to the beach. station285.com
Holly Fisher is the CEO of Fisher Creative, a communications firm in Mount Pleasant. For almost 18 years she’s been telling the stories of people, businesses and organizations around the Lowcountry. Holly lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband, 10-year-old daughter and two dogs. She loves CrossFit, coffee and driving her Dodge Challenger. Stratton Lawrence is a freelance writer and the managing editor at content marketing firm Stone Temple. His most recent book project, a revamp of Fodor’s InFocus:Charleston, will be released this summer. Although Stratton lives on Folly Beach, he’s not a stranger on Isle of Palms, where his wife grew up and her family still lives. When Stratton’s not writing, editing or hanging with his family, he’s in the ocean or playing tennis or guitar with friends. Minette Hand is a freelance photographer based in Charleston. She photographs interiors, still life, portraits, food and travel, which has taught her to light a wide variety of situations. When she is not traveling for work, she can most likely still be found on the road unraveling a new adventure.
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Hunter McRae is an Isle of Palms native. A Charlestonbased photojournalist and frequent New York Times contributor, when she’s not capturing images of diverse cultures, inspiring locals and delicious food, she manages a wedding and portrait photography business.
Margaret Pilarski grew up around the country but has lived in Charleston for over a decade now. For some reason she didn’t like the beach at first, but ten years later she’s finally changed her mind. Margaret’s editorial work frequently features artists, activists,
educators and entrepreneurs. When she’s not exploring the islands for SiP, she works as a strategist and consultant for Outline, a creative firm.
Steve Rosamilia serves as the staff photographer for The Island Eye News, a position that has provided countless opportunities to meet his fellow residents. His images have appeared in numerous periodicals, trade publications, and advertisements. When not taking photos, Steve can often be found cheering for Notre Dame with his wife Diane, throwing the football with his son Dean, or walking along the beach with Bingo, his springer spaniel.
Marci Shore works as a real estate agent for Sand Dollar Real Estate, and also is a singer-songwriter and musician playing fiddle with many friends around Charleston. She is the owner of the Folly Finders Map for Folly and James Island. She’s a native of King, North Carolina, and a graduate of Wake Forest University.
Susan Hill Smith arrived to Isle of Palms in 1994, a few years out of college, and never said goodbye. She just joined the island’s City Council and is adjusting to her role as a novice politician while continuing work in magazine journalism and corporate communications. She hopes to make a positive impact on all counts, and in this issue of SiP, she’s glad to write about islanders who want to do the same.
Emma Woodham grew up vacationing in the Lowcountry and finally moved to the area two years ago. A banker by day and writer by night, she is currently writing a novel. Emma and her husband, Ryan, live in Mount Pleasant with their Border Collie, Goose.
Mimi Wood is a freelance writer, Charleston tour guide, and burgeoning artist who hit the ground running when she landed on IOP from Towson, Maryland, with her husband and the youngest of three children in tow. After a 30-year career as a realtor, she spends as much time as possible in her right brain. She lives with gratitude, in awe of the Lowcountry, one day at a time.
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FIELD GUIDE
GAZING AT GREAT BLUES
A closer look at this stoic shoreline fisher who graces our streams, marshes and creeks. Meet the Great Blue Heron. By Jennifer Tuohy Photos by Rob Byko
How To Spot A Great Blue Scan shorelines, river banks, and the edges of marshes, estuaries, and ponds — they hunt and live in both freshwater and saltwater and eat anything that moves within striking distance: fish, frogs, reptiles, small mammals, insects, even other birds. 18 | SiP
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ou may have spotted the Great Blue Heron that hangs out at Breach Inlet between Sullivan’s and Isle of Palms. He’s been a regular there for the last few years. “He walks up to fishermen and steals their bait,” says Emily Davis of The Center for Birds of Prey Avian Medical Clinic. While this particular bird is something of an anomaly (and one not to be encouraged), his ingenuity highlights what Great Blues are best at: adaptability.
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When you’re out fishing, you’re almost fishing with them. But it’s under their terms. - EMILY DAVIS
“They are so adaptable, you can fi nd them just about anywhere,” says Davis. Consequently they are much-loved by locals and visitors alike. “People have this relationship with these birds,” says Davis. “When you’re out fishing, you’re almost fishing with them. But it’s under their terms.” While their crude, croaky call may sound like a toad in its death throes, their statue-like beauty is nothing short of majestic. The Great Blue Heron is one of the Lowcountry’s true gems; common, yet eye-catching; slow moving, yet mighty. These giant creatures stalk the waterways surrounding our islands, holding their giant 3- to 5-foot high frames motionless, ready-to-strike for hours on end as they scour the creeks and ponds for tasty tidbits to spear or gulp.
Big Blue
The largest of the North American herons, the Great Blue thrives in many habitats from the American South to Alaska. It was once close to extinction, thanks to a fashion for wearing its silky blue-grey plumage in hats, but today it is doing well. In the air, the Great Blue is a majestic sight. With a wingspan of up to 6-anda-half feet, they can cruise as fast as 30 miles an hour, aided by their featherlight bones (they weigh less than 6 pounds, still heavy for a bird). They’re easy to differentiate from cranes while airborne, courtesy of their elongated S-shaped neck curled neatly into their body, long legs dangling awkwardly below. Watching the Great Blue during its solitary hunt, you might assume they are lonesome souls, and you’d be correct. Until it comes to family time. Then they gather together in their hundreds in large nesting colonies are known as “heronries.” While tall trees are the nesting preference, you’ll sometimes fi nd them in low shrubs. “They’ll choose islands where there are alligators, to protect them,” says Davis. While the chicks are very vulnerable to predators, the adult heron has few natural enemies, often living to 15 years of age. They’ve been known to mortally wound birds of prey, but can fall victim to bobcats and coyotes.
Heron Helpers
The biggest threat to this beautiful creature is us. At the Awendaw-based Avian Medical Clinic, they typically see 80 to 100 injured Great Blues a year. “About half of them are entanglement issues, from fishing line and the like,” says Davis. “The other half are leg issues.” Davis herself had a close call with a Great Blue who flew over the top of her car. “I had my sunroof open, and his legs hit my head through the sunroof — I could feel him go through my hair,” she says. Thankfully he was fi ne, but many aren’t. “It becomes a pretty fatal situation; their legs are so slender and you can’t really fi x those bones.” While they often appear stoic and calm, these gentle giants will fiercely defend their feeding territories from any avian intruders, courtesy of a dramatic display that includes stalking with their head thrown back, wings outstretched and bill pointing skyward. Bear that in mind next time you’re lucky enough to be standing near one while fishing or bird-watching, and don’t get too close! SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 19
FIELD GUIDE
YOU SEE SHIPS
ALONG THE SEASHORE
Ever wonder what’s on those giant ships, coming and going off the shore of Sullivan’s Island? SiP took a trip to the South Carolina Ports Authority to bring you a glimpse of what’s inside the colossal containers. By Mimi Wood Photos by Jason Ogden
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Ports Authority By The Numbers 2 new 155’ tall cranes, approximately $13 million each, are joining CraneBob BluePants and Heavy Metal at the Wando Terminal 5 terminals in Charleston: Wando (containers), Columbus Street (breakbulk cargo), Union Street (the cruise terminal), North Charleston (containers, limited to ships under 115’ high because of the Don Holt), Veterans, also in North Charleston (non-containerized bulk cargo) 6th terminal opens in 2020, Leatherman will be the third container terminal, increasing the ports’ capacity by 50% 3 other ports owned by Ports Authority are the Port of Georgetown, Inland Port Greer and Inland Port Dillon 9th largest port in the U.S., measured by container volume 23% of the containerized cargo moved by rail in 2017 29 days Shanghai to Atlanta, via Charleston 23 minute average truck turn 94 million customers within 500 miles of Inland Port Greer, located near I-85 between Charlotte and Atlanta 54’ depth of Charleston Harbor Entrance Channel by 2020 38 crane moves per hour, most productive in the U.S. 1.2 million containers handled last year
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t’s crazy how close those huge ships are to shore,” remarks Lauren Zurilla, a devoted Sullivan’s Island sun worshiper. “When you are sitting on the beach and one of those things comes around the corner, you can’t help but gulp.” Twenty ocean vessel lines, servicing 150 nations around the world, sail to and from the various South Carolina Ports Authority’s terminals in Charleston Harbor, and they all pass by our island. Sometimes so close, you feel you could reach out and pluck them off the water. It would be easy to think of these humongous ships, many the length of four football fields, as being far removed from our tranquil island lifestyle. Th ink again.
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We are blessed with a naturally deep harbor, right at the mouth of the ocean. - ERIN DHAND
That aromatic custom-blended brew at Café Paname? Those coffee beans aren’t flying in from Ethiopia and Brazil. The top-notch Perle hops that give Island Coastal Lager its pure, clean flavor? Crossing the ocean from Germany. Many things you use on a daily basis — from your electronics to your favorite beach chair — are imported, and many of them come in on those ships.
What Goes Out
Typically heavier than the imports is what’s going out. Containerized cargo, shipped primarily from the Wando Terminal, includes Samsung washing machines, Columbia Farms and Perdue poultry, and paper — literally tons of paper. Ginormous Michelin tires, too big to fit in a closed container, perch atop the ship’s stack in an open-air “can.” Breakbulk cargo, including monstrous, shrink-wrapped GE turbines and BMW X-series cars depart Charleston from Columbus Street, bound for China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Israel, Belgium, England and Germany. Every manufacturer has a story of why they’re located in the Palmetto State, and the port plays an integral part in each. “We have a reputation for reliability and efficiency of operation,” says Erin Dhand, SCPA Corporate Communication and Community Affairs Manager. “We strive to flow our containers in and out as quickly as possible,” she says, indicating that as many as six cranes are concurrently loading and unloading a ship at any time. “We are blessed with a naturally wide, deep harbor, right at the mouth of the ocean,” Dhand says. That prime location gives Charleston an advantage over other ports, such as Savannah or Baltimore, as the behemoth vessels don’t have to navigate a river or bay. Charleston’s one limitation, her harbor’s depth, will be fi xed by 2020 with the completion of a $300 million deepening project, the fi rst dredge of which occurred in February 2018. Once completed, the harbor will be the deepest on the East Coast, according to Dhand, able to accommodate vessels of nearly any size, without tidal restrictions. Presently, because of its 45’ depth, some of the larger ships have to wait for a high tide before entering or exiting the harbor, which is when we often see them hanging out off our beaches. The port plays a critical role in the South Carolina economy, adding $53 billion in statewide economic value every year. One in every 11 jobs is tied to the SCPA, and pay is 40 percent higher than the average state wage. Governor Henry McMaster summed it up best, recently tweeting, “Of all the assets we have, the Port is one of the grandest.” SiP
Photo by Romeo Durscher, NASA WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 23
FIELD GUIDE
TOSSING TRASH ONTO
THE NAUGHTY LIST
An irresistible do-gooder, with a very familiar look, combs the sands on Isle of Palms in search of a cleaner coast. Meet “Beach Santa.” By Susan Hill Smith Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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What a great citizen. It’s somebody else who loves the beach like I do. - SARAH PARKER DANIEL
H
e scans the sand with twinkling blue eyes as his snow white hair and beard flow with the wind. He is supposedly on vacation, but his volunteer pursuit of picking up trash along Isle of Palms beach can keep him busy for hours. Of course, he spends some of that time talking with fans. They don’t buy his cover story — that his name is Howard Hogue, a 66-year-old, retired shop teacher and hardware store manager from up North who relocated to the Lowcountry. They can see the resemblance for themselves — and they want hugs and selfies. C’mon, who wouldn’t recognize Santa, and especially in that cherry-red tank top and bathing suit? Truth told, Santa — or Howard if you want to humor him — enjoys the attention and can’t resist using his celebrity to bring attention to the problem of coastal pollution. “There’s a lot of people who walk the beach for trash, other than myself, but I think I stand out here,” he says with a wry grin as he chats near the Isle of Palms pier at sunrise. Not surprisingly, Santa likes to keep things light, and that plays well with tourists and locals alike. Isle of Palms resident and regular beachwalker Sarah Parker Daniel stops to say hi and admits she can’t remember the fi rst time she saw him. “You became a fi xture really fast,” she tells him. “I just thought, ‘What a great citizen. It’s somebody else who loves the beach like I do,’ and we appreciate it.” Santa took up residence in Moncks Corner at the end of December 2015, and after a year of getting settled in his new place, he started visiting Lowcountry beaches regularly in the spring of 2017. At fi rst he tried Folly Beach, then he realized that Isle of Palms was a more familyfriendly scene. He walks to keep fit, as suggested by his doctor, and he fi nds it easier to keep moving with the distraction of trash collection. His weight struggles are real, so it’s mostly salads and low-fat yogurt. A year ago, he lost more than 40 pounds, he says. “Some of the pounds found me back.” Instead of a pack, he carries a large white bucket and an extension tool that allows him to grab trash without bending down — especially helpful given his past knee replacements. On busy days, he will walk through crowds to attract interest. “What I do makes a small difference, and you know if everybody did something, it would help out. You get more done by teamwork.”
Image courtesy The Ocean Cleanup theoceancleanup.com
Plastic Perils Pick through a mound of marine trash and most of it will be plastic, which poses an extra threat to the health of our oceans and waterways because it doesn't completely degrade. Even cigarette filters — one of the most common litter items — contain plastic particles. Here is why plastic trash is so bad for our planet: Plastic trash can be weathered and eroded into very small fragments known as micro-plastics, which are found in most beaches around the world, along with larger plastic pellets. Plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Plastic and other litter can become concentrated in certain areas called “gyres” of the ocean as a result of oceanic currents. There are now five gyres in our ocean. The North Pacific Gyre, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, occupies a relatively stationary area that is twice the size of Texas. Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 25
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What I do makes a small difference, and you know if everybody did something, it would help out. - BEACH SANTA
He’s Santa, not a scientist, but he welcomes the teaching moments that come when he talks with beachgoers about the dangers trash poses to ecosystems, for example, when a sea turtle consumes a plastic bag thinking it’s a jellyfish. He’s also quick to point out safety issues for people like broken glass and rusty bottle caps. While he shares his message with all ages, he notes that the children really seem to get it. “Young kids have open minds. They learn so fast.” During the low season, he visits about once a week. But during the hot months of summer you might see him daily, zig-zagging back and forth on a popular stretch of beach from the Windjammer to two blocks past the pier and Isle of Palms County Park. In spite of the efforts by the city and county to keep things clean, he can always uncover trash here, and he has a real eye for it now. “I know certain shapes shouldn’t exist on the beach,” says Santa, who also likes to do puzzles. The morning sun helps illuminate items, he explains as he points to sparkles of “sippy straw wrappers galore.” The light is different once he switches direction, so it helps to go both ways. As he wraps up, he throws away many pieces of trash in the covered receptacles provided by the county park, but he also takes home some items to re-use in his workshop. He plans to craft a sea turtle sculpture as a gift to the Isle of Palms County Park, where he has gotten to know many of the lifeguards and other employees. One time, when a hard summer rain exposed extra items, he made a list of all he brought back home — such a predictably meticulous Santa thing to do. “I sorted it and counted it, and I took a sheet and documented everything I picked up that day.” He pulls out a phone to show a photo of the haul and proclaims “the proof is in the pudding.” About half of the 455 pieces he kept were plastic drinking bottle caps. He also brought back 20 rusty beer caps, a bunch of hair ties, toys and a variety of other items. He has found money, jewelry, two drivers’ licenses, a cell phone and shoes, plus metal tent stakes, cigarette butts and more water balloon remnants than he would care to count. He recognizes it’s impossible to get it all, and while he doesn’t let that get him down, he has visions of a cleaner future. “It would be nice to come down here and not fi nd anything after a day at the beach.” SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 27
HISTORY SNAPSHOT
ONE MONTH AT
FORT MOULTRIE
Osceola’s grave outside Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island.
