Hilton Head Monthly April 2017

M HILTON HEAD MONTHLY MAGAZINE

CONNECTING THE LOWCOUNTRY

hilton head

APRIL 2017

Heritage RBC

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A FREY MEDIA PUBLICATION

YEARS OF GOLF & GIVING

SPRING’S HOTTEST FASHION

MAKE WAY FOR MANATEES LOWCOUNTRY'S TOP LEGAL MINDS APRIL 2017

HILTONHEADMONTHLY.COM

monthly address PO Box 5926, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938 offices 843-842-6988 fax 843-842-5743 web hiltonheadmonthly.com

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843-785-1889 or subscriptions@hiltonheadmonthly.com CEO

Marc Frey marc@hiltonheadmonthly.com PRESIDENT Anuska Frey afrey@freymedia.com PUBLISHER Lori Goodridge-Cribb lori@hiltonheadmonthly.com 1-843-842-6988, Option 2 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lance Hanlin lance@hiltonheadmonthly.com 1-843-422-9544 ART DIRECTOR Jeremy Swartz jeremy@hiltonheadmonthly.com DESIGN Charles Grace charles@hiltonheadmonthly.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Arno Dimmling, Rob Kaufman, Lloyd Wainscott, Butch Hirsch, Mike Ritterbeck, Tr Media World, Josh Gibson, Faithography, Brian Paulette, Scott Grooms CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dean Rowland, Luana M. Graves Sellars, Barry Kaufman, Robyn Passante, Elihu Spencer, Becca Edwards, Carrie Hirsch, Don McLoud, Dr. Gloria Holmes, Kim Kachmann-Geltz, Hallie D. Martin, Marco Frey, Lisa Allen, Jessie Renew, Justin Jarrett, James McMahon, Tim Wood, Paula Magrini, Jean Beck, Carolyn Males, Barbara K. Clark, Heather Bragg EDITORIAL & DESIGN SUPPORT Ellis Harman, Katy Metzger, Jean Meaney Wheatly, Allyson Venrick, Nicole Moore ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES Rebecca V. Kerns rebecca@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-816-2732 Cathy Flory cathy@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-384-1538 Majka Yarbrough majka@hiltonheadmonthly.com 1-843-290-9372 Mary Ann Kent maryann@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-384-9390

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35 main street, suite 110 o hilton head, sc 29926 o (843) 342–4955 w w w. k p m f l o o r i n g . c o m

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Shipyard Plantation, one of the original developments on Hilton Head, is not only scenic but also conveniently nestled in the heart of the south end of Hilton Head Island. Lush oaks, tropical palms, tall pines and an array of wildlife make this 800-acre property a true experience with a balance of respecting the past and embracing the future.

If one word could describe Shipyard Plantation, it would be diversified. This unusual residential and resort community offers first class living for those who choose to visit and those who choose to reside in this scenic but secure plantation. There is always something new going on in Shipyard, and the commercial partners and owners are dedicated to hitting the refresh button and keeping the properties current.

Recreational facilities include championship golf and tennis, trails for biking and jogging, a first class resort hotel, a health spa, and most importantly – the beach.

Owners in Shipyard enjoy the finest island Beach Club and a true sense of community through varied social and educational programs available at their oceanfront club.

The best island combination of vacation or villa living and permanent homes, Shipyard is a beautiful alternative whether you desire to come for awhile or forever. Call (843) 785–3310 for a new look at Shipyard Plantation or visit us on line at shipyardhhi.com.

10 Shipyard Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC • 843.785.3310 www.Shipyardhhi.com

APRIL

RBC HERITAGE

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OUR HERITAGE Golf continues to be Hilton Head’s biggest breadwinner

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BACK FOR MORE South African star golfer Branden Grace is back to defend his title

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MEET THE CONTENDERS Favorites to slip on the tartan jacket in 2017

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HERITAGE NOTEBOOK Key times, dates, events and news related to the tournament

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HERITAGE FASHION Get the look to help you stand out in the gallery

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HERITAGE HEALTHY Heritage Classic Foundation chairman reports tournament is on great footing

FEATURES 42

42 n WHERE ARE THEY NOW? See what former resident Lance Little is up to in the Philippines

44 n F IRST FAMILIES How the Burke family created a good life for themselves on the island

50 n M AKING HIS MARK Jake Gartner is having an impact as chairman of the Design Review Board

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APRIL CONTENTS 134

54 n RAYS OF SUNSHINE Couple with local ties gives gravely ill children another reason to smile

134 n PERFECT ENDING Hilton Head Island High School wrestlers end season on high note

138 n A PRIL FOOLS: HEALTH Debunking some of the most common fitness myths

140 n SMALL WONDER Kentucky woman turns tiny treehousestyle home into sophisticated space

158 n N EED FOR CHANGE

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Everything’s looking up on Hilton Head Island. Except for home prices

206 n IT’S MANATEE SEASON Sea cows making their spring trip to local waters

232 n U PCOMING CAMPS Plan something fun for the kids to do this spring and summer

IN EVERY ISSUE 4 n CONTACT US 18 n AT THE HELM 18 n ONLINE 20 n NEWS 24 n VIBE 42 n PEOPLE 52 n BUSINESS 60 n ON THE MOVE 74 n GOLF 105 n FASHION 132 n SPORTS 136 n HEALTH 140 n HOME 158 n REAL ESTATE 206 n ENVIRONMENT 208 n CALENDAR 230 n SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT 235 n MUSIC 237 n DINING 256 n LAST CALL

235 n THE NICE GUYS

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High school students bring new sound to local music scene

243 n PARTY ON! Host the perfect Heritage cocktail party with recipes from local catering experts

244 n A PASSION FOR COOKING Appearance on “Chopped Junior” an exhilarating experience for chef 16 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Top legal minds

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AT THE HELM

Best Heritage Week ever

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES HILTONHEADMONTHLY.COM

PHOTO BY MARK STAFF

In

many parts of the country, April showers bring May flowers. Here in the Lowcountry, April brings more than 100,000 people to our tranquil island for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

Locals simply call it “Heritage Week.”

Saying it’s important would be a huge understatement. For many local businesses, it is the most important week of the year.

And considering the adversity faced during and after Hurricane Matthew, many need this to be the biggest and best Heritage Week ever.

Spring officially began March 20, but for the Lowcountry, it doesn’t start until the cannon fires at the PGA Tour tournament’s opening ceremonies.

The Heritage is the one time of year when you may see friends on TV or spot a famous professional golfer at your favorite restaurant. Every local has a story. You never know what Heritage Week is going to bring, and that’s what makes it so great.

