Beaufort October November 2016 by JDelSUR Marketing Group

B EAUFORT, P ORT R OYAL A ND T HE S EA I SLANDS

Pat Denkler Beaufortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Own Aviatrix

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CONTRIBUTORS

Cindy Reid

Mary Ellen Thompson

Cindy Reid has been published in About Town, skirt!, Salon.com and The Coastal Mariner. A graduate of Mills College in Oakland, CA, she spent most of her career working with authors in the retail book business before becoming one herself. She has a daughter who lives in the state of Washington. A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, she now makes her home on St. Helena Island.

Mary Ellen Thompson has never met a train, boat or plane that she didn’t like ~ they represent travel and adventures, two of her most favorite things. Having started life on Philadelphia’s Main Line, she’s lived in houses and on boats on the Chesapeake Bay, New York, Florida, England, France, and now Beaufort. When she travels she find the most secret locavore restaurants, the best dive bars, and the most charming little hotels. When Mary Ellen’s at home, she loves being with her friends, entertaining, listening to the marsh, and her silly cats. Best of all, she loves her son in Denver, her daughter in New York, and her great friend and editor, Meredith, in PA.

Susan Deloach Susan Deloach was born Susan Bessinger in Beaufort, where she still resides with her husband, Larry, and sons Hudson and Tucker. Susan has a gift for capturing the personality and unique essence of her subject whether on location or in the studio. Her portraits are as diverse as the personalities of the people she photographs - some are edgy, some joyful, but all have one thing in common: the sensitive, skilled and thoughtful approach of the artist behind the camera.

John Wollwerth

John Wollwerth is a photographer raised in New York, now living in Beaufort. He specializes in wedding and commercial photography, with additional background in portrait and stock photography. His work has appeared in such publications as The Washington Post, the Minneapolis Tribune, Coastal Living and South Carolina Homes and Gardens. John is involved with the Photography Club of Beaufort and the Professional Photographer of South Carolina. He lives with his wife and three children.

Paul Nurnberg Paul Nurnberg, whose studio is in Beaufort, SC, specializes in architectural and lifestyle advertising photography. He photographs a variety of subjects including people, products, food, nature and travel for ad agencies, large corporations and magazines. Local clients include, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, The Vegetable Kingdom and Swanky J Boutique. Other clients include JCB, (UK/Savannah), Johnson Matthey, Parker’s Markets and StertilKoni. Paul also teaches photography and camera classes and one on one lessons to individuals. He just finished a two-year term as president of the SC chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers

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Write to us and tell us what you think. Beaufort Lifestyle welcomes all letters to the publisher. Please send all letters via email to Julie Hales at julie@idpmagazines.com. Letters to the editor must have a phone number and name of contact. Phone numbers will not be published.

Kim Poovey Kim Poovey is an author and historic reenactress specializing in the Victorian era. Her novel, Truer Words, is a work of historic fiction set in the Lowcountry of SC during the 19th century. Her lifelong love of horses led to a BA degree from Virginia Intermont College where she was a winning member of the equestrian team. Kim lives with her husband, three dogs, and a cat in Beaufort.

Carol Lauvray

Carol Lauvray relocated from Ohio to Beaufort in 2011 to enjoy the pristine coastal beauty of the Lowcountry and this friendly, welcoming community. In Beaufort, Carol’s found more than a home--she’s found the ideal place to pursue her passions for history and writing. She became a docent for the Beaufort History Museum in 2013 and now serves as the President of the Museum’s Board of Directors. Carol has more than 20 years of experience in writing marketing communications and holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Communication from Ohio University. Her daughter Cristin and son-in-law Kevin live near Columbus, Ohio.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

Beaufort Lifestyle welcomes story ideas from our readers. If you have a story idea, or photo essay you would like to share, please submit ideas and material by emailing Julie Hales at julie@idpmagazines.com. Stories or ideas for stories must be submitted by email. Only feature stories and photo essays about people, places or things in Beaufort, Port Royal or the Sea Islands will be considered.

www.beaufortlifestyle.com 04 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

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CONTENTS

October/November 2016

features

08 Pat Denkler Beaufort’s Own Aviatrix

16 Living Lindsey Roburg A Life She Loves 22 The Grace & Grit Kelli Bright Burke Story 28 AKnee Deep In Tomatoes Family Tradition on Saint Helena Island

33 Pat Conroy Literary Festival 40 AFrank Roberts Passion For Cultivating Oysters

departments

07 Publisher’s Thoughts 43 Dining Feature

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P U B L I S H E R ’ S Thoughts

Seven Years Already??? Julie Hales owner/publisher julie@idpmagazines.com Jeff Whitten editor jeff@idpmagazines.com Lane Gallegos graphic design lane@idpmagazines.com Lea Allen administrative assistant/circulation lea@idpmagazines.com Marsha Stewart account executive marsha@idpmagazines.com

Beaufort Lifestyle is proudly produced by:

One Beaufort Town Center 2015 Boundary Street, Suite 221 Beaufort, SC 29902 (843) 379-8696

CIRCULATION: Beaufort Lifestyle is publlished bi-monthly (six issues a year), printing 15,000 copies and distributed to over 200 locations. Reproduction in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

One of the things I learned while working on this issue, our SEVEN YEAR anniversary issue, is I truly love what I do. It’s a true pleasure in life to really enjoy what you do to make a living. I really didn’t just learn this...I have always enjoyed my job. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. But, sometimes the daily routines and struggles of running your own business sometime get in the way and you need a jump start to get back in gear...a rejuvenation of sorts. Well, this issue certainly gave me the kick in the butt I needed to remind me how blessed I am. It is amazing to have such wonderful people for us to feature....and all in one issue. There isn’t a bad story here ladies and gentleman....not even close! (Not that we have ever done a bad story...of course we haven’t.) One of the most difficult tasks of my job sometimes Julie Hales, PUBLISHER is deciding who to put on the cover! Picking a cover story for this issue is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in the last seven years. It was tough! We have so many great stories this time....from people moving up the ladder of success... to the greatest of inspirations... to the people harvesting our local waters...there isn’t a story in this issue not worthy of the cover. But, we have to have one. So, the choice was made. Pat Denkler is an amazing woman....strong, professional, very successful....and embodied with southern charm. And, Pat sure has some stories to tell. The first time I met Pat, I was impressed. She had called and asked to meet with me about one of the many charitable events she was working on at the time. Only a few brief moments into our meeting, I knew this lady was much more than someone looking for the help of Beaufort Lifestyle. I knew she had a story. And I wanted to hear it. So, I wanted to share that story with our readers...I hope you are as amazed as me. Thanks Pat...and Lindsey...and Kelly...and Cassandra...and Ellen...and Frank....the entire Sanders family....and everyone we have ever featured in Beaufort Lifestyle.....for giving me a kick in the butt, for inspiring me to continue to do what I do. And a special thanks to the people who make it all happen...Lane Leopard, our graphic designer, Lea Allen, our Administrative Assistant and the lady in charge of making sure you get your copy of Beaufort Lifestyle to read, Marsha Stewart, Account Executive, our amazing writers, Mary Ellen Thompson, Cindy Reid, Carol Lauvray and Kim Poovey, and our very talented photographers, Paul Nurnberg, John Wolllwerth and Susan DeLoach. This Beaufort Lifestyle team deserves a huge round of applause. They are awesome... they are truly professional in every sense of the word. Our last seven years of creating Beaufort Lifestyle have been some of the happiest years of my life. I am so glad I discovered this beautiful, quaint town of Beaufort, South Carolina. But, more importantly, I am glad I got to meet and work with such an amazing group....I love you guys! Here’s to the next seven years! B EAUFORT, P ORT R OYAL A ND T HE S EA I SLANDS

ABOUT THE COVER Read all about Beaufort’s Patricia Denkler. This retired Navy pilot turned international captain for Delta Air Lines, is a trailblazer and most certainly an inspiration!

Pat Denkler Beaufort’s Own Aviatrix

Photo by John Wollwerth ue

Iss y sar 16 er 0 niv er 2 An emb r v a o Ye er/N b n ve Octo Se

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

Beaufort’s Own

Aviatrix story by mary ellen thompson

n the wall of her study, there is a show-stopping photograph of Pat Denkler from that time in her career when she became the first woman to land a jet on the aircraft carrier. In 1981, she flew a TA-4J aboard the USS Lexington. In the photograph, her expression is confident and accomplished; this was one of those extraordinarily moments where her great courage and beauty intertwined on exactly the same pivot. The following year, she became the first woman to land a fleet combat aircraft,

photography by john wollwerth

the A6E Intruder on a carrier. Eager to get to the point of her story, in her very no-nonsense way, Pat breezes through the early years. Her father was a Navy pilot and retired in Pensacola when she was young. After leaving to attend college, she returned to Pensacola to complete her degree in English at the University of West Florida. During this time she met someone who offered to take her flying at a grass air strip; this is when her life changed forever. It was perhaps the biggest of the doors that would continually open up for her, “For the first time in my

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life, I felt a sense of peace and I knew that I would always fly,” she recalls. Shortly afterward, Pat became a coowner of her first plane, a 1946 Aeronca Champ. “I didn’t know anything about the mechanical aspects of an airplane and I wanted to learn. So I moved to Daytona Beach FL, and attended Embry-Riddle to obtain an Airframe and Powerplant license; I kept the Champ at an airport in St. Augustine. “I had several Navy pilot friends stationed in John McCain’s squadron in Jacksonville and I frequently attended

squadron functions.” At one of those events, Commander McCain encouraged her to apply to the Navy Flight Program which had started accepting women in 1973. “He even let me sit in an A-7 where he started the Auxiliary Power Unit so that I could see all of the ‘gee-whiz’ instrumentation!” Pat applied to Aviation Officer Candidate School and was accepted for the October 1977 class. At that time, approximately fifteen women were selected per year. “Obviously I chose the Navy and left my A&P schooling

behind! Most of the women selected for AOCS (think Officer and a Gentleman) were strong athletes, which was most important in the ‘acceptance-factor’ with our male counterparts. In my particular class, there were only two women in the class of twenty-five. In preparation for entering boot camp, I ran three miles in the sand daily to build up extra strength and endurance. I am proud to say that I literally ‘carried my own weight’!” Although women were first accepted into the Navy Flight Program in 1973, few had become qualified to fly jet aircraft,

and none had become qualified to land on a carrier. Pat explains, “There are three pipelines for a pilot to earn their wings: helicopters, propellers, and jets. Women at that time could not get their wings in jets, and could only fly jets after receiving their wings through a jet-transition syllabus, which did not include flying the T-2 Buckeye before flying the TA-4J. Although few women had preceded me in flying jets, their syllabus did not include, among other qualifications, carrier qualifying.” Pat is quick to acknowledge that without the leadership and perseverance of those

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

women, she would not have had the opportunities that were presented to her. “When I flew the TA-4J aboard the carrier, not even the Commanding Officer of the USS Lexington was aware that I was a female! Only after one of my first ‘traps’ did a deck crewman notice my ponytail and, with hand gestures, asked if I was a woman. The Air Boss then asked me if Pat was short for Patrick or Patricia. When I confirmed the latter, he congratulated me and told me to ‘keep up the good work’. A personal commendatory letter followed. “Subsequently,” Pat says, “when I met the Chief of Naval Air Training, I asked if I could talk with him pilot to pilot and not Lieutenant JG to Admiral. When he responded in the affirmative, I proceeded to describe the abbreviated jet transition syllabus I received and that the training did not include the T-2 Buckeye normally used to introduce pilots to jet aviation. As a result, Admiral Martin became very influential in making the decision to allow women to earn their wings through the jet pipeline, thus allowing them to train exactly as their male counterparts.” Pat’s final assignment of active duty

was when she flew the EA-6A, which, she explains is “a specially configured aircraft to provide a realistic electronic warfare environment for fleet exercises. Among many of the roles was simulating a ‘missile profile’ so that a carrier could assess its detection capabilities.” “Flying taildraggers and open cockpit aircraft was my heartbeat, but the single best professional decision I ever made was joining the Navy. There are absolutely no words to describe the camaraderie and the patriotic feelings associated with serving one’s country!” After leaving active duty, Pat joined a reserve squadron in Norfolk VA, with the intent of applying to the College of William and Mary to study international relations. But again her plans to continue her education took a sharp turn in a different direction. Many of her friends were airline pilots and encouraged her to consider doing the same. Another door was about to open; she applied to and was accepted by Delta Air Lines, with whom she has flown for over three decades. “I have been with the airline for 31 years; as a 767ER international captain I