The brief, tragic visit of the great Seminole warrior Osceola to Sullivan’s. By Anne Hassold Harris Photos by Steve Rosamilia 28 | SiP
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here is a tomb on Sullivan’s Island, just off Middle Street, that represents the fi nal resting place of a great Seminole warrior. Osceola was an influential and fiery leader, known for spearheading his tribe’s resistance against the U.S. Government’s orders to vacate Florida and live on a reservation west of the Mississippi River. In spite of his efforts, his fi nal resting place is Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Born Billy Powell in 1804, Osceola was of mixed race; black, Native American and English/Scots-Irish. He was raised in his mother’s tribe, which eventually became the Seminole Indian Nation. The name Osceola means “black drink singer,” a reference to a purification rite a Seminole warrior must undergo in young adulthood. Osceola and 95 of his followers were captured during the Second Seminole War, in October 1837. Scandalously, the army took them while preparing for truce talks near St. Augustine, Florida. Th is deceit prompted condemnation of General Thomas Jesup, who ordered their capture. Osceola’s biographer Thom Hatch described it as “one of the most disgraceful acts in American military history.” Following a brief stay at Fort Marion (Castillo de San Marcos) in St. Augustine, Osceola was transferred to South Carolina in December of 1837. He arrived at Fort Moultrie on January 1, 1838. Little is known about Osceola’s time on the island, but it is thought he was not treated as a typical prisoner. His arrival caused much excitement within the social elite in Charleston and he was given liberty of the fort and allowed to receive visitors. However, while inhabitants of Charleston were excited by Osceola’s arrival, the residents of Sullivan’s Island were not. Many islanders requested that all the captured Seminole Indians be transferred to another location. Celebrated artist George Catlin, known for his work on Native American culture, sought permission to visit Osceola during his stay in Fort Moultrie. Catlin’s portrait of Osceola in full Seminole attire was said to be Osceola’s favorite. He was, “a most extraordinary man… of cunning and restless spirit,” Catlin said of Osceola. On January 8, 1838, Osceola and several other Seminole chiefs were taken to a theater in Charleston to see the play Honey Moon, and local poet James B. Ransom wrote an account of the evening, which was published in the Charleston Courier. It was said to be an accurate account of the evening and the man himself. Perhaps the most telling stanza reads:
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While inhabitants of Charleston were excited by Osceola’s arrival, the residents of Sullivan’s Island were not.
The softest strains of music fell unheard, And every sound seemed lost upon his ear, While songs that spoke of love in every word Nor made him sigh, nor smile, nor drop a tear; For his wild thoughts, like some unfettered bird, Flew swift as lightening to that home so dear, Where his undaunted heart still longed to go, To raise the savage yell and fight the treacherous foe. While his heart may have longed to continue the fight, Osceola’s body gave up on January 30, 1838. A bout of tonsillitis led to an infection that killed him less than a month after his arrival at Fort Moultrie. A marble stone was placed over Osceola’s burial site and inscribed with the words “Patriot and Warrior.” In 1969, following vandalism, a new gravestone was installed. The original stone is still on exhibit at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center. In years past, members of the Seminole Tribe have come to Fort Moultrie to commemorate the day of the Great Warrior’s death. SiP
George Catlin, Os-ce-o-lá, The Black Drink, a Warrior of Great Distinction, 1838, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
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ISLAND LIFE
GROWING AN ISLAND OASIS
AT THE MERCY OF MOTHER NATURE Take a stroll through the eclectic and beach-friendly gardens of Sullivan’s Island, and learn about the beauty, majesty and challenges of gardening on a barrier island. By Wendy Sang Kelly Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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n the context of people who regularly dig in the dirt, there’s a big difference between serious gardeners and those of us who merely enjoy gardening. Serious gardeners, for example, know the actual Latin names for plants and casually toss them around like Nerf balls. Those of us who merely enjoy gardening, on the other hand, are more apt to mumble the old standby, inapotticum i. forgotthenomium, (loose translation: it came in a pot; I forgot the name) and hope for the best. But there’s another distinction, and it’s a critical one — sheer determination. Precious few among us are as determined as a serious gardener. Because, even under the best of circumstances, gardening is chock full of challenges. First of all, there are so many unknowns … sun, wind, water, temperature, pests … you name it. And if your garden happens to be located on a barrier island? Well, then you may want to consider trading that statue of St. Francis for one of Chuck Norris, because your mettle is definitely going to be tested. Fittingly, overcoming the challenges of gardening on the coast was the theme of the 2017 Charleston Horticultural Society Gardens for Gardeners’ Tour, which took place on Sullivan’s Island last October. And almost as if on cue, the original tour had to be postponed due to Hurricane Matthew. Then, less than a month before the rescheduled date, Hurricane Irma decided to pop in for a wet and wooly visit. But no worries; the serious gardeners of Sullivan’s Islands would not be deterred. Did I mention sheer determination? Here, they tell us how they’ve grown as gardeners and share tips to overcome island-specific challenges.
Ebb Tide
After years of cultivating a downtown garden on Anson Street, in 2015 Peter and Patti McGee launched a brand new endeavor on Sullivan’s Island with a new home, aptly dubbed, “Ebb Tide.” What followed was Mother Nature’s trifecta: tropical storms, historic floods, and of course, a hurricane. Many plants were lost, but Patti prefers to focus on the successes. “We discovered the nicest little ground cover, Stemodia tomentosa! It was completely underwater for days. But when the water receded, it looked just great,” Patti said. Obviously, not everything can handle being submerged, or even having wet feet for very long. According to Patti, most of the Salvia didn’t survive the deluge and had to be replaced. But with its promise of a summer’sworth of brilliant cobalt flowers and the butterflies it attracts, replace it she did, with the help of Beth McGinty, Beverly Rivers, John Wise and Charlie Muier, who pitched in with design and labor.
Above Blaine and Cyndy Ewing’s garden on Ion Avenue contains more than one hundred plant species, their favorites include ferns, salvias and tradescantia. Opposite page Planning for visiting birds and butterflies is a major focus in Patti and Peter McGee’s island oasis on Ion.
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Charlotte and Alan Artus’ Atlantic Avenue abode boasts a formal garden designed by Wertimer and Cline Landscape Architects.
Naturally Beautiful
On Scott and Ann Parker’s beachfront property, coexisting with nature is the name of the game. The Parkers opted for a largely naturalized yard, with simple dune fencing for delineation and screening. According to Scott, the biggest surprise came from the portions of the property that were essentially left untouched. “In the spring, there are native wildflowers everywhere. Had we cultivated those areas, we would have lost that,” he said. During the design phase, one of the main priorities was ease of maintenance — perhaps music to the ears of budding gardeners. To that end, there is no turf grass and minimal irrigation at the Parker property — the entire landscape can be maintained without an engine. As far as drainage issues are concerned, the Parkers took a two-pronged approach; with virtually no poured concrete, the vast majority of the foundation material is permeable, which keeps excess water from pooling. They also designed a separate area with raised beds — perfect for growing herbs and a cutting garden, and it alleviates any worry about soil conditions or drainage, no matter what Mother Nature delivers.
The More The Merrier
Blaine and Cyndy Ewing’s half-acre garden is home to over one hundred different plant species, a feat not for the faint of heart. From the front of the property to the back are several garden “rooms” featuring perennials, tropicals, a cottage garden, a shade garden, and a courtyard garden of container plants. The Ewings’ collection of gingers alone is a testament to their determination and dedication. Thriving in their garden are hedychiums (Ginger Lily), curcumas (Hidden Ginger), and Dichorisandra Thyrsiflora (Blue Ginger which isn’t a true ginger, but the incredible color alone gives it a free pass). Working the same piece of property for over 15 years has its advantages, according to Blaine, “Everything in this garden was planted by me personally; fortunately, not all at once.”
Throwing Shade
When Elizabeth and Bill Craver bought their property over 20 years ago, it had very few trees; just one elm and a handful of palms, to be exact. In search of both shade and privacy, they began carefully and thoughtfully adding trees to their yard. The beautiful result is an insulating wall of shade that makes it hard to believe there’s a busy street on the other side of their treed sanctuary.
While his Thee Street garden is purposely low-maintenance, landscape architect Scott Parker brought this collection of pots and planters from his previous, more formal garden.
Tips for Barrier Island Gardening Choose natives Native species have evolved naturally over the centuries to adapt to this specific environment. So not only will they thrive, they will also require little to no babysitting (lower water needs, higher disease resistance, less need for pesticides) once established. Know your yard Take some time to identify the microclimates in your own backyard; perhaps there’s a low spot that stays moist most of the time, a corner that always catches the wind, or a spot that gets a lot of reflected light from the house or pool. Selecting plants that are well-suited for specific parts of your yard will dramatically increase the likelihood that they will thrive. Water responsibly For everything but turfgrass, a soaker hose or drip irrigation system is the best option for getting water where it’s needed: the roots. There is also much less evaporation, and limiting the amount of moisture on a plant’s leaves will reduce the incidence of disease, mildew and fungus. Give it time Some plants, particularly shrubs and trees, need more than one season to catch their stride. Don’t forget to take into account weather conditions, as well. An unusually cold winter, drought or even excessive rain will all negatively impact or slow down the establishment of new plants. WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 33
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The Cravers have carefully cultivated their shaded garden for the last two decades, the majority of which is draped by beautiful oaks the couple planted 15 years ago.
The Cravers biggest coastal challenge came a couple of years ago when Hurricane Matthew took down the grand oak that was the centerpiece of their shade garden. Ever determined, Elizabeth and Bill simply relocated the ferns and other shade-lovers to another part of the yard, and re-imagined the newly sunny spot as the perfect place for a lush expanse of zoysia grass. Bordered by brightly colored beds overflowing with annual and perennial flowers, the Cravers new yard is a testament to the value of planting the right plant in the right spot.
Let it Rain
During the historic deluges of Hurricane Irma, Charlotte and Alan Artus crossed their fi ngers and held their breath. They knew their newly installed garden was about to be put through the wringer. Fortunately, the garden was designed by landscape architects Wertimer and Cline, who had the foresight to install French drains, strategically placed drenches (a method that can also be replicated without the help of professionals). Perhaps more importantly, the designers also incorporated rain gardens, which are essentially planted depressions that absorb excess water and runoff (another green and DIY-possible way to manage stormwater). The rain gardens on the Artus’ property are planted primarily with water-lovers like papyrus. So even if the runoff remains in the rain garden for a few days, the plants are no worse for wear. In fact, they thrive. According to Alan, when the rains fi nally stopped, “There was absolutely no standing water on the property. The system worked perfectly.”
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Determined to Succeed
The gardeners of Sullivan’s Island featured on Charleston Horticultural Society Garden Tour serve as a living testament to the sheer determination of serious gardeners, and inspiration to those of us with grit and a glint in our eye. Neither sand, salt, drought, flood nor hurricane could break these gardens — bringing a beautiful, flourishing outdoor space to life is always achievable, no matter the landscape. In gardening, as in life, challenges are bound to arise. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 35
ISLAND LIFE
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SUMMER ON SULLIVAN'S ISLAND
kidz e di t ion!! Sullivan's is for the kids. It’s a wonderful place to grow up and an even more perfect place to hang out with your kids. Whether you’re lucky enough to raise your children here, or just lucky enough to come and visit, take some tips from Katherine Cooney, who spends every summer on Sullivan’s, and have yourself a kid-tastic experience! Photos by Minette Hand
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y husband, Kellen, and I spend our summers (and as much time as possible in the months between) on Sullivan’s Island with our two sons Gabriel, age 6, and James, age 2. I’m always amazed at how our shoulders relax and we unintentionally breathe a sigh of relief and relaxation every time we cross the bridge and enter Sullivan’s Island. There is something magical about the island, a magic that is best shared with others. A typical day for us is spent on the porch and beach, but when the boys get antsy or we have visitors, we make it a point to get out and about. In this story, my family explored our favorite spots on the island — along with my niece, Eve — in the hopes that we can show you some of the best ways to enjoy being a kid on Sullivan’s Island.
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Gabriel's Top 5 Sullivan's Island Act ivit ies Exploring the bamboo forest at Stith Park Gelato treats from Beardcat’s Biking to the end of the sandbar and doing cannonball jumps into the gully Eating fresh peaches from the farmers market
Beach Mornings Our kids wake up early. Sometimes before sunrise. We try and make the most of this, so we groggily throw on shorts and t-shirts, slide on our flip flops, and head to the beach at first light to see the sunrise. (I’m not sure why we bother dressing the boys because they always end up in the water!) Once it’s light out we might walk around looking for shells, build sand castles or just let the kids race around and enjoy the sunshine. We also like to bring buckets and encourage the boys to help us find and collect pieces of garbage that were left behind the day before. We talk about the importance of keeping our beaches clean and why we should recycle and reuse at home. If we stay at the beach longer or come back in the afternoon, we’ll have boogie boards and an oversized funboard that the boys love using to catch waves. The waves aren’t usually very big on Sullivan’s Island, but they’re perfect for children just learning how to stand up and balance on a board.
Climbing the hills and exploring the tunnels at Fort Moultrie
A Stroll to Stith Park After a breakfast stop at The Co-Op for some hearty breakfast sandwiches and a cold nitro brew espresso, we cross the street to the playground, often running into friends along the way. The kids play on the swings and jungle gym for a short while and then beg to explore the “bamboo forest,” a jungle of bamboo that grows on The Mound directly behind the playground. WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 39
James' Top 5 Sullivan's Island Act ivit ies Jumping fully-clothed in the ocean shortly after sunrise Scootering to The Co-Op for candy treats Surfing with my dad Making my mom build sandcastles so that I can jump on them Story time at the Edgar Allan Poe Library
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From Bamboo to Bikes Bikes are our typical mode of transport around the island. If we’re going on an adventure, it’s often to Fort Moultrie. The pre-Revolutionary fort was most recently used during World War II but it has darkened tunnels to explore, cannons to climb, and incredible views of the harbor. On the other hand, if the tide is low we might ride north along the beach toward Isle Of Palms. Around Station 25, you can cross the shallow gully to get to a giant sandbar. Half-way to Breach Inlet is the sun bleached remains of a tree that resembles a pirate’s hideout (at least it does to a 2- and 6-year-old!). After playing under and around the tree for a while, it’s nice to continue to the end of the sandbar where there’s a steep drop off into the water — perfect for perfecting cannonballs. This is also a great spot to keep an eye out for families of dolphins. Cooling Down & Stocking Up If everyone has been well-behaved, it might be time for gelato at Beardcat’s. It’s just a couple more blocks to the Edgar Allan Poe Library, too, which makes for an excellent air-conditioned break. Throughout the summer the library has many fun family events such as story and craft times, and the boys participate in the summer reading challenge, complete with prizes for reaching goals. On Thursdays in the summer, we love to frequent the farmers market held in front of the library — the kids dance to the live music and get their faces painted while I shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, eggs, jams, olive oil, and much more. Gathering & Gratitude After a long day in the sun, we head home for a farmers market dinner on the porch, often with friends. The ocean breezes keep us cool as well as warding off mosquitos. Just before bed we head to the beach one last time to capture the beauty of the setting sun. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 41
ISLAND LIFE
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TO MARKET,
TO MARKET From a neighborhood inkling to a city initiative, Isle of Palms’ inaugural farmers market looks to build on its success — and that of its neighbor’s — with a strong second year. By Emma Woodham Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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t all began with a simple post on social media. In late 2016, Lewis Gregory asked his fellow island residents to support his proposal to the city council that Isle of Palms open a farmers market, like its neighbor Sullivan’s Island had done the previous year. Just a few months later, that proposal became a reality. Gregory, who has called Isle of Palms his home for over a decade, gained support throughout the community and pitched the idea to council in March of 2017. Following the proposal, a citizens’ committee was formed, and councilmember Ted Kinghorn was appointed liaison to the group. Kinghorn was told that a previous council had voted against the market, and he was shocked to hear this. He said that the farmers market didn’t cost the city anything more than a few staff hours of work and thinks its beneficial for the island residents. “This is a service the city can host that brings citizens together, supports commerce, highlights the city and promotes healthy nutrition,” Kinghorn said. During its inaugural year, the market was held at the Isle of Palms County Park and kicked off toward the end of August, so as not to conflict with Sullivan’s Island’s market, which runs through July. The first season for the market saw nearly 50 rotating vendors and averaged 35 vendors at each market. Aside from fresh produce vendors, participants included artisans and a variety of food trucks. Volunteer Rebecca Stephenson, who worked with the vendors, said she tried to get as many on-island vendors as possible, but welcomes more in coming seasons. Holy City Popcorn, Cookie Chick, Kona Ice, Coastal Pallet Art, King of Pops, Olinda Olives, Charleston Spice Co, and Foxy Fossils were just a handful of the vendors who participated in the inaugural island market. “Truly, my favorite part was meeting all the local artists, farmers, and culinary professionals,” Stephenson said. The chance to participate in the Isle of Palms farmers market was exciting for Liz Firestone of Crescent Moon Apothecary because she liked the idea of exposure to both locals and tourists. As the season progressed, she noted more and more people attending the market, part of the reason she hopes to participate in the 2018 season. “I think the market was successful,” she said. “It had good attendance overall and people seemed excited to have a market on the island.” Longtime island resident Kathy Magruder is happy that the island finally has a market and that she no longer has to travel off-island to find one. “I was thrilled that we would have our own farmers market on the island, as I often stop by the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market. But this is convenient, close by, local,” Magruder said. She would like to see more vendors selling fruits and vegetables during the next market season. Parking was the biggest issue the market faced in its inaugural year, and Gregory said this will be tackled in 2018, even going so far to consider a new location. “We’re working to provide free on-site parking, streamlining our vendors to include more food product variety, and maybe even adding wine and beer,” Stephenson says about 2018’s prospects. “The market will probably look very different this year,” Gregory said. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 43
ISLAND LIFE
KEEN ON LIFE,
CRAZY ABOUT IOP Meet The Keenagers, one of Isle of Palms’ oldest, most active groups. By Mimi Wood Photos by Steve Rosamilia
Above Alma Kiser wins a game of bingo. Opposite Page Inge Baechler and Alma Kiser socialize on a Keenager outing. Charlie Dieckmann dons his signature stovepipe hat. Bonnie Holden with her popular prints. 44 | SiP
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Blue Zone is a community identified throughout the world where the residents live “vibrant, healthy, amazingly long lives.” Despite geographic differences, residents in Blue Zones share commonalities of lifestyles that include physical activity, a philosophy of “family fi rst,” and a deep faith. In visiting with The Keenagers on Isle of Palms, it appears many here are embracing the principles of Blue Zones intuitively. The Keenagers are a social group of seniors who meet regularly at the IOP Rec Center. Not even The Rec’s Director, the venerable Norma Jean Page, can remember when the group fi rst started. “They pre-date me,” she states. “We love them dearly. They just want to socialize and have fun!” The fi rst Wednesday of most months fi nds approximately 75 brighteyed and bushy-tailed long-timers arriving for their monthly meeting and potluck lunch. While The Rec provides the staples of the noon-time meal, it’s the homemade pies, cakes and cookies that garner the most attention, adorning the end of the serving table.