Many pages of this issue are dedicated to the tournament, which takes place April 10-16. We profile defending champion Branden Grace and look at the biggest threats to his title in 2017. We speak with Simon Fraser of the Heritage Classic Foundation and tournament chairman Doug Smith, and take a closer look at the people and organizations that benefit from all the charitable giving the Heritage supports.

We also break down the new pro-am at Atlantic Dunes, share the updated parking plan, point out changes to the Patriots Outpost and much more. So what are you looking forward to the most? I’m most excited about Tito’s Stillhouse.

As you may know, Tito’s Handmade

Monthly publisher Lori Goodridge-Cribb (left) with stylist Roxanne Gilland on the set for our Heritage Fashion shoot at Harbour Town.

Vodka is the official vodka sponsor of the tournament this year. And it just so happens that I’m practically president of the Tito’s Vodka fan club. My brother lived in Texas and introduced me to the spirit years ago. I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m excited to experience the new Tito’s tent on the Heritage Lawn. I just need to find the perfect outfit to wear to it.

Lucky for me (and other golf-loving fashionistas), this issue also features 10 pages of stunning golf-friendly fashion — clothing that will help you stand out in the gallery.

Special thanks to stylist Roxanne Gilland, photographers Mark and Lisa Staff and all of the beautiful models for making it happen on a chilly Saturday morning.

We also have plenty of other content this month, like a special lawyers section, a listing of local summer camps and all the latest news and notes. At 256 pages, it is our largest magazine ever. We also feel it is one of our best. Happy Heritage! M

ABOUT THE COVER: The Hilton Head Island cover features Heritage Classic Foundation chairman Simon Fraser wearing a tartan jacket. The jackets are given to winners of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. The Bluffton cover shows Hanna Kiefer, a student at Hilton Head Prep and the International Junior Golf Academy. Both images were captured by photographer Lloyd Wainscott.

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PHOTOS: ST. PATRICK’S DAY Did the cold weather keep you away from this year’s parade? Photographer Arno Dimmling braved the elements to get some great images.

EVENTS: YOUR WEEK AHEAD Looking for something fun to do? Find everything that is happening around the Lowcountry in our online events calendar.

VIDEO: MORE SUNSHINE After reading about Sunshine on a Ranney Day on page 54, watch a touching bedroom makeover video online.

As Lowcountry residents rebuild, we’ve launched an initiative to strengthen the community’s economy and social fabric by encouraging the support of locally owned businesses.

NEWS

APRIL HIT

LIST

Michael Gottdenker, Hargray’s Chairman & CEO

HARGRAY SOLD TO PRIVATE INVESTMENT GROUP APRIL FOOL’S DAY (APRIL 1) SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL (APRIL 1-8) CHORAL FESTIVAL (APRIL 2) THE MASTERS (APRIL 3-9) SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (APRIL 4-5) PALM SUNDAY (APRIL 9)

Hargray Communications Group and The Pritzker Organization recently announced that Tom Pritzker Family Business Interests has agreed to acquire Hargray in an all-cash transaction. Hargray is the main broadband communications and entertainment provider to the Lowcountry and is growing throughout Georgia. Over the past 10 years, the company has invested over $250 million to create a communications network that includes 2,000 route miles of fiber and serves over 65,000 customers. The transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter.

PASSOVER BEGINS (APRIL 10) RBC HERITAGE (APRIL 10-16) GOOD FRIDAY (APRIL 14)

EASTER (APRIL 16) BLUFFTON, BEAUFORT COUNTY TO PURCHASE HISTORIC PROPERTY BLUFFTON SUNSET PARTY (APRIL 21) OLD TOWN PAINT OUT (APRIL 22)

EARTH DAY (APRIL 22)

SOUTHERN LIVING RANKS HILTON HEAD AMONG TOP ISLANDS

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (APRIL 23-24) HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY (APRIL 24) ARBOR DAY (APRIL 28) PALMETTO HEART WALK (APRIL 29)

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Hilton Head Island was named the fourth-best island in the South in Southern Living magazine’s first ever “South’s Best Awards.” According to the magazine: “Incorporated in 1983, Hilton Head is an upscale, planned vacation and residential community that’s great for family vacations. It has 24 championship golf courses and a whopping 324 tennis courts.” Hilton Head was ranked No. 4 behind the Outer Banks, North Carolina; St. Simons Island, Georgia; and the Florida Keys. Other islands on the list include Chincoteague, Virginia; Kiawah; Jekyll Island, Georgia; Sanibel Island, Florida; Galveston, Texas; and Tybee Island.

In a unanimous vote at its March 14 meeting, Bluffton Town Council authorized the town manager to execute a purchase and an operating agreement for the historic property located at 111 Calhoun St. The vote followed another unanimous vote by Beaufort County Council on March 13 to assist the town in funding the purchase through its Rural and Critical Lands Preservation Program. The $1.5 million purchase price will be evenly split by Bluffton and the county, with the town assuming primary responsibility for operation and maintenance of the property. The property, situated at the south end of Calhoun Street on the river adjacent to the Calhoun Street Public Dock and across the street from The Church of the Cross, is both historically and culturally significant. The Squire Pope Carriage House, built circa 1850, sits on the property and is one of the very few structures in the Bluffton Historic District to survive the 1863 “Burning of Bluffton” by the Union Army during the Civil War. Future plans for the property involve converting it into a passive park to provide additional public access to the May River for Bluffton residents and visitors. The town also expects to rehabilitate the Squire Pope Carriage House, similar to how it has restored the soon-to-be unveiled Garvin House at nearby Oyster Factory Park. The town will use hospitality tax revenue and other town funds for its $750,000 share of the purchase cost.

NEWS

GROUP OFFERING SPECIAL TRIP TO MEMBERS OF GULLAH COMMUNITY

TRAVEL SITE RANKS HHI HOTEL AMONG WORLD’S BEST Canadian online travel site Flight Network ranked The Inn & Club at Harbour Town No. 43 on its list of the “100 Greatest Hotels in the World.” Results were determined by a panel that examined accommodations based on everything from their original style to first-class services, ability to embody local culture, and access to remarkable environments. Most important of all was what caliber of experience hotels could offer to well-seasoned travelers. Top hotels on the list were The Gritti Palace in Venice, La Réserve Paris Hotel & Spa, The Alpina Gstaad, Villa Feltrinelli and Maison Souquet.