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am senior enough to be able to choose the three to four international trips I fly each month. I love flying internationally. It’s been a great job and there is so much to be grateful for! “Working for the airline was the second best decision I ever made. It has allowed me to live two lives; when you’re not at work, you’re not at work. Because I could live anywhere I want to live, I came to Beaufort in 1988. Among other things, what this place has really given me is a chance to be a viable part of the community.” Pat’s involvement with local organizations is legendary and the list is lengthy. Some of those closest to her heart are the AMIkids Beaufort, Beaufort County Open Land Trust, USCB Center for the Arts, Pat Conroy at 70, and the Pat Conroy Literary Center. “I’ve made my choices because I believe that when a door opens, go through it - see what’s on the other side. There will be no more repeating anything I’ve already done. I’ve recently sold my J3 Piper Cub to a great guy. Obviously it was a bittersweet decision because I’ve had several different

“I’ve made my choices because I believe that when a door opens, go through it - see what’s on the other side. There will be no more repeating anything I’ve already done.”

aircraft over the past forty years. My husband, Mike Harris, and I recently bought a sailboat and we are learning to sail; we are as happy as five year olds playing while we are learning. The sea is my new sky.” When not flying either the skies or seas, Pat loves being a homebody and it’s easy to see that her home is her oasis. Mike’s hobby is photography and his striking photographs line the hallway, all taken in black and white with old German cameras. “I love my home, my collections, and my antique furniture which is mostly pre-civil war except for the upholstered pieces.” For a woman who has traveled the globe, set records, and has so many fearless achievements to her credit, it’s the little things that are near to her heart. With a gentle touch, Pat gets up in the morning and cuts fresh flowers for every room in the house. Then she works at her desk until about noon when she ventures out into the bigger world. “Home is real important to me. As are my books, I love my books! Some of my lifetime favorites are The Little Prince, Gift From the Sea, The Fountainhead, and For Those I Loved. I also journal, and have since I was eight; I only write with real pencils.” She laughs as she confides, “I found one I like and bought a hundred like it. I use them to make all my own greeting cards,” she says with obvious enjoyment. Pat Denkler is one of those rare people who knows exactly who she is, and fully understands what is important to her. Those people and organizations with whom she is involved, are very blessed. www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

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Beaufort Memorial Partners with MUSC Health

New affiliation offers community specialized care close to home

n n paper, paper, it’s it’s an an agreement agreement only only an an attorney attorney could could appreciate. But Beaufort Memorial’s recent affiliation affiliation appreciate. But Beaufort Memorial’s recent with the Medical University of South Carolina Health with the Medical University of South Carolina Health System (MUSC Health) is proving to be a boon System (MUSC Health) is proving to be a boon for for the the community. community. Because of its new partnership with the Charleston-based Because of its new partnership with the Charleston-based academic medical facility -- that includes the expertise of academic medical facility -- that includes the expertise of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center -- the Beaufort Memorial the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center -- the Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center is able to offer qualifying patients the Keyserling Cancer Center is able to offer qualifying patients the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials sponsored opportunity to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, among them one of the most by the National Cancer Institute, among them one of the most promising treatment approaches being studied today. promising treatment approaches being studied today. The hospital’s Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit The hospital’s Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit physicians also are taking full advantage of MUSC Health Center physicians also are taking full advantage of MUSC Health Center for Telehealth’s Stroke and Pediatric Emergency Telemedicine for Telehealth’s Strokelife-saving and Pediatric programs, expediting careEmergency to patients.Telemedicine programs, expediting life-saving care to patients. “It only makes sense to build a stronger relationship with the “It only makes sense to build a stronger relationship with tertiary medical center where many local patients already go the for tertiary medical center where many local patients already go for specialty care not available in Beaufort,” said Russell Baxley, specialty Beaufort,” said Russelland Baxley, who took care overnot thisavailable month asinthe hospital’s president CEO. who took over this month as the hospital’s president and “By collaborating with MUSC, we’re able to offer patients CEO. greater “By to collaborating MUSC, we’re able to offer patients access the medicalwith center’s highly specialized services, in some greater access medical center’s highly specialized services, cases right heretoatthe home.” in some cases right here at home.” CUTTING-EDGE CANCER CARE CUTTING-EDGE CANCER CARE There are currently 30 clinical trials open to BMH. As of the There are currently 30 clinical trials open to As of the first of September, 22 patients were enrolled in BMH. the national first of September, 22 patients were enrolled in the national studies, focusing on locally prevalent cancers such as lymphoma studies, focusing on locally cancers such as lymphoma and breast, lung, colon and prevalent prostate cancers. and“These breast,clinical lung, colon and prostate cancers. studies are at the forefront of cancer care,” “These clinical studies are atdirector the forefront of cancer care,” said said Dr. Majd Chahin, medical of Beaufort Memorial Dr. Majd Chahin, directorinvestigator of Beaufortfor Memorial Oncology Servicesmedical and principal the localOncology trials. Services and for principal investigator for the local trials.have any “If it weren’t these trials, some patients wouldn’t “If it weren’t trials, some patients wouldn’t have any other optionsfor forthese treatment.” other options treatment.” Among the for most important trial open to BMH cancer Among important trialfor open to BMH cancer patients patients is the the most Molecular Analysis Therapy Choice, also is the Molecular Analysis Choice,italso known as known as MATCH. Now infor itsTherapy second phase, is studying how MATCH. Now in its second phase, testing it is studying well well treatment directed by genetic works how in patients treatment directed genetic worksthat in patients with with advanced solidby tumors ortesting lymphomas are no longer responding to standard therapy. advanced solid tumors or lymphomas that are no longer Qualifying be treated with drugs or drug responding topatients standardwill therapy. combinations that target in their tumor Qualifying patients willthe bespecific treated gene with mutation drugs or drug rather than thethat organ sitethe of the cancer. combinations target specific gene mutation in their “It’srather really groundbreaking,” BMH Oncology Services tumor than the organ sitesaid of the cancer. Director Connie Duke. “It’s going to be oneOncology of the largest clinical “It’s really groundbreaking,” said BMH Services trials ever undertaken in the U.S.” Director Connie Duke. “It’s going to be one of the largest clinical MUSC Center offers the community trials everHealth undertaken infor theTelehealth U.S.” another invaluable service. Using mobile technology, Beaufort Memorial ED and ICU physicians are able to consult with MUSC TELEMEDICINE TECHNOLOGY Children’s HealthCenter pediatric wellthe as its stroke MUSC Health for specialists, Telehealth as offers community experts, 24/7. another invaluable service. Using mobile technology, Beaufort Using a ED telemedicine cart equipped withtoanconsult oversized Memorial and ICU physicians are able withcomputer MUSC screen and remotely adjustable video camera, MUSC specialists Children’s Health pediatric specialists, as well as its stroke can virtually experts, 24/7.examine BMH patients, review imaging studies, and provide a Using adiagnosis. telemedicine cart equipped with an oversized “Special situations require specialized and this program computer screen and remotely adjustablehelp video camera, MUSC provides that,” said Dr. David McSwain, MUSC’sreview director of specialists can virtually examine BMH patients, imaging Inpatient andprovide Emergency Teleconsultations. “We’re right there on studies, and a diagnosis. screen just as though we’re in the room.” ifestyle 14 October/November 2016 | Beaufort LifestyLe

The availability of cutting edge clinical trials at the Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center is one of several benefits the hospital’s new affiliation with MUSC will offer the community.

The availability of leading edge clinical trials at the Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center is one of several benefits the hospital’s new affiliation with MUSC will offer the community.

“Special situations require specialized help and this program provides that,” said Dr. David McSwain, MUSC’s director of Inpatient and Emergency Teleconsultations. “We’re right there on screen just as though we’re in the room.” In the first eight months of this year alone, Beaufort Memorial doctors have had 87 stroke consultations through the telemedicine program. On-demand access to a neurologist is especially important with strokes to expedite treatment and reduce the chance of brain damage and complications. Using mobile technology, Beaufort Emergeny and ICU ButMemorial as with most treatments, physicians are able to consultthere with are MUSC pediatric and risks associated stroke with specialists 24/7. administering tPA, the only FDAapproved clot-busting medication for ischemic strokes. TELEMEDICINE TECHNOLOGY “It can unintentional In the first eight months of this yearcause alone, Beaufort Memorial doctors have hadbleeding,” 87 stroke consultations through said Dr. Stephen Larson, the telemedicine program. On-demand access to a of neurologist BMH medical director Emergency is especially important withMedicine. strokes to“It’s expedite treatmentdecision. and a complicated reduce the chance of brain damage complications. It’s nice and to have a stroke neurologist But as with most treatments, there arethe risks associated actually view patient and with administering tPA, theprovide only FDA-approved clot-busting us with a second opinion. medication for ischemic strokes. It frequently results in a quicker “It can cause unintentional bleeding,” Dr. Stephen Larson, delivery of thesaid medicine.” BMH medical director of Emergency Medicine. “It’sguidelines, a complicated According to current decision. It’s nice to have a stroke neurologist actually view tPA should be started within 60 the Using mobile technology, patient and provide us with a second opinion. It frequently minutes of a patient’s arrival in results BMH Emergency and ICU in a quicker delivery of the medicine.” the hospital. Since joining the physicians are able to According to current guidelines, tPA shouldnetwork, be started within MUSC Telestroke BMH consult with MUSC 60 minutes of a patient’s arrival in the hospital. Since joining has consistently outperformed thethe pediatric and stroke MUSC Telestroke network, BMH has consistently outperformed specialists 24/7. 60-minute door-to-needle goal, the 60-minute door-to-needle goal, most recently averaging 45 most recently averaging 45 minutes. minutes. “That’s huge when you think of how many brain cells we “That’s huge when you Coordinator think of howSheri manyO’Brien. brain cells we saved,” said BMH Stroke “Each saved,” BMHisStroke Coordinator O’Brien. minute said the brain deprived of oxygen,Sheri a patient can “Each lose 1.9 minute brain is deprived of oxygen, a patient can lose 1.9 million the neurons.” million neurons.”

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Lindsay Roberg

Living A Life She Loves story by carol lauvray

photography by paul nurnberg

owcountry Roots Lindsay Roberg has two things in common with a lot of the folks in Beaufort—her family’s military roots and her love for the Lowcountry’s pristine waterways and its rich and diverse ecosystem. When Lindsay was just two years old living in Carbondale, Illinois, her dad joined the Marine Corps. As a military kid, she moved with her family first to California, then to Arizona, and on to Beaufort for three years before moving to Fargo, North Dakota. Finally, when she was 15, Lindsay’s family moved back to Beaufort. Lindsay graduated from high school here in Beaufort in 2001 and then studied Biology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB). While still in college, in 2003 she began working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources surveying fisherman at boat landings to determine the kinds of fish that were being caught and their weights and sizes, as part of that department’s efforts to formulate regulations on fishing limits. Although she had planned to become a veterinarian, after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Biology, Lindsay continued to work for the DNR until 2013 because she loved her job. Her work at the DNR included doing research that required scuba diving to study fish populations, such as studies on Gag Grouper eggs washing into the estuaries here and the number of fingerlings growing up in our estuaries. Lindsay also studied other species prominent in the Sounds surrounding Beaufort, including Red Drum, Cobia and shrimp. “I loved working for the DNR because I believe that conservation of natural resources is really important, and because I could be outdoors on the water and get paid for what I love to do,” explained Lindsay. Changing Direction As happens to many of us, a defining event in Lindsay’s life changed her path completely— the birth of her daughter Madisen (Maddie) in 2006. Lindsay says, “When I was in the hospital having Maddie, I got to see the impact that the nurses’ care had on me and others, and it inspired me.” So in 2008, Lindsay started to attend the nursing school at USCB in Bluffton part-time as she continued to work for the DNR. Each semester in the nursing program, in addition to taking academic classes, she would focus on a different aspect of clinical nursing such as obstetrics and gynecology, community health, critical care management, and surgery, under the guidance of a licensed nurse. Lindsay’s clinical experience during her training included stints working at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Bay View Manor (nursing home), Port Royal Comprehensive Health Services, and her favorite, Volunteers in Medicine on Hilton Head Island, a clinic that provides free medical, www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

dental and mental health services to people who otherwise would have no access to health care. There she worked with Dr. Palatchi, a thoracic and cardiac surgeon from Mexico City, assisting with small surgeries in his office and providing education to patients about care for conditions like diabetes and pregnancy. A Calling to Serve Others After Lindsay graduated from nursing school, Friends of Caroline Hospice, located in Port Royal, S.C., hired her in May 2013 to work with its executive director to obtain certification for the hospice. Lindsay’s role was to assist in hiring hospice employees (doctors, nurses, social workers, certified nursing assistants, and chaplains) and training them, with the objective of the hospice attaining certification by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the Federal Government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Before Lindsay came on board, nearly everyone working at the hospice was a volunteer and medicines, equipment and care were funded solely by donations. To obtain certification, the hospice was required to meet set standards of care, so that it could receive payment through private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid. The funding through private and government insurance for medicines, supplies, equipment and medical care also would allow the hospice to provide a much higher level of service to patients and their families. After the hospice was certified in October 2013, Lindsay’s role evolved to becoming the clinical coordinator, overseeing the hospice’s clinical team and coordinating all of the hospice’s services to ensure that patients and their families have all the support and services they need. Then in November 2014, Lindsay was recommended for and became the executive director of Friends of Caroline Hospice, with the responsibility of ensuring that all regulations and licensing requirements are being met and that the hospice complies with prescribed standards of care. Lindsay makes the analogy, “As executive director of Friends of Caroline Hospice, I’m like the conductor of an orchestra, who’s