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You have to do what you enjoy, otherwise why do it? - INGE BAECHLER
“You have to do what you enjoy, otherwise why do it?” asks Inge Baechler, rhetorically. Baechler, 93, has more energy than many half her age. Prior to The Rec taking over organizational responsibilities for The Keenagers, Baechler was the coordinator for a number of years. She’s a member of The East Cooper Newcomers, a welcome-wagon sort of club; the Coastal Belles, a choral group; and she organized First United Methodist Church’s summertime Loaves and Fishes program, wherein outgoing vacationers donate unused, unopened food on their way out of town. “My problem,” she jokes, “is whatever I join, it seems I end up in charge.” Baechler’s bio includes six children. She moved to Isle of Palms from Illinois in 1998, after her car was hit for the third time, parked on the icy street front of her home. Of her 60-something daughter and son-in-law, with whom she lives, she states, “We live our own separate lives … but I am still the chief cook and bottle-washer!” Alma Kiser, a close friend of Baechler’s through The Keenagers and church, has lived on IOP since 1962, save for a brief stint upstate. Originally from Rock Hill, she’s one of just a handful of Keenagers native to South Carolina. Kiser and her husband raised a daughter who became an attorney, and a son who followed in his mother’s footsteps, and is a nurse. Kiser spent 15 years at Roper, 10 of them in oncology. “I did pretty well for a girl from a small town,” she says, her enviable blue eyes twinkling. In 1960, “while in nurses training, I was ‘Miss York County Hospital.’ I rode in the Christmas Parade, on the back of a convertible! I started out to be a stewardess,” reminisces the spritely 79-year old. “But at the end of two weeks, when they started to train us how to serve drinks, I figured it was time to come home.” Even without his stovepipe hat, 80-year old Charlie Dieckmann bears an amazing likeness to Abe Lincoln. Dieckmann began his second career as a reenactor shortly after a teacher-friend remarked on his resemblance to our 16th president. Growing up on an Indiana farm, he never fulfi lled his teenage dreams of playing football and basketball. “My dad was not a sports fan. I played in two football games in high school, and then it was corn-picking time.” With 850 acres of his own to farm, he, his wife Martha, and their two daughters never once took a vacation, until his youngest, about to enter her senior year of college, coaxed her parents into a family trip. Though Dieckmann “always hated history,” he simultaneously “always wanted to see Ft. Sumter.” Thus, their fi rst family vacation brought WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 45
How To Be A Keenager Who Open to anyone age 55 and up (island residency not required) Where Isle of Palms Recreation Department When Noon, first Wednesday of every month, September through May What Alongside monthly meetings The Keenagers have a Lunch Bunch meeting on the second Wednesday of the month, and an excursion/field trip on the third Wednesday. How Call The Rec at 843.886.8294, or go online at iop.net/senior-programs
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them to Charleston, where “I approached a group of cops downtown, asking ‘Where’s the beach?’” Once they regained their composure, the officers explained to the naive Hoosier that “Charleston has a harbor, no beach. They pointed me in the direction of Folly and Isle of Palms.” IOP won out, and the Dieckmanns bought a house on the island the following March, in 1996. Although they’ve been snowbirds ever since, they’ve only been members of The Keenagers for the past four or five years. “We didn’t know about it!” the gregarious Dieckmann laments. Originally from Illinois, Ed Greiman, 89, remembers the Depression like it was yesterday. “I grew up on a farm, and it took a long time to recover,” he says. Greiman served in the United States Air Force in 1947, and was stationed near Tokyo, Japan. Upon his return home to Belleville, he married Eunice, and entered the civil service. However, he remained active military on the weekends, as a reservist at Scott Air Force Base. As such, Greiman spent three weeks every summer on active duty in Charleston, bringing Eunice and their three children along to enjoy the nearby beaches. Perhaps because of his exposure to the Lowcountry as a child, the couple’s son fell in love with the area, and purchased a home on IOP in 1997. The Greimans began wintering at their son’s home, until he retired himself in 2010, and moved down permanently. “Homeless,” Ed and Eunice purchased a convenient condo just off the Connector in 2011, and are now full-timers. “We started with The Keenagers in 1997, joining neighbors on our son’s street. We’ve lost a lot of people, and there aren’t a lot of new people coming in,” Greiman says. “The potluck is still well-attended, but the lunch bunch is dwindling,” he observes, referring to the second Wednesday of the month, when the group meets at a local restaurant for lunch. “It’s getting harder logistically, with driving and parking, and having to navigate the stairs of various eateries. Plus,” he grins, “it’s hard to get everyone to agree on one place!” Laura McMaster coyly hints to her husband John’s familial relationship to South Carolina’s Governor, remarking that “all the McMasters in South Carolina are related.” Originally from Springfield, Kentucky, Laura met John, from Winnsboro, South Carolina, and the two married in 1965. While living in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1978, the McMasters bought an infamous “red cinder block house, with asbestos shingle siding and a tin roof,” on Palm Boulevard, as an investment. Affectionately known throughout the island as “The Chicken Coop,” it was a genre of beach house known as a “Flop and Drop.” A true summer cottage, with a pot-bellied stove as the only source of heat, the Chicken Coop rented quite nicely. “This was long before Wild Dunes, mega-mansions, pools and elevators. People didn’t require all that they do now,” says John. “We didn’t even need air conditioning, we just threw up the windows, and
went to the beach.” After extensive remodeling in 1987, Laura teased that they had upgraded the Chicken Coop to “The Poulet Coupé.” Sadly, they had to re-remodel two years later, after Hugo destroyed much of their property. The McMasters moved to IOP permanently in 1992, and Laura’s love of, and eye for, antiques is evident throughout their home, which resembles nothing close a chicken coop. Laura and John, in their mid-70’s, join other Keenagers at The Rec twice weekly for “Old People Exercises,” thus named “because we’re old!” laughs Laura. There are typically a dozen door prizes at the monthly potluck; undeniably, artist Bonnie Holden’s prints are the most coveted. Professionally trained at New York City’s Traphaven School of Fashion Design, the fi rst thing Holden painted upon her arrival on IOP in 1967 was the Nativity that still graces the lawn of the First United Methodist Church every Christmas. Once her son entered high school, she resumed painting diligently, and her realistic and extremely detailed paintings of Charleston were an instant hit. But, “there’s a limit as to how many Charleston scenes people will buy.” Consequently, she developed her “Gift Giving” series: Victorian scenes with an accompanying story, such as A Time with Father and A Mother’s Love. The prints from these paintings sold like hotcakes, available in over 1,800 shops and galleries nationwide. “You have to be the best, or you have to be different. My Gift Giving series was different from what anyone else was painting. The stories meant something to people.” Indeed, she became the second-highest seller at The Grand Floridian in Disney World. Holden’s other commissions have included work for Avon Cosmetics, Bonwit Teller, Saks Fift h Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom and QVC. Her wildly successful gallery on King Street, The Victorian Collection, started almost by accident; working out of their home, with people coming and going at all hours to retrieve commissioned paintings, she mentioned to Harry, her husband, she thought she needed “a little place where I can work and people can come pick up their pieces.” Over the years, diabetes stole the vision in her left eye; she credits MUSC’s Storm Institute with restoring her right eye to 20/20. Looking back at her extensive body of work, the gifted 84-year old marvels, “I’m amazed at what I did. I don’t think I could do it now.” She and Harry joined The Keenagers sometime around 2000, upon closing their King Street gallery. “The Keenagers are a wonderful resource for people in the community,” concludes Inge Baechler. “We all look out for each other.” It seems that Blue Zone philosophy may be derived from Blue Hair common sense: Faith. Family. Friends. Exercise. Passion for your vocation. “Whatever you do, do it with your whole heart and soul. Don’t let anything come between what you love,” proclaims Holden. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 47
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Shredding F
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Musical Wave Founding member of Sol Driven Train and one half of duo Sally & George, Joel Timmons reflects on how growing up on Sullivan’s Island propelled his musical purpose. By Carol Antman
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n the mid-90s, I caved in to our young son’s persistent requests for a drum set. Along with his sister, Natanya, Philip was part of a roving pack of Sullivan’s Island kids who quickly gravitated to our home following that questionable parenting decision. Ours became the islands’ would-be-musician hangout, music blaring from open windows after school every day for ten years — often to the dismay of our neighbors. Joel Timmons was the leader of the pack. “When we weren’t jamming, we were down on the beach checking the waves,” remembers Timmons, a lifelong surfer raised on Sullivan’s Island, where his mother was a ranger at Fort Moultrie. At night, they held drum circles in the maritime forest, channeling African rhythms they learned from masters at Creative Spark, an arts center in Mount Pleasant. Surrounded there by musical encouragement, the friends formed The Groundhogs to play Americana and Grateful Dead songs. Inspiration was also rife at Wando High School, where membership in the choir meant they “sang an hour every day for four years,” says Timmons. After school was guitar club. “We were the psychedelic rock band, the Churnstyles. Public school gave us a lot.” It was during high school that Joel, Ward Buckheister and Russell Clarke began the band Sol Driven Train. Timmons, on lead vocals and the guitar, started writing songs inspired by the ocean, including Jellyfish:
b b b b b b I press the oxygen from my lungs and I began to sink and as the water closes over me I open up my eyes and I cease to think This is my temple, my church, this is my sanctuary In this green room alone, this is my throne This is my home
Eighteen years and over 1,500 shows later, the three are still the core of the five-piece band. “In that amount of time you pass through love and heartbreak, death, people moving, betrayal,” Timmons says. “I feel really lucky to have relationships that have lasted so long. They’re like my brothers.” An alumnus of band members, including Philip, still sit in sometimes helping to create the brass-kickin’, roots rock, Afro-Caribbean inspired riffs that are the band’s hallmarks. The band has earned accolades from the City Paper and Relix Magazine for its 13 independently released CDs, but there’s more to the music than the driving grooves that get crowds dancing. “I am really concerned about our planet and environment,” Timmons said. “Crowds respond to the beat, but when they listen quietly they hear that.” In the call-to-action song Sleeping People, Timmons sings:
b b b b b You can take one pill for your anxiety You can watch TV to get your reality You can mistake success for financial stability but even rich man must learn humility Humble yourself before the earth
Previous Page Joel Timmons caught the surfing bug during his childhood on Sullivan’s Island. Above Members of Sol Driven Train pose for album art. Bottom Joel and his wife Shelby Means have formed the duo Sally & George. Below, the happy couple on their wedding day. Opposite Page Joel on stage. Photos courtesy Joel Timmons, soldriventrain.com, sallyandgeorge.com 50 | SiP
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The song Grandaddy holds us all accountable to our future grandchildren: What was it like to catch a fish you could eat without the taste of mercury?
Sol Driven Train makes it a point to play concerts that support worthy causes; during their upcoming Virgin Island tour they will help with hurricane recovery efforts. In 2012, Timmons’ ocean-centric life took a detour when the bass player in bluegrass band Della Mae caught his eye at the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. His brief conversation with Shelby Means inspired an impetuous act — he sent her a love song he wrote imagining their lives together:
b b b b Then I saw our children, gifted and strong…heard them all sing along Her hair turned silver, our love turned gold There we were together, happy and old
Excruciatingly, she didn’t write back for two long weeks and then only to say that it was flattering and “by the way, I have a boyfriend.” While the course of true love rarely runs smoothly, they did get together, eventually married and formed the duo Sally and George, named after Means’s grandparents. It was then that Timmons reluctantly moved to the mountains:
b b b b b b b b b b Well there ain’t no beach in Nashville, ain’t no sea in Tennessee But there’s a green-eyed siren with sandy hair who’s waiting there for me So I’ll swap flip flops for cowboy boots I’ll comb my hair and shave Cuz I’m riding a different kind of wave
“My relationship with Charleston now is the same way I feel about the ocean,” Timmons says of his hometown, his family still lives on Middle Street, near Fort Moultrie. “It deepens when I’m there.” Means and Timmons’ musical chemistry is magnetic. In Hey Wow, their first co-written song, Means sings:
When I first heard your song, the timing was all wrong but still I smiled and hummed along I didn’t keep you waitin’ long Oh wow, look at us now
Riding the musical waves has its challenges, says Timmons. “One night the music is giving you goosebumps and the crowd is responding, and the next you’re questioning your life choices. It’s just part of the journey.” They tour constantly, play side gigs, take side jobs and live cheaply. But Timmons is grateful: “I’m pursuing passion, joy and art as a way to make a living. It’s a real privilege.” SiP
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SiP SALUTES
Finding a Voice on Canvas Artist Tammy Papa finds inspiration in her home on Isle of Palms. By Anne Hassold Harris Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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Cotton and Teal Vase, 20 x 10 oil on canvas 54 | SiP
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” ~ Picasso
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rom a young age, Isle of Palms resident Tammy Papa was known for her artistic abilities — at least within her family. “I have always been visual and have drawn and done well in art, even starting in grade school. My sister commented that my drawings got up on the board, whereas hers did not,” Papa laughs. Despite her early promise, Papa started off her college career majoring in music. She soon found that she was making more As in art than her chosen major so she made a switch. Papa received a degree in Art and Advertising Design from the University of South Carolina and began a career in graphic design. Papa won numerous Addy Awards in her former career as an art director for David Rawle and Associates and Lee Helmer Design, where she created distinguished designs for clients such as Spoleto Festival USA, the Gibbes Museum of Art, and Charleston Place.
Go West Young Woman
After becoming a mother, Papa ended her design career and began taking evening classes at the Gibbes museum. Her first mentor was Charleston artist Rhett Thurman, who taught her watercolor. “I would rush downtown after getting the babysitter to get to that class. I loved it. I studied with Rhett for a number of years,” Papa says. “One summer, maybe 1996, she took a few of us out to Taos, New Mexico, for a workshop — my first workshop. I called my mom and said, ‘Mom, can you keep the kids? I am going out west to become an artist.’ She was wonderful and said ‘Of course.’” Papa has been pursuing her passion even since. Despite her start in watercolors, Papa now works primarily in pastel and oil. “I love pastel because of the color — it is practically pure pigment and the colors are astoundingly brilliant. I love oils for the luscious, creamy, beauty of the paint. Watercolor's transparency is exquisite. [But] I don't really work in watercolor any more — two mediums are enough!” Papa’s subjects range from beautiful Lowcountry scenes and the marshes and beaches near her Isle of Palms home, to architecture, still life and figures. Having been a military brat, she has lived many places in her life but has called Charleston her home for the past 36 years. Papa says her place on the islands is the perfect inspiration for much of her art. “One of my favorite spots to paint is at the end of our street. There is a dock that leads out to Dewees Inlet and there is a little meandering creek. Talk about shift ing tides and sand! It is different every day. I really have no words to describe it — hence painting — a language without words.” Papa’s work is featured on the islands at the Sandpiper Gallery, located on Sullivan’s Island’s Middle Street, as well as its sister gallery, the Edward Dare Gallery, in downtown Charleston. Gallery owner Julie Cook says she has known and admired Papa’s work for years and the timing was right for her to join the galleries in 2013. “Tammy’s work can be subtle or dramatic; either way it has a poetic quality with a gentle flow leading you through it. However, as it leads you through the story it is telling, it leaves room for you to finish the story,” Cook says.