BLUFFTON HIGH, USCB UNVEIL DUEL-CREDIT PARTNERSHIP Students at Bluffton High School can soon begin earning college credits at the University of South Carolina Beaufort through a new partnership between the two schools. A memorandum of agreement between the Beaufort County School District and the university will allow Bluffton High students to take courses from USCB professors beginning with the 2017-18 academic year. There will be no cost to students. The USCB partnership announcement follows on the heels of Bluffton High’s selection by the College Board to participate in the AP Capstone program. Beginning next school year, AP Capstone will allow students to earn a special diploma signifying their mastery of skills valued by colleges and employers. Three USCB courses — college algebra, introduction to sociology, and public communication — will be taught on Bluffton High’s campus, while other courses will be available to students on USCB’s campus. Students at all district high schools can earn college credits via AP courses as well as through dual-credit courses through the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

HILTON HEAD RANKED NO. 4 SPOT TO RETIRE IN SC Hilton Head Island is the No. 4 spot in South Carolina to retire, according to a list compiled by the financial technology company SmartAsset. The island got an index score of 36.52 to finish behind Seneca, Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet. The study rated cities by their tax friendliness, recreational and social opportunities for seniors, and availability of medical care. Other cities in the top 10 include Camden, Greenville, West Columbia, Spartanburg, Georgetown and Anderson.

AMERICAN RED CROSS: BLOOD DONORS NEEDED The American Red Cross has a severe winter blood shortage and is issuing an emergency call for blood donors to make donation appointments now and help save lives. Hectic holiday schedules for many regular blood donors contributed to about 37,000 fewer donations in November and December than what was needed. Find a blood donation opportunity and schedule an appointment to donate by using the free Blood Donor App, visiting www.redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-733-2767 22 hiltonheadmonthly.com

A group of local residents want to send people from the Gullah community on a special trip Oct. 9-13 to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. “Gullah Goes to Washington” is a five-day trip for people within the Gullah community who have contributed to the preservation of Gullah culture but might not be able to afford a trip to see the historic museum. The trip was devised after a visit to Hilton Head by Lonnie Bunch III, the founding director of the museum prior to its opening. The group plans to take a minimum of 50 people on the trip. For more information, contact Herbert Ford at herbertford@hotmail.com.

TOWN OF BLUFFTON RECEIVES GRANT FOR WATER QUALITY The South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control has awarded the town of Bluffton its third U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act-Section 319 grant to protect the May River’s water quality.

The latest $231,350 grant pushes the town’s total of federal Section 319 grant funds past the $1 million mark.

All the grants have supported projects, programs and policies within the town’s May River Watershed Action Plan. Each EPA grant is via the Clean Water Act Section 319 funding, which is awarded and administrated through the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. This funding is designated for states and territories to help restore full use of their waterways as well as to protect and prevent pollution from water runoff and drainage.

The recent grant will be used to support the May River Preserve Project, which is located in the Stoney Creek sub-basin. The project will provide storm water treatment within a 9-acre, seasonal, shallow pond adjacent to the May River Preserve development.

The town will install a control structure that slows storm water by holding it back and allowing it to temporarily accumulate behind an existing berm.

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S T A O B E H T OCK

W O H S T A O B ND A L S I D A E H UR N O B R A H HILTO L L I M ND I W O T S N R U RET For more than three decades, the cheerful Windmill Harbour sign has greeted those crossing the bridge to Hilton Head Island from the mainland.

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BY JESSIE RENEW

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ew, however, have experienced the exclusive waterfront lifestyle enjoyed by the residents who live behind the gates of that community.

Once a year, however, that experience is available to everyone when Windmill Harbour opens its gates to the public for the Hilton Head Island Boat Show. The 2017 show will take place on May 6-7 at the 15-acre Windmill Harbour Marina, the heart of this picturesque neighborhood. In addition to dazzling boat displays, hand-selected vendors, food and entertainment, this year’s boat show will feature open houses and trolley rides through the community.

The Hilton Head Island Boat Show is unique among boat shows and local events for a number of reasons; chief among them is its location. Not only is Windmill Harbour full of beautiful homes overlooking fantastic natural scenery, the marina is home to the South Carolina

The 2017 Hilton Head Boat Show is set for May 6-7 at Windmill Harbour Marina.

Yacht Club and is an impressive sight in its own right. Windmill Harbour Marina is the largest marina on the island by more than 100 slips. The marina was built in the mid-1980s, and the earth that was dug up was used to form a base for the new bridge to Bluffton, which was also under construction at the time. A lock system was integrated into the marina to keep the water level constant and to protect against extreme weather.

The Windmill Harbour lock, one of only three on the East Coast, was put to the

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William Berra

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test in October when Hurricane Matthew roared into town. The marina weathered the storm exceptionally well, and the boats within her sustained no damage.

Among those that took shelter in the marina was The Grace, Palmetto Bluff’s 1913 motor yacht.

“I, along with another boat, sought shelter from Hurricane Matthew at Windmill Harbour while traveling down from Charleston,” said Robert Clarkson, captain of The Grace. “The facility was great, and we were treated like royalty by the residents who rode out the storm with us. Harbormaster Jake made certain we were safe and offered us alternative shelter. The marina survived the storm when marinas all around us suffered greatly. Lee graciously opened up the club and its bar to us.

While I'm not wishing another hurricane on us, it was our good fortune to have been able to take our boats to such a great safe harbor.”

Windmill Harbour residents enjoy the community’s amenities and waterfront lifestyle.

About 80 percent of homes have water views of Calibogue Sound, Jarvis Creek or the marina.

Residents also work together to promote and maintain the neighborhood. This spirit of community is in full force at the annual boat show, 26 hiltonheadmonthly.com

which is planned and run by volunteers from the neighborhood.

The Hilton Head Boat Show is distinctive for its high-end mix of boats and vendors. All types of boats will be in the water, including luxury yachts, cruising sailboats, center consoles, ski boats, run-abouts, trawlers, tugs, electric boats, fishing boats, personal watercraft and kayaks from brands including Vanquish, MJM, Beneteau, Nordic Tug, Chris Craft, Hurricane, Key West, Pursuit and Scout. Handselected vendors will be positioned around the marina to provide all of the items that go with the nautical lifestyle, including marine services, insurance and financing, as well as art, décor, jewelry, sunglasses, outdoor clothing, gear, electronics and upgrades.

With never a dull moment, the boat show will offer a variety of activities each day, including kayak demonstrations, live music, clinics, workshops and simulations. New this year is a Kentucky Derby cocktail party hosted by Monty Jett on Saturday, May 6. The party will be held on the South Carolina Yacht Club pool deck, overlooking the picturesque marina, and will feature live music by The Lowcountry Boil Bluegrass Band, along with food and drinks from the Yacht Club. M

IF YOU GO 2017 HILTON HEAD ISLAND BOAT SHOW When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 7 Where: Windmill Harbour Marina.

You will be directed to park upon entering the community and trolleys will shuttle attendees to the show.

Who: The show has something for visitors of all ages. Even non-boaters will enjoy its festive atmosphere and interesting sights.