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ensuring that all of the musicians and instruments are in tune.” Friends of Caroline Hospice—Adding Life to Days The mission of Friends of Caroline Hospice is to provide quality-of-life care that offers hope and encouragement to those nearing the end-of-life’s journey and support for their family, friends and the community. Lindsay is proud of the services and care that Friends of Caroline Hospice provides. She says, “Everyone working here is here for the right reasons. What we do for someone who is at the end of life is just as important as what the medical team delivering a baby does. It’s all about the human touch and showing compassion. We provide a holistic approach to patients’ and families’ needs. We learn about them, their cultures, and their last wishes. If someone’s last wish is to go fishing or to attend their daughter’s wedding, we make arrangements so that can happen. We ask, ‘How can we help you make your time more meaningful to you’.” “The fundraising that Friends of Caroline Hospice does allows us to provide the same level of service to patients who cannot afford to pay because they do not have the funds or insurance,” Lindsay added. “The last thing someone should have to do at the end of life is to have to pay to be comfortable—that is like a human right,” she said. The hospice also provides support for emotional and spiritual concerns, as well as bereavement and caregiver support. Loving Life in the Lowcountry When Lindsay is not working for Friends of Caroline Hospice, she’s spending time with her family outside in the Lowcountry. She still loves to get outdoors to fish, scuba dive, and go kayaking with her daughter Maddie. Lindsay and her husband, Jim, live in Sheldon with Maddie, and Jim’s sons, Jaxon and Miles, who like to hunt deer with their dad. Lindsay Roberg has created a life of meaning that she loves—one that allows her to enjoy her family and being outside in the beauty of the Lowcountry, while she serves people who need her loving care.

From Our Boats To Your Table!

Your Local Fresh Seafood Market

UPCOMING EVENTS • Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the USCB Center for Arts: A screening of the PBS FRONTLINE film, Being Mortal. This FREE event is a great way to learn about end-of-life care and a physician’s perspective about facing decisions and having conversations ahead of medical crisis. • Saturday, October 22, 2016, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Dataw Community Center: Camp Caroline is a one-day bereavement camp for students in grades 1 -12. • December 1 – 6, 2016: Festival of Trees at Tabby Place in Downtown Beaufort, 913 Port Republic St., Beaufort, SC 29902 • Thursday, Dec 1, 2016: Opening Reception & Gala 6 – 9 p.m. Tickets: $50.00 each • Friday - Tuesday, December 2 – 6, 2016: Festival is open to the public for school groups and general admission. • Friday, February 24 – Saturday, February 25, 2017: Bands, Brews & BBQ on Paris Avenue, Port Royal, SC. Friday, Feb 24, 2017—Wing Night. Saturday, February 25, 2017—BBQ contest and entertainment by Cranford Hollow. (South Carolina BBQsanctioned event.) • Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Dataw Island Club: Fashion for Compassion. A fashion show and luncheon, with silent and live auctions. All proceeds from Friends of Caroline events are used to provide hospice care and bereavement and caregiver support services to everyone in our community, regardless of their ability to pay.

Call today to place your order (843) 521-5090 OR visit us at 2242 Boundary Street.

HOURS Monday10:00am - 6:30pm Tuesday10:00am - 6:30pm Wednesday10:00am - 6:30pm Thursday10:00am - 6:30pm Friday10:00am - 6:30pm Saturday10:00am - 6:30pm • Sunday Closed

Community Supported Fishery sounds familiar, but WHAT IS A CSF? Our Community Supported Fishery program connects you to local fishermen, saves you money & helps save our local fishing heritage. Our CSF members pre-pay for a “season” of freshly caught seafood. In return, we provide a weekly share of premium, locally caught, seasonal fish, shrimp and/or shellfish. Now, you and members in your community can encourage low-impact fishing practices & build relationships between local fishermen and community members. Our pickup locations include: • Beaufort - Sea Eagle Market • Port Royal - CJ Seafood Express • Bluffton - Claude & Uli’s • Hilton Head - Piggly Wiggly on North Forest Beach Rd.

For More Information Visit us at the Market or call

(843) 521-5090

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

THE ESSENCE OF LOWCOUNTRY LIVING

he newest addition to the creative corner in Frogmore, near the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. on Saint Helena Island, is Macdonald Marketplace. Purchased by the Sanders family of Seaside Farm, the building was originally built by their ancestor, James Ross Macdonald, in 1877. Recently refinished and refurbished, the building now is home to several local artists and artisans, whose wares are tastefully and creatively displayed throughout. “Under the guidance of Martha and Ross Sanders, our family has made a living off the land through the cultivation and sale of tomatoes. Generation after generation, we have been striving to produce tomatoes of the highest quality. With this same mindset, we have a new goal. Uniting local artisans in one collective space: Macdonald MarketPlace.” All of the three dozen plus artists here are either local to the area or enjoy a local connection. As you meander through the rooms, you will be delighted by the eclectic assortment of antiquities including hanging lanterns, books, furniture, tableware, serving pieces, chandeliers, old silver, tobacco leaf baskets and anything and everything to make your table the envy of all your friends. You’ll want some hand painted furniture - chairs, tables, benches; or magnificently hand-joined pieces such as hanging beds, chairs made for musicians, tables, lamps, and even swords, crafted of exotic woods. Change your look with a handmade lampshade and finial; buy some local photography and send photos to your friends for Christmas so they can be jealous of the beauty where you live. Peruse the assortment of jewelry, some of which is made from local oyster shells, other pieces feature pearls and unusual pendants. Check out the decorative accessories, scented candles, tote bags, and contemporary furniture, skins and other textiles. Treat your self to a few fresh arrangements of wildflowers that are either in stock or made to order. The assortment of art ranges from outsider art to fine oil paintings and dimensional sculptural art. Outside on the deck, a small building houses a collection of unusual and hard to find plants, along with pots and garden necessities. Back inside you can shop in the “Kitchen” which is a catering kitchen that

has prepared home cooked, family-style meals for sale. If you sign up with your email address the current menu will be sent to you so you can plan shopping for your dinner party in advance. When you order your dinner and flower arrangements, pick up the accessories to make your table unforgettable. Grab a new necklace, and buy an extra lampshade or two in case your party gets a little out of hand If, by some odd chance, you’re just not in the mood for shopping, come in anyway and see the wonderful architectural renovations; we’ll probably tempt you with something else.

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Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 853 Sea Island Pkwy Saint Helena Island, SC 29920 Phone: 843-838-1810 Complimentary parking on property. http://www.macdonaldmarketplace.com

Book Signing By West Frazier

n Saturday, December 3 from 1:00 until 3:00, West Frazier will be at The Red Piano Too Art Gallery signing his book, Painting the Southern Coast: The Art of West Frazier. Be sure to stop in, meet West, buy his book, enjoy the gallery, pick up a few hand painted Christmas ornaments, and partake of some of the renowned refreshments provided by Gallery Owner, Mary Mack. That particular Saturday, which is after Beaufort’s Night on the Town, marks the beginning of the traditional Gullah Christmas at the Red Piano Too. The gallery is filled with a spectacular variety of original indigenous Gullah art, also including dolls, notecards, prints, books, CD’s, DVD’s, and food items. Don’t miss the display of Dr. Buzzard’s Root Works - you just might find the perfect holiday gift, or potion, right there on that bench; certainly you know someone who needs a Hoodoo doll, and it’s the perfect time to expand your education about Hoodoo traditions. For the man in your life, there is a lovely selection of hand painted silk bow ties and matching handkerchiefs created by the famous artist, Jonathan Green. Although not all of the art falls into the Gullah category, much of it is primitive or outsider art, and the array is delightful. You’ll find everything from miniature paintings that make lovely gifts, to jewelry, glass, pottery, face jugs, Senegalese woven tote bags, and baskets. If you need anything framed, The Red Piano Too Art Gallery is the go-to place for that as well. Meeting West Frazier, and having him personally sign one of his books, is a rare treat and one not to be missed. His featured book, Painting the Southern Coast: The Art of West Frazier, is a show stopper. His art is in more museums and collections than practically can be counted, and he has more awards and accolades than you can imagine. And on top of that - he’s a handsome and charming guy! One of the great joys in life is meeting an artist, having the opportunity to chat with him, and collect a piece of his work. Those moments stay with us forever. The artist/collector connection is powerful for both people; a moment they get to share across time and space that allows both to be part of each others world and to gain access and insight into the others creative process. We think, on the surface, that the artist is the creative person, but the collector is equally creative and discerning, and must be given credit for such. Let’s give you a glimpse into West Frazier’s world of art as taken from his website: “West Fraser was born in Savannah, Ga. in 1955. He is a true “Son of The Lowcountry”, with deep roots dating back to 1695 in Dorchester S.C., to coastal Georgia’s colonial plantation history. He came of age on Hilton Head Island, S.C. where he developed his love of the coastal environs that today still provide him with inspiration. One of the leading American artists in the representational and plein air tradition, he has built his career on richly painted, atmospheric vistas of cities, coasts, and the landscape throughout the United States and internationally—from the pristine Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia, to the hill towns of Tuscany. An avid traveler, he has painted throughout the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and Scandinavia. Yet his passion always draws him back to the marshes and landscape of his beloved Georgia and South Carolina Coast.” Put December 3 on your calendar. Stop in, have a nibble and a nosh, shop, meet a fabulous artist and buy his book. If you’re buying it as a gift, buy one for yourself at the same time; West Frazier will be happy to personalize them for you any way you want. Happy Gullah Christmas! Paid For Advertisement

Gallery Owner, Mary Mack

Author, West Frazier

Red Piano Too A R T G A L L E RY

870 Sea Island Pkwy. St. Helena Island, SC 29920

(843) 838-2241 www.RedPianoToo.com www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

Grace & Grit

The Kelli Bright Burke Story story by cindy reid

photography by susan deloach

“O

n June 24, 2009, five of us were involved in a car accident that none of us should have survived. The car flipped numerous times, throwing three of us out of the vehicle and onto the road way. I was thrown about 50 feet, breaking numerous bones and damaging my spinal cord paralyzing me from the chest down. I have been confined to a wheelchair with no feeling or movement from the chest down for exactly seven years. That day should have ruined my life and crushed my ability to live normal again... but it didn’t. “Kelli Bright Burke At the beginning of that summer day in 2009 Kelli was a happy sixteen year old girl. Born and raised in Beaufort, SC, she is the youngest of parents Faith and Gary Bright’s three children (sister Shannon and brother Danny) and was on summer break at Battery Creek High School. A talented athlete, Kelli was on the varsity cheerleading and softball teams. In fact she had just finished cheerleading camp a few days before. She was hoping to get a sport scholarship for college in a couple of years. By the end of the day she was in an Intensive Care Unit in Columbia, SC where she would remain for the next two weeks. By the end of the day her life had changed permanently and profoundly. ANGELS ALONG THE WAY Visiting a friend in Sumter, SC for a week, Kelli and five others had gotten together to go retrieve a duffle bag that had been left in Columbia. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and they were fifteen minutes away from the house she was visiting. The driver fell asleep and went off of the roadway. In the attempt to get back onto the highway the car started to flip ejecting the driver and two of the passengers, Kelli being one of them. She was injured the most. Kelli says, “After I was thrown from the car I landed fifty feet away on the other side of the road. A man driving by saw it happen and pulled over. He ran to me while other drivers called in the accident and checked on the other passengers. I was the only one conscious so he stayed with me in the road, talking and getting information from me. He asked me what my name was, where I was from, who my parents were, and kept me talking so I wouldn’t lose consciousness. He asked me to say the Lord’s Prayer with him and I did. He stayed with me the whole time and until they put me in the ambulance. That’s when he called Beaufort information to track down my parents.” Her dad Gary got the call. Gary Bright is a Burton Fire Department commissioner who has been a firefighter for thirty six years. The man who stayed with his daughter and tracked her parents down was a former firefighter. He told Gary how serious Kelli’s injury appeared to be. But it wasn’t until they pulled up to the hospital that Gary told his wife. There their worst fears were confirmed by the doctors. The medical news was devastating. She was going in and out of consciousness with a closed skull fracture. Her collarbone was broken. Her hand was broken in so many pieces that it would be like putting together a jigsaw puzzle to reconstruct. All of her ribs on the right side were broken, one puncturing her lung and collapsing it. As feared, Kelli had suffered a spinal cord injury, breaking her back between the T4 and T5 vertebrae. She would never walk again. Her mother Faith says, “There are so many emotions when you first find out. You think ‘what will her life be like?’ and you have no idea.” When Kelli regained consciousness her family told her what had happened (she has no memory of the accident) and her diagnosis.

