The Breeze Feb 2016 by The Breeze

Fe br u a r y 2 01 6

The Breeze THE MAGAZINE OF BLUFFTON

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE

CEDAR BLUFF Pg. 28

Bluffton.com The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

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Lakefront Homes beginning in the low $200's, located at the crossroads of the LowCountry. Turn onto Argent Blvd from Hwy 170 E. Turn right on Jasper Station Rd Community on right.

Annette Bryant • 1211 Boundary Street Beaufort, SC 29902 • Phone: 843-986-2444 • Mobile: 843-986-7343 www.hearthstonelakes.com • Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

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The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR: Love is in the air—can you feel it? Happy Valentine’s Day to all! To begin, we have a humorous piece all about the trials and tribulations of finding your Valentine with online dating. Chase Wilkinson’s experiences are sure to make you chuckle. Does anyone have a daughter out there we can introduce him to? Speaking of which, have you ever written a love song? Yes, I know, we all sing in the shower, but that’s not the same! Jevon Daly tells us how to write your own love song this month in his Music Town column. He gives some really good tips, and think of how happy she will be when you express your poetic love (singing is optional). We follow this up with Gene Cashman’s heartwarming story, “Love and Happiness.” He has a certain way of making us feel good and reminding us to love our family. Enjoy! February is Gullah month so we have pulled out all the stops. One piece, though we featured it 10 years ago, called “Discovering Gullah Heritage,” is well worth the read and something we should all know about. It is by Jane Upshaw, PHD, who recently retired as Chancellor of USCB. Dr. Upshaw is a talented writer and has done so much and given so much to get USCB off the ground and establish a vision for the school’s future. An extra added attraction we have for you is another article by the true and original Bluffton Boy, the late Andrew Peeples. “An Unforgettable Character” is a story about Andrew’s friendship with Dolphus Blake, an old Gullah fisherman. Don’t miss this adventure. I recently walked through the Bluffton cemetery and visited his grave along with his talented brothers and iconic family. I kind of sensed they were glad to meet me; I know I was glad to say hello to them and say a prayer. We always learn something when Amber Hester Kuehn, MB, writes to us about nature in the Lowcountry. This month she talks about the importance of the Lowcountry maritime forests that surround us. Her piece is most informative and hopefully will encourage everyone to continue to protect our natural resources. Our architecture article divulges the story of the historic 1890 home called Cedar Bluff and chronicles everything from the burning of Bluffton to the rebuilding, the prohibition days, and finally how the home came to smile again. This is all due to the dedication and hard work of Joe and Dianna Zokan. The photography speaks a thousand words thanks to Tom Jenkins. The entire staff is excited that we are updating Bluffton.com this month. It will take a lot of work but we hope you, as well as visitors, will find what you are looking for. We look forward to increasing our 10,000 monthly visitor traffic! I would also like to tip my cap to Shellie and her staff at the Greater Bluffton Chamber, and Joe Nehlia of Nosoco, and all the volunteers that made the Bluffton Business Awards Ball so successful. Congratulations to all the winners, they are all so well deserved. Read about all the recipients by visiting blufftonchamberofcommerce.org. Last but not least we cannot forget to say thank you to all our advertisers, as they make The Breeze happen. If you would like information on joining our partners, contact Chierie Smith at Chierie@bluffton.com.

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The Breeze

THE MAGAZINE OF BLUFFTON PUBLISHER Lorraine Jenness lorraine@hiltonhead.com 843-757-9889 EDITOR Randolph Stewart randolph@bluffton.com 843-816-4005 COPY EDITOR Andrea Six andrea@hiltonhead.com 843-757-9889 SALES DIRECTOR Chierie Smith chierie@bluffton.com 843-505-5823 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Liz Shumake liz@hiltonhead.com 843-757-9889 ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Mlay graphics@hiltonhead.com 843-757-9889 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chase S. Wilkinson, Jevon Daly, Gene Cashman, Jane Upshaw, PHD, Andrew Peeples, Amber Hester Kuehn PHOTOGRAPHERS , ARTISTS Tom Jenkins, Andrea Six, Chierie Smith CORPORATE OFFICE 40 Persimmon St. Suite 102 Bluffton, SC 29910 843.757.8877 DISTRIBUTION Bruce McLemore, John Tant 843.757.9889 The Breeze is published by Island Communications and The Breeze Media, LLC. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without permission from the Publisher. The Breeze is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. The Breeze is not responsible or liable for any errors, omissions, or changes in information. The opinion of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its Publisher. All published photos and copy provided by writers and artists become the property of The Breeze. Copyright. 2016.

CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2016, VOLUME 14, NO. 2

F E AT U R E S

08 Feet First: An Antique Tutorial 12 Love and Happiness 16 Ok Casanova 20 Lowcountry Maritime Forest: On the Edge 24 Discovering Gullah Heritage 28 Out of the Ashes: The Story of Cedar Bluff 34 An Unforgettable Character 42 How to Write a Love Song

D E PA R T M E N T S

08 Antiques 10 Fellowship 22 Golf Courses 26 Your Corner 28 Architecture 38 Tide Chart 40 Restaurant Guide 42 Bluffton: Music Town 44 Over the Bridges

COVER PHOTO : Cedar Bluff Kitchen

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

ANTIQUES

Feet First:

An Antique Tutorial

ow do you identify the style or even period of antique furniture? There are many ways but let’s have some fun, stick to the basics and talk about feet. Each of the following furniture designers and styles can be clearly defined by their furniture legs and feet. For brevity sake, as there are so many styles and mixes of styles, we shall talk about popular antiques prior to 1860. Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779)

Chippendale is perhaps the best known furniture designer to this day. In 1754 he published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, which became the catalogue for types and styles in Europe and the colonies. His style was ever changing, proportionate, solid, yet graceful and at times ornate. Although he made refinements to the Georgian style and Rococo scrolls, he later borrowed from Chinese and French designs. Perhaps the most well known element is his ball and claw foot. (Photo 1) George Hepplewhite (1727-1786)

Little is known about Hepplewhite. His recognition came after his death when his widow, Alice, published The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide. Often collaborating with the Adam brothers as Chippendale did, Hepplewhite designed and produced furniture with simple forms, light but with classic outlines. Although he designed turned and square legs and feet, his furniture can be readily identified by the long, graceful tapered leg. (Photo 2) Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806)

Like Chippendale and Hepplewhite, Sheraton’s fame arose out of a series of books he published. His designs were architectural and largely in the straight classic manner, feminine and of the late Georgian period. His designs were simple, with a sense of delicacy and grace. He was influenced by Hepplewhite, Adam and The Directoire, and you can see his style in the pieces made by Duncan Phyfe. His legs and feet varied from a graceful taper to a rectangular pad, but interpretations that are most common today are turned. (Photo 3) Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854)

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Scottish born, Phyfe immigrated to New York in the early 1790s. His style was proportionate, balanced and symmetrical and from 1805 to 1847 his popularity peaked. He made furniture for elite residents of New York, Philadelphia, and the South and his style became the New York style. His work adhered to the classical form and never wavered to the emerging interpretations of Baroque, Gothic, or Rococo. In 1840, one Southern planter who came to New York from Columbia, South Carolina, said to his wife in a letter that the Phyfes were “as much behind the times in style as (they were) in price,” as his pieces were very expensive. His work was seldom signed and was copied extensively. Being the American icon, his pieces adorn the White House. Perhaps the most identifiable element of his designs contain the lyre detail or

central urn, with the legs sloping diagonally. Graceful, and generally carved acanthus leaves or fluted ornamented legs, terminating in a brass lion’s paw on rollers. (Photo 4) Louis XIII (1589-1661)

French furniture design was named after the king who reigned when the style was in vogue. The Louis XIII style for the most part was economical, geometric, and austere for the commoner. It was architectural in form, simple and yet often massive. For the court the style was splendid, monumental and overpowering with the use of panels, marquetry, tortoiseshell, gilt bronze and lavish carvings. In chairs the important change came in seats of fixed upholstery. The legs were structured with symmetrical turnings, turned cross stretchers, ending with a ball or oblique round pads for the feet. (Photo 5) Louis XIV (1643-1715) & Louis XV (1715-1723)

This style was decidedly Baroque, with lavish decoration and carvings, as the court felt it was the center of the world. The carvings were rich using animal forms and mythology, such as satyrs, lion paws and heads, and a wide variety of acanthus, instruments, ribbons and festoons. Later, transitioning to Louis XV, the style became more as we recognize it today with soft graceful legs terminating at the pad foot, also known as the cabriole leg. Thus the major difference in the modern style today between Louis XIII, Louis XIV, and Louis XV changed from bulbous turned legs and ball feet, to heavily carved lion’s paws and graceful cabriole legs with pad feet. (Photos 6, 7) Louis XVI (1774-1793 As the French Revolution approached, the sense of style went away from opulence and curved lines to a more simple form with straight lines. Legs were fluted or grooved with suggestions of symmetrical architecture, and the feet were simple and straight. (Photo 8) Directoire (1795-1799)