Tickets: A variety of tickets are available online including day passes, $15 for adults and $10 for kids; full weekend passes, $20 for adults and $15 for kids; Derby Party tickets, $50 per adult and includes Saturday show admission; and VIP ticket packages.

Details: For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.hiltonheadislandboatshow.com or call 843-879-8761.

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DIVERSITY 101

WHY WE FEAR CHANGE At

BY GLORIA HOLMES, PH.D.

Dr. Gloria Holmes is a professor emeritus at the School of Education at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Committed to promoting cultural literacy in schools and communities, she has worked as a diversity trainer for the Anti-Defamation League and has conducted anti-bias workshops for the Connecticut State Department of Education.

first glance, it may be difficult to see the logic of linking the concepts of diversity, change and fear, and yet it is easy to connect them. The connection between change and fear is obvious; we all know that change can be scary. We also know that because change is often scary, we are sometimes motivated to resist it directly, even in bombastic ways, or indirectly through subtle forms of passive resistance.

The connection between diversity and fear, however, may be less obvious. If we define diversity in the most simplistic way as social or cultural differences, the question then becomes: Why do we fear diversity? On the most basic level, it could be a primal fear of the unknown, or a fear of what Toni Morrison has called “the not me.” And yet, we live in an age that urges us to acknowledge, accept and even embrace difference instead of trying to erase or neutralize it, because as a society, 28 hiltonheadmonthly.com

we’ve begun to move beyond the unrealistic concept of the melting pot. Now, the prevailing belief is that in our society, people have a constitutionally guaranteed right to be different, and we all must respect that, even if that difference is personally repugnant to us.

So, how do the concepts of diversity, change and fear intersect? One way to answer the question is to think about some of the basic reasons people fear change.

Some argue that change takes us out of our comfort zones and confronts us with a vague, unfamiliar and scary unknown, and about this there is little debate. However, sometimes our situations are anything but comfortable, and yet, even then, we prefer to linger in our discomfort rather than embrace change because it is familiar and, in a sense, safe. Another reason people fear change is because it confronts them with the possibility of loss: loss of equilibrium, loss of a sense of order and predictability in their personal lives, loss

of control or status, loss of power. Change can be destabilizing. Change can make us afraid that our worlds will collide, collapse, implode, be shaken to the core, and that nothing will be the same. This can make us believe that change is bad and the status quo is good. But what does this mean for our acceptance of social and cultural diversity? In a sense, this question is settled because as civil rights activist Gary Howard has reminded us, “diversity is not a choice;” it is a fact of life. However, we can choose how, and how well, we will respond to it.

Several months ago, without knowing it, my pastor, the inimitable Michael Carr, inspired this article when he preached about change and the 40 percent rule, a guiding principle of the Navy SEALs. Talking about how difficult it is to change our ways and embody biblical guidelines of moral behavior, Pastor Carr said: “Most people utilize only 40 percent of the effort needed to make real change. They

the VIBE expend up to 40 percent of the energy needed and nothing more. The underlying message from the SEALs is that we only can achieve success if we push ourselves beyond what we perceive to be, and accept as, our physical and mental limits.”

As I listened to Pastor Carr, I began to think about the 40 percent rule in the broader context of our responses to cultural diversity, implicit or unconscious biases and social dominance. For me, the 40 percent rule can be seen as a metaphor for stasis, and as a way to resist change, and preserve existing patterns of individual behavior as they relate to personal biases and beliefs.

Changing belief systems is very difficult because belief systems are subterranean; their origins are hard to find and harder to confront. Belief systems are personal, intangible, slippery and deeply embedded. They are also tied to familial loyalties, socialization patterns, and the acculturation process, and they exist within sociohistorical and socio-political contexts. If, for example, a person is asked to overturn, and change belief systems learned in childhood, this can be perceived as asking that person to reject certain family values and by extension, it can seem like an implicit critique of one’s family.

CHANGE OR THE 40 PERCENT DIS-SOLUTION

If it is true that most people make only 40 percent of the effort needed to accomplish change, it also means that we accomplish only 40 percent of the change we need to make. Consequently, we achieve only 40 percent of the success (and 60 percent of the failure), 40 percent of the satisfaction of achieving something (and 60 percent of the dissatisfaction), and we stop trying less than half-way toward achieving our goal(s); 60 percent remains unfinished; 60 percent of the problem remains unfixed.

When our efforts dry up 40 percent of the way to completion, we can rationalize that change was a bad idea in the first place, or that we were going in the wrong direction, because we were going against established protocols and practices that are safe and predictable. Or maybe the problem we were trying to fix wasn’t really 30 hiltonheadmonthly.com

"SOME ARGUE THAT CHANGE TAKES US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES AND CONFRONTS US WITH A VAGUE, UNFAMILIAR AND SCARY UNKNOWN"

that bad, and we can live with it; or that change is scary; or that the status quo is what we know best and we’ve become experts in maintaining it; or the existing social structures are natural and reliable. Or we worry that family and friends may not accept us or the new ideas; or that the new ideas will make us part of a permanent out-group; or that we should stop trying because the effort seems too great, or unproductive; or that we haven’t fully assessed the problem, or what we need to do to correct it; or that it’s a waste of time and energy, and the final outcomes may not make a difference anyway. Or maybe the longer it takes to change things, the bigger the problem gets, putting us further away from a solution; or our efforts are doomed before we begin; or that we’re just not smart enough, or strong enough to make a difference.

These are some of the reasons we can give ourselves for embracing stasis, but what does this have to do with diversity?

Let’s apply the 40 percent dis-solution to a common diversity challenge that could confront any of us on any given day — the lack of cultural competence that solidifies an “us” vs. “them” dynamic between culturally different people that can foment misunderstanding and miscommunication and hinder the development of mutual understanding and respect. If we make only 40 percent of the effort needed to develop cultural competence, it means that we will expend only 40 percent of the effort needed to understand our own biases and change them.

One thing we know for sure is that change is usually inconvenient, sometimes hard, and often scary, but if we think about this more broadly in societal terms, 40 percent is a chilling number because it’s a deep concession to failure. It means conceding that 40 percent is all that we ever hope to achieve as a society, and admitting that we can, and will, live with less. If we frame this around justice, equality and fairness, ideals that embody America’s core values, 40 percent is counter to almost everything that the U.S. stands for. It means that if we just fix 40 percent of what’s wrong with our society, 60 percent will remain broken, and we accept that that is OK. If we fix 40 percent of the country’s prejudice, it means that 60 percent remains firmly in place; if people are oppressed, we will expect to alleviate only 40 percent of their suffering, but 60% of their oppression will continue to eat away at them and diminish the quality of their lives. If we frame this around schools and children, it is difficult to rationalize failure as an option, but nationally we have already accepted the existence of “dropout factories,” schools that institutionalize failure for thousands of American children every year because they graduate less than 60 percent of their students. And, even in our community, most of the children who are the academic bottom dwellers are black, Hispanic or poor.