One of Kelli’s ICU caregivers was a “gruff ex Marine nurse who was very strict about visiting times with my family. One night he was in my room and I asked him, “Is it true I will never walk again?’ and he said yes it was true. I said ‘bummer’ and turned over to go back to sleep. He just lost it and after that he was an angel to us.” Kelli and her family credit the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation, with teaching her and her parents how to live with this new reality. Faith says, “We learned everything there, because we knew nothing about how to care for her or what we should do. They were absolutely wonderful.” While at Shepherd Kelli was taken on field trips and forced to navigate obstacles in her wheelchair. She says “It sounds mean but they would shut a door in my face and I would have to figure out how to open it, they would take me to stores and I would have to get in and out by myself.” Faith says, “I don’t think she would be where she is if she hadn’t been there.” Kelli agrees, “They taught me how to live life again on my own.” While Kelli was in the hospital, family and friends back in Beaufort got busy. Gary says, “My brother in law asked if there was anything he could do to help out and I said we will need the doors in the house widened and the floor changed in one part so Kelli could get around the house in her wheelchair when she got home.” Busy themselves with Kelli’s care; the family didn’t know what was happening back home until someone told Faith to look at a news story online. She says, “We looked at the story and there were all these volunteers working on our house, completely remodeling the downstairs for Kelli. It was beautiful – and a total surprise!” The volunteers put in a brand new handicapped accessible kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and family room on the lower level. Later on fundraisers were held and the Beaufort community raised $30,000 for a paramobile ‘stand up” wheelchair, which enables Kelli to stand up and participate in outdoor activities such as golf, fishing, corn-hole, and so much more! With money from the fundraisers, Kelli was also able to get a manual stand up chair that she is able to use indoors. With this, she is able to get around like she does in her regular chair and while using a pump, raise herself to a standing position, freeing her from only seeing the world from the sitting position. Angels along the way were everywhere. INSPIRED TO BE INSPIRATIONAL “In the past seven years, I have graduated from high school, went to college, lived in the dorm rooms, graduated from college, met an amazing man, married that amazing man, gone on the best honeymoon ever, and just have lived life to the absolute fullest while touching so many lives in the process and I am thankful for that and every hard time and struggle I have gone through in these past seven years, because it has brought me to here. Living a life I love, able to do anything I want to do because I have not let the accident or my wheelchair change who I am or how I’m going to live. “Kelli Bright Burke. Although the accident changed Kelli’s life profoundly, who she is did not change. She remained the same high achieving athletic young woman she had always been. She says, “My accident made me grow up. But I am still Kelli, whether I am using a wheelchair or not, I am the same person.” She was determined to resume her life and return to school. Kelli says, “I wanted to graduate with my high school class. I had only missed three weeks of school and I wanted to go back and graduate with my friends.” So every day Faith would drive Kelli to school and her friends would push her from class to class since at that time she could not push herself due to her hand and collar bone injuries. The www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

Eight months later Justin arranged to have his and Kelli’s families get together for a big group portrait. Everyone got dressed up and met at the river front behind Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Kelli was sitting on a bench waiting for the next round of photographs, when Justin got down on one knee .He proposed that they spend the rest of their lives together and so they became engaged. Their families roared, giving them a standing ovation. There was not a dry eye to be found. They were married on May 14, 2016. The couple enjoys being active and outdoors. They golf, fish and go hunting. As fitting for a Beaufort girl Kelli loves the water. She says, “I love swimming, it is good for me and good for my body.” She also goes snorkeling, kayaking and enjoys riding her bike. Kelli works at Beaufort Family Dentistry and says, “It’s great, my co-workers are amazing!” Justin works at Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, where he has been for nine years. The happy couple is in the process of building a house completely accessible for Kelli and look forward to starting a family.

school dedicated its first home football game to her and for the next year she stayed with her varsity cheerleading and softball teams, keeping the books for softball and helping out with the cheerleading from the side. With her grit and determination Kelli was able to graduate right on schedule with her class, Battery Creek High School Class of 2011. At the graduation ceremony she wheeled herself with her class across the athletic field .She says, “I put duct tape along the bottom of my shoes so my feet wouldn’t drag on the grass!” Faith says “Kelli has always had such a positive attitude and has from day one.” Kelli says” For me it was the support I have, from my family and friends and from the community, which got me to where I am today. If I was to get upset about my situation, it would be worse for them. If I am mad or upset, time will go on anyway, so there is no point. I am extremely lucky in so many ways, and although I may have the ‘right’ to be upset, so many people have it worse and it could have been worse for me.” She continues, “There is almost nothing I can’t do with a little help.” She laughs, “Even if I have to ask a stranger!” Always Moving Forward After high school Kelli went to the University of South Carolina Beaufort, at the Bluffton location, living in the dorms for two years. She graduated this year with a BA in Communications Studies. In 2013 Kelli met Justin Burke at her own birthday party, thrown by her cousin. Although both Kelli and Justin had spent their lives in Beaufort, their paths had never crossed. There was an immediate spark and that night Justin messaged Kelli on Facebook and invited her and her cousin over to what he called his “regular Sunday get together”. Kelli laughs, “Turns out there had never been any Sunday get together before, and he invented it to have a reason to invite us over!” A week later they were dating.

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BEAUFORT LIFESTYLE “So today is a day that I look back, and not think about the negative side of my situation, but about the fact that the five of us survived a terrible accident seven years ago, and that I am beyond lucky that things were not worse. I came so close to losing it all, so I’m going to continue living life like I have it all. Because in my perspective I do.” Kelli Bright Burke, on the seven year anniversary of her accident, June 24, 2016. When asked if she would ever leave Beaufort Kelli shakes her head firmly ‘no’. she says, “My friends and family and the town, it is the Beaufort lifestyle that got me through this and pushes me to stay inspirational. Right now my life is perfect. “She breaks out in a grin “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

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Construction In The Lowcountry

hen we hear about someone building a home on their private island, many of us envision tycoons and lavish mansions. In the case of Todd Bradley, longtime Beaufort resident and owner of Live Oak Builders, this picture couldn’t be further from reality. Owning an island is a dream come true for a working man with a deep love of the water and boating. He bought Egret Island off Pleasant Point nearly two and a half years ago and completed building his family’s home there a year later. Those who know Todd can attest to his humble nature and love of his community. “He’s a very kind and thoughtful person who has a generous spirit and loves the Lowcountry,” said Terry Rice, marketing coordinator for Live Oak Builders. Todd stumbled upon the island real estate opportunity one day while out on his boat. “One day I was going up the river and noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign on the island’s dock,” he remembers. “I pulled up and walked up the dock to check it out. The next day, I went to the realtor and made an offer.” Todd moved to Beaufort 17 years ago from Pennsylvania, where he had been a home builder for several years. His first 10 years in the Beaufort area he worked as a construction superintendent for Alcoa, building houses on Dataw Island. After Alcoa got out of the building business, Todd ventured out on his own and launched Live Oak Builders in Beaufort in 2007. “Todd has a keen ability to patiently listen to his clients, apply his knowledge of construction in the Lowcountry and assist in identifying products and solutions that meet requirements and are within budget,” said Terry, who is also a former client of Todd’s. “With his low-key personality, he made it easy to develop a rapport based in trust, right from the initial meeting. That communication style helped minimize stress levels throughout the construction of our beautiful, custom home.” Todd built his own family’s first South Carolina home on St. Helena Island and followed up a few years later with a house on Lady’s Island. “Both of those houses were landlocked so we were very interested in building a home on the water,” he said. “We just never dreamed that our next home would be completely surrounded by

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water.” The property consists of 11 acres, five acres at high tide, and included a 2,000foot dock connecting the island to the mainland. The dock is just wide enough for a golf cart, but not wide enough for vehicles, making building the home a challenge. “Everything necessary for construction had to come from the mainland by barge,” explained Todd. “Each trip on the barge would take about four hours to get to the edge of the island. There were a couple of trips for the lumber, one for shingles and sheet rock. We even had to use the barge to bring over the spray foam insulation truck as well as the septic tank.” Despite any difficulties encountered in building the home, both Todd and his wife Joni agree that any frustrations were worth the end result and they are thrilled to be living in their island home. The couple lives in the main house, a one bedroom 1,600 square foot Lowcountry style home that also features touches of Key West (their favorite vacation spot). It’s livable and comfortable because, as Joni puts it, “We’re not crown moulding kind of people.” The guest house is a two bedroom, 900 square foot cottage that regularly accommodates family and friends. The Bradleys spend their days on Egret Island enjoying time outdoors with their son, Nick, project manager for Live Oak Builders, and their grandchildren, who

range in age from 4 to 14. “None of them have any fear of the water,” said Joni. “Their favorite activity is swimming off the dock.” According to Todd, some people think they’re crazy, but he adds, “If we become known as the crazy old couple who live on an island in a pink and purple house, I’m okay with that.”

(843) 524-2343 www.liveoakbuilder.com 1402 Boundary St, Beaufort, SC 29902 Beaufort Lifestyle | October/November

2016 27

Knee Deep In

TOMATOES

The Sanders family has kept the farming tradition on Saint Helena Island alive for well over a century.

story by cindy reid

photography by paul nurnberg

s you head out toward the beach, stop in Macdonald MarketPlace in Frogmore on Saint Helena Island. The building which was originally a general store, post office, and boarding house, was recently purchased and refurbished by the Sanders family. It had been built by their great-grandfather, James Ross Macdonald, in 1877. There have been several incarnations in the intervening years and now the Sanders vision is a center for “uniting local artisans in one collective space”. Caroline, Lea, Grey, Mac, with their respective spouses Bill Hatcher, Jimmy Taylor, Fran Hightower Sanders and Sharon Fletcher Sanders, along with their children, and their mother, Martha, are all involved and have have stories to tell about their history on St. Helena Island and in particular, on Seaside Farm. When this building became available, the Sanders were happy