A Master Class in Color
Papa’s awards are numerous, and include several from the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Exhibition. One of her proudest accomplishments is having her work accepted to the Pastel Society of America’s premier pastel show in New York: Enduring Brilliance. Out of a thousand pastels, hers was one of 175 featured in the show. In an example of life coming full circle, Papa now teaches workshops at the museum where she got her start, the Gibbes, as well as numerous other venues in and around Charleston. Papa also teaches private and semi-private classes. “Art classes amaze me,” she says. “You can have 12 artists in the same room, looking at the same still life and each and every one comes out with a different painting. We each have our own voice.” In fact, Papa remembers a year at the Piccolo Outdoor Art Exhibition when a man came by to look at her work. After a few moments, he wandered over to look at other artists’ work. “He came back and gave me the best compliment ever: ‘Your paintings make me feel the way I feel when I read poetry.’ He seemed genuinely moved by my work. It was one of the best things anyone has ever said to me about my art.” It seems that the same child whose drawings made it on the board in grade school became a woman who still knows how to make her art stand above the rest. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 55
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Paying It Forward After 40 years away, Miss Kitty’s son is back, and Tom Proctor is going door to door to repay the kindness shown to his mom while he was gone. By Colin McCandless Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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lthough he wasn’t technically born on Sullivan’s Island, Tom Proctor likes to quip that he moved there “a day after he was born.” Okay, so maybe it was a few months, but suffice it to say, Proctor spent the bulk of his formative years inhabiting this beautiful stretch of beach. His mom, Kitty, worked at C&S Bank on King Street, and they needed a place to rent when a family friend told them about a Sullivan’s Island duplex. Proctor recalls a tight-knit community where no one was a stranger. “Being a kid on the island, everyone was a friend,” he says. These were halcyon days for Proctor. He remembers daily strolls to the beach, riding bicycles, sliding down The Mound on a cardboard box, jaunts to the island movie theater and skating rink, and playing in forts — real ones — among other cherished childhood activities. His true passion then was — and still is — surfing. When I met him, Proctor had just returned from an Ecuadorian surfing trip. His initial foray into riding waves came on Tybee Island near Savannah in 1958, but he started in earnest around 1962, primarily surfing on Isle of Palms. As a teen, he took surfing road trips to Florida and Virginia with close companions he describes as like “brothers and sisters.” He lived on Sullivan’s until 1970, when he departed for Macon, Georgia, and opened up a series of retail stores. Proctor sold the stores to a competitor in 1974 and moved to Denver, where he served as a menswear retail consultant. In 1975, he was hired by Time, Inc., and transferred to Houston. By then he’d married his first wife and they made a home in Houston where Proctor later moved into a global sales position for a privately owned computer software company, Global Shop Solutions. He’d stay in the role for 37 years before retiring.
Delivering Meals With Smiles East Cooper Meals on Wheels has been serving Sullivan’s Island/Isle of Palms for 32 years More than 650 people are served annually, 21 residents of Sullivan’s and IOP 161,000 meals and supplements delivered during 2017, over 7,000 on Sullivan’s and IOP Volunteers served over 1,000 hours last year, just to provide those IOP/SI meals 42 of the 450 plus people who make up the volunteer labor force are island residents Volunteer drivers deliver an average of 20 meals per day to IOP/SI residents, serving an average of seven to nine houses per week. ecmow.org
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Coming Home
Proctor met his second wife Sheryl in 1988, and the couple were married in 1996. The two traveled extensively (and independently) for work given Proctor’s major sales role and his wife, Sheryl’s, position as a Houston-based flight attendant for Continental/United Airlines. Sometimes they would go more than a week at a time without seeing each other, or pass in the airport like Boeing 747s in the night. Beginning in 2000, the couple started visiting Sullivan’s Island whenever they could, taking incrementally longer trips until Proctor’s mother’s deteriorating health led them to sell their place in Houston, and move into her Atlantic Avenue home in 2014. Proctor recounts the important role East Cooper Meals on Wheels played when Kitty could no longer prepare her own meals. They had delivered to her home from 2005 through 2013 and to Kitty, the human connection was just as vital as the sustenance. “She looked forward to someone coming by every day,” says Proctor. Kitty had owned a restaurant downtown that bore her name, so she formed a lot of bonds with locals. “Everyone knew Miss Kitty,” beams Proctor. Kitty’s experience inspired Proctor to volunteer with Meals on Wheels as a delivery driver in early 2016. “I wanted to pay it forward,” says Tom. Shortly after he started, Sheryl joined him, and they have teamed up ever since. “It’s not just a meal,” says Sheryl. “You are checking to make sure they are okay.” The Proctors’ dedication to the cause has not gone unnoticed. “You can tell they both really care. They spend time with the recipients, swap stories, and do so much to brighten the day for someone who otherwise faces a fairly isolated situation,” says East Cooper Meals on Wheels President and CEO George Roberts.
‘Like Family’
Founded on August 22, 1985, East Cooper Meals on Wheels originated at St. Andrews Church in Mount Pleasant’s Old Village, delivering meals to eight recipients on its launch day. Today, it has a stand-alone building along Highway 17 near Long Point Road, and the organization’s small staff of seven employees depends on a 450-person-strong volunteer labor force to help deliver more than 500 meals a day. “Tom and Sheryl are amazing friends of East Cooper Meals on Wheels,” says Kelley Chapman, the organization’s Volunteer Manager. “They arrive weekly without fail, rain or shine. If one cannot deliver, the other will arrive ready to serve. Tom and Sheryl have such genuine care for all of our recipients.” Recipients include those like retired educator Verdell German, who worked 21 years for Charleston County Schools and has meals delivered twice a week. “It saves me prepping the food,” says German, who volunteered two-and-a-half years as an East Cooper Meals of Wheels packer before knee replacement surgery laid her out. Mostly though she enjoys the people bringing the food, and remarks that she missed Tom last week when he was out of town. At this week’s visit, German’s husband Marion asks the Proctors how their home remodeling is going, and the four banter like old friends. “They’re like family to us,” says Proctor of their delivery route recipients. “They just appreciate it,” adds Sheryl. “It’s very rewarding. And it’s so little time.” Meals on Wheels is not based on age or income, says Roberts. In fact, the organization assists anyone who is homebound and unable to make a meal for themselves, whether due to a permanent disability, or even a temporary situation such as recovering from an injury, surgery or an illness. The average meal costs $3, but is provided free to all recipients. Since East Cooper Meals on Wheels is privately funded, it depends on individuals and businesses in the community to help supply the resources — namely money and time — to serve those who need meals. “Their support makes all we do possible,” says Roberts. Another benefit to being consistently and generously community-funded is that there has been no waiting list to receive food since Meals on Wheels opened its doors, according to Chapman. People may also not realize that they deliver more than just meals. Whether it’s bringing pet food to an owner’s furry friends, toting box fans during heat waves or providing smoke detectors, Meals on Wheels makes it happen. The nonprofit relies on its volunteers to keep them apprised of client needs, and when one is identified, they quickly address it. Although he’s only been back home on Sullivan’s for a few years, Proctor has re-embraced the beach lifestyle he adopted as a kid. He’s an avid member of the Carolina Coast Surf Club, Inc. (founded in 1963 and believed to be the nation’s oldest active surf club), and files a daily surf report for the club’s website. Proctor has accompanied club surfing trips to Puerto Rico and the annual pilgrimage to Cocoa Beach, Florida. Proctor relishes spending time volunteering with Meals on Wheels, and encourages anyone interested in becoming involved to explore the varied opportunities available. “You’re taking one and a half hours of your time to have an incredible time,” he says. SiP
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Once in a lifetime
t (or wice)
Significant snowstorms on Sullivan’s Island occur only a handful of times a century. Island resident Jason Ogden took to the skies to capture the impact of Winter Storm Grayson on this special landscape.
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Sullivan’s Island resident Jason Ogden captured these aerial images of Sullivan’s Island draped in snow the morning of January 4, 2018. He used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone equipped with a 20 megapixel camera.
It started on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, a wintry mix of rain and ice began to crystallize into actual snowflakes. Within 24 hours approximately 5 inches of the white stuff had settled on the South Carolina coastline, the largest snowfall in 28 years. Some island residents will recall the last significant snow; December 22, 1989, almost three months to the day after the Category 5 wrath of Hurricane Hugo hit Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s, destroying the islands’ way of life as we knew it. That year a white Christmas was Mother Nature’s gift following her earlier destruction. Eight inches of snow blanketed Charleston, temporarily obscuring the devastation that lay beneath.
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winter’s storm carried eerie similarities, occuring as it did mere months after a Category 5 hurricane threatened our islands. Thankfully, Hurricane Irma had weakened to a Category 3 before any impact reached South Carolina’s shores, on September 11, 2017. But Winter Storm Grayson, as it became known, followed in her path, delivering one of the most unusual weather events in many islanders’ lifetimes. “My favorite part was watching my teens and young adults morph into delighted children,” said Judy Drew Fairchild, a Dewees Island resident. For the younger generation, this was the first significant hometown snowfall in their lifetime, and they took full advantage of it. With the frigid temperatures that followed, the snow hung around for much longer than anticipated, providing ample time for snowman making, snow surfing and plenty of sledding down the islands’ manmade hills, courtesy of Sullivan’s Island’s Mound and Isle of Palms’ golf courses. It certainly was a January to remember. - Jennifer Tuohy
Snow By the Numbers 3rd highest daily snowfall in Charleston’s history 5.3 inches recorded, the most since 1989 7.3 inches blanketed Summerville 4 snow days for Charleston County Schools 5 days Charleston Airport was closed due to ice on the runways 8 inches fell in 1973 and 1989 7 consecutive days with a high of less than 40 degrees 6 consecutive days with a low of 25 degrees or colder
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Shorebird
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Sanctuary A multi-year project to restore a crucial wetland on Dewees Island has helped earned this unique spot the World Heritage Shorebird Reserve Network designation “of hemispheric importance” in the fight to protect migratory shorebirds. By Stratton Lawrence Photos by Hunter McRae WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 69
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t’s not a surprise that Judy Drew Fairchild is a birder. On the porch of her Dewees Island home, a spotting scope is homed-in on a bald eagle’s nest a few hundred yards away, affording intimate views of a majestic mother feeding her hatchlings. Just below, in the recently restored lagoon, a Little Blue heron wades through knee-deep water, stalking its prey. Merganser ducks flit about nearby, unconcerned about hunters or humans in general. We’re counting bird species across the wide vista when a bright yellow pine warbler — a frequent visitor — flutters up to the birdfeeder just a few steps away. For 60 miles north of Dewees, there are no houses or human inhabitants. Just across a narrow inlet, Capers Island gives way to Bulls Island and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a vast protected wilderness that’s unparalleled on the East Coast in its array of critical habitat for birds, sea turtles and marine life. “We’re the end of the chain,” says Fairchild. Dewees is a transition into the heavily developed sea islands of Charleston — balancing sparse, single-family home development with environmental ethics that create a feeling of gently managed wildness. Take a walk through the forest and you’ll encounter deer and raccoons everywhere, and see signs of the coyotes that recently appeared. Here on Dewees, they are researching whether the canines will be allowed to integrate into the wild, playing the role red wolves once did in this ecosystem. It’s a place where humans are a part of nature, a balance that’s considered in every decision on Dewees. Creating the Ultimate Bird Oasis From Fairchild’s porch, the long-time Dewees resident is uniquely qualified to report on the effectiveness of the 2014 restoration of the impounded lagoon that her home looks out across. New wooden rice trunks, in the traditional, unique design used around Cape Romain for centuries, now allow the island’s stewards to control the lagoon’s water level, maintaining an ideal habitat for local wading birds and flocks of migrating shorebirds on their spring and fall journeys. “The fish populations are healthier than before the project because dissolved oxygen levels are improved,” explains Fairchild. By allowing a constant flush of the lagoon’s water, the restoration eliminated “dead zones.” Dowitchers, Willits, black-necked stilts, Wilson’s plovers and gadwall ducks have reappeared in impressive numbers over the last half decade.
It’s For The Birds
The restoration of Lake Timicau provides healthy habitat for dozens of bird species, including many already familiar to Charleston residents, like pelicans, ospreys and egrets. The Audubon Society of South Carolina has recognized Dewees Island as a “Bird Friendly Community.” According to Nolan Schillerstrom, Audubon’s Coastal Program Coordinator, these five lesser-known species may be seen in even larger numbers on Dewees following the Timicau restoration:
Roseate Spoonbill Seeing this iconic pink bird normally requires a trip to a wildlife refuge, but they’re not uncommon on Dewees. Due to their color and size, they are often mistaken for flamingos.
Black Skimmer These graceful birds glide over the water in flocks, skimming the surface of the water for fish and insects. Timicau’s restoration vastly increases the amount of food available for them on Dewees.
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The success of the lagoon project helped propel a second goal — the restoration of Lake Timicau, on the island’s undeveloped north end. At low tide, the “lake” looks more like a marsh with a winding tidal creek through it. In the ’70s, six pipes were built into a causeway across the marsh, but they were placed too high to allow sediment to flow through. Since then, the vast wetland has slowly stagnated. Fixing that problem required money, permits and determined gumption. Dewees residents and the community’s Environmental Program Director, Lori Sheridan Wilson, found the support they needed by partnering with Ducks Unlimited to acquire a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Maintaining healthy water levels in Timicau required moving a lot of dirt, including driving steel reinforcements into the causeway and replacing the six ineffective pipes with two bigger ones. Malcolm Baldwin, a regional engineer with Ducks Unlimited, spent nearly three years negotiating permits. Even when the end result is a healthier wetland, any project that disrupts a wetland faces heavy scrutiny, he explains. During a similar project he managed on Bulls Island, construction had to pause for the season when black-necked stilts descended en masse to nest. That’s the nature of wetland reconstruction — there’s a constant balance between our efforts and nature’s will. Construction finally began at Lake Timicau in October 2016, just after Hurricane Matthew. A year later, Hurricane Irma caused a setback when the storm surge breached the lake at the causeway and the beach. Dewees’ General Manager David Dew was standing on the causeway — an area long called “Six Pipes” by locals — when the rising tide washed over. “At that point, there was no marsh on the horizon — just water,” he says. When he returned to the island the next day, Dew saw a bald eagle sitting atop the World War II submarine lookout tower that serves as Dewees’ most notable landmark. “I thought, ‘We’ve gone through this storm, and he’s still here.’ We will recover.” In February 2018, five months later, the water flow in and out of Timicau was finally under control, allowing water levels to be managed according to the season and weather events. And when another hurricane or storm surge approaches, Dewees will be ready. “We didn’t build a castle wall,” says Wilson. “You don’t want to keep all the water out — you need sacrificial points with lots of vegetation so that when the water comes in, it slows the energy and doesn’t wash out the banks. We can now control the water level to absorb the extra water and manage the over-wash.”
Least Tern It’s rare to see these beach-nesting, disturbance-sensitive birds near people, but they don’t seem to mind the low-trafficked beach on Dewees. They forage for fish and Timicau lies just behind the dune line, making it an attractive breeding ground.
Least Sandpiper Big flocks of sandpipers migrate through Charleston each year, foraging through Lowcountry mudflats for snails, crabs and insects. The ability to control water levels in Timicau and create shallow, semi-dry areas makes it an ideal feeding area for these tiny, recognizable sandpipers.
Greater Yellowlegs One of the larger shorebirds in North America, these attractive birds are named for their height and bright, long legs. They wade through Dewees’ marsh shallows, using their beaks to stir up water and uncover insects and small fish.
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A Model for Coastal Restoration Although many people associate Ducks Unlimited with hunting, no guns are allowed on Dewees Island. The only shots fired at the gadwalls, mergansers, and wigeons that land in Lake Timicau will be shutter clicks from the cameras of eager birders. “This project has the most benefits for birds that people don’t hunt,” says Wilson. “This will be one of the few sites along the eastern seaboard that has habitat available for fall migrating shorebirds.” That’s due to the shallow water levels in Timicau and the lagoon. Because a natural creek flows through the middle, it provides three habitats — deep water for aerial fishing birds like ospreys and pelicans, shallower water for diving ducks, and flats that are perfect for wading birds like egrets and herons. The effort to transform Timicau into an ideal haven has earned Dewees recognition with the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The island is deemed to be “of hemispheric importance” (eclipsing “regional” and “international” distinctions), meaning it’s a critical habitat for over half a million shorebirds each year. Shorebirds aren’t the only wild animal that’s treasured on Dewees. The island also operates a model sea turtle monitoring program, hosts painted bunting research, and works to encourage native plant species and eradicate invasives. Grassy lawns and landscaping are not allowed, in favor of preserving the natural vegetation. “Our philosophy is that this island shouldn’t just be full of beautiful canopy trees,” says Wilson. “We encourage natural vegetation on the ground.” To protect the fragile habitat and maintain the quiet of an isolated, private community, day trips aren’t offered to Dewees, but the public is able to visit the island by renting a suite at the Huyler House, a four-unit home at the site of the original homestead of the island’s previous private owners. Rentals include a golf cart and access to open beaches and a boardwalk and blind with sweeping views of the wildlife on the lagoon, just steps out the door. Dewees is only a ten-minute ferry ride from Isle of Palms, but a day here is akin to slipping into another world — a 60-mile wilderness for which Dewees forms the incredibly valuable caboose. It’s a place where bird calls wake you at dawn, dinner can be harvested from healthy clam beds just off a walking trail, and engine noise from cars is nonexistent. “That’s what this place is for — peace and solitude,” says Dew. And, of course, it’s for the birds. SiP
Photo by Judy Drew Fairchild
Engineering Nature Back to Health
Through a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant from the Fish & Wildlife Service the community at Dewees has been able to create an ideal habitat for migrating shorebirds in its Lake Timicau.