America is aggressively and unalterably diverse, and all of our futures are depending on more than a 40 percent dis-solution to social change. M

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H IL T O N H E A D IS L A N D :

O R E Z D N GROU

M IS R U O T E G A IT R E H ’S N IO T FOR OUR NA

African Americans leaving a cotton field after a day of picking in the U.S. South in 1887.

The Lowcountry is incredibly rich in heritage and culture and has had a unique role in American history.

F

BY LUANA M. GRAVES SELLARS

rom Charleston to Savannah, there were underway that paved the way for Reconstruction. From 1865 to 1877, is no doubt that this area is the Southern states that had seceded were historic origin of black America’s forced to operate under a reconstruction beginning. Significantly, this area plan before being allowed to rejoin the can lay claim to the origins of Union. This time is an important part of black America because it is where newly America’s beginnings, and it is imporfreed slaves first became self-sufficient tant to understand its impact on legal citizens of the U.S. The the nation. According to U.S. Rep. Port of Charleston served as Jim Clyburn, “for a long time, this the entry point for more African period of history has been ignored slaves than any other port, and and is often misunderstood or misas a result, in pre-Civil War days represented.”

South Carolina’s black populaMany are unaware of the sigtion was far greater than the nificant role that the National population of the whites who CLYBURN Park Service plays in preservenslaved them. The economic ing American history. Among other impact of the slave trade made South things, the agency helps to identify sites Carolina a “slave society,” but the state also is the birthplace of Reconstruction — around the country that have historical importance. To date, the National Park the gateway to a post-slavery future.

Service has recognized more than 30 The South was in extreme turmoil sites nationwide that were important after the Civil War, and many changes

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locations during the Civil War; however, none of them honored the importance of the Reconstruction era. Before leaving office, President Barack Obama invoked the Antiquities Act, creating a multi-site Reconstruction-era national monument in the Beaufort area. Four sites that already have been recognized as part of this initiative, including:

• The Historic Brick Baptist Church on St. Helena Island, which was built by slaves in 1855. The slaves were restricted to the second floor of the church, where they could not be seen by their masters, and they were forced to stand during services. The Historic Brick Baptist Church is an important part of the Penn Center district, where it was the first location for black students at the Penn School. Today, the church continues to be a strong part of the St. Helena community and has an active congregation.

ERNST AND CHRISTINA BRUDERER ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE ARTS. They collect interesting pieces and regularly make a gallery or museum visit part of their travel plans. They believe the arts are an essential component of a well-rounded education, and that performing and visual arts help build a healthy community.

When the Bruderers wanted to find a way to support this passion, they called on Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. We helped them set up the Bruderer Family Fund for Arts and Education, a donor advised fund that allows them to direct grants to programs and organizations that promote artistic and educational pursuits.

Whatever your passion, the Community Foundation can help you find the right giving vehicle to make a meaningful impact. Contact us today at 843.681.9100.

843.681.9100 cf-lowcountry.org

the VIBE

• Penn Center’s Historic Darrah Hall is one of the oldest structures on the 50-acre campus. The Penn School, as it was formally called, was one of the first schools in the United States to provide academic training and an “industrial education” in practical trades for freed slaves.

Since its creation, Penn Center has been central to the growth and development of black American history. It served as a safe haven and housing for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he stayed in the Lowcountry during the civil rights era, and it was a pivotal location for activity during that time.

• The Emancipation Oak tree on Smith Plantation, also known as Camp Saxon, is now on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Hospital in Port Royal. This is where, on Jan. 1, 1863, Gen. Rufus Saxton chose to call an assembly for one of the earliest readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

At the time, slaves thought that if they didn’t hear the emancipation read personally at the tree, they would not be set free.

• Beaufort’s Old Craven Street Fire Station dates back to 1874. The firehouse was central to everything that happened in local government during the Reconstruction era. The physical location of the firehouse is important, because its central location will enable visitors to walk to 70 different historic sites. Over time, Beaufort’s Old Craven Street Fire Station has become a hub for learning about the Reconstruction period.

Originally, the list also included Robert Smalls’ Beaufort home, but it is still being considered by the National Park Service for future recognition. And while historic Mitchelville on Hilton Head Island was not included, Clyburn has stated that he recognizes Mitchelville’s importance to the Reconstruction story, and indicated that this is just the beginning of the process of acknowledging the historic importance of the entire Beaufort area. From his vantage point, it was most important to get the “process moving forward.”

This is “a first step in protecting and preserving the many Reconstruction-era sites in Beaufort County,” Clyburn said.

“I was pleased and extremely impressed by the overwhelmingly positive outpouring of support from local community members for the designation 34 hiltonheadmonthly.com

of a national monument,” Clyburn said during a public meeting to discuss the plans with the National Park Service.

“There are so many important lessons to be learned about the Reconstruction era by the current generation and future generations.”

The public celebration and dedication of the national monument was held at Penn Center on March 18. Plans for each of the locations are being developed by the National Park Service to establish their future use.

THE LOWCOUNTRY’S HERITAGE TRAIL Beaufort County has the most concentrated area of historical reconstruction sites in the South. For that reason, efforts to establish national recognition for Beaufort and the surrounding area has been a three-year project for Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, who has been providing his personal funds to support the project.

Clyburn praised Keyserling’s commitment saying, “there aren’t many days that go by that I don’t hear from Mayor Keyserling.”

Clyburn was responsible for having the area designated as the South Carolina Heritage Corridor, which also includes the Gullah-Geechee Corridor.

Both areas were recognized by an act of Congress in 1996 and 2006, respectively.

The Gullah-Geechee Corridor includes all of the Sea Islands from North Carolina to Florida.

The national monument is just the beginning of the plans for the Lowcountry to receive national recognition for its historical significance. Locally, an initiative to bring greater attention to Hilton Head, Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort has begun with Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett, who said he is motivated by a desire to make sure Mitchelville’s story is told.

“The story of Mitchelville is central to the identity, heritage and uniqueness of Hilton Head Island,” he said. “Yet, going into 2015, my first year as mayor, it continued to be represented by a few underfunded nonprofits and a mostly unused piece of town-owned land, clearly a missed opportunity.”

Getting the historical site the attention and recognition wasn’t easy, Bennett said.