28 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

to buy it because of the proximity to their two tomato packing houses that stand practically across the street from each other. It’s a wonderful building and the renovations they have undertaken are striking. All the old floors and floor joists were removed and refinished and are now the main flooring. Four inches of concrete had to be poured around the piers to stabilize the flooring. Five chimneys on the second floor, and all the plaster upstairs, had to be removed because of the weight; the bricks from those chimneys were used to make the exterior walkways. The interior is an architectural delight; there are nooks and crannies and lots of light; dividers are made of tomato stakes from the farm, the old iron bars are still on some of the windows. The charm is abundant and serves well for the eclectic collection of consigned artisanal wares for sale - handmade items such as furniture, lampshades, jewelry, art, pottery, rugs. All the artists

are local, or have a local connection. One small room has coolers of ready made food items, a small building on the back deck houses some exotic plants. In one of the rooms where fresh produce is sold when available, are old photographs that have been enlarged which exhibit activities in the packing houses back in the day. Saint Helena Island has a history rich in agriculture. In the early 1700’s, cattle grazing and mixed farming were the major agricultural activities. By the mid-1700’s, indigo became the important crop, but after the Revolutionary War the indigo market was destroyed. Then the famous Sea Island cotton came in as the new cash crop. All the while, the plantations on Saint Helena had diverse farming. In those days, with a single dirt road, no bridges, and two bodies of water to cross to even get into Beaufort, travel for supplies took long hours, or even days, depending on the tides and conditions. Since the climate borders on temperate to tropical, crops that have been grown on Saint Helena include citrus, figs, pomegranates, peaches, strawberries, corn, apples, wheat, sugarcane, flax, potatoes, watermelons, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. It’s a difficult, mercurial business, subject to the whims of things over which there is no control, the foremost of which is weather. In the time honored agricultural customs on Saint Helena Island, the Sanders family has kept the farming tradition alive for well over a century. As a matter of fact, Gus Sanders, who was the father of Martha’s late husband, Ross, grew the first tomatoes in Beaufort County. Now, the Sanders produce between 15 and 20 million pounds of tomatoes a year! This family had been knee deep in tomatoes all their lives. They grew up working in the fields, and the packing plants. Lea began stamping the boxes when she was ten, Caroline started working in the packing house when she was nine. Also at a young age, Mac and Grey started driving the tractors and changing the irrigation pipes all night long. Everyone did their share. When you see truckloads of green tomatoes come rolling down the roads in June, and then the open busloads of watermelons appear later in the season, it’s difficult to imagine where all that produce comes from unless you have ventured down Lands End Road or Seaside Road and seen the vast acreage in fields. It takes 600 acres of land to net 400 acres in tomatoes, and this is how it happens. In September and October, the Sanders start getting ready. In November plastic is put down over drip tubes; the plastic reflects the light to keep the insects away so there is less need for bug spray. Tomato seeds are ordered and sent to seed planting houses where the plants start to grow. Those plants are shipped to the farm and get planted between March 8 and April 12. The first crop takes 88 - 90 days to mature; the www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

second crop takes about 77 days, due to increased temperature and sunlight. The tomatoes are harvested beginning on June 5, but the workers arrive on June 1 because the weather may be a factor. 300 people work in the fields picking and 150 work in the packing houses. When the tomatoes are picked they are put in 35 pound buckets which are placed in bins and loaded onto a truck that will then take the 1000 pound load to the packing house. There they will be sorted by size, color and grade. Although the tomatoes are all picked green, because handling ripe red tomatoes isn’t feasible, they are placed in a cooling room where they will turn pink before they are shipped. The buyers like to dictate the color of their tomatoes, and all of the tomatoes are shipped for fresh markets; none go to processing plants. 600,000 to 800,000 twenty-five pound boxes of the tomatoes are shipped all over the country, as well as to Puerto Rico and Canada. The tomatoes that don’t make the grade in the packing houses are sent back to the farm and plowed under in the fields. There is an average of 21 harvest days of picking and afterwards the plants are untied, the stakes are pulled (and reused), the plastic that isn’t going to be used for the next 150 acre crop of watermelons is removed and the remains of the tomatoes are moved from the fields. When tomatoes are ripe, everyone thinks of their favorite recipe - tomato pie, tomato soup, canned tomatoes put away for the winter. A slice of tomato on a piece of bread with a swipe of mayo is as close to nirvana as most foodies can get, but even a fresh bite of a tomato, dripping juices, eaten with just your fingers, can’t be beat. And both Lea and Caroline agree, Lea’s favorite “recipe” is a tomato sandwich and Caroline thinks hers may be tomatoes and okra. They remember that as children, they were raised to order tomatoes when they went to restaurants in support of the industry. Although the farm had been in the family for decades, this generation took footing when Martha Graham Sanders’ journey toward the farm began. Her father was the county agent for

30 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

Ridgeland and the manager of Turkey Hill Plantation; when he died, her mother moved to Beaufort. Martha was working at People’s Bank when she met Ross Macdonald Sanders at a party. Apparently he had noticed her prior to the party, and had his eye on her. She says, “He was a very, very special man.” The family reminisces and banters about growing up. Martha recalls, “There was no one out here but us; the road from the house to the farm was dirt, and my husband worked all the time.” Lea: We had a curfew, the boys didn’t have to be in until midnight, but I had to be home by eleven. Grey: (tongue in cheek) I never stayed out that late. Caroline: I would be lying in bed sound asleep when all of a sudden I was soaking wet and I couldn’t understand why the rain had come into my room. We didn’t have air conditioning so we slept with the windows open. When Mac and Grey came in late and didn’t want to wake up our parents, they turned on the hose and sprayed it on my bed so I would get up and open the door; they drenched me more than once. (G: Pretends he didn’t hear her say that.) L: When mother answered the phone and I asked her to say I wasn’t at home because I didn’t want to talk to someone, she made me go sit outside on the step so that I really wasn’t in the house. C: Friends came to the farm and they would be so surprised when I would pick a tomato or ear of corn and eat it right in the field. Grey and Mac remember when they would pack up and go out to the fish camps in the summer. With the river in their front yard, they all have stories of learning to sail or boat, fishing, swimming. The Sanders grew up in a place and time that shaped character and values; they worked hard on the farm which has kept them close and still working together. Although Macdonald MarketPlace is a new adventure, and one that they didn’t quite envision when they bought the building, they are having fun. Make sure you visit and experience a bit of their part of the important history of the island.

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

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32 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

Pat Conroy

Literary Festival

story by mary ellen thompson photography by john wollwerth

he first annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival will be held in Beaufort October 20 to 23. Last year at this time our community was sharing Pat’s seventieth birthday festivities at the Pat Conroy at 70 Festival, not having a clue that we would lose him to pancreatic cancer a few months later. This festival is under the leadership of Jonathan Haupt, director of the University of South Carolina Press and Pat’s partner in Story River Books, and in partnership with USCB, specifically with professor of English and author Ellen Maphrus, and Bonnie Hargrove, director of the USCB Center for the Arts. “Each year the festival will highlight a different theme from Pat Conroy’s writing life,” Haupt explains. “The 2016 festival’s theme is ‘Place as Character and Muse in Southern Literature’.” There will be appearances by more than forty writers and performers in a series of conversations and special events tied to Pat’s legacy and theme of place, expanding the focus from Pat’s writing to the larger body of Southern literature. Cassandra King, Pat’s wife and author of five books, and Ellen Malphrus, author of Untying the Moon, share some memories of Pat and some insights into their writing, as well as discussing the new festival with us. Mary Ellen Thompson (MET) for Beaufort Lifestyle: Cassandra, I understand that you met Pat when he wrote a blurb for your first book, Making Waves in Zion. Tell us about that moment. Cassandra King (CK): Birmingham, AL has an annual writers conference and every year they give an award. It was 1995 and Pat was getting the award that year; my book was coming out and I was invited to speak. As it turned out, my book wasn’t out in time but I was invited to the event anyway. There was a reception honoring Pat afterwards but I got there late because I had to go to a party for one of my friends first. When we finally got there, it was practically over. I asked if Mr. Conroy was still there and was told he had just left to take his father back to his hotel. I was disappointed that I had missed him, but I was also starving, so I went over to the refreshment table and was stuffing my mouth with chocolate dipped strawberries. There was a guy standing there talking to someone else and my friend brought him over to introduce us; it turned out to be Pat! He was laughing at me with my mouth full of strawberries. My friend wandered off and Pat and I started chatting; I told him I was a huge fan. When my friend came back she told Pat about my book; I hadn’t said anything. He said, “You didn’t tell me you’re a writer,” and I told him I wasn’t a writer because it was just one book and it wasn’t even out yet. He said, “Have your publisher send it to me, if I like it I’ll write a blurb; if not, I’ll pretend I never got it.” So we exchanged information. I was back at school teaching when I got a note to call him, so I did. He said he liked the book and asked how I came to write it. One thing I learned about Pat was that he loved to talk on the phone. A few weeks later he called again. We developed a deep friendship over the phone, but didn’t see each other again until 1997. One time when he called he told me he had been through a nasty divorce and suffered from depression; I told him I could relate. As it turned out, we’d both been divorced when we first met but each of us thought the other was married. He asked me out to dinner and we had our first date in Atlanta. MET: Ellen, you met Pat in Blue Hill, Maine. Ellen Malphrus (EM): Like everyone who loves Pat, we’ve all met him somewhere, at some event, and know his knack for making people friends. It was in Maine that the four of us, Cassandra, Pat, my husband Andy, and I got to become good

34 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

friends. Pat became my big brother, and he called me “my sister in Dickey” because of the poet, James Dickey, under whom we both studied. Hundreds of thousands of people love Pat Conroy and feel connected to him. MET: Cassandra, the age old question for every author is, are you working on a new book? CK: I’m writing about my time with Pat and it will be in the form of a cookbook. I’ve written three magazine articles that could be chapters so it will be a memoir/cookbook, and I think the title will be Supper for One. MET: Cooking is one of your great joys, when did you learn to cook? CK: I grew up on a peanut farm in Lower Alabama. We had huge gardens grew all our own food, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, butter beans, and all sorts of other vegetables. We had pigs and chickens and cows. We even made our own butter, and put up food from the gardens for the year around. I have always wanted to write my “farm” book, which I am putting off for the moment. I was into the farm-to-table concept before it was popular. I didn’t appreciate growing up on a farm at the time because people thought of us as ignorant and backwards. My grandfather had the farm, and before that my great-grandfather, Josiah King, was a gentleman farmer who dabbled in farming, but wrote a couple of books. One was an Alabama history book and the other a book of poetry. MET: Ellen, how about you, is there another book in the works? EM: Yes. As soon as I got the word that Untying the Moon was accepted for publication, I pulled out my journal and started writing. It’s a leather journal that Pat gave me when we were in Maine in which he’d inscribed, “To Ellen Malphrus, Poet, writer, James Dickey-shaped as I am. I command that you begin publishing the novels you were born to write. You’re a Jasper County girl - all is possible. Great love, Pat Conroy, Brooklin Maine”. Right now, I’m allowing my characters and my story to marinate. I have a pretty good handle on my main characters but some others are changing. So far I’m setting it in the Lowcountry. CK: Setting is so important. I wanted Sunday Wife to be set in DeFuniak Springs in the Florida panhandle, but it just didn’t work. I needed a bigger town so I chose Crystal Springs. EM: It’s that sense of place; place is character, inevitably. MET: As is evidenced by the theme of the festival: “Place as Character and Muse in Southern Literature”. MET: Bailey, the main character in Untying the Moon, travels at a dizzying pace in much of the story; I understand that you like to travel and take a world trip every year. What is the most spectacular place you’ve been? EM: East Africa - the Serengeti, the Masai people. Alhambra, in Spain, with the palaces of the Sultans and the Sultanas, the nightingales, and the lighting. I just assigned my poetry students something based on my photographs of Alhambra. My daddy always said I was born with wheels on my ass. If I don’t have three trips queued up in my Delta list, I feel hemmed in. We’ve heard about a number of books in the works: a novel that Pat was working on (tentative title, The Storms of Aquarius, from Doubleday); a collection of short essays about Pat by 70 fellow writers (tentative title, Our Prince of Scribes: Writers

Remember Pat Conroy, from USC Press); a book about Pat written by Bernie Schein (tentative title, Santini’s Hero); two forthcoming biographies, one by Pat as told to his oral biographer, Katherine Clark, and one by Catherine Seltzer. A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life, a collection of Pat’s short non-fiction, blog posts, speeches, interviews, letters and memoirs, with an introduction written by Cassandra, will be available at the festival before its release to the general public so it’s the perfect opportunity to get an early copy and have it autographed. MET: Cassandra, did you curate most of the material for A Lowcountry Heart ? CK: Not really, but I did go through his journals and notes, and I found some notes from a talk he gave that lent the name to the book. The Beaufort County Open Land Trust hosted a fundraiser to purchase “The Green” in the Old Point neighborhood and asked Pat to be the speaker when he said “We are here because we have Lowcountry hearts.” MET: Let’s talk about the upcoming Pat Conroy Literary Festival. When you attend a festival such as this, as evidenced by the Pat at 70 event last year, the presenters are excited and motivated about what they do. That energy is transferred and shared, everyone takes some of that home with them as if the wall between the writers and the readers is taken down. As a participant, you have access to all these amazing people and maybe you go home and write that book you always wanted to write. Maybe you meet a new author and find a new friend, in person, or through his or her books. But there is still an appeal for the non-literary person.