Following the revolution, France was in chaos as was the symbols of furniture design, not wanting to create images of the kings. Thus

Directoire was simple Louis XVI yet adorned with symbols of the revolution, such as arrows, pikes, clasped hands, the swans, using more directness, straight lines and native woods. The furniture design wanted to break away from the old and establish a sense of freedom that the people had won. Legs were straight, simple and with little adornment. (Photo 9) Empire (1804-1815)

Under Napoleon 4 the Empire style developed. Absolute symmetry, cubic rectangular shape and heavy solid proportions dominated this style. Chairs were stiff, clumsy and uncomfortable, more like Greek and Roman ceremonial seats with motifs of griffins and lions. The Empire was strong and meant to suggest permanence. Furniture legs were broad and strong or tapered and ornamented. (Photo 10) Queen Ann (1702-1714) Although Queen Ann’s reign in Britain was short, the furniture style is most prevalent today. The design is characterized by a simple, graceful cabriole leg, often with acanthus knee, terminating in a pad, snake foot or ball and claw, as the English styles mixed. (Photo 11)

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

FELLOWSHIP AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL Cambell Chapel A.M.E. 25 Boundary St. (843) 757-3652 Sunday School: 8:45 a.m. Worship: 10 a.m.

ASSEMBLY OF GOD New River Worship Center

Hwy 170 & Argent Blvd. (next to ESPY) (843) 379-1815 Sunday: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday: 7 p.m.

BAPTIST First Baptist Church of Bluffton Boundary at Church St. (843) 757-3472 Sunday School: 9:15 a.m. Worship: 10:30 a.m.

First Zion Baptist

Wharf & Robertson St. (843) 757-3128 Sunday School: 9 a.m. Sunday Worship: 10 a.m.

Maye River Baptist Church 3507 Okatie Hwy. (843) 757-2518 Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.

St. John’s Baptist Church

Sat.: 4 & 6 p.m. Sun.: 7:15 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m., Spanish, 12:45 p.m. Mon.-Fri.: 6:45 a.m. Chapel, 8:30 a.m. Church

Church of the Palms United Methodist

ANGLICAN The Church of the Cross

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

110 Calhoun St. (843) 757-2661 Saturday Worship: 5:28 p.m. Sunday Worship: 8 & 10 a.m. 495 Buckwalter Pkwy. (843) 757-2661 Sunday Worship: 9 & 10:30 a.m.

The Church of the Holy Trinity

2718 Bees Creek Rd., Ridgeland (843) 726-3743 Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 11 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages: 9:45 a.m. Midweek Services: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

EPISCOPAL The Episcopal Church of Okatie

103 Pritchard St. (843) 757-4350 Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.

231 Hazzard Creek, Okatie, SC (843) 592-3965 Worship: Every Sunday 9 a.m.

St. Matthew’s Baptist Church

GREEK ORTHODOX Holy Resurrection Church

SC Hwy. 170 (843) 757-3255 Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.

Indian Hill Baptist Church Hwy. 278 next to Eagle’s Point (843) 757-2603 Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES Kingdom Hall

119 Bluffton Rd. (843) 815-4455 Sunday Public Talk: 9:30 a.m. & 3:30 p.m. Spanish Public Talk: 12:30 p.m.

Bible Missionary Baptist Church

Goethe Road Community Center (843) 815-5523 Sunday Worship: 11 a.m., Bible Study: 6 p.m.

CATHOLIC St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church 333 Fording Island Rd. (843) 815-3100

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at St. Andrews Catholic Church 220 Pickney Colony Rd. (843) 837-4659 Orthros: 9:30 a.m., Liturgy 10 a.m.

JEWISH Temple Oseh Shalom at Lowcountry Presbyterian

278 Simmonsville Rd. (843) 705-2532 Shabbat Worship third Friday of month, 8 p.m.

LUTHERAN Lord of Life Lutheran Church 351 Buckwalter Pkwy. (843) 757-4774 Sunday School: 10 a.m. Sunday Worship: 8, 9 & 11 a.m.

METHODIST Bluffton United Methodist Church 101 Calhoun St. (843) 757-3351 Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship: 8:45 & 11 a.m.

1425 Okatie Hwy. (843) 379-1888 Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m.

SC Hwy. 170 near Sun City (843) 705-3022 Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 10 a.m.

St. Andrew By-The-Sea UMC Bluffton Campus One University Blvd. (USCB’s HHI Gateway Campus, Hargray Building) (843) 785-4711 Sunday worship: 10:30 a.m.

PRESBYTERIAN Lowcountry Presbyterian Church US 278 and Simmonsville Rd. (843) 815-6570 Sunday School: Adult 9:40 a.m., Child 10:30 a.m. Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.

Grace Coastal Church (PCA) 15 Williams Dr. (off 170) (843) 379-5521 Sunday School: 11 a.m. Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL Live Oak Christian Church

Bluffton High School Auditorium, (843) 757-5670 Kidstreet: 9:15 a.m., Worship: 10:15 a.m.

Lowcountry Community Church Bluffton: 801 Buckwalter Pwky. (843) 836-1101 Sunday Worship: 8:30, 10, 11:30 a.m.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Lowcountry 110 Malphrus Rd. (843) 837-3330 Sunday Services: 10 a.m. Religious Education & Childcare provided

Unity Church of Hilton Head Island

Seaquins Ballroom 1300 Fording Island Rd., Bluffton (Near Tanger I) (843) 682-8177 Sunday Services: 10 a.m.

A great learning trip for kids & adults!

Voyage of discovery

Discover the local marsh habitat. See the richness of life in our tidal estuary. Learn measures for water quality. All trips led by Captain Amber Kuehn MS in Marine Biology Contact: SpartinaCharters@gmail.com or Spartinacharters.com 843-338-2716

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

and

Happiness

By Gene Cashman

was exhausted. Successively packed work weeks and a slammed holiday schedule left me emotionally threadbare. The only thing registering as I herded the kids up the stairs for their naptime was how desperately I needed a nap myself. The work week would be starting all over too soon and I needed some space. My eyes were heavy and nearly closed when a small voice called out from the top of the stairs. “Daddy, can I come out of rest time yet?” In our house, on Sunday afternoon, everyone takes a rest or a nap. I usually take the couch at the bottom of the stairs so I can

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watch a ballgame while my wife takes a nap in the bedroom. There is risk and reward here. I can cat nap to whatever sport is in season but on occasion will get interrupted when a child calls out; being the closest parent within earshot. “Darling,” I shot back to my eight-year-old daughter, “you haven’t even been up there five minutes!” I am not considered the most patient of men, and my tone, even when well rested, can be rough. The missile I shot back up those stairs was not well received. “Daddy,” she stomped, “I’m bored and I do not like the way you are speaking to me!” I stared at the ceiling and counted to 10 as I planned my next move. “Daaaaddddy,” she called out again.

She straightened her glasses and crossed her arms in a huff.

I am learning as a father, especially to girls, what it means to be kind. Being kind isn’t being sugary and falsely nice and it certainly isn’t being cutting and mean. Rather, it’s being truthful in a way that is both calm and completely understood. “Please come here,” I responded tersely, intent on kindly but firmly presenting her my position. She sulked her way down the stairs, each clomp of her feet raised my blood pressure. “Shhhh,” I hissed with my index finger pressed against my lip “you are going to wake the whole house!” In my moment of exhaustion I began to lose my cool. Selfishly I envisioned all three kids, tired and cranky coming down the stairs ruining my chance at sleep. As such I was not being kind. Finally she stood before me. She straightened her glasses and crossed her arms in a huff. I was at a parental crossroads. Technically, she had done nothing wrong. All she had done was call out my name. I was the one who got bent out of shape. My choice was to lamely lecture her on respect or some other contrived thing or I could simply apologize for being a jerk. “Honey,” I confessed, “sorry I bit your head off. I am really tired. What can daddy do for you?” She smiled with her eyes. “I forgive you daddy, anyway I wanted to read you a story I wrote.” She sat next to me and proceeded to read the most wonderful story. It was about a prince and how he met a beautiful princess and how they got married and had three babies. It was remarkably similar to what she understood of her parents’ love story. It was the ending that got me. “You see,” she read in a serious voice, “the prince grew very tired and grumpy because all he did was work, work and work. The princess and all the babies missed him very much.” I looked at her. “Is that all, is there not another page to the story?” She smiled as only children can and said, “we are going to write it together this afternoon.” The sleep and agitation retreated from my eyes and bones. I sat humbled and just looked at her, finally offering, “what did you have in mind?” She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her bathrobe pocket. It was folded at least eight times over and covered in pink and purple hearts. She handed it to me with a big smile, “I had a few thoughts.” It was an agenda for the next two hours. “Make up and nails,” I protested, “really?” She giggled, “oh yes, sir and so much more!” Somewhere between the end of UNO and the middle of hair and make-up I completely loosened up and lost myself in complete enjoyment