“I needed the help of our citizens to garner additional support, and I requested our Town Council authorize the creation of the Hilton Head Island Heritage Tourism Taskforce with its three well-regarded founding members, Dr. Emory Campbell, Stu Rodman and Carlton Dallas, to consider the future of our historic assets and peoples,” he said. “Discussions between these three gentlemen and myself led us to the conclusion that much of Hilton Head’s rich history could best be told in complete tandem with the history of the rest of Beaufort County. So, I made contact with Mayor Lisa Sulka of Bluffton, Mayor Keyserling and Mayor Sam Murray of Port Royal and asked them to meet and consider the topic of promoting our heritage on a countywide scale. Rodman, a member of Beaufort County Council and one of the founders of the Santa Elena Foundation, asked the same of County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville.”

As a result, the Heritage Tourism Task Force, developed through the collaborative efforts of the four mayors, has identified more than 100 historic sites in the Lowcountry.

These sites and the county’s rich history stand alongside other sites like Gettysburg, Williamsburg and Jamestown. The significance of the area can and should make Beaufort as wellknown as these other locations.

“Beaufort County has over 500 years of history that can be experienced,” says task force member Dr. Andy Beall, who also is chairman of the St. Elena Foundation.

The task force developed a list of categories to classify the Lowcountry sites, tied to historic eras: Native American, Early Explorers, Civil War, Gullah and Reconstruction.

“The categories will enable the committee to then establish a cohesive plan resulting in a historic trail that visitors would be able to follow and receive a thorough story of the beginning of America’s history,” Bennett said.

Bennett envisions a historic trail that links the following sites and historic

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the VIBE assets: “Santa Elena, telling the story of European exploration and settlement; Penn Center, telling the GullahGeechee and Reconstruction stories; Beaufort and Port Royal telling the story of Reconstruction; and Hilton Head telling the stories of the Civil War and Mitchelville.”

“The task force has been hard at work over the past year strategizing, forming subcommittees, and conducting internal tours of sites that fit into the following categories: Gullah Geechee, Civil War/ Reconstruction, European, and Daufuskie Island,” Bluffton’s Sulka said. “Our objective while conducting these tours was to take notes and photos of what we saw, look at the history that is currently being delivered and the quality of the history experience. Each tour was hosted by a different municipality, which gave everyone a great perspective and insight into the history of our area.”

The mayors realized that they “don’t compete with each other, we complement each other and work well with each other,” Keyserling said. “Studies show that golf is not the only thing that tourists are looking for. The task force is a pearl that came out of a conversation about economic development. We decided to take a look at the economic benefits of cultural tourism. Tourism creates more jobs. We want workers to be able stay closer to home and create a better tourism experience, which creates longer stays and shows our cultural substance. If we created a way for people to go from one site to another, we need to know more about each of the assets that we all have.”

According to committee member Dallas, the task force’s overarching goal is to create a “unified cultural destination experience with well packaged tours of substance that will attract people to the story of Reconstruction.” This would establish connectivity between the various areas of Beaufort County. Dallas summarized saying that his committee will “crystalize the findings into a foundation that the trail can be built on.”

In addition to creating an overall vision of heritage tourism for the area, the ultimate multi-faceted objectives of the task force are, according to Bennett, 36 hiltonheadmonthly.com

A Union soldier stands with African Americans on the plantation of Thomas F. Drayton, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 1862.

“to explore an affiliation with the Smithsonian, explore a national park or site designation, quantify the economic impact of our historical assets and identify next steps.”

The partnership would enable these historical sites to be cross-marketed as well as allow area leaders to leverage tourism dollars to better serve the community as a whole. Eventually, all of the destination marketing organizations will become involved.

“Better collaboration helps to improve the product and the visitor experience,” Keyserling said.

So far, the heritage trail doesn’t have an official name, but the thinking is that the Lowcountry network of sites could be similar to Boston’s Freedom Trail. The trail would enable cultural tourists to visualize the connection between all of the sites, telling a more cohesive story and moving visitors through the area in a uniform, well-informed fashion.

“My vision is for multiple trails and interpretive centers throughout Beaufort County,” Bennett said. “These organized interactions would insure the legacy of our Lowcountry by telling the ‘stories’ of our past to residents and visitors alike.”

“The Reconstruction is story that has not been told. Students in school are only being told part of the story. The story of Reconstruction needs to tell that there were a lot of black heroes just like George Washington and others. It’s a story that if we can get it out,

can be a focal point for visitors to be able to learn more about the true story,” Keyserling said. “People realize that there is a real value to looking inward and want to know more about their past. Collaboration is hard between nonprofits, because they are fighting for dollars. There is room at the table for everybody. And everyone can benefit from the economic pie and grow together. This is a chance to take everything to the next level.”

Bennett agrees that the project’s partners “realize the potential of our collective heritage assets that enhance educational opportunities for our residents.”

He added that recognizing the heritage and legacy of the Gullah people strengthens the community. Promoting heritage and cultural tourism benefits everyone on the island. It has been proven through research that cultural tourism has become a greater priority for visitors nationally and internationally, which is why Hilton Head should invest in its cultural assets.

All of this activity makes for an exciting time for the area as it finally gets the exposure that it deserves. The Lowcountry’s historical footprint is worthy of recognition, and the steps that are being taken on a local and national level are necessary and important ones that will continue to bring the region’s history into greater focus and bring about positive changes for our economic future. M

the VIBE

A TALE OF TWO MAYORS

S

BY LUANA M. GRAVES SELLARS

ometimes we forget to pay attention to the everyday things that surround us; the things that create a familiar backdrop for our lives. We don’t often ask ourselves about the design of our community, or who planted that tree or why those statues are honoring people with names that we’ve never heard of. We also tend to ignore all of the “cultural stuff,” even though we know that someone decided long ago that it was important.

However, when we do take the time to think about these things and do a bit of homework, it’s often the story behind the story that holds our interest — the back stories that can make everyday objects come to life and make the rationale for long-ago decisions more clear. When we have a context for understanding the things around us, we gain a depth of understanding and knowledge that can increase our appreciation for things we’ve usually taken for granted.

The Heritage Tourism Task Force is working on plans for a Lowcountry Heritage Trail, which would connect historic sites on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort. The amazing historical richness of this area begs for the opportunity to tell of the complex and vital role that it has played in America’s development. For example, the haunting beauty of the Lowcountry has to be seen alongside the painful story of American slavery, which was both a cultural foundation and an economic engine for the entire state of South Carolina.

The Lowcountry became the site of freedom for an entire race of people, as well as the place former slaves first experienced life as self-governing freed men and women prior to emancipation. It also played an important role in the postslavery Reconstruction era, which was often repressive, and was home to passions that inspired grass-roots initiatives during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The region’s contributions to American history are complex and significant, and bringing this history to the national stage requires leadership that moves beyond rhetoric. It means moving beyond “just talking” about what a great idea the project is and being willing to do the hard work of turning visions into reality.