EM: You don’t have to be a literary aficionado to enjoy what’s going on. We have everything from scholarly panels to readings to entertainment; there is something for everyone. MET: Not the least of which in the entertainment factor is the bus tour hosted by Bernie and Maggie Schein. EM: Everything is fun when you have Bernie. He’s like two rings of a three ring circus. CK: Beaufort, thanks to Pat’s legacy, has a strong literary appeal. There are so many things going on during the festival. One of the events I’m really excited about is the Sounds of the Cigar Factory, performed by a local cast with special appearance by Ron Daise and introduced by the author Michele Moore. MET: That will be on Friday evening followed by a book signing and then the first open house at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. We will be able to see materials from the USC Libraries Pat Conroy Archive, and the Conroy family personal collections. EM: to CK: About the entertainment factor - we’ve been inspired by the synchronized swimming in the Olympics; who knows what we might do in our presentation? It’s going to be fun! CK: Pat was a fun person. People thought, because of what he wrote, that he must be difficult; dark and moody like he was Heathcliff or something. But he wasn’t, not at all. He really liked to have fun. EM: We guarantee that you’ll leave the festival with a smile on your face. Pat wouldn’t have it any other way. MET: Thank you, ladies. We all look forward to seeing everyone at the Literary Center and the Festival, October 20 - 23! For more information: www.patconroyfestival.com www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

PAT CONROY L I T E R A RY F E S T I VA L

The Pat Conroy Literary Festival is made possible in collaboration by the University of South Carolina Press and the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts

O C T O B E R 2 0 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 | B E A U F O RT, S C T H U R S D A Y, 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 6 9:30–11:00 a.m. (Ticketed) Writers’ Workshop #1, Putting Your Passion in Print with Shari Stauch and Bren McClain (This workshop will be held in classroom space at the USCB Center for the Arts.) $20 per person Noon–2:00 p.m. (Ticketed) USCB Lunch with Authors Series featuring Mary Alice Monroe (A Lowcountry Wedding and A Lowcountry Christmas) and Ron Rash (The Risen, Above the Waterfall, and Poems: New and Selected). Marine Corp Air Station Officers’ Club. $42 per person 2:00–3:30 p.m. (Ticketed) Writers’ Workshop #2, The Power of Connection with Shari Stauch and Bren McClain (This workshop will be held in classroom space at the USCB Center for the Arts.) $20 per person 2:00–4:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Bus Tour of Pat Conroy’s Beaufort, with Bernie Schein and Maggie Schein, hosted by and ticketed through Historic Beaufort Foundation, http://historicbeaufort.org, 843-379-3331. (This tour will depart from the USCB Center for the Arts; tickets must be purchased in advance.) 4:00–5:00 p.m. (Ticketed) A Rash of Stories, performed by actress Barbara Bates Smith with musician Jeff Sebens, featuring scenes from Ron Rash’s short stories Lincolnites, Burning Bright, Casualties and Survivors, and The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth $10 per person 5:00–7:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Film screening of The World Made Straight, adapted from Ron Rash’s novel, with opening short film Yard of the Month, adapted from Rash’s short story, (Film, discussion, and reception $30 per person)

F R I D A Y, 1 0 / 2 1 / 1 6

9:30–11:00 a.m. (Ticketed) Writers’ Workshop #3, Part II, Approaches to Memoir Writing with Pam Durban (This workshop will be held in classroom space at the USCB Center for the Arts.) Included in the price of Part I

9:30–11:00 a.m. (FREE) Summoning the Dead: A Discussion of the Writings of Ron Rash featuring southern literary scholars Jesse Graves, Daniel Cross Turner, Randall Wilhelm, and Zackary Vernon

Open House for festival participants, Pat Conroy Literary Center. 308 Charles Street.

9:30–11:00 a.m. (Ticketed) Writers’ Workshop #3, Part I, Approaches to Memoir Writing with Pam Durban (This workshop will be held in classroom space at the USCB Center for the Arts.) $20 per person Noon–1:30 p.m. (Ticketed) USCB Lunch with Authors Series featuring Jill McCorkle (Life after Life) and Elizabeth Cox (A Question of Mercy). Belfair Plantation, Bluffton SC. $42 per person 2:00–3:30 p.m. (Ticketed) Writers’ Workshop #4, From Stone to Gemstone: Revision with Carla Damron (This workshop will be held in classroom space at the USCB Center for the Arts.) $20 per person 2:00–3:30 p.m. (FREE) Panel discussion with contributors to State of the Heart: South Carolina Writers on the Places They Love featuring editor Aïda Rogers with Ronald Daise, Nathalie Dupree, Margaret Shinn Evans, Shani Gilchrist, Josephine Humphreys, and Ben McC. Moïse 3:30–4:00 p.m. (FREE) Book signing

7:00–8:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Discussion with Ron Rash moderated by Ellen Malphrus (Film, discussion, and reception $30 per person)

4:00–5:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Beaufort in the Age of Pat Conroy: A talk by historian Lawrence S. Rowland. $10 per person

8:00–9:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Opening reception and book signing with Ron Rash (Film, discussion, and reception $30 per person)

5:00–5:30 p.m. (FREE) Book signing 6:00–7:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Performance Reading of Sounds of the Cigar Factory, featuring an all local cast with special appearance by Ronald Daise, introduced by author Michele Moore $15 per person

WEEKEND PASS(includes two lunches) $160 THURSDAY PASS $30 FRIDAY PASS $20 SATURDAY PASS (includes box lunch) $55 WORKSHOP PASS $55

7:00–7:30 p.m. (FREE) Book signing 7:00–9:00 p.m. (FREE)

Open House for festival participants, Pat Conroy Literary Center. 308 Charles Street.

Passes do not include workshops, tours, or lunches

Unless otherwise noted, all events are ticketed and held at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts (805 Carteret St., Beaufort, SC). For ticketing information and purchases, visit www.USCBCenterForTheArts.com and click on Shows & Tickets. Thank you to our festival sponsors, partners, and presenters, without whom the festival would not be possible.

On N sS o O rR eEdD bByY sS PP o

A LiterAry FestivAL

CeLebrAting

PrinCe oF titLes

2 9 - 3 1, 2 0 1 5

9:30–11:00 a.m. (FREE)

10:00–11:00 a.m. (FREE) Lowcountry Local Favorites Panel featuring James McTeer II (Minnow), Ellen Malphrus (Untying the Moon), Roger Pinckney (Crying in the Wilderness), Sallie Ann Robinson (Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way), and Nicole Seitz (When You Pass through Waters), moderated by John Warley 11:00–11:30 a.m. (FREE) Book signing 11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. (FREE) Poetry and Prose Reading from Found Anew featuring Ray McManus, Pam Durban, Susan Laughter Meyers, Mark Powell, and Marjory Wentworth 12:45–1:15 p.m. (FREE) Book signing 1:00–2:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Video screening of the Conroy Family Panel from the Pat Conroy at 70 festival ($25 per person with box lunch included, $10 without lunch) 2:00–3:00 p.m. (FREE) Story River Books panel with novelists Katherine Clark (The Harvard Bride), Carla Damron (The Stone Necklace), Michele Moore (The Cigar Factory), and Elizabeth Cox (A Question of Mercy), moderated by Jonathan Haupt 3:00–3:30 p.m. (FREE) Book signing 3:30–5:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Carolina Writers at Home panel with photographer Rob McDonald and contributors Elizabeth Cox, Josephine Humphreys, Jill McCorkle, and Roger Pinckney $10 per person 5:00–5:30 p.m. (FREE) Book signing 5:30–6:30 p.m. (Ticketed) Pat Conroy’s Lowcountry Heart: Look forward to a lively conversation between Cassandra King and moderator Ellen Malphrus (with special guests), including a discussion of and reading from A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life, the new collection by Pat Conroy which will make its much anticipated debut at the Pat Conroy Literary Festival. 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Closing Reception and Book signing: The talk will be followed by a book signing and a reception celebrating the writing life of Pat Conroy and the release of this new book. Join us for heavy hors devours, wine, beer, soft drinks, and a cake you’ll need to see (and taste) to believe. $30 person includes discussion and closing reception, a portion of ticket sales to go to the Pat Conroy Literary Center

S U N D AY, 1 0 / 2 3 / 1 6 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (Ticketed) USCB Lunch with Authors Series Brunch featuring Dorothea Benton Frank (All Summer Long) and Cassandra King (Moonrise, A Lowcountry Heart). The Carolina Room at Dataw. $42 per person

south CAroLinA’s

oCtober

S A T U R D A Y, 1 0 / 2 2 / 1 6

8:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Daufuskie Island Tour with Sallie Ann Robinson, hosted by and ticketed through Historic Beaufort Foundation, http://historicbeaufort.org, 843379-3331. (This tour departs from Hilton Head Island. The location will be shared with participants when they purchase tickets in advance.)

University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts Friends of the University of South Carolina Press South Carolina Humanties University of South Carolina Libraries Friends of the University of South Carolina Press Coastal Community Foundation The Harriet and Herbert Keyserling Endowment WWW.PATCONROYFESTIVAL.COM of the Coastal Community Foundation

36 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

www.facebook.com/PatConroyFestival

in-kind sPonsors

2:00–4:00 p.m. (Ticketed) Bus Tour of Pat Conroy’s Beaufort, with Bernie Schein and Maggie Schein, hosted by and ticketed through Historic Beaufort Foundation, http://historicbeaufort.org, 843-379-3331. (This tour will depart from the USCB Center for the Arts; tickets must be purchased in advance.) 2:00–5:00 p.m. (FREE)

Open House for festival participants, Pat Conroy Literary Center. 308 Charles Street.

FOR MORE INFO: 843.521.4145

801 Carteret Street, Beaufort, SC 29902

www.USCBCenterForTheArts.com

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Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort

icture a beautiful new bride, laughing with delight as she drives a golf cart around a spectacularly scenic island, her proud groom in the seat next to her. Behind them are several other carts filled with their joyous family and friends. Now imagine a low country boil by the pool framed by a glorious sunset. People of all ages reminisce, laugh and hug at a long-awaited family reunion. Or perhaps dozens of co-workers celebrating the holidays at their boss’ home, enjoying delicious food and toasting to a successful year. From an intimate gathering to a lavish event, Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort can offer spectacular settings, exceptional accommodations, a variety of amenities and top notch catering services to meet every need. According to Alissa Murrie, Marketing Director at the resort, Fripp Island is the perfect family destination for all types of events. “In many cases, generations have spent summers laying on the beach, watching the deer and exploring the island,” she said. “To then choose to have their special event here, and share this special place with friends and family who are experiencing it for the first time, is magical.” A 2016 pick in The Knot’s Best of Weddings, Fripp resort boasts every amenity imaginable throughout their 3,500 acres. In addition to three and a half miles of beach, guests can enjoy golf, tennis, boating and even cruising around the island in four-seater golf carts. “What’s nice about having an event here is that everyone is at one resort,” said Kathy Kluttz, Director of Sales and Catering. “At a typical wedding, family and friends might be staying at various hotels and might not have many chances

38 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

to see each other. At Fripp Island Resort, however, guests are surrounded by their friends or family from the moment they arrive and they are able to relax and enjoy activities together throughout their stay.” Fripp Island’s comfortable meeting spaces are designed for comfort and pleasure. Whether you’re planning a luncheon for 25 or a party for hundreds of guests, a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces available at the resort. Experienced staff is also able to recommend local vendors and help coordinate setup of the event. And, of course, one of the most important components of any successful event is the food. Guests have long raved about the resort’s scrumptious food, which is provided by renowned Atlanta food service management company Proof of the Pudding and directed at Paid For Advertisement

Fripp by Executive Chef Scott Barham-Morgan. But perhaps the most anticipated new venture for the Fripp Island Resort is off-site catering. According to Kathy, they now offer an array of catering options to individuals, groups and businesses in the Beaufort area. “While we certainly still welcome groups to the resort, we’re very excited to branch out and be available for off-island events such as holiday parties and corporate events.” For example, the resort recently provided catering services at the Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity’s Upcycled Art Auction in Port Royal. For more information on planning your special event at Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort, or to get details on the resort’s new off-island catering services, contact the Group Sales Department at 800-334-3022. www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | June/July 2016

FRANK ROBERTS

A Passion for Cultivating Oysters

story by carol lauvray

ystering is in Frank Roberts’ DNA. His ancestors began harvesting oysters in the wild in the Chesapeake Bay in the 1700s, where the bivalve mollusks were once so prolific that they could filter and purify all of the water contained in that bay in just two days. Frank says that each 3-inch to 4-inch oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, so oysters are a key to maintaining a healthy coastal ecosystem. Like his forefathers, Frank grew up along the East Coast harvesting oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound. In 1981, he came to Parris Island as a Marine Corps recruit—his first introduction to the Lowcountry and its pristine estuaries where oysters abound. In October 1983 while in the service, Frank left his Marine barracks near Beirut airport on a covert mission as a sniper. “I was the one who wasn’t supposed to make it,” Frank recalled, “but just after I left on the mission, a truck filled with explosives drove into the barracks killing 241 Marines in my unit.” Frank left the Marine Corps in 1985 and became a police officer in New Haven Connecticut, working the nightshift. In addition to working as a policeman, Frank was part of the FBI’s violent crimes task force targeting narcotics traffickers. During the daytime though, (for what he calls “sanity maintenance,”) Frank would visit oyster hatcheries to do research and learn the science of mariculture—raising oysters. One day he looked through a microscope lens and saw minute oyster larvae feeding, and he was hooked. Frank moved to Beaufort full-time in the early 2000s to pursue his new, less stressful career, cultivating oysters, and has been doing that since 2007 with his business Lady’s Island Oysters, Inc., located near the Coosaw and Whale Branch Rivers. A pioneer in Lowcountry mariculture of oysters, Frank says getting started was a

photography by paul nurnberg

complex process. Working out the lease arrangements with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources took some time, and developing his signature Single Lady Oysters—large individual oysters (not the clusters usually sold)— took years of research to perfect. Single Ladies are 3-inch to 4-inch, single-shell oysters raised for their ideal wide-fan shape and proportions. And according to the company’s website, they have a unique taste—“a smooth briny start with a sweet clean finish,” that many proclaim to be the best oysters they’ve ever eaten. Frank attributes the pure salt-waters flowing directly from the Atlantic into the Saint Helena Sound estuary as a primary reason for the outstanding flavor of his oysters. He’s also developed another type of specialty oyster, Phat Ladies, so called because they are larger with a deeper cup and greater meat content. All of the Phat Ladies that his company raises are sold to a single restaurant in Charleston, S.C., The Ordinary. Last year Frank delivered 40,000 Phat Lady Oysters to that restaurant. Lady’s Island Oysters has grown substantially. Now eight oyster growers work at the company, using seven boats to harvest the oysters when they are mature and ready for market. Frank’s family— his wife Karen, daughter Katelyn, and

