JULY 22–28, 2021
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Water Festival’s opening weekend a success
After the concert by the Parris Island Marine Corps Band during the Water Festival Opening Ceremony, the huge crowd was treated to a spectacular fireworks show Friday night at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
By Bob Sofaly After being canceled last year due to COVID concerns, the 65th annual Beaufort Water Festival finally kicked off Friday with as much fanfare as the Parris Island Marine Corps Band could muster. And the crowds? The attendance during the “first weekend” has been above and beyond comparison even though organizers had only 109 days instead of the traditional 10 months to get ready. “Opening ceremony Monday was kind of surreal while sitting on the stage and seeing the huge crowd out there,” Water Festival Commodore Erin “Tank” Morris said. “I
think the public was ready to come back. We are happy that we are the ones to kick it back off and bring everybody back together”. On Saturday the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park came to life again with the much anticipated Bocce Ball single elimination tournament, a badminton tournament and the grueling boat races in the Beaufort River. The evening capped off with the Concert in the Park, featuring opening act Scott Stevens, then Lainey Wilson and finally the headline performer, country singer Rodney Atkins. “That was three of the best shows
I’ve ever scene here,” Morris said. “They were so engaged, it was absolutely electric. And the crowd? Oh my gosh they were into it! My wife and I stood right here (by the stage) and More Photos could see the crowd. See additional Water Festival That’s why we do coverage on this.” Pages A7–8. As large as the crowd for the Opening Ceremony was, Morris said Sunday’s Children’s Day was beyond that. “This crowd is phenomenal. I’ve never seen anything like this. People are just ready to get out and get back to life”, he said. “It was shoul-
der-to -shoulder for as far as the eye could see from one to the other along the sea wall at the waterfront park.” Morris said he didn’t have any exact numbers to share, but he said Saturday’s concert was “probably the biggest concert in the (Waterfront Park) we’ve had in many, many years. Morris added the line to get into the park extend back to the Downtown Marina and wrapped back around. He added the weather is playing a big part in this year’s early suc-
SEE SUCCESS PAGE A7
2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS WHEN C.J. LIFTS Group A of C.J. Cummings’ 73-kilogram weight class will begin it’s competition at 7:50 p.m. Tokyo time on Wednesday, July 28. That’s 6:50 a.m. here in Beaufort because of the 13-hour time difference. Group B actually lifts earlier. HOW TO WATCH C.J. The 73kg competition can be streamed live at NBCOlympics.com or can be watched via tape delay at 4 p.m., Wednesday, July 28 on USA Network. THE FIELD There are 14 lifters in the Men’s 73kg weight class (name, country, age): Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, Indonesia, 20 Mahmoud Mohammed S Alhumayd, Saudi Arabia, 27 Bozhidar Dimitrov Andreev, Bulgaria, 24 Briken Calja, Albania, 31 Jorge Adon Cardenas Estrada, Mexico, 24 Clarence Cummings Jr., USA, 21 Karem Ben Hnia, Tunisia, 26 Julio Ruben Mayora Pernia, Venezuela, 25 Masamori Miyamoto, Japan, 24 Abderrahim Moum, Morocco, 20
Weightlifter C.J. Cummings, gets in a workout Thursday, July 8, at The Foundry in Beaufort. Cummings is set to compete July 28 in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Toyko. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
Marin Robu, Moldova, 21 David Sanchez Lopex, Spain, 27 Zhiyong Shi, China, 27 Brandon Dean Wakeling, Australia, 27 *Note: This is subject to change at the discretion of the International Olympic Committee. ABOUT C.J.’S COMPETITION • China’s Zhiyong Shi is the World Record Holder in the Snatch (169kg), the Clean & Jerk (198kg) and Overall Total (363kg). • Shi is the defending Olympic Gold Medalist, winning with a total of 352kg in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. • Shi may be the defending Olympic Gold Medalist and the World Record holder, but Tunisia’s Karem Ben Hnia comes in with the top qualifying weight, 351kg to Shi’s 350kg. • There are 4 lifters who enter the Olympics with a qualifying weight equal or better than C.J. Cummings’ 347kg: Ben Hnia, Shi, Venezuala’s Julio Ruben Mayora Pernia (350kg) and Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Dimitrov Andreev (347kg). THE FRAZIER FACTOR Beaufort’s only Olympic Gold Medalist is boxing great Joe Frazier, who won his gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1964 Summer Olympics, ironically, also in Tokyo. “I really don’t think about it, but I know he was one of the top boxers,” Cummings said. “He’s the man around here. Hopefully I can make an imprint on this community like he has. That would be a major goal for me.”
The wait is finally over
Olympic dream coming true for Beaufort’s CJ Cummings
By Mike McCombs Monday, March 30, 2020 was a day that would have been more than discouraging for most 19 year olds. C.J. Cummings was not most 19 year olds.
“He’s not the norm,” Team Beaufort coach Ray Jones said at the time. “He never has been.” Cummings learned early that morning that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo had been delayed a year as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cummings was visibly disappointed. Jones? Not so much. “THIS JUST IN, CJ NOW HAS A YEAR AND FOUR
MONTHS TO MAKE HIMSELF THAT MUCH BETTER!” That was the text message Jones sent to The Island News at 9:09 that morning.
SEE WAIT PAGE A5
A family affair
CJ Cummings follows in siblings’ footsteps on road to Tokyo By Mike McCombs
C.J., Crystal and Omar Cummings, left to right, have all lifted weights competitively for Coach Ray Jones. Also pictured is Crystal Cummings’ daughter Christin. Photo courtesy of Crystal Cummings.
C
rystal Cummings remembers when Coach Ray Jones first came to her school and gave a weightlifting exhibition.
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INSIDE
Evolve Furniture Studio, specializing in restoration, reproductions, furniture design, opens in Beaufort.
Holy Trinity names new Upper School Dean of Students.
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Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–6 Water Festival A7–8 Business A9 Health A10–11 Arts A12
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“It was something I’d never seen before,”Cummings said. “I was interested. I wanted to try it.” First, she had to convince her father. And Clarence Cummings Sr. was having none of it. “Daddy said ‘no,’” Crystal Cummings said. “For two or
SEE FAMILY PAGE A5
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