In the Lowcountry, we’re lucky to have two mayors who are motivated to reinvigorate history, to move beyond rhetoric to do the hard work of making the dream of a nationally prominent Lowcountry Heritage Trail a reality. Connecting the historic sites in Hilton Head, Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort is their goal.

38 hiltonheadmonthly.com

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

PHOTO BY PAUL NURNBERG

DAVID BENNETT

BILLY KEYSERLING

With the support of citizens and the passion to make a difference, Bennett is working to create a cultural legacy on Hilton Head that will impact future generations. His primary focus is on Mitchelville, hoping to develop a plan for the historic site that is appropriate for its significance in American history.

“I first learned of Mitchelville, the first freedman’s town in America, a few years after moving to Hilton Head Island. It is a tremendous story of national and potentially international significance about a special people embracing an extraordinary undertaking,” Bennett said. “Many of our own native islanders are descendants of those courageous people, who witnessed firsthand the day when slavery turned to freedom. The story of Mitchelville is central to the true identity, heritage and uniqueness of Hilton Head Island. Yet, going into 2015, my first year as mayor, it continued to be represented by a few underfunded nonprofits and a mostly unused piece of town-owned land, clearly a missed opportunity.”

Bennet hopes to tie the story of Mitchelville into a greater display of Lowcountry heritage.

“My vision is for multiple trails and interpretive centers throughout Beaufort County.

These organized interactions would insure the legacy of our Lowcountry by telling the ‘stories’ of our past to residents and visitors alike,” he said. “I envision Santa Elena, telling the story of European exploration and settlement; Penn Center, telling the Gullah-Geechee and Reconstruction stories; Beaufort and Port Royal, telling the story of Reconstruction; Hilton Head, telling the stories of the Civil War and Mitchelville. Because Mitchelville is so very special and unique and possesses such extraordinary opportunity, my vision for it remains open to magnification.”

He says it will take more than one town to bring this trail of Lowcountry heritage sites to life. But, he said, the task is an important one.

“Hilton Head’s role will include collaborating with our partners around the county, their respective chambers and heritage organizations in order to realize the potential of our collective heritage assets and enhance educational opportunities for our residents,” he said.

Mayor Billy Keyserling’s dedication to the accurate depiction of the region’s history is wellknown in the Lowcountry. For Keyserling, this passion for Lowcountry history is connected to his being a third-generation Lithuanian immigrant.

He said his first recollection of how important this area is to American history came from his own family’s involvement in Reconstruction.

“I have had Reconstruction on my mind since I was a child. Early on, I knew then that history had not been fully told,” Keyserling said. “When my grandfather was 18, he was on the verge of being taken in by the tsar in Lithuania. Able to escape, he came to the U.S. and was interested in farming. The problem was that the Lower East Side of New York City was not a place to farm. Eventually, he made his way to Beaufort, took up farming and became very successful. My grandfather was here during the time that Reconstruction was having its problems. Well-respected in the community, he became one of the first board members at the Penn School, and he was one of the first local people to serve on the board.”

Keyserling’s family has a long history of involvement with Penn Center, and his experiences and work with the center inspired him to help preserve and promote Lowcountry history.

“My father was one of only six doctors in the area. His practice served the people who would otherwise not get medical attention in the area.

Like his father, he was also on the board at Penn.

While growing up, I sat in on some of the meetings and spent a lot of time at Penn Center,” Keyserling said. “Being around all that was going on motivated me to do a lot of my own research on slavery. The more I studied Reconstruction, the more I learned that the story has never been told fully. It’s been on my mind for a long time since then. The story that’s here is a very important one.

The way that history has been written is incomplete. Textbooks need to be re-written and the chapters that have blank pages should be filled. If we do nothing else, we should do that.”

Both Keyserling and Bennett have different roots, and their passion for Lowcountry history comes from very different places, but they are on the same track, and both are powerfully motivated to do the hard work of making the Lowcountry Heritage Trail a reality.

Mayor of the Town of Hilton Head

Mayor of the city of Beaufort

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Where in the world is Monthly? u Liz Bundy, Jean Wheatly and Monthly ran into each other in Branson, Missouri, at a performance of “Moses.”

 Tom and Anne McNutt with Monthly on Sentosa Island in Singapore.

p Carolyn and Howard Strauss, Sue and Bob Boldig, Jamie Evans, Bob Doran, Phyllis Factorman and John Evans took Monthly hiking in Scotland.

p Linda Mula and Ray Wiemann took Monthly to Chavín de Huantar, an archeological site in Peru.

pGray Dimaria with Monthly in Haleiwa, Hawaii.

p Mary Ann and Peter Rebish took Monthly to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.

 Ben and Suzanne Brown took Monthly on a bike trip through the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.

p Peter

and Judy Foster with Monthly in Budapest, Hungary.

u Marc and Janis Agnew took Monthly to Gibraltar.

40 hiltonheadmonthly.com

p Dia and Rick Sunderlin with Monthly in Alesund, Norway.  Ted and Joy McNeill with Monthly in Venice, Italy.

PEOPLE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lance Little

BY MARCO FREY

L

ance Little was still in high school when, sitting on the porch shooting the breeze, he came up with an idea that seemed far-fetched — a restaurant that cures world hunger. It was clever, but wasn’t it a bit naive? The fast-food giants were making billions, but the fry cooks came home smelling like cheap grease, earning minimum wage while the money funneled upwards. Meanwhile, even in first-world America, children were going hungry. Of course, this was high school, and Little wasn’t too concerned with the economics of the idea. Enrolled in Hilton Head Island High School’s ROTC program, he had plenty to keep him occupied, along with being an average teenager. But his idea to end world hunger would not be ignored, even as he grew up and moved on with his life.

After high school, Little enrolled in the Citadel with hopes of adventure around the world as part of the Navy’s most elite division. During sophomore year, he began training with active SEALs for boot camp the following summer. But one day, when leaving a Navy Special Warfare training session, his motorcycle was rear-ended by a truck travelling at 60 mph, shattering both his right leg and any hope of a military career.

Discharged from the Navy and devastated, he was facing the likelihood that his leg would need to be amputated. But Little offered a challenge to his doctors: Though he didn’t have much money for expensive 42 hiltonheadmonthly.com

reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, he wagered that if the doctors would save his leg, he would put in the painful hours of physical therapy and run the entire distance between his doctors’ offices in a year.