Heavy equipment was needed to move tons of dirt, drive steel reinforcements into the causeway and replace the six ineffective drainage pipes with two bigger ones.
Malcolm Baldwin, a regional engineer with Ducks Unlimited, spent nearly three years negotiating permits to install water control structures to help manage the water levels inside of Lake Timicau for migrating shorebirds. WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 75
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e r u t a s N over l X
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Inspired by the environment, islanders rally to protect it. Susan Hill Hill Smith Smith meets some inspiring ladies who have stepped up to protect our fragile islands. Photos by Steve Steve Rosamilia Rosamilia From left to right, Alice Morrisey, Kathy Kent, Mary Alice Monroe, Christy Humphries and Rini Kosmos. WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 77
They don't see themselves as "activists," but as "advocates" striving to protect our natural world. The islanders in this trio of stories were all compelled to get involved in their respective causes after seeing environmental challenges they couldn't ignore. The most well-known — Isle of Palms’ bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe — helped create the “green fiction” genre with The Beach House and a wealth of subsequent novels that connect readers to endangered wildlife. There’s also Don’t Drill Lowcountry leader Alice Morrisey of Sullivan’s Island, who won’t give up on protecting paradise, and the grassroots group, Ban the Bag, who made the Isle of Palms the first municipality in the state to enact a plastic bag ban for retailers. They’ve all made an important impact, and in each case, a pivotal experience pointed to an unexpected but passionate path.
ng l mine. I si a o c e th in anary g, there's I am the c t in the son u b , in ta r en te threat. the song to tion to the n e tt a y a p y ce Monroe a no te to sa -Mary Ali
Engaging the power of fiction
When novelist Mary Alice Monroe moved to Isle of Palms two decades ago and joined the Island Turtle Team, it became a turning point for her as a writer. She already had several published titles, but as she talked with people along the shore and shared the importance of protecting sea turtles and their nests, she saw an opportunity to enrich her fiction with an environmental component, even if she had to persuade her publisher. “No one wants to hear about turtles. Don’t write about them,” she was told. “And I said, ‘I am writing this book. Period.’” Published in 2002 and adapted into a 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame film, The Beach House tells the story of Caretta Rutledge, a woman who returns to her family’s Isle of Palms beach house and becomes a heroic turtle team volunteer as she also navigates complicated personal relationships. When first released, it stirred a wave of awareness, volunteers and donations for sea turtle organizations along the East Coast. “When you show a moral truth through the power of story, and you engage emotion, it touches people in a profound way, and that is what moves them to action,” the author explains. Monroe’s first “hit” on the New York Times Bestsellers List empowered her to follow the same model with subsequent books. “It changed the way I wrote my novels, and it changed my life living here on Isle of Palms.” 78 | SiP
Each novel flows from extensive personal research of a species that serves as her backdrop — whether that’s sea turtles, shorebirds, dolphins or monarch butterflies — with characters, themes and details that Monroe creates around what she has learned from the animals. For example, in The Beach House, the return of female turtles to nest in the area of their birth parallels the main character’s return home. In The Summer Girls — the first in a Sullivan’s Island series highlighting dolphins — themes revolve around communication, family bonds and connection. Monroe’s drive for accuracy and authenticity leads her to places like the Dolphin Research Center in Florida, where she returns every year to help rehabilitate injured and sick dolphins. And her website includes a conservation page with linked resources. But she keeps two Facebook pages, with one geared toward book promotion and a more personal page where she takes conservation stands. In her role as a novelist, Monroe believes her primary job is to entertain and tell about the struggles, joys and triumphs of people. Along the way, she hopes to help people appreciate the power, majesty and beauty of nature. “I am the canary in the coal mine. I sing the song to entertain, but in the song, there’s a note to say, ‘Pay attention to the threat.’”
Novelist and Isle of Palms’ resident Mary Alice Monroe has made a career out of writing “green-fiction.”
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Saving paradise
Alice Morrisey’s entry into advocacy was warning against a threat to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot” over a bird sanctuary in Mount Pleasant off the Ben Sawyer causeway, not far from her pink cottage on the backside of Sullivan’s Island. Looking out at the creek from her dining table, Morrisey recalls listening to a string of eloquent opponents at a Mount Pleasant meeting in 2015, then taking her turn without knowing what to say. So she sang from the well-known Joni Mitchell anthem Big Yellow Taxi, which became her signature when speaking and writing on environmental issues. Seeing that development blocked was a stepping stone o, g to m ays see to what has become her most Don't it alw daunting cause — stopping oil w what o kn t n' o d drilling and gas exploration off that you e. 'til it's gon the South Carolina coast. Morll you've go t e ch risey and a small group of Sulli-Jon i Mit van’s Island neighbors started an organization called Don’t Drill Lowcountry later that year when it became clear that Gov. Nikki Haley was facilitating the possibility of offshore energy exploration in what Haley positioned as an economic win. While they all had different reasons for joining the fight, what fuels Morrisey most of all is her concern for wildlife. She and her dog, Lola, paddleboard from her dock, and for years, they have been joined by a familiar family of dolphins, including a calf who has grown up to have a damaged dorsal fin that makes him easy to spot. “You know that dolphins are the most intelligent creature, except maybe humans,” she smiles. Then she pulls up a video on her phone of dolphins on Folly Beach strand-feeding — a group effort by pods to push fish up onto shore. It’s a phenomenon that’s seen only along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. “Isn’t this amazing?” she smiles as if seeing it for the first time. Don’t Drill protectionists contend that the seismic testing for energy exploration can harm dolphins, whales and other marine life. Moreover, an oil spill would be a catastrophe for South Carolina’s coastal ecosystem, they say. The state’s current governor, Henry McMaster, has joined the chorus against drilling along the Palmetto State, but the fight has shifted to federal efforts to open exploration by the oil and gas industry. A psychotherapist by trade, Morrisey laughs that her efforts in organizing and speaking out for Don’t Drill Lowcountry have soaked up as much time as the work she put into her advanced degree, dissertation and all, but adds, “I don’t regret a minute of it.” As long as the threat of drilling looms, she will continue to speak out, and sing, as she has done from the Lowcountry to the Statehouse to Washington, D.C. “The reason I do it is not because I’m a singer — because I’m not — but people remember that. People Clockwise from left, Kathy Kent walk out humming, ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that with her daughter Suzette Head, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.’” Alice Morrisey, Rini Kosmos and For Morrisey, the call to save paradise is a song Christy Humphries. everyone should share.
Disposing of plastic bags
The campaign to ban retail “single-use” plastic bags on Isle of Palms originated in spring 2015 with a visit to the South Carolina Aquarium by 5-year-old Suzette Head. There, she learned how sea turtles suffer and sometimes die when they mistake plastic bags for their favorite food — jellyfish. “She said to me, ‘We have to do something, mom,’” Kathy Kent recalls of their conversation afterward at home on Isle of Palms. “And I said to her — I remember this so clearly — and I said, ‘Well, Suzette, you can’t really change people.’” Then Kent checked herself. “I thought what a horrible lesson to teach a child, and I said, ‘You know what? We’ll make it our goal to ban plastic bags this summer.’” Soon she was talking with friend Rini Kosmos, who had been having similar conversations with her daughter, Mila, as they picked up plastic bags along the waterway side of the island, and they enlisted the help of two other moms. Together they developed strategies for engaging the community and lobbying City Council to restrict retail plastic bag use and divided up the work. “We all played an important role, but we did what we were good at.” Kent, a financial research analyst, boosted the group’s arguments with credible information that she shared on the group’s Facebook page. “I love data, I love science and facts, and I can’t stand it when someone tries to advocate a position with less-than-accurate facts.” Jackie Kilroe and Christy Humphries researched similar ordinances in other parts of the country while Kosmos, the extrovert, got island businesses on board, including Front Beach retail shops. The group heard early on that its proposal would probably be well received by the city, so they didn’t worry with a petition. The opposition they encountered seemed generated off-island by the plastics industry. When they went before Isle of Palms City Council in May, “Ban the Bag” speakers included 5-year-old Suzette, who wrote her own speech and stood atop a chair to reach above the podium to deliver her remarks. “Imagine if you were a sea turtle that died from eating a plastic bag because people weren’t taking care of your habitat,” she asked council. “It’s easy for plastic bags to blow into the ocean. Please vote to make a rule to stop using plastic bags.” The next week, Suzette helped South Carolina Aquarium officials release a sea turtle named Bohicket at Isle of Palms County Park after the turtle’s rehabilitation from ingesting plastic bags. By the end of June, with a vote by City Council, Isle of Palms became the first municipality in South Carolina to approve a plastic bag ban — and summer had just begun. Suzette’s mom would later be asked to be a panelist during the South Carolina Aquarium's Plastic Pollution Summit in 2017 and find herself opposing state legislative efforts to prevent cities from enacting bans like Isle of Palms. Yet Kent carries an understanding from her first dive into advocacy that true change must come from collective effort. “You can’t do it by yourself.” SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 81
Field (Trip) of Dreams Barrier island eco-Tours
Brings school
groups To a living classroom.
phoTos and sTory By sTraTTon lawrence
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our classroom, we’ve created a 2d model of the salt marsh. now they get to see It In real lIfe.” valerIe wIllIs
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“Are you reAdy for your no-fun field trip?”
asks Courtney Hutson, addressing a now-perplexed group of two dozen children on-board Caretta, Barrier Island Eco-Tours’ boat at the Isle of Palms Marina. Hutson is joking, of course. After 12 years working at Barrier Island, she’s learned a few tricks about how to control a mob of excited grade schoolers. As Caretta (the Latin name for a loggerhead sea turtle) makes its way toward Capers Island, the students angle for a better view of the blue crab or the alligator skull she holds up during her engaging presentation. On this unseasonably warm October day, Hutson’s rapt audience is comprised of 4th graders from Camden, South Carolina, representing four different schools. They are part of Kershaw County’s SEAGUL program for gifted children, applying the knowledge they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-life experience. “How many eggs does a female blue crab produce?” asks Hutson. “Two million!” answers one boy from the back of the boat. But until now, for many of these students, that sort of knowledge has been little more than a number in a textbook. Today, they’re hauling a crab trap up from the bottom of a creek, learning how the trap works, and comparing the differences between the stone crab and blue crab caught inside. They learn how to hold a blue crab to avoid being pinched, and compare the markings that differentiate a male from a female. “In our classroom, we’ve created a 2D model of the salt marsh,” explains Baron DeKalb Elementary School teacher Valerie Willis. “Now they get to see it in real life.” During the journey to Capers, the students observe a fast-flowing tide, reinforcing their understanding of the moon’s gravitational pull on the ocean. They spot endangered oystercatchers huddled on a muddy bank, and a bald eagle perched atop a dock piling. When a brown pelican soars a few feet from Caretta’s open side, the students collectively “ooh” and “aah.” It’s rivaled only by the reaction when dolphins breach moments later. Hutson’s analogies keep her audience enthralled. While the boat idles over a shark hole (“It’s where we throw the bad kids in”), she compares the rich ecosystem below to a Golden Corral buffet for predators in both the water and the air. The wily blue crab is dubbed “Spiderman,” and the docile but powerful stone crab is “The Rock.” Underscoring each lesson is a message of environmental stewardship. Hutson decries the 70 percent drop in Charleston’s shorebird population over the last four decades, citing beachfront development and careless dog owners. The children learn about Leave No Trace ethics and how to respect the animals they are examining. But most of all, they’re having fun.
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Island lIfe
As Caretta nears Capers Island, the smell of burgers roasting over charcoal drifts across the water. Captain Robert Hopkins works the grill on the beach, ready to feed the arriving horde of hungry youngsters. After a hearty lunch, the group splits into two groups. One heads to the creek on the backside of the island, armed with chicken necks and nets to practice the subsistence living technique of catching crabs by hand. Another group sets off toward Capers’ boneyard beach, stopping to examine whelk and cockle shells along the way. Naturalist John “Captain Stingray” Merritt gathers the latter group in front of the windswept skeleton of a live oak tree and stands with his legs spread wide, demonstrating how a short, stout tree can hold up better in the harsh, windy conditions of the beach than a tall, skinny pine. Attention turns to a palmetto tree, examining its spongy interior to demonstrate how it could absorb and deflect cannonballs, as was the case in a Revolutionary War battle at (then) Fort Sullivan that led to the tree’s place on our current state flag. “This is the best trip ever!” exclaims one student, a refrain heard several more times throughout the day. When a cast net — thrown after careful instruction from Hutson — returns a harvest of finger mullet, the students jump up and down in celebratory glee. It’s an experience these children won’t soon forget. For many of the 12,000 students that travel to Capers with Barrier Island each year, it’s their first trip to a beach and first time seeing the ocean. Their overwhelming excitement belies the fact that in just a few hours, they’re absorbing and retaining memories that align directly with the state’s core curriculum, tailored by Barrier Island’s naturalists to their grade level. “The most important part of my job is taking these kids out,” says Capt. Hopkins, who has worked with owner/founder Shane Ziegler for 14 years. “Shane’s thing has always been that if you make education your main priority, everything else just falls into place.” That’s certainly the case on this trip. Despite the distractions of a day on the water, the students are held captive by the naturalist instructors’ expert guidance. When they’re given free time to simply observe the marsh and waterways, they take turns using binoculars to spot birds, identifying them in a guide book that’s passed around among the students. Barrier Island’s core business is fishing and day charters during the summer, but even on a private family trip, education about the surrounding ecosystem is an integral part of the experience. Student trips are offered at half price during the school year, underscoring the company’s motivations. The approach generates enough revenue to employ staff year-round and keep boats maintained for the more lucrative private summer season. Whether you explore the marsh or travel to Capers Island with a school group or on a private charter, Barrier Island Eco-Tours’ approach ensures that guests have an immersive experience. “We’re a hands-on trip,” says Hopkins. “You’re not just going to see the salt marsh — you’re going to feel it, hear it and smell it, and all of the things that live in it.” SiP 86 | SiP
The chIldren learn abouT leave no Trace eThIcs and how To respecT The anImals They are examInIng. buT mosT of all, They’re havIng fun.
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Putting Happiness into Patterns Natalia Castillo is building a joyful clothing empire from her Sullivan's Island haven. By Stratton Lawrence Photos by Hunter McRae
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There's more than rayon and spandex to Escapada Living's brig ht, tropical clothing: to founder and Sullivan's Island resident Natalia Castillo, the thread that holds it all together is happiness.
Castillo has grown her retail line at a rapid clip, fueled by hard work and a buoyant, sunny attitude. She sold her previous clothing line, Paradiso, just before the market crash of 2008, and took off to explore India, Brazil and Vietnam. She had successfully escaped and was free to pursue whatever she pleased. Sitting on a French Riviera beach at that yearlong trip’s conclusion, with the world of retail clothing behind her, Castillo opened a magazine to see the words, “Escapada Living.” Something clicked that would soon bring her back to clothing, and to Charleston. The timing of Paradiso’s sale proved fortuitous, but the purchase of an investment and vacation home on the Isle of Palms would change her life’s trajectory.
l
A Full Circle Journey
Castillo grew up in Durham, North Carolina, but she’d planned her escape to California since she was 9 years old. “I had family from Edgefield and we went to Myrtle Beach for summer vacation, but the one place I knew I didn’t want to live when I grew up was in South Carolina,” she admits. “I knew California was where I wanted to go.” A career sourcing new clothing lines for Macy’s accomplished that goal and introduced her to the designers and entrepreneurs that would eventually help her launch her own companies. But when she visited a friend in Charleston in the mid-’00s, the relaxed vibe called to her. It was close to her childhood home, and compared to the Bay Area, it felt underpriced. She bought a house on the Isle of Palms and another on Goat Island, as investments to vacation in and gather with friends. But when the market turned, the logical solution was to move here — just for a little while. “I really thought I was living in the most beautiful place,” says Castillo of San Francisco, her home for 17 years. “I was forced to stay here [Charleston], but it has been such a blessing. Now I could never imagine going back.” Castillo has made good use of her first decade in the Lowcountry. Immediately upon arrival in July 2009 — fresh off her round-the-world adventure — she launched Escapada Living.
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We just want to give them an experience and an opportunity they wouldn' t have otherwise Natalia Castillo
Giving Back at the Source All of Escapada Living’s clothing is produced at a factory in Indonesia. The company employs a team of 75 workers and seamstresses. Each night, Castillo Skypes with her factory manager, Andrew, as the team begins their workday across the planet. In 2014, she and Andrew founded the Escapada Living Children’s Fund, a project that supports two nearby orphanages and hosts monthly trips to play games, go out for dinner or visit a swimming pool. For one recent excursion, the children all received new Adidas shoes followed by a day of soccer. “Some of these kids have never had a brand new pair of shoes in their entire life,” says Castillo. “It’s pretty special.” The fund also purchases clothing, backpacks, food and school supplies for the children, who range from 5- to 17-years-old and are both Christian and Muslim. Castillo offers, “We just want to give them an experience and an opportunity they wouldn’t have otherwise.”