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son Christopher—are all involved with the business too. Katelyn even spawned her own brood of 42,000 oysters to earn money to feed and care for her horse. The oyster operation at 35 Hutson Place, near the Whale Branch Schools on U.S. Route 21, involves a complex, multi-step process that requires just 10 to 14 months to grow oysters from seed to mature oysters (please see the sidebar article for details). Frank says, “Our Single Lady Oysters go from here (the larva stage in the nursery) to the raw bar and beer in just a year!” In the wild, oysters take three years to complete the same growth process and they experience a much higher mortality rate—less than one-half of one percent of the oysters in the wild will survive from the larva stage to maturity. However, six percent of the oyster larvae that Frank’s company develops mature into adult oysters and go to market. Oysters feed by extracting algae and other food particles from the water that they almost constantly draw over their gills. In the wild, they reproduce when the water warms by broadcast spawning and will change gender once or more during their lifetime. They are extremely sensitive to water quality and susceptible to coastal pollution, and populations in many areas where they were once abundant have dwindled or disappeared. (Source: www. NationalGeographic.com). So what is Frank’s secret to raising his high-quality oysters with a much better survival rate than oysters in the wild? He attributes his success to the Lowcountry estuary environment, to his years of research and learning what works and what doesn’t, and to carefully controlling the process. He says growing oysters is both an art and a science, “Our oysters spawn a lot and they grow fast in the protected, food-rich environment we provide.” Frank said he has developed a special recipe of filtered seawater and microalgae to nourish the microscopic

Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s New CEO

oyster larvae he raises. “We treat it like it’s like a secret seasoning recipe for barbeque,” Frank said jokingly, but at the same time he was totally serious. “Our secret recipe is a variety of concentrated phytoplankton that we feed our oyster larvae.” It’s fascinating to see the minute oyster larvae in action, moving around under a microscope magnifying at 100 times actual size. Frank notes that you can determine the health of the larvae by looking through the lens to see if their digestive tracts are translucent and have food in them, and whether the water conditions are good. You can actually watch the larvae take in nutrients and see if they have begun to form their own shells from the calcium contained in the crushed oyster shell in the water that surrounds them. “Its like a little city of activity,” Frank exclaimed, “I could watch this all of time!” Frank proudly states, “Lady’s Island Oysters are hand-crafted oysters—touched many times by human hands to produce the highest quality oysters for the finest restaurants, whose chef-owners want to feature a local, sustainable farm-to-table product.” He says he sells 98 percent of his Single Lady Oysters to Charleston restaurants, and the rest to restaurants in Beaufort (The Old Bull Tavern, Saltus River Grill, Wined It Up, and Foolish Frog), Poseidon Coastal Cuisine on Hilton Head Island, Chechessee Creek Club in Okatie, and to the general public. You can find Frank at the Port Royal Farmers Market on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon selling his Single Lady Oysters for $1.00 each, so you can take them home to experience this Lowcountry delicacy for yourself.

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Russell Baxley, a hospital administrator with an impressive track record of smart, strategic management and growth, began his new job this month as president and chief executive officer of Beaufort Memorial Hospital. He comes to the Lowcountry from Lancaster, Pa., where he was CEO of a 213-bed hospital that has undergone rapid expansion in recent years. His resume also includes stints as chief operating officer, assistant chief financial officer and director of development in small and mid-size hospitals in both South Carolina and Texas, including Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, S.C. A native of South Carolina, Baxley developed a strong work ethic as a teenager, nurtured in the fields of his family’s farm in Johnsonville where he worked with his brother and cousins after school and in the summers. He graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and went on to earn a master’s in Hospital Administration from the University of South Carolina. “I am very excited to join the team at Beaufort Memorial Hospital,” Baxley said. “Everyone I have encountered has shown a commitment to community and a passion for patient care, both of which are building blocks for improving the health of the people we serve.” Baxley is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been actively involved in community and professional organizations and activities throughout his career. He and his wife, Stephanie, relocated to Beaufort in recent weeks and are looking forward to attending Clemson games this fall.

dining guide 1635 On The Avenue 1635 Paris Avenue Port Royal, SC (843) 379-0607 Breakwater Restaurant and Bar 102 Carteret Street, Suite 102, Beaufort SC 29902 (843) 379-0052 www.breakwatersc.com Lazy Susan’s Cafe & Creperie 31A Market Street Habersham, SC 29906 (843) 466-0735 www.lazysusanscafe.com 1635 On The Avenue

To Advertise in the dining guide, or to find out how to get your restaurant, pub or bar listed please call Julie at (912)657-4120. Serving The Best Steaks, Ribs & Chops In Town.

Luther’s Rare and Well Done 910 Bay Street Beaufort,SC 29902 843-521-1888 www.luthersrareandwelldone.com Sea Eagle Market 2242 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC. (843) 521-5090 www.seaeaglemarket.com SMOKIN’ PLANKS BBQ AND SMOKEHOUSE 914 Paris Avenue, Port Royal, SC (843) 522-0322 www.smokinplanks.com

SOUTHERN STAPLES REDEFINED

Impressions are everything. Make yours today.

Mon-Wed 5-9 Thu-Sat 5-9:30 Bar Open Late Closed Sunday

203 Carteret Street | Beaufort 843.379.0052 | breakwatersc.com

203 Carteret Stree Beaufort 843.379.0052 breakwatersc.com

Southern Comfort Mon-Wed 5-9 Thu-Sat 5-9:30 With A Twist Bar Open Late | Closed Sunday

Where The Locals Go... Casual Dining With A Beautiful Waterfront Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials

FULL SERVICE BAR WITH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

843-521-1888

910 Bay Street, Beaufort, SC

Open 7 Days A Week 11:00 AM - 2 AM

203 Carteret Street | Beaufort 843.379.0052 | breakwatersc.com

1635 Paris Avenue Port Royal, South Carolina (843) 379-0607 Dinner: Wednesday-Saturday Opening at 5 www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

We are the Lowcountry Property & Flood EXPERTS

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS 2016

Meeting Space Available In Beautiful Downtown Beaufort!

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Meeting Space On The Waterfont for up to 70 people in our newly renovated banquet room. Room now available to rent for baby showers, small business meetings, from 2-30 people.

80 Ladys Island Drive, Beaufort, SC 29907

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44 June/July 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

Sea Island Inn

1015 Bay Street • Beaufort, South Carolina (843) 522-2090 • siibeaufort.com

Redcap Low Country Service Concierge: One-Stop-Shop Service at its Finest

“We’ll let you do the things you want to do while we do the things you need to do.”

eff and Lauren Tillapaugh, co-owners of Redcap Lowcountry Service Concierge (Redcap), has been in the local area for about seven years now, after relocating from New York. The couple has two little bundles of joy: Maren-4 and Leo-4 months. With a background in education, as well as recreation and leisure services management, Jeff is well aware of the plethora of opportunities that his skill and acumen afford him. Further, having a Master’s in Hospitality Management from Cornell University and noteworthy experience as a director of marketing and events for the hospitality industry in New York, Lauren is very familiar with the standard of quality expected in any successful consumer-based organization. After moving to the area, the couple opened Sweetgrass Restaurant on Dataw Island. Their business proved to be a big success. However, Jeff and Lauren soon found that the daily needs and demands of the restaurant business did not coincide with their own personal goals. Prior to selling their restaurant, the couple saw that there was a great need for a variety of services in the area. Redcap is a service that allows customers the privilege of having a variety of their needs conveniently met all in one stop. Jeff and Lauren “developed the business based on what [they] saw as a need in the community.” “People ask us all the time if we have a complete list of services. We say: ‘Your to-do list IS our to-do list.’ Just ask us, and chances are, we can do it,” Jeff insists. Redcap groups services under three categories: Home Watch Services, Detailing Services and Concierge Services. Home Watch Services: A Redcap personnel member monitors the home while the homeowner is away by checking on the home on a regular (pre-established) basis. What differentiates Redcap from some others is that Redcap has specific technology, utilizing a QR Code that is GPS enabled, “so that the homeowner knows exactly when Redcap was there.” The company representative is able to submit reports to the customers right away. Whether reporting on a faulty HVAC System, unwanted leaks or more, Home Watch does the job. “It’s amazing how often we find issues. A small leak that would otherwise go unnoticed, when found right away, can save you $10-$20,000 in repair costs,” Jeff points out. Detailing Services: Redcap has a mobile detailing unit that conveniently goes to the customer to detail their vehicle. Concierge Services: This service is genuinely incomparable to almost any service out there being offered by others. By covering such a huge array of needs, the concierge service leaves little room for any customer need to be disregarded. Whether pressure washing, lawn care, garage maintenance, office organization, move-outs or even just to “change a light bulb”---if you want it, Redcap’s concierge service can do it. If there is ever an extremely rare occasion that they can’t, they will surely try to “find someone who can.” Redcap has nearly done it all. “Some of the more unusual concierge jobs Redcap has done include: picking individual mothballs out of attic insulation, unloading a truck full of olive oil

and cleaning a garage refrigerator full of shrimp and steaks that were left out after a power outage.” Jeff laughs and says, “It was as gross as you would imagine.” Since the company’s inception, Jeff, Lauren and the entire Redcap Family have strived to provide the most effective services to their customers in the most efficient ways possible. They take a tremendous amount of pride in providing customers in the Low Country and beyond with exceptional customer service. “We don’t have a big staff. We do the work ourselves and take a lot of pride in the personal attention we give people and the relationships we build,” Lauren mentions. Jeff and Lauren have several goals looking ahead to the future. “We’d really like to grow our business in and around Beaufort; we’re still trying to raise awareness,” declares Lauren. The couple may even entertain expansion and franchising initiatives sometime in the future. The professionals at Redcap truly “wear many hats” to meet the needs of their customers. They are committed to quality and have set it as a standard. Redcap is happy to help their customers “do the things they want to do, and Redcap will do the things they need to do.”

redcapbeaufort.com (843)-882-7332 www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | June/July 2016

Furniture Decor Jewelry Vintage •

•

843-379-5503

35 Parris Island Gateway • Beaufort, South Carolina 29906

Village Treasures

TENTS TABLES TUXEDOS PORTALETS CHAIRS CHINA FLATWARE LINENS GLASSES WEDDING ARCHES PHOTO BOOTH

Thank You For Reading

Resale Boutique on Paris

Hours: Mon-Sat. 10am-4pm 1215 Paris Ave., Port Royal, SC 29935 843-379-5599 • www.VillageTreasuresPortRoyal.com

Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort Beautiful weddings come naturally here.

Picture a storybook wedding on an intimate island against the backdrop of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Add to that everything you and you guests could possibly want to enjoy as you prepare for that magical day. This is Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort. Casual elegance on the most beautiful of South Carolina’s barrier islands, just down the road from Beaufort.

Call 877-770-0764 or visit us at www.FrippIslandResort.com 46 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

AT GREENBUG, WE’RE TURNING PEST CONTROL UPSIDE DOWN. The Greenbug System is Automatic Pest Control through your Irrigation System.

Using Nature’s own ingredient of Cedar, this set-it-and-forget-it solution rids your entire property of no-see-ems, mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, ants, mole crickets and many more! Greenbug offers a variety of products for pest control using the active ingredient of cedar. Just like cedar chests and closets where you never see a bug. That is because cedar controls pests but is perfectly fine for humans, pets, birds, animals and the environment. A Greenbug System allows your Irrigation System to serve 2 functions – regular watering and Automatic Pest Control. Through simple programming, you water in the morning and then use two minutes in the evening to distribute the Greenbug.

