JANUARY 9 - 15, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Restaurant Week returns to Beaufort, Port Royal Staff reports Restaurant Week starts Thursday, Jan. 9, kicking off 10 days of restaurants in Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands offering special menu items and prices. Restaurants participating in the event will offer specially priced menus during lunch and/or dinner. Tickets are not required to par-
ticipate but reservations are recommended. A new twist to Beaufort Restaurant Week will be the celebration of our Lowcountry Oystering Culture, where certain menus will feature oyster dishes, specials, or appetizers. In partnership with the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association, Tides to Tables will be the kick-off for the planning
of our inaugural Beaufort Oyster Festival – Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands, slated for 2021. Some of the participating Beaufort-Port Royal area restaurants include Q
on Bay, Plums, Breakwater, Old Bull Tavern, The Ribault Social Club at Anchorage 1770, Albergotti Grill, Hearth Wood Fired Pizza, Fishcamp on 11th and Mezes. Restaurant week gives local, regional and national food lovers the opportunity to enjoy amazing food at a value price at restaurants ranging from casual
Thieves target mowers
to high-end, with a goal to position South Carolina as a top culinary destination. Beaufort Restaurant Week runs in conjunction with the South Carolina Restaurant Week. To view all statewide participants, visit restaurantweeksouthcarolina.com/. You can follow on Twitter at @ restaurantweeksc and @ visit_beaufort.
Sheriff’s Office investigating lawn mower thefts at county facilities By Mindy Lucas The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a string of thefts involving professional-grade lawn mowers stolen from the county over the course of a five-month period in 2019, officials say. Six lawn mowers with a total value of approximately $50,000 were stolen in incidents beginning in March, said Beaufort County’s Risk Management and Safety Director Kyle Jackson. In the first two incidents in March and April, mowers were stolen off county trailers while county workers were weed-eating or performing other landscaping work on the Spanish Moss Trail and at Basil Green Park. The mowers were stolen once the workers were out of range of the trailers, Jackson said. On April 19 and Aug. 4, thieves made off again with lawn mowers – this time from two county public works facilities, one on Benton Field Road and the other on Shanklin Road. In each of those incidents, two mowers were taken bringing the total value of all the stolen equipment to $49,644, according to Jackson. In the April 19 incident, the suspects cut the fence to get into the facility. However, in the Aug. 4 incident, the suspects were able to get inside the Shanklin Road facility with a key and appeared to have keys to the mowers, Beaufort County Administra-
Beaufort loses a ‘bedrock’
Ron Voegeli – staunch advocate for veterans, children – dies at 77 By Mike McCombs
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ometimes, the word hero is thrown around carelessly. When it is used in connection with Ron Voegeli, however, you would have a hard time finding anyone in Beaufort who found it misappropriated. Ronald “Ron” Lee Voegeli, 77, was laid to rest Tuesday, Jan. 7 in Beaufort National Cemetery with full military honors. He died New Year’s Day in Beaufort Memorial Hospital. He had been dealing with numerous health issues. Beaufort’s veterans and those who work and advocate for the prevention of the abuse of children will feel the loss. They were the causes to which he dedicated his life. We “lost a bedrock of our community in Ron Voegeli who served his country courageously and paid a personal price for the defense of democracy, cared for veterans from all services Ron in need and was a champion Voegeli for providing love and care for abused or about to be abused children,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said in his newsletter. “A national hero, after his military service Ron became a local hero and will be remembered as a legend for helping those who needed what they otherwise may not have received. This is a hard act to follow, but hopefully Ron
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Photo by Bob Sofaly.
1st baby born in Beaufort in 2020 a girl Staff reports Eelie Rae Shimer was the first baby born in Beaufort in 2020. Eelie arrived at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center at 2:29 a.m. on Jan. 1, weighing in at 7 lbs., 8 oz. and delivered by Dr. Marlena Masavage. Parents Andy and Crystal
Shimer of St. Helena island recently moved to the Beaufort area after spending several years on the road as traveling therapists. Crystal, an occupational therapist, and Andy, a speech therapist, met through their work in the Virgin Islands and eventually ended up in Alaska. Once they knew Eel-
ie was on her way, the couple decided to find a more permanent residence and chose the Lowcountry. "We looked all over the East Coast for the right place to settle down and raise our family," Andy said. "Beaufort had everything we were looking for." New Year's Day was actually quite busy at the Collins
Birthing Center with two additional Jan. 1 birth days. Pictured here with Eelie (left to right) are Waylon Gombas, who arrived at 3:51 a.m. and Marquise De'Von Bush Jr., who made his entrance at 12:54 p.m. As proud dad Andy Shimer said, "the Roaring '20s are back!”
Right: Meet Eelie Rae Shimer, the first baby born in Beaufort in 2020. Eelie was born at 2:29 a.m., Jan. 1 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital to St. Helena Island residents Andy and Crystal Shimer. Photos submitted by Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
IT’S BODY MAKEOVER TIME
THE GHOST HANGS IT UP
New fitness session to begin this month at Beaufort Memorial’s LifeFit Wellness.
Beaufort’s Ron Parker announces his retirement from professional football.
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