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The pieces fell into place. Paradiso had faltered under new ownership and she bought back the factory she’d built in Java, Indonesia. Controlling production gives Escapada the flexibility and freedom to do small cuts and produce new items quickly. Their catalog now includes over 200 colorful prints and 80 styles, made with either 100% rayon or a flexible, breathable “stretch knit” blend of rayon and spandex. Castillo’s previous retail partners loved her new designs and wearable, accessible materials. Escapada rapidly grew to over 800 retail accounts around the U.S., and opened a flagship store in Mount Pleasant. But as quickly as Escapada Living grew into a national brand, the world of retail began to change. Each time someone purchases a shirt on Amazon, it’s another shirt left hanging on a store’s physical shelves. For a business based on relationships with boutique shops, that’s required nimble pivots. At its Belle Hall retail store, Escapada offers pop-up events like candle- and tassel-making workshops. “We’re creating fun experiences that give new customers a reason to visit the store,” she explains. Concurrently, twenty percent of the company’s sales now occur online, a figure that Castillo hopes to quickly grow. “Everybody wants everything instantaneously,” says Castillo of today’s market. “We’re going through a major transformation to build the best business model going forward.” Castillo’s vision for the future of Escapada Living includes far more than sundresses, pants and tops. “I want to figure out how to sell happiness — to focus on making people’s lives better and using Escapada to do that.” How does a clothing company transform into a more encompassing lifestyle brand? “People have such busy lives. What do they want in their life?” she asks. “They want more time and more great experiences. What can we do to create that? How can we create that feeling of happiness through people buying our product?”
I make plans with people I want to see two nights per week, and it’s made a huge difference. It makes me happy to be rested and to feel good.” Another piece clicked into place when she found her home on Sullivan’s Island, near where Middle Street terminates into Charleston Harbor. “The second I saw it, I said, ‘That’s the house,’” Castillo recalls. She’d bought her ranch house on IOP to invest, not to make it her home. At the Sullivan’s house, she saw through the taupe walls and traditional kitchen that blocked the view across the marsh, immediately removing cabinets and opening up sight lines to improve flow. “Now it’s bright and contemporary and colorful and cheery,” she beams. When friends come to town, days are spent lounging in the open-air cabana by a pool
that’s lined with palmetto trees, or hopping on the golf cart to relax on the beach or enjoy brunch at High Thyme. When the mood strikes, she borrows a friend’s boat to cruise the creeks from the landing just outside her door. “When people visit me, they just want to relax,” says Castillo. “We spend a lot of time cooking out and just enjoying the lifestyle on the island. The great thing about living here is that you don’t really need to go anywhere.” On Sullivan’s Island, Castillo found close friends, a home fi lled with sunlight, and a perfect hub for a brand based on meaningful priorities. “I really wanted to be part of a community,” says Castillo. “Th is is a place where you can just enjoy life for all the amazing things it has to offer.” SiP
Finding Home
The details of a brand based on happiness may have more questions than answers right now, but in Castillo’s personal life, cultivating joy begins with a growing focus on philanthropy. In addition to the company’s Children’s Fund in Indonesia (see sidebar), Escapada has also contributed funding and clothing to the MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Center, the Red Cross, and to the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina that support low-income single mothers. The shift in her business also reflects changes in Castillo’s personal life. Just as giving away clothing makes the recipients and the givers happy, she’s learned that sharing her time can accomplish the same effect. To better manage that finite resource, she’s begun a morning meditation practice and refocused her daily priorities to weed out unnecessary tasks. “I used to go out nearly every single night. I was never really fully present with people because I was so tired,” she explains. “Now WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 93
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Placing Why on the Walls At home with gallery owner Leila Ross. By Holly Fisher Photos by Minette Hand
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Leila’s Beach House Decorating Tips Banish Beach Signs First and foremost, just because you live at the beach, you shouldn’t feel compelled to decorate your home with beach-themed pieces like seashell patterned fabrics, distressed wood faux finished furnishings, or those signs that read “Life is Better at the Beach” or “Beach House Rules: Relax, Relax, Relax.” White is All Right You can never go wrong with clean, white walls as a backdrop for timeless pieces of furniture with quality fabrics, mixed with colorful drapes, rugs and pillows in different textures. My go-to white paint choices are "Simply White” by Benjamin Moore for a crisp, pure look and "White Dove" by Benjamin Moore for a slightly warmer hue. Light it Up Lighting is the most important thing in every room — not only for utilitarian purposes or for setting a mood, but when you choose the perfect light fixture, it always makes a powerful design statement. I say go for drama! Tell Your Story Your home should tell your own personal story (or your family’s story) by the objects you live with and move through daily. It’s about the way you put everything together — the way you assemble what you already have and love. Whether it be your beloved grandparents’ collection of old books, a tiny bottle of sand you collected on that special day at the beach, or a keepsake you bought on a memorable travel experience.
Leila
Ross looks at a piece of art and sees beyond paint, sculpture or textures. She sees the story behind the canvas and is eager to share it in her gallery, Show and Tell Art and Design, a carefully curated collection of artwork available online and in Ross’ home on Sullivan’s Island. The house is part beach cottage, part family home and all art gallery with works of various shapes and sizes vying for attention on the walls of every room. Mingled in with the artwork for sale are childhood drawings and a lifetime of family memories — everything from chubby-cheeked babies and wedding pictures to black and white snapshots and a 1927 senior class photo. Everywhere stories hang on the walls.
Express Yourself With Art The pieces you display say a lot about your personality, as well as your outlook on life. One of the most poignant ways to do that is with art. The skill, patience and heart that artists put into their work should bring a sense of awe or joy or inspiration to you. The homes we all drool over on the pages of slick magazines or online may be lovely, but give me a room that tells me something about the person or people who live there — a space that displays a zest for life, a sense of humor, and most importantly, a passionate heart — and I am impressed and, ultimately, endeared.
Getting to the ‘why’
In most galleries, a piece of artwork is positioned against a stark, white wall. Gallerists can quickly recite details about the artists — education, awards, artistic style — but they don’t share what the artists were thinking when they created the pieces. “If I’m going to shell out a decent amount of money, I have to fall in love with the human being who made it as much as I fall in love with the piece itself,” Ross says. For her, it’s about creating an emotional connection for her art buyers, helping them unearth the story behind the art and the artist. “I love that psychological piece of why you do what you do,” she says. “What were you thinking when you made this?” She interviews each artist featured in her gallery, asking them a series of probing questions to get at that backstory, the “why” that led them to create a particular piece of artwork.
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An eye for what’s good
Ross’ own artistic “why” started at an early age. She was always creative but didn’t have the patience to develop the skills she needed to truly hone her craft as an artist. Still, she still had an eye for art. “I know good stuff when I see it,” she says. Her story starts in her native Louisiana where she grew up in a farm town of 900. Armed with an American Studies degree from Tulane University, Ross began working at a gallery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Moving up the ranks to gallery director, Ross eventually burned out on the job and decided she wanted to do something more impactful with her life. She came to the College of Charleston to pursue a master’s degree in teaching. She also met her future husband, Buff Ross, here. In true, “it’s a small world” fashion, their grandparents knew each other. Ross became a teacher, passionate about literacy and helping children learn to read. She worked in the Mission District of San Francisco, before returning to the Charleston area. Ross taught for about five years and then, when her fi rst son was born, stayed home with him. After the birth of her second son, Ross began to miss the art world. In 2012, she started toying with the idea of opening her own gallery, and she and Buff began to explore possible locations in downtown Charleston. She wanted a space that would feature emergent, contemporary art — an artistic hole in Charleston’s art gallery world at that time, Ross says. She crunched the numbers and knew she would need to move a lot of artwork to maintain a fi nancially viable gallery. Charleston’s significant tourism market would support the beach scenes and Lowcountry landscapes, but Ross wasn’t sure about the demand for a more contemporary artistic style. Opening a gallery just didn’t make fi nancial sense. But an online gallery gave Ross the opportunity to showcase the kind of artwork she loves without the high cost of a brick-and-mortar gallery. In 2014, she launched Show and Tell Art and Design online.
Art ‘pops up’ on Sullivan’s
The online gallery is much more than a collection of photographs letting potential buyers know what’s for sale. Ross is telling the stories of the artists and building that emotional connection among artwork, artist and collector. Each artist’s page has a lengthy Q&A in which artists answer such questions as: Why do you do what you do? What makes you cry? What annoys you? What’s on your bedside table? If you weren’t making art, what would you be doing? Not long after launching her online gallery, Ross and her husband renovated their Sullivan’s Island home — which Buff ’s parents had purchased in the 1970s and where he grew up. They added a family room and spacious kitchen and dining area. With all the extra wall space, Ross decided to fi ll it with artwork and then host pop-up showings in her home. She also accepts customers by appointment. Large colorful abstracts, pottery, sculptures and collages fi ll the walls — green dots mark items for sale, red dots indicate what’s sold, and everything else belongs to Ross and her family. Sometimes she takes artwork on the road, hosting pop-up shops at other locations around Charleston. And about half her sales come from her Instagram account (@showandtellartanddesign). But she knows the story behind every piece hanging on her wall — whether it’s one for sale or a self-portrait her son made at age 4. Ross points to a favorite piece — a large painting in her second-floor bedroom created from a photo of her two young sons, now ages 9 and 13. When her boys were younger, they would bathe in their parents’ bathroom and then crawl onto the bed in their shorts or underwear, playing with the dog or just being silly as little boys do, Ross says. A snapshot captured the two from the neck down lying on the bed. Artist Karen Ann Myers turned it into a painting. To anyone else, it might seem an odd configuration. But Ross looks at the painting and is transported to a special time, the kind of memory mothers cherish. She smells the bathwater. She hears her sons’ laughter. “It was just a sweet little moment,” she says. And that’s why knowing the story behind the art makes all the difference. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 99
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GRABBING
A
THE
REINS: ANNIE WALTERS
nnie Walters points to her family to explain the work ethic that has fueled her success in the equestrian world — both as an aspiring professional rider and a poised entrepreneur who has already established her own stables at age 22. Her grandfather Harvey Walters brought his family to Isle of Palms in 1967 to work construction for developer J.C. Long, while her grandmother Carolyn served residents for decades through the island’s post office. Their son, Richard, joined his dad on the job as a teenager and still packs his schedule as a successful island contractor, while his wife, Linda, handles the fi nances. Richard and Linda initially discouraged Annie, the younger of their two children, from riding horses. They didn’t know much about the sport, but heard it could get expensive. It was “Granny” who gave Walters weekly lessons in English riding when she turned 8, and after that, there was no turning back. “I did that for a year, and I was addicted,” Walters recalls. Seeing her intensity, her parents found a way to purchase Spinner, a sweet but challenging quarter horse, and once Walters got past her fears about cantering him, she soon excelled as a rider. At 16, she left the Lowcountry for South Carolina’s horse country. She lived, worked and traveled the show circuit with a Camden horse trainer and his wife, and at 18, she became a professional rider. Even as she started classes at University of South Carolina, she drove daily between the Columbia campus and the Camden stables until she decided, in her third year, to delay getting her degree so she could commit to starting her own business. She moved back to Isle of Palms and, in February 2017, officially opened AMW Stables on the family’s land in rural Berkeley County. Her dad constructed the stable buildings and her older brother, Troy, helped clear the fields of stumps while mom does her books. But the business carries Walters’ initials for a reason, and when it comes to questions that involve horses and riders, she’s the expert and guiding force. It’s a role to which she is wholly committed and doesn’t mind devoting long hours, even if she’s not on the same page as others her age. “I’m living the life of an over-30-year-old, and I’m 22,” she admits. While Walters credits her family’s example of hard work, her mom says much of her daughter’s success comes from qualities within. “We helped her pursue her passion, but I don’t think we gave her the drive. You either have it or you don’t.” No doubt Walters has a natural gift for riding and training horses, and now a knack for selecting horses to purchase — a serious pursuit that takes her overseas. But her favorite role may be teaching. Within a year of opening, she had up to eight student riders and their horses at her stables and was also giving lessons at Rosebank Stables on Wadmalaw Island. She leads them all in competitions that often take them out of state and allow her to continue riding at a professional level. You can see Walters’ confidence as she stands in the practice ring at AMW Stables in Huger and guides a 13-year-old rider and her pony through the course. “You knew he was going to turn left, and you did a great job of making him go straight there,” Walters instructs. “You always want to anticipate.” Being close in age to many of her students helps her know how to talk to them. “She always goes into detail if there’s a problem, to make sure I know it and understand it,” says 15-year-old Charlotte Black. That kind of rider satisfaction can be critical to a word-of-mouth business. At the same time, Walters’ ongoing success as a competitor should also build the stables’ reputation. Equestrian is a sport that demands experience, and most of the top riders are in their 30s, 40s and even 50s. While she may be young, Annie already understands an important life lesson: “To be successful, you have to earn it.” - Susan Hill Smith
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To be successful, you have to earn it.
COMPANY AMW Stables ENTREPRENEUR Isle of Palms’ Annie Walters FOUNDED 2017 LOCATION Huger MAIN SERVICES A full-board equestrian center that specializes in custom care and training programs for the rider and horse in the hunter/jumper discipline. WEBSITE AMW Stables’ Facebook page WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 101
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COASTAL INSPIRATION: LOUISA BALLOU
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rodigy? Louisa Ballou blushes at the suggestion of that shoe fitting her foot. Yet, Sex Wax, Ballou’s collection of surf-inspired luxury swimwear, was recently featured in Vogue Italia. In essence, the 20-something’s “senior project” was picked up by a bellwether of the fashion industry. Prodigious is defi nitely not an overstatement. Ballou says that growing up “Clothes bugged me; I always wanted to wear the softest thing I could fi nd,” and “My parents always allowed me complete freedom of expression.” Her maternal grandfather, Sullivan’s Islander Hal Currey, recalls “fi nding drawings of clothing designs Louisa made when she was 6.” She was stitching on her own machine by third grade, had a studio set up at home by ninth, and was soon selling her skirts at Out of Hand, a boutique on Pitt St. in Mount Pleasant. By middle school Ballou had set her sights on Central Saint Martins in London, the world’s premier school for fashion design, with no Plan B. Upon completing CSM’s prerequisite program right out of high school, Ballou was not accepted into the Bachelor of Arts Fashion Design program. Devastated? “Not really. I knew I was going to go there,” she says in her quiet manner, with understated confidence. After obtaining an internship with the luxury line Roksanda, the designs of which adorn the likes of Melania Trump and Michelle Obama, Ballou reflects, “I’m glad I didn’t get in [to CSM] right away. I originally thought I wanted to go into womenswear. Working at Roksanda, I discovered an interest in prints and textiles.” “It begins with an idea, that after extensive research, becomes a concept that can be translated into a design,” Ballou says of her process. For Sex Wax, Ballou “examined colors and textiles; everything from mesh fabric to construction techniques like the metal rings, and how to attach them,” she explains. “I cut apart wetsuits. I studied seams. I want my garments to look as good on the inside as they do on the outside.” In Ballou’s mind, “Prints and textiles inform the shape of a garment.” Th is approach renders her apparel completely, almost magically, integrated. Even an untrained eye can see how her garments’ graceful, curving seams mimic the flow of her fabrics’ prints. Harkening back to her comfortably clad childhood, Ballou says, “I want my clothing to fit. I want it to be wearable.” Ballou drew her inspiration for Sex Wax from “hanging out” on Sullivan’s, and surfing IOP and surrounding beaches. “I realized when I got to London how the coast was such an integral part of my identity,” she recalls. The vivid colors and organic designs of her prints are strongly influenced by her mother’s love of color and flowers. “She saturated our home and her garden with color,” says Ballou of her mother, Nancy Currey. Though she’s joining the ranks of notable Central Saint Martins’ alums John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen, Ballou doesn’t necessarily see herself as the next Stella McCartney, also a CSM grad. “I’m open as to how my career evolves. I intend to continue designing and creating, while also learning about the business side of the fashion industry. I am fascinated by how the industry works as a whole.” “I’ve always been self-motivated, with relentless curiosity,” Ballou says. “You need to want to know. You have to trust your own instincts. I had seven different professors, each encouraging me to push myself, and all advising something different. I had to develop what was best for me.” Wise well beyond her years, Ballou encourages those with their own vision with these words, “You really have to trust yourself, and stay true to your vision.” - Mimi Wood
I want my clothing to fit. I want it to be wearable.