of my daughter’s imagination. So much so that I hardly noticed my son staring slack jawed at us from the top of the stairs. “Hey look,” my daughter laughed, “he’s awake!” “Dad,” he called out in a perplexed way, “what’s in your hair?” By this time I was in total character. “Son,” I said, “get down here; you have the next appointment.” Reluctantly and with much trepidation, he made his way to my side. “It is fun,” I poked at him, “take a seat.” We played and laughed until the sun was low in the sky. Ironically, by the end both kids leaned against me sleepy and satisfied. I heard the door to the bedroom turn and the sound of my wife’s feet coming across the hardwood. The sound of her snickering laugh quickly snapped us out of our collective daze. “Nice bows and eye shadow boys,” she teased, “it looks like I missed the party.” That night after dinner my daughter sat at her desk writing. “Time for bed, it’s getting late,” I said, “you can finish that up in the morning.” She quickly turned out the light and hopped in bed. “I love you daddy,” she said, “thanks for a great day.” I kissed her on the cheek. “What were you writing,” I asked curiously. “Oh,” she said, “nothing big, just writing a new story.” I am learning as a father, especially to girls that ‘nothing big’ actually means ‘pay attention.’ I picked up the packet of papers and read the title “Love and Happiness: a princess and her dad.” She pulled the covers up over her face embarrassed. “Is it finished?” I asked. There was a long pause. “No, but I was hoping we could write it together tomorrow.” I kissed her forehead, “I will leave work early.” I am learning as a father, to my boy and my girls, that there is no better time to pay attention than right now. It’s a matter of love and happiness.

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

O L D T O W N

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You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss historic Bluffton near the May River for some of the most unique shopping and dining in our area. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all blended with colorful and creative art galleries, history up and down local streets, and dining for lunch and dinner in charming settings. The Bluffton Old Town Merchants Society warmly encourages visitors to come and spend an afternoon or a day discovering historic Bluffton.

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The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

By Chase S. Wilkinson f you were to look at my online dating presence you may think that I am a serial killer. I promise that I am not. Although, my outbox is full of “Hey, how are you?” messages sent to at least 47 women. Random women, no rhyme or reason. Just a desperate attempt to capture somebody’s attention. Sure I would like to go on dates, but I can see how someone might think that is the protocol to catch my next victim. As a writer, I always thought I’d have the upper hand when it came to online dating. I stammer and stutter and sweat entirely too much when talking to a pretty girl in person. But with the appropriate amount of distance and my mastery of the written word as my greatest ally, women would be able to see the loveable charming guy that I am down deep. Unfortunately, there is an art to writing online dating messages that my fancy art school did not have on the curriculum. Surprisingly, carpet bombing the internet with “Hey, how are you?” is not the ideal way to find the love of your life. I’ve tried something more personal, referencing tidbits I’d seen on their profiles. Something like, “Oh, you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I spent a summer learning all the dances to the musical episode and performed them all for my dog. I bet you’d appreciate my efforts more. How about coffee?” Turns out that strange, specific humor is rather off-putting coming from complete strangers. My messaging history is a weird, manic roller coaster. It rises and plummets through extremes, from detailed novelizations of my infatuations to a simple and unsatisfying “Hey.” You can track the moments where I believe love can truly be found on the internet. There’s so much hope in my creepy stalker love notes, but I’ve rarely found the winning formula to start an actual conversation.

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It turns out that it takes a lot of work to get someone’s attention online. No matter how many times I swipe right on Tinder, the only matches I get are fake accounts offering phone sex in order to steal my credit card information. No tinderella story for me. Sure there have been a lot of nights crying in front of a laptop, but that’s not to say everything has been completely bad. I’ve also gone on my fair share of very uncomfortable dates. Sometimes I forget that that is the end goal with online dating. I’ll finally strike gold and get a conversation going and tend to like to stay there, where my words sound confident and charismatic.

You always sound like you know what you’re doing over email or text. My hunched body language has a tendency to make “You look very pretty today” sound like a sentiment from Quasimodo as opposed to the smooth, suave line that I had in my head. There’s this weird ability to take text and apply your own constructed personas onto them. Once I texted a woman for a month or so, imaging her as quiet and self-contained as I am, only to meet her and find that she was a loud, abrasive southern stereotype. I shrank in horror as she erupted in pleasure over the pimento spread with her signature “Oooo Lordy!” As someone who avoids public attention, it was a miracle I made it an entire hour with everyone in the restaurant constantly craning their necks to spy on the source of the commotion. I finished the dinner with a steady string of one-word answers. Quietly nodding or shaking my head until we escaped and never spoke again. That’s not to say that there haven’t been occasions where I was the weird one. Even once someone made it through my weirdly vague profile that was devoid of any personality for fear that my dad would find it and discover that I proudly proclaim my love of Zach Braff movies to women, we would meet and discover that I am in fact as blank as my profile. Too shy to talk much, I quietly listen with awe as a pretty girl tells me about her interests and hobbies only to discover that they found it weird that I wasn’t doing much talking.

One time during coffee, while sitting restlessly in our third lull in the hour, the girl abruptly stood from the table, announced that she had to leave and then fled the Starbucks and never looked back. It’s hard to put your best foot forward with complete strangers. I mean, I still worry about being kidnapped every time I go online—all that stranger danger taught in fourth grade really rooted deep. But at the end of the day we just want someone to spend stupid Valentine’s days with so we’re not home alone crying over The Notebook for the fifteenth time. Stupid perfect Ryan Gosling. So I keep trying the online dating thing. My profiles have livened up a bit more. No longer stark, ominous voids of personality, I make jokes and boast about my wicked comic book collection. I challenge ladies to dance offs. It doesn’t always work (i.e. it never works) but connection is hard to come by these days. I’ve talked to my parents about arranging a marriage for me, but I’ve talked about my dad’s strict no-Braff policy and I am not willing to part ways with Mr. Garden State quite yet. This year as Valentine’s Day rolls around, I will continue to put myself out there in an effort to find love. I’ll answer all the messages that come my way, I’ll keep swiping right until my thumbs start to bleed and then I’ll use my nose. Who knows? Maybe this year I’ll get lucky. Or maybe I’ll spend yet another year feeding spaghetti to a body pillow dressed like my exgirlfriend. With love, time will tell.

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

presents

WRITTEN BY

Features 30 classical gospel tunes and “a tad-bit of downright contagious laughter.”

Connie Ray DIRECTOR: Scott Grooms MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Beth Corry

Fridays: Feb. 19, 26, March 4 Saturdays: Feb. 20, 27, March 5 • 8:00 p.m. Sunday Matinees: Feb. 21, 28, March 6 • 3:00 p.m. THEATRE LOCATION: BLUFFTON TOWN HALL Ulmer Auditorium 20 Bridge Street

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All Tickets $25.00 Reserved Seating 843.815.5581 Box Office Opens: Monday, February 8 Box Office Location: 138 Burnt Church Rd. Box Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

www.mayrivertheatre.com

Smoke on the Mountain is presented with permission from Samuel French

Bluffton’s Only Local Printer Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is equipped with all the tools in-house to turn any job quickly... Pre-Press & Graphic Design • Offset Printing Digital Printing • Large Format Printing Color Copying • Full Service Bindery

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For a full calendar of events, go to Bluffton.com. The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

ENVIRONMENT

Lowcountry Maritime Forest:

On the Edge

If you have seen the Lowcountry from the waterways, you may have been audience to some remaining maritime forest. You By Amber Hester Kuehn may have been lucky enough to stand in the maritime forest if Photography by Marge Agin you looked toward the waterway. Have you ever noticed that in the natural areas of Beaufort County, all the trees and shrubs are the same mixture of species at the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge? That they are always green, even in the middle of winter?! These evergreen trees and shrubs develop waxy coatings on their leaves to resist wind carrying sand and salt spray. Their root system manages to hold firm and find nutrients in sandy soil. Trees common to the maritime forest are live oak, loblolly They may be shaped to accommodate a howling wind from pine, slash pine, cabbage palmetto, southern red cedar, and the ocean, or a gentle breeze near the protected waterway. The magnolia. Water oak, sweet gum, and laurel oak may also be tree canopy is dense and understory growth is comparatively found nearby. Instead of describing each individual tree, I am sparse, but nature does everything deliberately. Many of the going to concentrate on what they have in common. Their barrier islands have been developed, and the natural landscape purpose is to survive in a harsh environment, stabilize the barrier has been altered. Even before Beaufort County was a resort islands, and provide shelter and food for the wildlife living destination, much of the land was clear cut to be cultivated, so beneath their canopy. The tall trees grow side by side and interlock most of the present growth is secondary. By the way, if you see their branches for stability against prevailing winds. This density a bright red leaf on the bluff in the fall, it probably came from of branches provides a platform for travelers in the tree tops like Home Depot! squirrels, birds, lizards, spiders, and palmetto bugs. The strong

The Trees

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branches give nests the security that they need. Acorns falling to the floor are a food source from the live oak tree. Pine needles carpet the forest floor and the canopy keeps the overall temperature of the forest cooler. The shade provided is important for the wildlife when it is 100 degrees outside!