NO BUGS. NO CHEMICALS. AUTOMATICALLY.

We’re Louise and Dan Hodges of Greenbug and we’re turning pest control upside down!

UPSIDE DOWN

WE’RE TURNING PEST CONTROL • I admit I was skeptical but it really works! My biggest regret is we didn’t get our Greenbug System sooner. - John D., Cat Island • Having a Greenbug System and not having a Greenbug System is a huge difference! You either have bugs or you don’t. I tell everyone who asks, my Greenbug System works great! - Trea T., Lady’s Island • I no longer share my yard with bugs and I have none of the concerns about my grandchildren running around in chemicals. My Greenbug System was a great addition! - Craig C., Hilton Head Island

www.GreenbugSystem.com 843-271-6755 Call for your free estimate today.

real estate

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Custom home in Walling Groveâ&#x20AC;? This Home is Offered By: Greg Bennett (843) 812-0623 greg@beaufortrealtyconsultants.com

Serving Beaufort and the Sea Islands

Fripp Island, Harbor Island, Coosaw Point, Beaufort 2 Harbor Drive Harbor Island, SC 29920 843-838-3004- office

20 The Horseshoe Coosaw Point, SC 29907 www.islandrealty.info 888-374-7747 - toll free

50 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

“Open Daily”

Why pay 3% Listing Commission? Save Thousands Selling your home without Sacrificing Service! Apex Team Real Estate now offering 1.5% Listing Side Commission

4.5% Total Commission with 3% Buyer Side Commission *Minimum Listing Side Commission $2,500

eam with Apex and Save! Apex Team Real Estate is a Full Service company that now offers ALL THE SERVICES you’ve come to expect when SELLING, BUYING, or RENTING your home but now at a reduced rate NO REDUCED SERVICES! We offer a professionally staffed office open at least six days a week with a staff of Experienced and Professional Real Estate Agents that are always Available. As a 56 year native of the Beaufort and Port Royal, SC area, I’ve been in the real estate business all of my professional life since the eighties, first as a custom home builder and designer as Salt Creek Contractors, next as Realtor with Weichert Realtors over the past 12 years, and now Broker/Owner of Apex Team Real Estate. I earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both Architectural Design and Construction Management at Clemson University and I feel that’s a benefit to my clients in selling and buying homes. I know the area, I know the market, and I know how to get your home sold! Save Thousands SELLING your home with our 50% reduced 1.5% Listing Commission: Listing commissions are set by individual brokers and there is no standard listing commission. However, most sellers pay 3% to real estate companies to list their home for sale. In order to earn your business, generate buyers, and get your home sold, I’ve decided to offer an option for Sellers to pay 50% of the most common listing commission, saving Sellers thousands of dollars with absolutely

NO SACRIFICE OF SERVICE! We are not a Flat Rate Discount Broker offering a $1,999.00 special with what are described as “only subtle changes in service.” We do not post your name and number on the internet having you take the calls and schedule showings to people you assume are agents. We do not use generic lock boxes with codes where there is no tracking of who enters your home at any time. We are FULL SERVICE BROKERS who sell your home professionally! Price, Condition, and Exposure sells homes: Exposure is our Specialty! 50 Quality Pictures and 800 words of well-designed Descriptive Remarks of the home and the community are guaranteed for each listing. I take great pride in the work I do to professionally market your home and get it seen by today’s demanding internet buyers. If the buyer does not have the information they want at the click of their mouse, they move on. The truth is that all real estate agents have most of the same tools at their disposal and it comes down to how skilled they are, how they use them, and how hard they’re willing to work. Once pictures, remarks, and other information is loaded into the multiple listing service, the information is automatically fed to Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, and all of the multiple internet search engines. It’s what you put in that’s what the consumer sees or passes over. We enhance our internet presence on major internet search engines to better expose your home and generate buyers for your home. Our ForSaleInBeaufort.

com website generates many potential buyers for your home as well with buyers who sign up and search on their own until they want a real estate agent and, when they’re ready, send request for information. Price is critical! Market Value is based on the most recent comparable sales over the past year. We work with our clients to determine market value and generate an acceptable listing price that will get their home shown. If a home is overpriced, the buyer who will see it is looking for more and the buyer who would buy it, won’t see it because it’s overpriced. We advise our Sellers what price we feel will generate traffic and most importantly, offers for their home. Condition determines value! Some conditions can be changed easily and some simply don’t make sense based on cost or even eliminating potential buyers. We meet with our sellers and develop a plan to optimize the condition of a home without wasting the seller’s money or eliminating potential buyers who want to do it themselves. The truth you can handle; It’s a Win-Win: How can Apex Team Real Estate offer what no one else in the business is offering? The truth is that we want more business and are willing to take less to get your business. More listings get us more buyers. We believe it’s a Win-Win. You save money while getting the best service available and we grow our business by providing excellence of service at a more affordable rate. Everybody Wins!

Save with APEX TEAM REAL ESTATE when you Buy, Sell, or Rent your home with us!

Carl Joye OFFICE: 843-321-9204 MOBILE: 843-575-2898 carl@ApexTeamLLC.com ForSaleInBeaufort.com

1503 Paris Avenue, Port Royal

Beaufort Lifestyle | October/November

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Real Estate Simplified 2016 TESTIMONIALS

“Ethan has represented us in several real estate transactions. He grew up in the Beaufort/Port Royal area and is VERY familiar with the entire area and market. We think of Ethan as our friend, who happens to be a real estate professional. We recommend him highly to anyone looking for good, honest advice and help with their real estate needs.” - Peggy and Dean

32 RIDGE ROAD

Beautiful both inside and out! This wonderful home overlooks the golf course on a private setting. Inside, there is a spacious Master Suite on the first floor in addition to well-appointed living and dining rooms. The screened porch leads out to a large backyard/patio. Upstairs offers two gracious bedrooms/office spaces. A must see home on desirable Cat Island.

MLS #148420 $534,000

844 RIBAUT ROAD

Beautifully restored Dutch Colonial just moments from Dwntwn Beaufort. The first floor offers a custom Master Suite w/home offices, large bd/ba and closet/ storage space. The formal dining room leads easily into the kitchen and one of two lvg rooms. Fantastic outdoor space! With a rear driveway, accessing the home from both Ribaut Rd and Reynolds drive is easy. Large backyard area offers a built in grill, fire pit, and garden area. Live in the center of it all! MLS#149198 $468,500

“I feel very fortunate to have met Ethan James when looking for a home in Beaufort. He helped me to find the right home for me and while I was in another state, he negotiated terms and took care of repairs for me. He always answered me in a timely manner and was very professional in all his dealings with me. I would highly recommend Ethan to anyone looking to sell or buy a home in Beaufort.” - Gina “Ethan is a consummate professional who is committed to his clients, the neighborhood, and the entire community. He is in the business of creating wealth for the neighborhood by selling your home at market price. He is driven to sell at fair value, keeps his clients informed and is dedicated to closing the deal. I slept well at night knowing that Ethan was aggresivley marketing my home to sell it at the right price quickly. Numerous late night phone calls with follow-on morning appointments to discuss offers and counter strategies describes his endurance and commitment to his clients. Bottom line, I more than satisfied with the results Ethan provided and would recommend his service to family and friends.” -Will and Megan

Amy Achurch REALTOR

843-441-5748 Amy@BallengerRealty.com

W W W. B E A U F O R T T I M E . C O M

Ethan James, REALTOR

933A Paris Avenue, Port Royal, SC cell: (843) 812-0060 ethan@coastalresolutions.com ethanjamesrealestate.com

Beaufort’s First Choice in Property Management

• RESIDENTIAL • VACATION • COMMERCIAL

Serving Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head

910 Charles Street Beaufort, SC 29902 Rentals & Property Management

843-521-1942

www.VisitSeaIslandRentals.com 52 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

Creations and Libations Art Studio and Gallery:

ARTS, CRAFTS AND BEYOND

arissa Doig and her husband John have lived in Beaufort for about three years. Carissa is a native of Connecticut. Moreover, the couple has babies, “fur babies”, that is, as they are avid humanitarians when it comes to rescuing animals. In fact, they have several of their own that came from local rescue shelters. “We have a bunch of fur babies. I cannot say no to a rescue,” Carissa states. Carissa has a noteworthy professional background. Prior to moving to the local area, she acquired a remarkable amount of career experience in the cosmetics industry, along with the digital marketing industry. This has enabled her to be successful in her present business endeavors as well. Earlier in her career, Carissa held positions as a manager, trainer, and area director for renowned national cosmetics corporations based in Canada, New York City, and California, which gave her priceless opportunities to showcase her talents in a variety of notable fashion shows all over the country. She was also involved in special FX makeup artistry on a number of B horror films. “I loved it, and I learned so much” Carissa states. Unfortunately, at only 24 years of age, Carissa was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), after experiencing several plaguing symptoms of the disease. Over time, Carissa had several bouts with flareups of MS symptoms. She was unable to continue her travels all over the country and so she attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting with aspirations to be hired at a local TV station and become a professional make-up artist for anchors. Things took a swift turn when she unexpectedly “fell in love with radio.” Consequently, she was offered a rare career opportunity as the Digital Marketing Director at the well-known radio station, The Rock 106.9 WCCC. The radio station was a staple in the Rock N Roll industry, and made several appearances in the movie Private Parts. Carissa laughs and says, “That was like working in a frat house every day, you never knew what was going to happen.” Interestingly enough, the station was sold some time later, and Carissa sought even more promising opportunities.

After visiting the Low Country with her husband, Carissa knew where she wanted to call home. She remarks, “We came here, and I fell in love.” Carissa resumed her career in digital marketing, but her illness continued to progress. Even so she still maintained her passion for life and she decided that she really wanted to “go back to her art roots.” She wanted to do something truly meaningful--she wanted “people to have fun and enjoy themselves while creating something beautiful.” She is a proud supporter of the National MS Society, and wants those who struggle with the chronic illness to know that you should “never give up, never quit, keep moving, keep fighting. If plan ‘A’ doesn’t work out, move on to plan ‘B’, but keep going. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t do something.” Carissa knew exactly what she wanted to do with her plan B. She explained her decision; “I woke up one morning and I couldn’t see. I had a flare up and lost vision in both of my eyes for about 3 months. Then I couldn’t move my right hand or arm. I couldn’t get my limbs to listen to my brain for months and I thought to myself, what if I can never paint or do makeup ever again?” She decided that she wanted to use her former experience and expertise to provide a one-of-a –kind experience for her customers. Creations and Libations is an art studio, “not an art school.” Carissa offers customers “a place to let loose and just have fun.” Whether painting, candle making, glass painting, or making melted crayon art, there are numerous activities to enjoy. “Black Light Paint Nights” are new and thrilling! All the lights are turned off, the music is turned up and the paint glows on your canvas. The studio is an all-in-one entertainment venue. Whether customers would like to get involved with any of the activities going on during the week or just relax and take a load off, Carissa prides herself in providing an establishment with a variety of value-added things on the menu. Adult customers are able to partake in wine & paint occasions, which is often done with friends. However, individuals are required to bring their own alcohol for consumption. Carissa wants all individuals to enjoy

the art sessions that are offered each week. Sessions will run six times per week: once on Thursdays, twice on Fridays and three times on Saturdays. The information is posted on their website and Facebook page. Carissa welcomes the public to visit Creations and Libations for their various entertainment endeavors. She assures them that they will have a memorable time. Creations and Libations hosts an array of events including: birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, couple’s night out and much more. Basically, if it’s sought after, Carissa will try to make it happen. “I love to see all the different things people create. We like to say that there are no mistakes in art, only discoveries,” Carissa says. Creations and Libations offers its customers a truly unique experience. With her creativity and innovation, Carissa is looking forward to all that is in store for the future.

CREATIONS AND LIBATIONS 3B Market #1, Habersham Market Place Beaufort, South Carolina 29906 (843)-644-6434 www.creationslibations.com FB: creationsandlibationsofthelowcountry Beaufort Lifestyle | October/November

2016 53

Southern Comfort With a Twist

VOTED #1 ON TRIPADVSIOR 2016 JOIN US FOR DINNER AND SEE WHY

1635 Paris Avenue Port Royal, South Carolina (843) 379-0607

Dinner: Wednesday-Saturday Opening at 5

54 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com

photo: nic eve

www.BeaufortLifestyle.com | October/November 2016

56 October/November 2016 | www.BeaufortLifestyle.com