CAREER Fashion Designer ENTREPRENEUR Louisa Ballou FOUNDED 2017 LOCATION Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and London, England MAIN PRODUCT Island-inspired swimwear, women’s clothing WEBSITE instagram.com/louballou WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 103
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BREWSKIS: SCOTT HANSEN AND BRANDON PERRY
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hen Scott Hansen and Brandon Perry met at the home of a mutual friend in 2008, it was an instant bromance. Both had backgrounds in the tech field, children of similar ages, and an affi nity for the Lowcountry lifestyle. Their wives hit it off as well, and it wasn’t long before the two Sullivan’s Island families became intertwined, enjoying each other’s company on the beach at Station 25, and even vacationing together. It was on a “parents only” trip to Cuba, in 2015, that the idea of Island Coastal Lager was conceived. Advised not to drink the water, they opted (mostly) for beer. It became readily apparent that the Cuban beer market was sorely lacking; there were basically two choices, “bad and worse,” quips Perry. A few beers later, that observation ultimately led Perry and Hansen to discern a hole, a missing link, in the American beer market. “We saw the macro-lagers, the ‘corporate beer,’ the Buds, Coors and Coronas. They’re made for and consumed by the masses, full of corner-cutting ingredients and fi llers,” explains Perry. “And we saw the craft s, oftentimes heavy and hoppy,” continues Hansen. They tag-team their story, frequently interrupting each other. They decided to craft a lager, and are growing what’s destined to become a national brand right here on Sullivan’s. They're living their dream and their enthusiasm is infectious. Hansen and Perry are deadly serious, however, about even the most minuscule detail of their brand. Take the can, for instance. The duo commandeered the Ball Canning Facility in Denver, Colorado, for a day in August 2017, relentless in the attainment of the perfect hue for their can’s signature Caribbean blue rim. Of course, it’s the contents of that can that counts. Lager is the hardest type of beer to make, taking three times as long as ales, stouts and IPAs. The lagering process involves cool fermentation and a 30-day period of cold storage to attain the desired clarity. “ICL has nothing to ‘hide behind,’” Hansen says. “Other beer can disguise flaws with strong flavors,” affi rms Perry. “Brandon and Scott worked hard to blend big picture and attention to detail,” says Lee Deas, of Obviouslee Marketing, who manages ICL’s marketing and publicity. “They saw a need for a quality beer without all the additives that most have, and were able to bring that to life with Island Coastal Lager,” Deas says. ICL debuted in October 2017 at Mex 1, where 500 or so Sullivan’s Islanders showed their support by packing the local cantina well beyond capacity. The partners successfully attained distribution throughout a substantial portion of the Southeast within a matter of months. And if that hasn’t kept them hopping, The Island Taproom, their flagship openair bar, opened this May on Shem Creek. “We’ve appended the Shem Creek Inn,” explains Hansen, “an underutilized space.” In keeping with the Lowcountry lifestyle, plenty of public dock space enables arrival by boat, kayak and paddle board. Despite the relaxed, #TakeItEasy attitude embodied by Island Coastal Lager, “Brandon and Scott bring high-octane energy to the business. They are full of passion and hustle, and have a strong vision,” says Deas. Although they haven’t been approached by a “macro” brand such as Heineken, they know it’s a possibility. However, in the next breath Hansen says, “We have so much more to do. We would be cheating ourselves if we didn’t see it through.” “We set out to make a beer that we wanted to drink ourselves,” says Perry. “The fact that people love it and are asking for it is the most humbling, and perhaps most gratifying part of our journey.” - Mimi Wood
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We set out to make a beer that we wanted to drink ourselves.
COMPANY Island Coastal Larger ENTREPRENEUR Sullivan’s Island’s Scott Hansen and Brandon Perry FOUNDED 2017 LOCATION Sullivan’s Island MAIN PRODUCT Canned lager TAGLINE #takeiteasy WEBSITE IslandCoastalLager.com WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 105
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PRETTY PALEONTOLOGY: CASEY GARVIN
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s a landlocked, Georgia-raised child, Casey Garvin was drawn to the waters of Sullivan’s Island. It’s where her family spent birthdays and family vacations — on boats or at the shore near Station 7 where her aunt lived. “It’s kind of magical,” says Garvin about life on Sullivan’s. “I’ve always been an ocean baby and my brother and I used to spend all our time exploring and fi nding shells. That connection is really meaningful.” Mixed in those shells she and her brother would fi nd were the occasional shark’s teeth, something that piqued her interest at the time, but didn’t manifest as an obsession until she returned to the Island to live during her graduate studies for speech pathology. It was her training that really drove home the wonders of fossils. Studying anatomy and physiology — especially things like the palate and the teeth or the skull — gave Garvin a scientific skillset used to scope out prehistoric treasures. While that’s usually enough activity for the average leisurely beach walker, spotting the fossils, for Garvin, is just the beginning. “It was one of those things where I happened to see one, then I started to see them everywhere. I guess I got addicted quickly,” she says. “Studying anatomy for speech, now I’m noticing the differences like, ‘Why does this one have serrations and this one doesn’t? Th is one is pointy and has bicuspids, but this one is curved and jagged.’ Just that interest in what is it and really wanting to know. That’s my favorite part — wondering what it is, identifying them.” So Garvin, well, dug in. “The more research I’ve done, the more resources I came across.” says Garvin, who even joined the Palmetto Paleontological Society and works with fellow members in her search for knowledge. She and the president of the society, Ashby Gale, spend hours sorting fossil fi nds and identifying items that Garvin recognizes enough to grab, but still has questions about. Almost two years ago, Garvin made her fi rst jewelry pieces using found fossils. “I got a lot of compliments and friends saying, ‘I want one!’ So I started making a few and then people were contacting me out of the blue saying, ‘So and so had a necklace on.’ It just stemmed from that.” Today her jewelry line, Foxy Fossils, mixes prehistory with a glint of glam — fi nding new ways to incorporate fossils and sharing her obsession with the world. Take her vertebracelets for example. Each highlights a shark vertebra and the bracelets have a magnetic clasp, making it an easy-wearing conversation piece. She also looks to contemporary design and incorporates fossils where others would put fi ne metals, like her bar-style necklace that’s actually made with stingray barbs. “I’ve got so much good feedback from people, so it’s been really encouraging and positive,” says Garvin. Local shoppers can fi nd Foxy Fossils at farmers markets and boutiques, but her online storefront has meant that Charleston’s prehistory is on the necks and arms of those as far away as Sweden and Sheffield, England. For Garvin, seeing her work on others is thrilling, but fossil hunting will always have its own rewards. “I love being out on the water, being outside, being in the creeks and stuff, there’s something about it — I feel whole I guess.” - Margaret Pilarski
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I’ve always been an ocean baby and my brother and I used to spend all our time exploring and finding shells.
COMPANY Foxy Fossils ENTREPRENEUR Casey Garvin FOUNDED 2016 LOCATION Sullivan’s Island MAIN PRODUCT Modern jewelry featuring prehistoric fossils from Lowcountry marshes, creeks and beaches WEBSITE foxyfossils.com WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 107
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Islands’
Counter
Culture
Island life gets a reputation for relaxation, enhanced by the slow pace of rolling waves and leisurely bicycle rides. But what about when you just need some get up and go? While Sullivan’s and Isle of Palms are tried and true destinationdining spots, the islands’ coffee “counter culture” is relatively new. With three spots to seek out that crucial cuppa joe opening in just the last two years, SiP followed the captivating aroma of deeproasted coffee to find out what’s attracting longtime locals and offislanders alike. By Margaret Pilarski Photos By Minette Hand
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Sidecar Café The new kid on the Sullivan’s Island block, Sidecar is named after a 450cc motorcycle purchased by its two founders while attending the College of Charleston. Th is compact coffee shop is the “sidecar” to the New York-style pizza establishment 450 Pizza Joint next door. Sidecar Café manager Renae Ahring says that their large dining room and outdoor space make for a perfect place to sit and stay a while, whether it’s with coffee, dessert, or a well-rounded breakfast. “We get a variety of people from tourists to regulars like our friends Leo and Stan that stop in every morning for their coffee,” says Ahring. “We are very fortunate to have locals on Sullivan’s that we see quite frequently. The morning beach walkers, especially with their puppies, really enjoy the dog-friendly patio.” Sundays, she says, are the big days. “We get everything from families to churchgoers, to bachelorette parties trying to recover from Saturday’s festivities.” Ahring says they’re obsessive about espresso techniques and have a nine-day training program and a 78-page training manual for baristas to learn the perfect pull of an espresso shot. The Sidecar team serves Stumptown Coffee overnighted from Brooklyn, where the beans are roasted. While the coffee bar serves up a variety of flavored lattes (think burnt sugar or lavender honey), Ahring says their standard latte is the most popular. “I know it doesn’t sound exciting but we think it’s for two reasons: First our espresso bean is the Hair Bender from Stumptown — a very highquality bean specifically for espresso; and second, we only use Jersey Cow milk from local dairy farm Lowcountry Creamery. ”
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The Refuge Open for just over two years, the Refuge has been, well, a refuge for caffeinators looking for coastal comfort. Coffee manager Angel Rice says their inviting environment is intentional and starts from the top. “The focus was as much on creating a unique and nurturing work environment as on the guest experience. We feel strongly that employees who love what they do and where they work will provide the best experience possible for our guests.” Rice says their baristas are constantly testing and tasting so they can recognize the intricate flavors of each coffee product, ensuring their meticulous skills optimize each beverage. Their coffee is sourced from King Bean in North Charleston, and makes for an excellent summertime favorite, the cold brew. “Their blends are smooth and rich with hints of nuttiness and cocoa,” Rice says of King Bean’s flavor profi le. Bonus — the blend pairs well with another locally made item, chocolate croissants from Pane Di Vita.
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Aside from coffees, the baristas can also whip up the standards including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas, plus a rotating selection of seasonal signature drinks — like salted caramel lattes or a Mexican mocha. And all can be taken to-go if the beach is calling. While visitors by day might be having a meeting with colleagues or using Wi-Fi to work, it’s nighttime visitors who see a special side of The Refuge Coffeebar. “When the sun sets, the candles come out and the space takes on an elegant glow as a lounge for not just our regular coffee drinks, but cocktails, spiked coffees, and a huge wine selection as well,” says Rice. “Th is year we’ll be starting a series of event nights with wine tastings, book signings and trivia nights to name a few.”
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Café Paname Family owned and operated, Isle of Palms’ Café Paname combines the passions of many into a neighborhood spot that feels like it may have been here forever, despite just rounding its fi rst anniversary. The laid-back spot is run by Tery, Ben, and Paul. Tery Stimis, a New York native, met her husband Ben Boisson, a French antiques dealer, in Atlanta. Ben, known around town as “the French guy,” was also a cycling enthusiast and opened a vintage and used bicycle shop in the Beltline area, quickly becoming a haven for connoisseurs. Meanwhile, Tery’s son Paul Walker was completing a four-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, where he was stationed in Japan as an air traffic controller. (Are you keeping up?) Post-Japan, Paul enrolled at a university in Australia for further study and while living down under, discovered a love for coffee. Upon Walker’s return to the States, the trio opened a coffee shop in Atlanta that catered to cyclists and coffee-lovers. Though the family had visited Isle of Palms for years, they eventually saw an opportunity to relocate in 2016 and made it a mission to repeat their passion project on Isle Of Palms, with the same clever-yet-chic quirkiness. Take the vintage VW bus that’s parked outside. “It’s open for patrons to sit and have their coffee or lunch, take pictures or hang out with friends,” says Walker. “Although we take coffee really seriously, we wanted to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere that encourages people try and learn new things about coffee.” The café sources its coffee from a local micro-roaster out of Awendaw. “They share our philosophy of fairly traded and sustainably produced beans,” says Walker, who notes that coffees on offer can originate from Tanzania, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and more. While patrons may grab-and-go as often as they settle in, the café offers a selection of breakfast and lunch croissant sandwiches. A crandwich, if you will. One of the more uniquely refreshing items is the espresso tonic — no naming hijinks on this one, it’s tonic water with a double shot of espresso. Walker says not only are they here for the long haul, but that Café Paname sees a central role for itself in the local community. “It’s important for us to be here year-round for the locals as well as be a fun and inviting place for tourists. We enjoy hosting community events such as meet-and-greets — some have been for city council members and the IOP police departments.” SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 113
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Dock & Dine Wishing you were in the boat passing under the Ben Sawyer Bridge, instead of smoldering in standstill traffic to the islands? Park the car, pull out the boat, anchors up and make an adventure of it. The Intracoastal Waterway makes for a stunning cruise along the Lowcountry coast, let SiP show you how to get from boat dock to bar deck along IOP Marina, Breach Inlet and Shem Creek. By Marci Shore Photos by Steve Rosamilia
Dock at Isle of Palms Marina
The Isle of Palms Marina is easily accessible by the Intracoastal Waterway, southwest of marker #116. The two spots in this location differ in offerings, but they’re both laid-back, welcoming island spots. The Dockside Deli inside of the IOP Marina Market is perfect for gourmet items to grab and go, or dine dockside. They’ve got classic deli sandwiches and burgers and salads, but if you’re there in the morning, you can’t go wrong with biscuits or a breakfast burrito. On the other hand, Morgan Creek Grill holds down the fort for bigger outings and sit-down meals. The can’t-miss restaurant has seafood and classic American fare for lunch and dinner, and an expansive bar and upper deck for boat watching and sunsets. Fruity cocktails are right at home with craft beers here and the frequent live music sets the tone for the evening. When arriving by boat, the restaurant’s dedicated dock is clearly marked — it’s between the Morgan Creek Grill and Goat Island.
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Dock at Breach Inlet
Located between Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms, Breach Inlet’s sweet spot for a drink and a bite is The Boathouse. With a call to the staff before (or upon) arrival, The Boathouse can let you dock there. (There are no time constraints for docking other than no overnight mooring.) The breezeway facing the water has small tables a charming aesthetic for relaxing with friends, while the deck at the restaurant’s top provides a place to catch the breeze with a beer. It’s one of our favorite places to watch the sun set over the water. Menu highlights include fresh catches — grilled, blackened, fried or roasted — as well as specialty cocktails.
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More Lowcountry restaurants with dedicated dock spots Water’s Edge Shem Creek
Red’s Ice House Shem Creek
Table & Tavern Shem Creek
RB’s
Shem Creek
Shem Creek Bar & Grill Shem Creek
Charleston Harbor Fish House Charleston Harbor Resort Marina
Dock at Shem Creek Park
Mount Pleasant’s Shem Creek is a top destination for those who go by land as well as those who go by sea. Decades ago it was heavily populated by shrimp boats. And while shrimpers still make Shem Creek their home base, the channel is frequented by recreational paddlers who mingle with dolphins and manatees. Shem Creek is full of food and drink options, many of which have dedicated docks. If the private spaces in front of the restaurants are taken, try the public docks at Shem Creek Park. The Town of Mount Pleasant owns 250 linear feet of float space toward the lower end of the creek. Docking here is fi rst come, fi rst served, with no overnight mooring allowed. The newest kid on the creek is Saltwater Cowboys. With 60 feet of private dock space and weekend dock hands to help you tie up, saltwater life is the good life here. From its dock, you can easily access the Gazebo Bar, The Hideaway Bar and a dock dining area. The restaurant specializes in fresh local seafood (of course) and right-off-thesmoker BBQ. Try a signature frozen CreekWacker Cocktail. Creek classic Vickery’s is a community standby, with sand and tiki torches at its lowerlevel Muddy’s Dock Bar and dining space framed by palm fronds upstairs. We love the Rum Chum cocktail and the Bourbon Butter Shrimp. While Vickery’s doesn’t have dedicated dock space, the picturesque boardwalk to and from Shem Creek Park provides plenty of opportunity to zen out and observe marsh life. SiP WWW.SiPMAGAZINESC.COM | 117
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VIBES &
IOP native Haley Mae Campbell and her band can be found at local music venues this summer.