The Shrubs

Shrubs common to the maritime forest are American holly, wax myrtle or bayberry, yaupon holly, saw palmetto, and beauty berry. Since the tree canopy is so dense, little sunlight reaches the forest floor, and the shrubs are less likely to cover the ground. However, these shrubs are extremely hardy and provide safe spots for ground dwellers to hide. Some of the plants have protective qualities like the saw palmetto. Have you ever tried to grab one of those to move it out of the way? Ouch! Most of the shrubs mentioned produce berries that are a food source for raccoons, squirrels, deer, and birds foraging on the forest floor. The scientific name for yaupon holly is Ilex vomitoria, and the deer tend to leave that one alone for obvious reasons.

The Area

South Carolina has approximately 35 barrier islands and Georgia has about 15. Together, we are located in the South Atlantic Bight, a slight indentation landward. Due to a combination of this protected inlet and the substantial offshore distance of the Gulf Stream (70 miles away), we do not typically experience devastating tropical storms compared to other states on the eastern seaboard. A forest fire sparked by dry lightning would be more likely to impede this maritime forest. The the irony. Yes, they are overpopulated because we eradicated South Carolina Lowcountry maritime forest has an extensive big game predators (subject for later discussion). But, it gives range of approximately 145,000 acres,* but there is a threat to me hope that we may still have a hint of what is natural. If you this unique ecosystem. Waterfront property is prime and we have never seen a functioning maritime forest, I encourage are perilously developing the South Carolina maritime forest. you to visit Cumberland Island, GA. It is spectacular! If you are I think that it is important to remember that our impact is impressed, plant a couple of saw palmettos in your yard for a more detrimental to the barrier islands than we think. Some memento and you will be amazed at how well they take care developments have made efforts to preserve the natural of themselves! landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on Hilton Head, Sea Pines designates 605 acres to allow wildlife to remain on the south end of the island. I love to *Biological Technical Report 30. May 1995. Ecology of the Maritime Forests see the deer bounding through the dunes on early morning of the Southern Atlantic Coast: A Community Profile. U.S. Department of sea turtle patrol in front of the beachfront luxury homesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Interior

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

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74.4 75.3

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n/a n/a

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Sun City Golf Club 672 Cypress Hills Dr. (843) 705-4057

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22 bluffton.com

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The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

Discovering

By Jane Upshaw, PHD

lusters of women weave sweet grass baskets; young black men cast shrimp nets in the creeks of the May River and the Colleton; okra, shrimp, and rice cook up for a gumbo: these scenes are visible most days in the Lowcountry. These very same scenarios would have been around almost 400 years ago when the first Africans on American soil—the Gullah people—arrived on the Barrier Islands and remained in the region from Georgetown, South Carolina, to the northern border of Florida. Some historians say the Gullah people reach as far north as the North Carolina coast and include the barrier islands along the northern coast of Florida.

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Today, “Gullah” refers to the descendants of the people from the West African rice coast who were enslaved and brought over; it also refers to descendants of Blacks who settled in the coastal areas after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1862. Daughters of the Dust, produced by Julie Dash and Arthur Jafa, is a beautiful film that examines their arrival on Ibo Landing and explores the gradual transition between that culture and traditional European culture. The Legacy of Ibo Landing: Gullah Roots of African American Culture, edited by Marguetta L. Goodwine, is an exploration of the subject in written form.

traditionally been a culture that loves, worships, and praises God. Whether it was the Europeans’ God that was presented to them, and in some cases forced upon them, or their own God/s that came with them from Africa, their beliefs helped to preserve their sanity during the unendurable era of slavery and later during the more modern manifestations of racism. One of the traditions gradually dying out is the Praise Houses. God’s Gonna Trouble the Water is a video recording produced by South Carolina Educational Television that traces the history of Praise Houses in the Lowcountry, especially in Beaufort County.

The derivation of the word “Gullah” has been lost. However, a couple of explanations survive: it may be a shortened form of Angola, the region of Western Africa from which a large number of Africans were imported to the Sea Islands. Or it may be a version of the name of a specific Liberian group or tribe, called “Golas,” “Goras,” “Gulas,” “Golos,” among other variations. The term “Geechee” may be used to refer to Gullah people, specifically, some sources say, those who lived in the area of the Ogeechee River. Other sources consider it a term of derision. Theoretically, the Lowcountry islands were so isolated, they allowed for greater retention of cultural elements derived from the native African communities. These elements include language, foods and their preparation, music and the arts, religious practices, and spiritual beliefs. The various tribes of Africa did not speak the same languages. Add to that mix the language they heard upon their arrival to America. The Gullah language is a derivative of that mixture, with some elements of the West Indies thrown in. A few words are recognizable to contemporary speakers of English, but many words and phrases, as well as the sentence structure, is different from European language patterns. Margaret Washington Creel offers a thorough discussion of the language and its derivations in A Peculiar People: Slave Religion and Community Culture among the Gullah. In addition to language, a number of art forms are still practiced today. The sweet grass baskets have become treasured objects, which, utilitarian as well as beautiful, grace many tables and walls in Lowcountry homes. Some artisans continue to process indigo to use in their weavings for fabric that will end up in scarves, quilts, dresses, and shirts. Not only do descendants of native islanders weave beautiful fabrics, they also create and repair the shrimp nets that help provide a source of income as well as sustenance. The descendants who cast for shrimp in the local creeks perform this task with the same grace as the Alvin Ailey dancers. Preparation of foods is another art form that remains. To taste the food, read Sallie Ann Robinson’s cookbook Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way, co-written and with photographs by Greg Smith. While it contains some wonderful recipes, the book is filled with Ms. Robinson’s memories of her Gullah childhood on Daufuskie Island. Another good cookbook is The Ultimate Gullah Cookbook, by Jesse Edward Gantt, Jr., and Veronica Davis Gerald. Both books contain recipes that include original foods that crossed over from Africa: okra, yams, rice, peanuts, gumbos, and stews. Gullah spirituality has taken two forms. Gullah people have

The second form of spirituality has to do with the spirit world. On occasion, you will see a house with the wood around the windows and doors painted “haint” blue; this blue shade, according to superstition, keeps evil spirits out of the house. Roger Pinckney, a Beaufort native and currently a Daufuskie Island resident, addresses this and other beliefs in Blue Roots: AfricanAmerican Folk Magic of the Gullah People. African culture is vernacular, originally preserved and celebrated verbally and aurally. Rather than a written language, history, and heritage, the traditions were transmitted through song, dance, and story. The vernacular nature of the culture has reinforced the use of rhythm, inflection, and movement within these songs, stories, and dances. Marlena Smalls and The Hallelujah Singers demonstrate these elements. Listen to Ms. Smalls’ recording Heritage Not Hate: Discovering Gullah and Finding Myself or the CD Songs Uv Dee Gullah Pee’puls, by the Gullah Kinfolk. No discussion of Lowcountry Gullah is complete without a mention of Penn Center and Emory Campbell. Penn School was founded in 1862 on St. Helena Island as the first school for formerly enslaved blacks. After years as an institution for formal education, it became Penn Center in the mid-1950s. It has served as a community development center since that time and has become one of the most important sources for Gullah cultural legacies in the nation. In 1980, Emory Campbell became Executive Director and has worked tirelessly toward the preservation of the Gullah. His book Gullah Cultural Legacies: A Synopsis of Gullah Traditions, Customary Beliefs, Art Forms and Speech on Hilton Head Island and Vicinal Sea Islands in South Carolina and Georgia is a valuable aid in beginning to appreciate and recognize Gullah’s offerings to the Lowcountry. (Campbell is the now the director of Gullah Heritage Consulting Services based on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and he manages the Gullah Heritage Trail Tours on Hilton Head.) American political, social, and cultural foundations shifted through various upheavals between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and contemporary society. Some changes were as slow as the gradual wearing away of rocks and shells to make ocean sand; others were as violent as hurricanes and earthquakes, shattering the lives of those left in the wake. For the descendants of the Lowcountry Gullah people, one of the most positive changes has been a renewed interest in learning about and preserving Gullah heritage. The entire month of February is devoted to Gullah Celebration in this area. Take the time to attend one of the events. The history is rich, and your efforts will be rewarded. (Author’s note: The Bluffton Branch of the Beaufort Library has access to every source mentioned here, plus about 70 more.)

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26 bluffton.com

Send your selfies to Chierie@Bluffton.com

Your Corner

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

ARCHITECTURE

Out of the Ashes The Story of Cedar Bluff

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The story of Cedar Bluff begins on a still hot summer day in June of 1864. Federal steamers cruised up the May River from Hilton Head after disembarking a regiment around Buckingham Landing with orders to burn Bluffton to the ground. This act was in repayment for “The Bluffton Gang” having contributed to the start of the Secession movement with a meeting at the Secession Oak in 1844. When the bombardment began one of their first and easiest targets were houses on the riverfront. Cedar Bluff is adjacent to what is now The Oyster Factory on the west and Middle Cove, later renamed Huger Cove, to the east. The county records for that time were burned in Columbia, ironically, where they were taken for protection, so the best that can be surmised is that the house belonged to Richard Pope, from one of the founding families in Bluffton. The incendiary bombs from the steamer’s guns made short order of the home and it quickly burned down to the foundation.

Little is known about when the house was built, but in the book Plantations of the Carolina Low Country, we discovered multiple similarities between Cedar Bluff and The Grove Plantation, which was built on the Pon Pon River, near Edisto, by George Washington Morris in 1828. Looking at the floor plan, and having visited The Grove, one can see the similarities between the two. The unusual use of flanking polygonal rooms, as well as the front and rear porches, center hall and two double-sided fireplaces, all in the late Federal Period Plantation style, are akin to features of Cedar Bluff. Could it be that the plans for The Grove, now the headquarters for the Ace Basin National Wildlife Refuge, were used by the owner of Cedar Bluff? Fast forward to the 1890s, when Cedar Bluff was rebuilt on the same foundation with the same flanking bays, front and rear porches, fireplaces and a center hall. The home is a significant contributing structure in Bluffton, and during that time records show that the land was owned by Thomas R. Heyward and later Eugenia C. Heyward. The house has a storied and mysterious history. It was named for some period as Silver Leaf Lodge, after the shimmering leaves of the large cedar trees on the property. Some documents say it was a restaurant for a while during the early part of the 20th century. During the 1920s and the times of the prohibition, the home was owned by David Barrow, of an old Savannah family, and later in 1932 by Minnie B. Norman. It was known that Al Capone and his gang used the coves in Bluffton to offload rum from rum runners that had come from ships offshore. The second floor at Silver Leaf had a narrow staircase with a hatch door across the opening at the top, leading to one large open room with exposed rafters, and yet it had a finished pine floor. Why would you finish the floor and not have any rooms? Perhaps, Silver Leaf was not only a restaurant, but a speak-easy with a gambling hall on the second floor. The home was within walking distance of the town dock where the steamers from Savannah could have brought plenty of customers. Imagine the gay old times that could have taken place. I have found no one to deny this theory. As time passed, Silver Leaf fell upon a state of disrepair and senseless alterations occurred. These included the enclosure of the front porch, lowering the ceiling, poorlybuilt kitchen and bath, the addition of an aluminum carport, a poorly-constructed

outbuilding cottage and, at some point, aluminum siding was installed. But then, in 2013, Joe and Dianna Zokan wallked in. They had fallen in love with Bluffton, and were not intimidated by taking on the project to renovate Cedar Bluff, though many had run away before them. Somehow they had found their way from Wisconsin to Columbia and then to Old Town Bluffton, and purchased one of the last remaining unrestored historic homes on the May River. Joe opened a branch office of Northpoint Heating and Air in Bluffton, with the main office in Columbia, now run by his son. Along with Winston, their 135-pound puppy, a Bloodhound/Labrador mix, they moved into the rundown roach-infested outbuilding and began making plans. With the help of their designer, Scott Thomas as General Contractor and Mike Way, who was more than handy with all the wood and metal work that had to be done, they made their plans for the future. The Zokans were very-much involved every step of the way, and their personality is apparent in the finished home. The concept was to build a compound. The first building was a small onebedroom guest cottage. From the beginning they were determined to recycle everything they could. The design called for vaulted, wood ceilings with massive hand-hewn beams (not from the original house, as it had not been gutted at this point). The wainscot was repurposed from the old house’s green-patinated, metal roofing. Original glass doors and antique hear-of pine floor from the original house was incorporated into the design. A small kitchen and a luxurious bath, with a large glass shower and claw foot tub were built onsite. The vernacular cottage has a small side-entry porch and a larger porch facing the river, which one can enter via the living room’s French doors. The porch’s balustrade is filigreed after the Federal period, with clapboard siding and a metal frieze mimic

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

its metal roofing. The Zokans were ever-so-glad to tear down the outbuilding and move into the guest cottage, which is now the home of their daughter Kelsey and her prized painting of a large cow, entitled Bessie. The second structure in the compound was a twocar â&#x20AC;&#x153;dogtrotâ&#x20AC;? garage with a side shed. The dogtrot was enclosed with a brick floor and open-beam riser and an iron staircase to the floor above. The second floor was, again, finished with wood walls, vaulted ceilings and floors. A one-bedroom suite with another repurposed door, adorned with barndoor hardware, provides bath access. No kitchen, but a small juice bar and microwave sufficed for guests just fine. A triptych window facing the May River was built, as well as shed dormers on the front and rear, that provided more than ample light. Now the real work began. With Historic Preservation Commission approval, each step of the way, the original house was taken apart, piece by piece. All framing was left and sistered, but the interior and exterior wood was removed and reprocessed to be used later. To gain additional space for the mud room and master bath, the former front porch was rebuilt and enclosed with a combination of vertical tongueand-groove wainscot and clapboard

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siding. Remarkably, the floors were level and in good condition. The piers were restored and painted, windows were replaced in the same openings and the river side of the house was opened up with a multiple series of windows to capture the long river views. The staircase was rebuilt, the central hall kept and, for the most part, the original front and rear entry doors were intact and restored. The original second floor joists and floor above were cleaned and finished, and left exposed. The rear porch was

rebuilt and screened, and a hot tub was added for a moonlit dip. It even has steps for Winston to get in and out. Opening the center hall and a former bedroom on the east side provided room for a large kitchen and dining area. The Zokans brought in an Amish team to build the cabinets onsite. The original fireplace was replaced in the kitchen and living room with a pizza oven, made of repurposed brick. The ceiling of the polygonal bay was opened to the roof, and pine beams were reused as collar ties. Dianna selected an entire slab of stone that gives the appearance of oyster shells for the island in the kitchen, and the working surface of the counters have recycled heart-of-pine tops. You can’t miss the corner post accents that were parts from the turned porch columns and the open shelves above the counters that are aesthetically pleasing yet functional. The bay on the west side was converted into the master bedroom. An open ceiling with recycled wood above and the three windows allow for river views and wonderful light. There’s a beautiful painting above the bed that the Zokans found at the Art and Seafood Festival in Bluffton. Painted by Leo Hong Mao, the scene was ironically of the Wisconsin marina where the Zokans had spent their honeymoon—small world! The study, adjacent to the center hall, overlooks the river and is accessed from the master bedroom. The existing fireplace was repaired and the paint removed from the brick. The paintings on the wall of their two dogs, old Domino (who is gone) and Winston, and the painting in the living room of the old rickety dock were painted by their daughter-inlaw, Angela Hughes Zokan. And what of the second floor? The open space was converted into a large sitting and TV room with a river view through the double dormer. With the addition of a charming guest bedroom, large bath, and storage room where you will find a state-ofthe-art, high-efficiency air conditioning system, the “gambling hall” was transformed. The outside was fitted with fencing, a motor court, illuminating iron sculpture, a large rear brick terrace, complete with the mandatory oyster table. Even the dock got a facelift! Now, Cedar Bluff smiles again, ready for the next hundred years. It must be said that all those who participated with Joe and Dianna also felt that the work was a labor of love. They knew that Cedar Bluff was a very special place and the Zokans special people. They were committed to bringing her back to life for these caring owners who made each person who worked on the house feel like family. The Zokans are to be congratulated for bringing this storied, historic home back to life. It will be enjoyed by the family and friends who are lucky enough to visit.

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The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

Unforgettable Character By Andrew Peeples

veryone has an unforgettable character tucked away in his memory. Mine was an old Negro man named Dolphus Blake. He couldn’t read or write, but from him I learned more about some of the important things of life than from all of my college professors put together. Of course the things I learned from old Dolphus were not things one learns from textbooks. They were the intangibles that make a man what he is, things like patience, moderation, loyalty—things one never inherits or buys, but obtains simply by practicing them. I said that Dolphus couldn’t read or write. I hasten to amend that. With a great deal of effort he could write his name, which he learned to do after he was a grown man. “Nobody,” he said, “didn’t had no ‘scuse not to know he own name when he see ‘em.” The name he knew, however, was not Dolphus Blake, it was Edward Blake. Proudly he explained that his parents named him Edward. “Other people,” he said, “tack Dolphus on me when I a boy.” Dolphus had the true pride of an intelligent Gullah Negro. He looked with contempt upon bad-mannered people, young or old, white or colored. To him there were only two strata in human society. One was made up of people who were kind and considerate of their fellowmen. The other included everybody else, and Dolphus referred to them as “de common run of white and colored folks.”