VOCALS Local musician Marci Shore takes a tour through Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island live music hotspots to bring you the lowdown on the vibes and vocals to be found on the sea islands this season. Photos by Steve Rosamilia
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BANANA CABANA thebananacabanasc.com, 1130 Ocean Blvd., Isle of Palms, SC 29451, 843.886.4360
Vibe Beachfront with an authentic island vibe. The Banana Cabana, opened in 1990, is family-friendly and has something for everyone, serving up seafood, classic American cuisine, quesadillas, pizza, and festive frozen cocktails. Vocals Live, weekend acoustic music outside by the bar, just steps away from the beach. COCONUT JOE’S coconutjoes.biz, 1120 Ocean Blvd., Isle of Palms, SC 29451, 843.886.0046
Vibe Location, location. Coconut Joe’s is beachfront on Isle of Palms, and serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner with panoramic views of the beach and creekside sunsets from its rooftop tiki bar. Under the same ownership, Island Joe’s, in front of Coconut Joe’s, serves up “funfair” foods, including ice cream, coffee drinks, funnel cakes, and hot dogs. Vocals For their 16th season, Mystic Vibrations will be on the rooftop bar on Sundays for "Reggae on The Roof" from 1:30–5 p.m. A variety of other groups are showcased on the rooftop on other evenings throughout the week.
creative sandwiches by day, upscale menu and cocktails by night. Located in the same shopping center as the Harris Teeter grocery store. Vocals Jazz focused live music this season, Tuesdays through Fridays, 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and during Sunday Brunch. THE WINDJAMMER the-windjammer.com, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms, SC 29451, 843.886.8596
Vibe No frills — no problem. Always a Jam Good Time to be had at this Isle of Palms Institution. It’s a favorite with locals and tourists alike since 1972. If you’re staying on Front Beach on Isle of Palms, the Windjammer is within walking distance. Vocals Acts scheduled for this summer include Sister Hazel, Jupiter Coyote, Edwin McCain, Cowboy Mouth, Tribute to Michael Jackson, Spider Monkey, The Roosevelts. DUNLEAVY’S IRISH PUB dunleavysonsullivans.com 2213 Middle St, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482, 843.883.9646
THE DINGHY TAPROOM AND KITCHEN
Vibe An island staple for over a quarter of a century, visit this family-operated pub for your fix of Irish fare and frivolity. Large booths make it a great setting for groups Vocals Music is hit or miss, but at the height of the summer season you’ll find some cover artists Saturday and Sunday evenings. Once a month on Tuesdays there is vintage country, typically on the first Tuesday.
dinghyiop.com, 8 J C Long Blvd., Isle of Palms, SC 29451, 843.242.8310
HOME TEAM BBQ
Vibe Key West meets the Isle of Palms. Sharing the same owners as The Windjammer, The Dinghy is a proud dive bar, that has come into its own in its first few years of operation. The kitchen slings out a tasty variety of seafood, appetizers, salads and sandwiches. Vocals Live, acoustic folk/country classic covers. Wednesday through Saturdays 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and some Sundays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. These artists are among the lineup this summer: Donnie Polk, Craig and Jeff, Gracious Day, Sunflowers and Sin, and Josh Hughett. MORGAN CREEK GRILL morgancreekgrill.com, 80 41st Ave., Isle of Palms, SC 29451, 843.886.8980
Vibe Waterfront dining beside the Isle of Palms Marina. Family-friendly location for fine dining and fabulous views on the Intracoastal Waterway. Vocals Some of the best local musical talent perform at Morgan Creek. Showtime 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Every Friday and Saturday; Sundays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. THE REFUGE therefugeiop.com, 1517 Palm Bvld. Isle of Palms, South Carolina, (843) 242-8934
Vibe Gourmet fare at reasonable prices in an elegant setting. Coffee bar, bagels, pastries and breakfast sandwiches in the morning,
hometeambbq.com, 2209 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482, 843.883.3131
Vibe High-energy, buzzing crowds and nationally acclaimed BBQ. Home Team BBQ on Sullivan’s Island has become a hub for the locals and tourists, and a popular spot for watching whatever sport is being hyped at the time. Vocals Music starts late, 10 p.m. most Friday and Saturday nights. Check the online schedule. You’ll likely hear blues, bluegrass or Americana/rock/country by national, regional and local touring talent. Shonuff, Hans Wenzel & The 86ers, Well Charged, Weigh Station, Whisky Diablo, Johnny and the Broken Hearts, Guilt Ridden Troubadour are among the lineup for this summer. MEX 1 COASTAL CANTINA mex1coastalcantina.com/sullivans-island, 2205 Middle St, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482 843.882.8172
Vibe Inside is an inspired ‘come as you are’ atmosphere — a vibe that embodies the surfing and coastal lifestyle of the Baja Peninsula culture. Tex-Mex cuisine made with locally-sourced produce and a creative margarita menu make this one of the island’s hottest spots. Vocals Music will go from reggae rock vibe to party-band style this season, every Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
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1. Andrew Burden and daughter Corissa learn about bees at Poe Library 2. Anna McRae helps her son Leo build a boat at SIES 3. Michael and Mary Regner with third-generation Sullivan's Islander, Fritz Sottile Linton, celebrate Carolina Day 4. Jack Galloway and IOP Fire Chief Anne Graham at the Sullivan’s Island FD Fish Fry 5. Kai Gundersen and Nadja VandenBerg selling tickets at The Dinghy during the Exchange Club Pub Crawl 6. Jessica Nason, Michelle Haynes and Sarah Heckler building gingerbread houses on Sullivan’s Island 7. Delores Schweitzer and Marie Sollitt try their hands at watercolors at Poe Library 8. Cathy Curtis and Brian Sirisky enjoy the Stack Oyster Roast at the IOP Exchange Club 9. Dimi Matouchev and Barbie Harrington with the Big Check 10. America’s Club participant Gavin Parker and his instructor Naomi Van Den Berg
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11. Pat Votava and Cheryl Keats at the 2017 Hope On Goat event 12. Celebrating Strawless Summer 13. Curry Ernst and daughter Penny observe the solar eclipse from Sullivan’s Island beach 14. Jill and Eric Brooks help to celebrate the expansion of Goldbug Boutique 15. President and CEO of East Cooper Meals on Wheels, George Roberts, with Tracy Migliara, Jenny Ladd and Christy Winer at the organization’s fundraiser 16. Kira and Aaron Hazen all decked out for the holidays at the IOP Christmas Festival 17. IOP Exchangites Ellen Thomas, Eike Gundersen, Michael Thomas, Christina Summer, and Melody Yale celebrate St. Paddy’s at Dunleavy's 18. Jamie Maher and daughter Maeve enjoy Dunleavy’s annual Polar Bear Plunge
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CALENDAR ONGOING EVENTS Lifeguarded Beaches
Isle of Palms County Park is lifeguarded on weekends beginning May 5, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beginning May 26, the lifeguards are on duty every day through August 18 and weekends mid-August through the last weekend in September.
Sullivan’s Island Farmers Market
Enjoy local produce, prepared food and arts and crafts, every Thursday, 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 12 through June 28, 1921 Ion Ave., Sullivan’s Island. facebook.com/sifarmersmarket
Oyster Roasts
Two IOP establishments, Morgan Creek Grill, 80 41st Ave. and The Dinghy 8 JC Long Blvd., host oyster roasts throughout the fall. morgancreekgrill.com, dinghyiop.com
MAY 2018
Music in the Park
Saturday, May 5, Isle of Palms Recreation Department hosts this family-friendly, live music extravaganza. Open to the public. iop. net/recreation, 843.886.8294
Wild Dunes Memorial Day Family Fun Run/Walk
Join in on the Resort’s annual Beach Fun Run, Saturday, May 26, 8 a.m. Pre-registration required by calling 866.320.5102. The cost is $25 per person, including t-shirt.
Migratory Bird Walk
Sullivan’s Island Fire and Rescue Fish Fry
Enjoy freshly fried fish served with a smile. One of the three major fundraisers to support the volunteer rescue operations on Sullivan’s. Held at the Sullivan’s Island Fish Fry Shack, 1459 Hennessy St., Saturday, June 23, 5 to 8 p.m. sullivansisland-sc.com
Carolina Day
On June 23 and 24 celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island (June 28, 1776), with special programs at Fort Moultrie, 1214 Middle Street. Explore the life of a soldier 242 years ago with musket drills and firing demonstrations at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and enjoy other free activities all weekend. nps.gov/fosu
Charleston Battery Summer Kick Off Party
See Charleston’s very own professional soccer team in action June 23 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at this special event featuring a dunk tank, photo booth, balloon animals and face painting. MUSC Stadium, 1990 Daniel Island Drive Charleston, SC 29492. Tickets are 4 for $40, game kick-off is at 7 p.m. charlestonbattery.com
Summer Reading Programs
The Edgar Allan Poe Branch Library sponsors fun summer reading promotions for the young and old alike. Visit the branch or ccpl. org to discover the line-up of programs and activities. 1921 I’on Avenue, Sullivan’s Island, 843.883.3914
On May 12, join the Center for Birds of Prey’s experienced birding guides to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with an introduction to the Painted Bunting and other colorful migrants that frequent the Center’s campus each spring. 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. $15 for current members; $20 for non-members. Thecenterforbirdsofprey.org
JULY 2018
Spoleto Festival
4th of July Fireworks on Sullivan’s
For 17 days and nights the arts takes over Charleston. Plays, operas, dance and music of all types fill the streets, churches and outdoor spaces. Runs from May 25 through June 10. Spoletousa.org, 843.579.3100
JUNE 2018
Floppin’ Flounder 5K Run/Walk
This community-wide group run hosted by the Charleston Running Club and Sullivan’s Island Fire and Rescue Department has had a faithful following for 25 years. It takes place Saturday, June 2 at 8 a.m. and starts in front of the Sullivan’s Island Fish Fry Shack, 1459 Hennessy St. April 1-June 2: registration is $30; registration the day of is $35.
Piccolo Spoleto Sand Sculpting Contest
June 9 at 9 a.m. head to Isle of Palms beach for a stunning display of sand-sculpting prowess. The event is part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, which runs May 25 through June 12. Piccolospoleto.com
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4th of July Golf Cart Parade
Deck out your golf cart or bicycle for this annual parade celebrating America’s independence. Start at the Sullivan’s Island Elementary School, end at Stith Park. Meet at 8:30 a.m. This is a free event. Fireworks and music in Stith Park on Middle Street start at 4 p.m., fireworks at dusk.
4th of July Fireworks on IOP
The Isle of Palms hosts a 4th of July fireworks display over the ocean near 14th Avenue beginning at 9 p.m. Open to the public. iop. net/recreation, 843.886.8294
Wild Dunes Family Fun Run/Walk
July 4 at 8 a.m. $25 per person, including t-shirt. Pre-registration required: 843.886.7008
Wild Dunes Watermelon-Eating Contest
Come enjoy waterslides and more on the lawn next to Wild Dunes’ Palm Cove pool, July 4 from 11 a.m. from 2 p.m. $10 per person. Watch or compete in the watermelon-eating contest at 12 p.m. wilddunes.com
Isle of Palms Beach Run
On July 21 choose from a Youth Fun Run, 5K or 10K run on the beach. Start at The
Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd. IOP, at 8 a.m. Registration is $30 before June 15. Race day registration & packet pick-up begin at 7 a.m; race starts at 8 a.m. iop.net/recreation, 843.886.8294
AUGUST 2018
US Coast Guard Lighthouse Day
The grounds and boathouse at the historic US Coast Guard District on Sullivan’s Island will be open to the public with family friendly activities on August 7 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (lighthouse interior will not be open). The event is free. The historic US Coast Guard District is located at 1815 I’On Avenue, Sullivan’s Island. nps.gov/fosu
Half Rubber Tournament
This annual tournament takes place at IOP Recreation Center on August 18. Three and 4 person teams, $25 per person. Check In/ Captain’s Meeting at 7:30 a.m., games begin at 8 a.m. halfrubber.com
SEPTEMBER 2018
Shaggin’ On The Cooper
The popular Shaggin’ on the Cooper series continues September 8 at the Mount Pleasant Pier with live music. Advance tickets are $8; tickets sold on-site are $10. 843.795.4386 or charlestoncountyparks.com.
Photography on the Wild Side
On September 16 an exclusive opportunity offered by the Center for Birds of Prey to photograph live birds of prey outside of their enclosures both while perching and in free flight. Space is limited to optimize the photographic experience, which begins at 8:30 a.m. $36 for member photographers; $45 non-member photographers. 4719 Highway 17 North. thecenterforbirdsofprey.org
IOP Community Wellness Fair
On September 21, from 7 to 11 a.m. the IOP Recreation Department teams up with the East Cooper Medical Center to offer flu shots and blood work for local residents including cholesterol screenings and lipid profiles at the Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave. This is a free event, IOP. iop.net/recreation, 843.884.7031
OCTOBER 2018
Isle of Palms Connector Run & Walk
Fundraising event for the Isle of Palms’ Exchange Club’s programs for the healing and prevention of child abuse takes place October 6, IOP Connector, 8 a.m. Registration is $35 or $40 on the day of the race. ioprun.com
Fire Prevention Celebration
Look for a SI/IOP parade of engines in October at Sullivan’s Island Fire House, 2050 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island.
Owl-O-Ween
On October 27, bring the children to The Center For Birds of Prey for a family-friendly
day of owls in the Center’s first ever Owl-O-Ween. 4719 Highway 17 North. thecenterforbirdsofprey.org
February 9. Held at the Fish Fry Shack, 1459 Hennessy St. from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets $30 in advance, $35 day of. sullivans-sc.com
Ghostly Tide Tales
Doggie Day at the Rec
IOP Halloween Carnival
Southeastern Wildlife Expo
Bring a blanket, flashlight, chairs and friends for spooky stories by bonfire light on the beach at Isle of Palms, 28th Ave Beach Access. This event is free. October 19, 6:30 p.m. iop. net/recreation Enjoy games for all ages at the annual carnival on October 31, IOP Recreation Department, 24 28th Avenue, from 5 to 7 p.m. Costume contest at 5:30 p.m. This event is free. iop. net/recreation, 843.886.8294
NOVEMBER 2018 Zugunruhefest
The Center for the Birds of Prey hosts the Southeast’s most comprehensive migrationfocused birding festival, November 29 through December 1. Featuring on and offsite bird walks, speaker and special programs. For more information, and to register visit thecenterforbirdsofprey.org
DECEMBER 2018
Sullivan’s Island Tree Lighting
A dog show, including cutest puppy, most attractive, and most ear’resistable, caps off this annual celebration of all things canine, held on February 9, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. iop.net/ recreation, 843.886.8294 SEWE is a three-day showcase of everything we love about wildlife and nature. Various locations, downtown Charleston, February 15 through 17. sewe.com
Hope on Goat
This annual fundraiser held on Goat Island benefits a different charity each year, this year’s event is hosted by and takes place Saturday, February 23, 2019 and is the only opportunity for the public to visit this secluded island. Admission is $55, tickets go on sale in January, visit facebook.com/ Goat-Island-Gatherings.
MARCH 2019
Front Beach Fest
Light up the night at the Sullivan’s Island Fire Station, 2050 Middle St. December 1, 5:30 p.m. Enjoy carols, hot cocoa and visits with Santa. sullivansisland-sc.com
This annual party on Front Beach celebrates the start of the season with local musicians, food vendors, jump castles, and other entertainment. Free admission. March 2, 12 to 4 p.m. iop.net, 843.886.8294
Holiday Street Festival
St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park
Join the Isle of Palms’ mayor as he lights the 22-foot holiday tree on December 1 from 2 to 7 p.m. Visit with Santa, enjoy carnival rides and more on Front Beach. Free admission. iop.net/recreation, 843.886.8294
Gingerbread Making
The Town of Sullivan’s Island hosts a familyfriendly event starting at 10 a.m. till 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 at Stith Park on Middle Street. sullivansisland-sc.com
Isle of Palms Annual Yard Sale
The Town of Sullivan’s Island hosts a gingerbread house party around Dec. 15 at the Fire Station. Check website for exact date. sullivansisland-sc.com
March 30 residents of Isle of Palms sell their old and gently used items in an island-wide yard sale just outside the IOP Recreation Center. Visit iop.net or call 843.886.8294 for exact date.
JANUARY 2019
APRIL 2019
“We’re freezin’ for a reason.” Jump into the chilly waters of the atlantic on January 1. Meet at 2213 Middle St. Sullivan’s Island at 2 p.m. dunleaveyspubpolarplunge.com, 843.795.5316
April 13, 8 a.m., 9th Annual 5K beach walk / run on Sullivan’s island. Runforadela.com
Dunleavy’s Polar Bear Plunge
Charlie Post Classic 15K/5K
The Charleston Running Club will host the 35th annual Charlie Post Classic 15K & 5K January 26. The race starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Sullivan’s Island Fire Department, 2050 Middle St. charlestonrunningclub.com
FEBRUARY 2019
Sullivan’s Island Fire & Rescue Oyster Roast
Enjoy all you can eat oysters, hot dogs, and fish stew and support local firefighters on
Run For Adela
Isle of Palms Easter Egg Hunt
April 20, come hunt eggs and get your photo with the Easter Bunny at 10 a.m. sharp! Jump castles, face painting and balloon artists round out the fun at the Isle of Palms Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave. This is a free event. iop. net/recreation.
IOP Exchange Club Easter Breakfast
Enjoy homemade pancakes, sausages, eggs, grits, coffee and beverages courtesy of the Exchange Club members who serve up this hearty breakfast for free April 20 from 6:50 a.m. to 10 a.m. Easter morning at the Exchange Club, 201 Palm Blvd.
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Photo by Vincent J. Musi
LAST LOOK
Our L ucky Dog ... Goes Viral A fixture on Sullivan’s Island and the namesake behind the islands’ newspaper company, Brooklyn is one Lucky Dog. Rescued from a life in the dog fighting ring, Brooklyn is a 14 year-old Pit Bull mix and the constant companion of Lynn Pierotti, publisher of SiP Magazine and Island Eye Newspaper. In March 2018 this photo was featured by National Geographic on its instagram feed as part of Sullivan’s Island photographer Vincent J. Musi’s #yearofthedog project. Brooklyn’s image received over 440,000 likes (and counting). See more of the project by following @vincentjmusi
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