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Dolphus Blake was born on Bull Island and lived there and on the nearby islands of Barataria and Hilton Head before he moved to Bluffton. He married a Hilton Head girl whom he called Blossom and they had two sons, both of whom were grown when I knew Dolphus.

A fisherman by nature and by necessity, Dolphus owned a homemade bateau. It leaked copiously and constant bailing was required to keep it afloat, and it couldn’t have been heavier if it had been built out of lead. But some of the most distinguished citizens of Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Columbia and other Georgia and South Carolina cities often endured and enjoyed a full day of fishing or hunting with Dolphus Blake in his clumsy craft. Dolphus was a commercial fisherman. His bateau with himself at the oars was for hire to anybody who wanted to fish or shoot ducks and marsh hens. His flexible fee was always “any ting you wanna gimme.” If he was grossly underpaid, as he often was by “de common run of white folks,” Dolphus remembered his face and voice, and the next time he called on Dolphus to take him in the river, Dolphus was “sick.” When Dolphus took a liking to someone, as he did to me, there was no fee for his services. “Some folks,” he said, “is good fuh money an’ some is good for comp’ny. You come under de headin’ of comp’ny.” I was honored to be considered a kindred spirit to a proud man like Dolphus Blake. For many wonderful years old Dolphus and I were often together, fishing, shooting ducks and marsh hens, and, best of all, just sitting in his boat talking quietly.

But is wasn’t altogether through the medium of talking that Dolphus was my teacher. In truth, he never knew or suspected that he was teaching me anything, except how to catch a fish or find a hiding marsh hen. I learned by observing and imitating the things in him I admired so much. No man on earth knew any better than Dolphus that “time and tide wait for no man.” Often his heavy bateau would be left high and dry and he would have to drag and push it through sand and mud and marsh grass before we could float it. When I complained that we were going to be too late to fish if we didn’t hurry and get the “d— old boat” in the water, Dolphus would stop dead in his tracks, straighten up to his full six feet, look me straight in the eye and say, “Cap, you young, an’ you gots to learn hurry ain’ get you nowhere cep de grave.” Once on a fishing trip Dolphus caught six bass before I hooked one. “I don’t understand it,” I grumbled. “We’re using the same bait and the same kind of rig.” “Yeah, Cap,” said Dolphus, us using de same bait, an’ de same rig, but us ain’t usin’ de same patience. You so hurry you jerk de hook out de fish mout’.” I caught the next strike.

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

It took me a long time to begin to learn what Dolphus knew about patience. I say begin, because I know that I shall have to keep on learning patience as long as I live. But through the years I have made a conscious practice, and I know that I have at least learned that “hurry ain’ go get you nowhere cep de grave.” In the days that I knew Dolphus, I had a zest for life that made me overdo a lot of things. I had to learn to work and play with moderation. In Dolphus Blake I found the very personification of that word. Dolphus was one of the healthiest men I’ve ever known. His endurance was incredible. But he never let his strength run away with him. He knew when to rest, and especially when to say,” No thank you, I got ‘nough.” By always staying on an even keel himself, my mentor taught me the folly of getting off balance. As for what I learned about loyalty from Dolphus I can best explain it by relating a little incident in his life. One day Dolphus and another colored man were hired to load a truck with cattle and haul them to Savannah. On the way, the truck was stopped and the two men were arrested and charged with stealing the cattle. They denied the charge, but refused to tell who hired them to load and haul the animals. They were locked up in a county jail and told they would remain there until they decided to talk. A tape recorder was concealed in the cell with the two men. The next morning when it was played back to them, Dolphus and his companion were shocked to hear their voices repeating the “private” conversation of the night before, with Dolphus

(above) Dolphus and a shovel-nose shark.

Illustrated by Jeff Persse 36 bluffton.com

(left) Dolphus caught the shark by the tail and flung it overboard, and almost instantly the wind and rain ceased.

naming the cattle thief, a white man well known in Bluffton. But in his unintentional betrayal, Dolphus had also recorded his loyalty. “Mr. M—— mighta steel dem cows,” his voice whispered from the speaker, “but a fine gentleman like him ain’ go lef ’ us in no jail fuh rot, and I ain’t tellin’ nothin’ if I stay heah till Jedgment Day.” Yes, it was easy to learn about loyalty from a man who felt that way about his friends.

... he things I learned from old Dolphus were not things one learns from textbooks... like patience, moderation, loyalty— things one never inherits or buys, but obtains simply by practicing them.

Dolphus had a deep reverence for God and nature. He believed that God wanted him to enjoy himself here on earth. But he also believed that the Almighty had put certain restrictions on man’s relations with other creatures.

Never again did I fish for a shark with Dolphus in the boat. I caught a few when he wasn’t along. But I must confess, not without a bit of trepidation in my heart and a watchful eye skyward for the first sign of a squall cloud. About two years before Dolphus Blake died, something happened in his family life that gave him a deep, long-lasting hurt. It was his secret pain, and until the very last he bore it alone.

At sight of me his eyes would still brighten as they had always done, but then he would lapse into an attitude of indifference toward all the things that once gave us so much pleasure together.

One time I was tempted to shoot a buzzard that kept circling low over our boat. Dolphus was horrified. “Cap,” he said, “don’t you never kill one dem bird. God put ‘em on dis eart’ to do a special job, an’ a man ain’ spose to had nothin’ to do wid ‘em.”

The last time I saw him, about two weeks before he died, we sat together on his upturned bateau and talked for a long time. He had been seriously ill in a hospital and seemed to know that his days were numbered. He said he would never be able to go fishing again. “But Cap,” he said, straightening up as best he could and looking me straight in the eye, “us had some good time together. Us meet again some day.”

“Well,” I said, “what’s he nosing into our business for?”

We will, too.

“Cap,” Dolphus said, “he ain’ nosin’ nothin’ but dem swimp up dey under the bow. I forget to take ‘em out de boat yestiddy an’ he done gone and an spile.” Another time, when we were fishing near the ocean where sharks were plentiful, I decided to have a little excitement. Dolphus watched me put a small fish on my hook. “Cap,” he begged, “please, suh, don’ bring no sha’k in dis boat. I knowed a man did once, an’ he drown in a squall ‘fore he get back home.” I laughed and went ahead and caught my shark, a six-foot shovel-nose, and Dolphus swore that something terrible was going to happen.

Editor’s note: This story has been reprinted by permission from Andrew Peeples’ daughter, Mildred Peeples Pemberton. Andrew’s brother, the composer Luke Peeples, was also impressed with Dolphus. One of Luke’s best songs is entitled Dolphus’ Lament. The Collected Works of Luke Peeples are now available in two volumes and can be found at local stores, at astarfell.com and thebookpatch.com.

Andrew Peeples

And so it did. While we were crossing Calibogue Sound on our way home, a squall swooped down from nowhere with all the fury of a full-blown hurricane, tossing our boat around on mountainous waves like a matchbox in a laundry tub. Dolphus caught the shark by the tail and flung it overboard, and almost instantly the wind and rain ceased. “See dey, Cap!” cried Dolphus. “Soon’s I give ‘em back to de water dem waves quiet right down! Don’t never bring no sha’k in no boat no mo’ long as us live!

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

FEBRUARY TIDES MON 1

H L H L

2:40 8:32 2:54 8:38

AM AM PM PM

THURS 11

L H L H

4:36 AM 11:02 AM 5:06 PM 11:22 PM

SUN 21

L H L H

1:34 8:01 2:06 8:26

AM AM PM PM

TUES 2

H L H L

3:33 9:33 3:47 9:38

AM AM PM PM

FRI 12

L H L

5:26 AM 11:54 AM 5:54 PM

MON 22

4:27 AM 10:34 AM 4:42 PM 10:37 PM

12:17 AM 6:19 AM 12:50 PM 6:46 PM

AM AM PM PM

H L H L

2:20 8:43 2:47 9:07

WED 3

SAT 13

L H L H

TUES 23

5:23 AM 11:30 AM 5:37 PM 11:34 PM

1:16 7:17 1:48 7:43

AM AM PM PM

H L H L

3:02 9:22 3:24 9:45

THURS 4

SUN 14

L H L H

WED 24

H L H

6:18 AM 12:23 PM 6:31 PM

H L H L

2:16 8:22 2:48 8:45

AM AM PM PM

3:42 AM 9:59 AM 3:59 PM 10:22 PM

FRI 5

MON 15

L H L H

THURS 25

SAT 6

L H L H

12:28 AM 7:09 AM 1:13 PM 7:22 PM

TUES 16

H L H L

3:17 9:31 3:50 9:51

AM AM PM PM

L H L H

4:19 AM 10:36 AM 4:32 PM 10:59 PM

FRI 26

SUN 7

L H L H

1:19 7:57 2:01 8:10

AM AM PM PM

WED 17

H L H L

4:20 AM 10:38 AM 4:52 PM 10:54 PM

L H L H

4:55 AM 11:14 AM 5:04 PM 11:37 PM

SAT 27

L H L

5:32 AM 11:53 AM 5:38 PM

MON 8

L H L H

AM AM PM PM

THURS 18

H L H L

12:18 AM 6:11 AM 12:35 PM 6:15 PM

L H L H

AM AM PM PM

FRI 19

H L H

5:22 AM 11:38 AM 5:54 PM 11:52 PM 6:21 AM 12:33 PM 6:51 PM

SUN 28

TUES 9

2:10 8:43 2:48 8:56 2: 5 9 9:28 3:34 9:43

MON 29

L H L H

3:47 AM 10:14 AM 4:20 PM 10:31 PM

L H L H

12:45 AM 7:14 AM 1:21 PM 7:41 PM

1:01 6:56 1:21 6:59

WED 10

SAT 20

H L H L

AM AM PM PM

Tide chart is calculated for the May River. Full Moon February 22.

www.HHBoathouse.net Hilton Head Boathouse Showroom: Hilton Head Boathouse: 843-681-2628 1498 Fording Island Road, Bluffton, SC 29910 405 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head Island, 29926

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CEDAR BLUFF 1890 BLUFFTON, SC

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

BLUFFTON’S

RESTAURANT GUIDE Cahill’s Chicken Kitchen** - Southern 1055 May River Rd. (843) 757-2921 Mon.-Wed.: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.: 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Brunch: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Choo Choo BBQ Xpress - BBQ, Pork, Ribs 129 Burnt Church Rd. (843) 815-PORK (7675) Tues.-Fri.: 6-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5:30-8 p.m. Sat.: 6 a.m.-7 p.m.

Corner Perk** - Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee The Promenade & May River Road (843) 816-5674 Tues.-Thurs.: 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday Brunch: 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

Latitude Wine Bar** - Wine, Tapas, Lunch 6 Promenade St. (843) 706-9463 Wed.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

May River Grill** - Seafood Contemporary Old Town Bluffton 1263 May River Rd. (843) 757-5755 Lunch Tue-Fri.: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Sat.: 5-9 p.m.

Pour Richard’s** - Contemporary 4376 Bluffton Pkwy. (843) 757-1999 Mon.-Sat.: 5:30-10p.m.

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Squat N’ Gobble** - American, Greek 1231 May River Rd. (843) 757-4242 Daily: 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Toomers Bluffton Seafood House**

27 Dr. Mellichamp Dr. (843) 757-0380 Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Village Pasta Shoppe** - Italian, Deli, Wine 10 B. Johnston Way (across from post office) (843) 540-2095 Tue-Fri.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Agave Sidebar

13 State Of Mind St. (843) 757-9190 Mon.-Thurs.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Bluffton BBQ - Barbeque, Pork, Ribs 11 State Of Mind St. (843) 757-7427 Wed.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-whenever

The Bluffton Room - Fine dining

15 Promenade St. (843) 757-3525 Tues.-Thurs.: 5-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.: 5-11 p.m. Closed Sunday & Monday

British Open Pub - Pub, Seafood, Steaks 1 Sherington Dr. #G, Sheridan Park

(843) 705-4005 Mon.-Sun.: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Brunch: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Sun.-Thurs.: 5-8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.: 5-9:30 p.m. Closed Monday

Buffalo’s - Contemporary

Neo - Gastropub - Farm To Table Fare

1 Village Park Square (843) 706-6630 Lunch Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Butcher’s Market and Deli - Deli 102 Buckwalter Pkwy. (843) 815-6328 Tues.-Sat.: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun.: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Captain Woody’s - Seafood, Sandwich, Salads 17 State Of Mind St., The Promenade (843) 757-6222 Daily: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Claude & Uli’s Bistro - French

1533 Fording Island Rd. #302, Moss Creek Village (843) 837-3336 Mon.-Sat.: lunch & dinner

Corks Wine Co. - Contemporary, Tapas

14 Promenade St. #306, The Promenade (843) 816-5168 Biz hours: Tues.-Sat. 5-12 p.m. Kitchen hours: Tues.-Wed. 5-10 p.m., Thurs.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.

Downtown Deli - Burgers, Sandwiches 27 Dr. Mellichamp Dr. (843) 815-5005 Mon.-Sat.: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Hinchey’s Chicago Bar & Grill - American 104 Buckwalter Place, Ste. 1A (843) 836-5959 Daily: 11 a.m.-2 a.m

Hogshead Kitchen - Contemporary 1555 Fording Island Rd. (843) 837-4647 Mon.-Sat.: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Closed Sunday

Inn At Palmetto Bluff - Continental

1 Village Park Square, Palmetto Bluff Village (843) 706-6500 Daily: 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Katie O’Donald’s - Irish, American

1008 Fording Island Rd. #B, Kitties Crossing (843) 815-5555 Daily: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Longhorn Steakhouse - American 1262 Fording Island Rd. (843) 705-7001 Sat.: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Fri.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Mulberry Street Trattoria - Italian 1476 Fording Island Rd. (843) 837-2426 Tue-Sat.: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5-10 p.m. Sun.: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Napoli Bistro Pizzeria & Wine Bar - Italian, Mediterranean 68 Bluffton Rd. (843) 706-9999

1533 Fording Island Rd. #326, Moss Creek Village (843) 837-5111 Mon.-Thurs.: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday: 5-9 p.m.

Okatie Ale House - American 25 William Pope Dr. (843) 706-2537 Mon.-Wed.: 11 a.m -9 p.m. Tues.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.: 12 a.m.-9 p.m.

Old Town Dispensary - Contemporary 15 Captains Cove, off Calhoun Street (843) 837-1893 Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday Brunch

Peaceful Henry’s and the Bluffton Cigar Bar

181 Bluffton Rd. (843) 757-0557 Store: Mon.-Thurs.: 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. & Sat.: 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun.: 12-5 p.m. Bar: Monday: 12-6 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.: 1-11 p.m., Fri. & Sat.: 1-1 a.m., Sun.: 1-11 p.m.

Pepper’s Old Town - American, Seafood 1255 May River Rd., Old Town Bluffton (843) 757-2522 Daily: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Redfish - Contemporary

32 Bruin Rd., Old Town Bluffton (843) 837-8888 Mon.-Sat.: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 4:30-10 p.m. Sun.: 10 a.m-2 p.m., 4-10 p.m.

Sigler’s Rotisserie & Seafood - Contemporary 12 Sheridan Park Circle (843) 815-5030 Mon.-Sat.: 4:30-9:30 p.m.

Southern Barrel Brewing Co. - American 375 Buckwalter Place Blvd. (843) 837-2337 Tues.-Thurs.: 2-9 p.m. Fri.: 2-11 p.m. Sat.: 11-11p.m., Sun.: 2-8 p.m.

Stooges Cafe - American 25 Sherington Dr. (843) 706-6178 Mon.-Fri.: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Cottage - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 38 Calhoun St. (843) 757-0508 Mon.-Sat.: 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-7:30 p.m. Sunday Brunch 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Vineyard 55 - Pizza, American 55 Calhoun St. (843) 757-9463 Daily 11:30 a.m.-Whenever

** See the ads in the Breeze for more info

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

MUSIC

HOW TO WRITE A

LoveSong By Jevon Daly

ow do you write a song? How ‘bout writing a song for a loved one? Let’s riff on this one. I am sure some of you are getting ready to turn the page. “I can’t write a song; heck, I can’t even PLAY AN INSTRUMENT JEVON!!!” Gotcha! But you CAN write a song. There, I said it. How do you start? Now that is a good question. I have written songs and listened to a ton of songs written and lemme tell you something. Everyone thinks they can write a love song, but this may be the trickiest kind of song to write. But why not? Forget the guitar lessons (though I could help you with that) and don’t buy that grand piano yet (pianos are bulky space-taker-uppers that don’t match anything in a house). I think if you just sat down with a pen and some paper and wrote a song-style poem, you might get lucky in more ways than one. When writing a song, we look for phrases that we have all heard before. Sure you can try to write a song like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” or use the word copacetic, but most of our favorite songs employ clichés owning the “hook” position in a song, like in “Hurts So Good” or “First Girl I Loved.” We have all heard these phrases or maybe even used them when talking to a lover. Songs like “Karma Chameleon” use trickier wording but make for great songs. Some of my favorite songs don’t mean anything special but SOUND really nice rolling off the tongue. I

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think looking for a phrase to start your verse or chorus is a good idea. Maybe your guy has a beautiful dad “bod.” There is a way to HIDE the bad and emphasize the GOOD about your beau. This is the beauty of song. You can also play on your strengths as a writer if you’re not the bomb diggity guitar strummer. I say write your phrase down and start singing it in your spare time, looking for a partner line for it. You MUST look at some of your favorite songs for ‘rip-off’ ideas. Guys like Paul Simon and Gene Simmons will gladly tell you they never invented anything. Steal, steal, steal. Rinse, repeat. See? There are some cute little tricks right there. Repeating a good idea is a nice way to drive your main idea home. You can overuse words like “yeah.” Let’s try it. She loves me. Now we will add the word “yeah”—she loves me yeah, yeah, yeah. Now repeat that three times and you might just have something. A lot of great writers use innuendos to make the serious LOVE song a little funny to bring in another emotion. Or maybe to give the “Mr. Serious Song Guy” a break. “Heaven’s On Fire” is a great song that uses this songwriting trick to a tee. It will bring you to your knees. Last but not least, be yourself when writing a song. If you aren’t funny, don’t try to be. And I suppose you could pay someone to write a song for your wife too. But be careful. She might fall in love with the other guy! JK … JD

The

Village

Pasta Shoppe

Delicious homemade Italian dishes ready to heat and serve.

Enjoy home-made Italian dishes without paying restaurant prices. Bring us your dish (or use ours) and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll fill it up with authentic Italian favorites like Lasagne, Chicken Parmesan, Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan and more. We also have Fresh Pasta and many hard to find Italian deli products.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like mom or grandma made it! 10B Johnston Way www.villagepastashoppe.com (opposite the Bluffton Post office) 843.540.2095

Tue - Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat 10am - 4pm The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

OVER

the

BRIDGES

February Events in Bluffton, Beaufort, Hilton Head & Savannah BLUFFTON: February 2: “Spiritual Songs: A History of the Negro Spiritual” at the Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way, featuring an interactive multimedia performance with Dr. Naima Johnston-Bush at 3 p.m. Contact Armistead Reasoner at (843) 255-6512, areasoner@bcgov.net or go to beaufortcountylibrary.org. February 7: SOBA Gallery, 6 Church St., presents “Upwardly Wall-Bile” by Mark Larkin Reception, from 3-5 p.m. to showcase brilliantly colored sculptures with moving parts. This exhibition will be in the SOBA Gallery from February 2-March 6. (843) 757-6586 or sobagallery.com. February 12: Old Town Bluffton Winter Art Walk from 3-7 p.m. featuring 10 galleries with over 300 artists’ work on Calhoun Street. oldtownbluffton.com. February 19: My Lowcountry Sketchbook by Doug Corkern at Four Corners Gallery, 1263 May River Rd. from 4-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. (843) 757-8185 or fourcornersgallerybluffton.com. February 19-March 6: The May River Theatre Company presents “Smoke on the Mountain” at 8 p.m. on February 19, 20, 26, 27, March 4 & 5 with matinee performances at 3 p.m. on February 21, 28 & March 6. Tickets are $25 and Reserved Seating can be purchased by calling the theatre

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Box Office starting February 8 at (843) 815-5581. Ulmer Auditorium (in Bluffton Town Hall at the corner of Pritchard & Bridge Streets in Old Town Bluffton).

BEAUFORT: February 10-14: The 10th annual Beaufort International Film Festival will showcase 40 independent films chosen from nearly 700 entries worldwide. Individual films are $6 each, the Unlimited Film Pass is $115 (BFS members) & $150 (non members), Daily Film Passes are available Thursday-Saturday for $40 (BFS members) & $50 (non members). (843) 522-3196 or beaufortfilmfestival.com. February 17: Lunch with Author Johnathan Barrett at Sea Pines Country Club, 30 Governors Rd., at noon. Tickets are $42. (843) 521-4100 or uscbcenterforthearts.com. February 25 & 28: Romantic Virtuosi with Soloist Tamas Kocsis at Sea Island Presbyterian Church, 81 Ladys Island Dr., Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $40 for adults and $15 for students. (843) 812-0183 or beaufortorchestra.org. February 26: Happy Birthday Mr. Sinatra at USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. (843) 521-4100 or uscbcenterforthearts.com.

February 26 & 27: Bands, Brews & BBQ is a cookoff event featuring live music by The Cluster Shucks and Cranford Hollow on Paris Avenue from 6-9 p.m. on Friday and 12-4 p.m. on Saturday. Advance tickets are $10 for adults & $5 for children. At the door, tickets are $15 for adults & $5 for children. (843) 525-6257 or friendsofcarolinehospice.org.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND: February 1: Richard Strauss’ Tod Und Verklärung and Beethoven’s 8th with Conductor John Morris Russell and Violinist Paul Huang at the First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Pkwy. at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30-$55. (843) 842-2055 or hhso.org. February 1-31: The 20th Annual Gullah Celebration showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Gullah people with a variety of events on weekends in February. (843) 255-7304, info@gullahcelebration.com or gullahcelebration.com. February 8-14: The Low Country Classic Mid-Atlantic Bridge Conference Regional Tournament at the Marriott Resort and Spa, 1 Hotel Circle. The tournament costs $11 for each session, but no pre-registration is required. Call Lowry Miller at (843) 757-4505. February 13: The 2016 Hilton Head Island Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K on Saturday at 8 a.m. at Jarvis Creek Park. Registration ranges from $30-$110. bearfootsports.com. February 14 & 15: Valentine Romance with Conductor John Morris Russell and Violinist Goeun Melody Sim, first prize winner of the 2015 HHSO Youth Concerto Competition. at the First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Pkwy. 4 p.m. matinee on Sunday and 8 p.m. on Monday. Tickets are $30-$55. (843) 842-2055 or hhso.org. February 18: Cooks & Books 10th Anniversary Gala from 6-9 p.m. at TidePointe, 700 TidePointe Way. (843) 815-6616 or theliteracycenter.org. February 20: The Island Recreation Center presents their first-ever daddy daughter dance, “A Night Under the Stars,” at the pavilion at Shelter Cove Community Park, 39 Shelter Cove Ln. Pre-sale tickets are $20 per couple & $10 for each additional child and tickets at the door are $25 per couple & $10 for each additional child. (843) 681-7273 or islandreccenter.org. February 28: Cooks & Books Sunday Celebration at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa, 1 Hotel Circle, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (843) 815-6616 or theliteracycenter.org. March 5: The Hilton Head Shore Notes present “The Magic of Broadway” at 7 p.m. at the Seahawk Cultural Center at Hilton Head High School, 70 Wilborn Rd. Tickets are $20 and available at Burke’s Pharmacy, Pretty Papers, Markel’s and online. Contact Barbara at (843) 705-6852, hhshorenotes@gmail.com or go to hiltonheadshorenotes.com.

SAVANNAH: February 5-6: Critz Tybee Run Fest on Tybee Island! 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, 2.8 Mile Beach Run and 1 Mile Run. To register, go to critztybeerun.com. February 5-28: The Historic Savannah Theatre, 222 Bull St., presents "Broadway on Bull Street." Call for show times. $37 adults, $18 children. (912) 233-7764 or savannahtheatre.com. February 11-14: The 2016 Savannah Book Festival will be held in locations in and around Telfair, Wright and Chippewa Squares in Savannah’s Historic District, bringing in renowned authors for all kinds of events throughout the week. Contact Executive Director Robin Gold at (912) 598-4040 or info@savannahbookfestival.org or go to savannahbookfestival.org. February 12-14: The Historic Savannah Theatre, 222 Bull St., presents "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!" $37 adults. Not recommended for under 14. (912) 2337764 or savannahtheatre.com. February 13: The Trustees Gala is the Georgia Historical Society’s premiere annual event and the culmination of the Georgia History Festival. This year’s theme is “Dare to Dream.” Reservations required. 7-11:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 2 W. Bay St. (912) 651-2125 ext. 120 or georgiahistoryfestival.org. February 14: Renewal of Vows Ceremony in City Market, held outside in the courtyard, weather permitting. Info@savannahcitymarket.com. February 14: Valentine’s Day Weddings in the Davenport House Garden, 324 E. State St., 5-7 p.m. Ceremonies will be offered every 10 minutes. Confirmed reservations are highly recommended. $100 donation to the museum. (912) 236-8097 or davenporthousemuseum.org. February 21: 2016 Premier Wedding Expo will host 100 wedding vendors representing over 17 different wedding categories at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, 1 International Dr. premierbrideexpo.com. February 27: The Seacrest Partners Race for Preservation is the perfect way to see Savannah with 10K and 5K courses that wind their way through the Historic District. Starts 8 a.m. in Forsyth Park. Registration ranges from $25-$45. Contact Frances Colon at fcolon@myHSF.org or go to fleetfeetsavannah.com. February 27: The Coastal Empire Beekeepers Association (CEBA) will present a FUNdamentals of Beekeeping at Oatland Island Wildlife Center, which will feature a silent auction, raffles, and some give-a-way prizes randomly selected. Ages 12 and up. 8 a.m-4 p.m. $45 per person. Contact Greg at (912) 704-3160 or Annie at (912) 395-1509 or go to oatlandisland.org.

The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

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The Breeze FEBRUARY 2016

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