Challenge accepted. The following year, Little woke early, showing up at his plastic surgeon’s office to give her a big hug before setting off with his dog on the 22-mile run to his orthopedist’s office. It was just a few miles shy of a marathon. As Little found himself at the brink of giving out just a short distance from the finish line, his longtime friend Josh Jettie — just back from a tour in Iraq — showed up to surprise him, giving Little the boost he needed to go the distance. Little showed a resilience that day that was to shape his budding character.

The accident cost Little more than his dream of joining the SEALs. Leaving the military meant leaving the Citadel. Little returned to Hilton Head to continue his recovery and rehabilitation, managing an event company and reframing his life’s purpose. One of the allures of becoming a Navy SEAL had been travelling to deal with challenges in exotic places, and Little decided that USC’s International Business program could meet

that desire. He transferred to USC but dropped out after his grades dropped below A’s — the International Business program was one of the most competitive in the country.

Returning to the island, he started a property management company and absolutely hated it.

“I was spending all this time doing something I didn’t like to buy things I didn’t need,” Little said. The grim business of collecting money and evicting families took a toll on his humanitarian sensibilities.

It was during these difficult years that Little returned again to the thought of his charity.

“It seemed like every time I got off the path, something happened that put me back,” he said. “Call it God or what you will, I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

If the accident was the catalyst that put him on the path to realizing his dream of ending world hunger, it took a trip to the Philippines to cement his vision. It was there he saw poverty in the begging hands of children who weren’t getting enough to eat.

While in the Philippines — a trip he had taken solely for the travel experience and to do a little soul searching — he met a woman who wanted to feed kids in a very impov-

PEOPLE

Lance Little spends time connecting with people, fundraising, seeking out volunteers and helping feed hungry children.

erished area but didn’t have the money.

When Little asked her how much she would need to feed 150 kids, she said it would take 1,000 pesos, or $20. To Little, this was a no brainer. He made a simple T-shirt that read “Fight Hunger with Hunger” and used his own money to fund the first official act of his charity. From vacation to vocation, days went from leisurely scuba diving trips to long hours spent connecting with people, fundraising, seeking out volunteers and feeding local children.

Returning to Hilton Head after Hurricane Matthew, Little took some time to reflect.

Though he had long ago signed the paperwork to make his charity official, he had wavered. But his renewed faith inspired him to break any remaining shackles keeping him from his vision — the mental baggage, the sense of obligation to social status or the need for a lavish lifestyle.

“I quit drinking and smoking and drugs, I disconnected from social media and I got into solitude, almost a rebirthing of myself to step into this new person that I was supposed to become,” he said. Sleeping on his mother’s couch and using money he had earned himself, Little planned another trip to the Philippines. He could fit all his belongings into a suitcase, a duffel bag and a backpack. His sandals became his only pair of shoes.

At the beginning of February, Little once again landed in the Philippines — but this time with a vision: to start a brand of restaurants intended to feed local communities.

Essentially, those who can afford to buy food there are supporting those for whom food is too expensive. In theory, the growing chain would avoid the usual flow of money to the top and instead keep it in local communities.

But what Little will need now is proof his concept works. He’s given himself eight months to start a food stand at the local shopping mall whose profits will feed the children. By September, when his stay is over, it must run practically on its own. It’s no small feat.

The future is yet unwritten for Little, but he has turned a significant chapter in his book.

He plans to live frugally, growing his brand and living off the pending success of his venture. However, unlike corporate CEOs, he plans to earn no more than he needs. Back on Hilton Head, he thinks the concept could blossom. He’s already partnered with local gym owner Scott Middleton of XP Fitness, which is donating 10 percent of new membership dues to help feed children. While the well-fed are burning off pounds, they’re also tipping the scale the other way, essentially giving pounds to hungry kids abroad.

“There’s absolutely no reason, if we have Burger King, Wendy’s, McDonalds, there’s no reason why there can’t be one restaurant where the money goes toward the kids instead of the owners and board of directors to buy jets and $1 million yachts,” Little said.

“There can be at least one franchise, just one, for the kids. If you love people, just eat here once a week.” M To get involved, visit fighthungerwithhungercorp.org or email lance.fhwh@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: In this series, we catch up with young Hilton Head Island and Bluffton natives who are now making their mark elsewhere. The article highlights their blossoming lives and how their hometown helped shape who they are today.

To nominate a person, email editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com.

April 2017 43

PEOPLE

THE BURKES FIRST FAMILIES OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND

BY LUANA M. GRAVES SELLARS | PHOTO BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

The many members of the Burke family. Standing, from left to right: Alvin McGowan, Brittany Kitty, Linda Burke Smart, Betty Burke Days, Lisa Kitty, Robena Greene, Jamila Days, Sidney A. Jones, Herbert Ford, Renee Ford, Mary Ford, Shirley Drayton, Geneva Mitchell, Georgia Aiken, Anaya Milledge, Carol Lewis, and Brenda Williams. Sitting: Jamecca Ladson, Jayce Charles, LB Ladson, Edward P. Days III, Keith Ford, Treasure Days, Erica McGowan, Virgil Ford, Zykeria Gethers, Chelsea Lewis, and Ari Milledge.

44 hiltonheadmonthly.com

I

magine that at one point after the Civil War, there were 10,000 newly freed slaves on Hilton Head Island.

Excited and wanting to start new lives, they were forced to make many important decisions. Where should they settle down? Should they stay in the same area or set out for somewhere

new? What name should they use?

Should they keep the familiar slave name, or should they try to erase their old identity by choosing a new name?

Many of the newly freed slaves choose Hilton Head as the starting place for their new lives; tens of thousands of people put down roots on the island.

PEOPLE

This was historically important because they established the first self-governed town for newly freed blacks. Because they represented a blend of African countries and cultures, these people became known as the Gullah-Geechee.

Mitchelville was a fully functioning town; it was completely self-sufficient.

The black men who governed it controlled access to the town. Even whites and the 30,000 Civil War soldiers who inhabited the island needed passes to enter the town’s boundaries. Mitchelville had everything, from an independent

governing body and the first compulsory educational system in the state to a variety of businesses and a 500-bed hospital. Records show that patients came to the hospital for the usual variety of ailments.

It is from hospital records that we learn that two small children were admitted to the hospital on June 11, 1867, for 16 days to be treated for a recurring fever. The children were Rachel Burke, age 9, and Edward Burke Jr., age 3. According to the records, the Burke family lived in the Chaplin area of Hilton Head. Rachel and Edward’s parents, Edward Sr. and Mary, had two other children, January and Polly.

Edward Burke Sr. was a former slave who chose to stay on Hilton Head and make it his home. Born in 1825, he became the patriarch of nine generations of Burkes who farmed the land that he eventually left to his son, January.

Edward was around 40 years old during the Civil War, and January was about 12 in 1863. There are no records of either of them serving in the war; however, because of their ages, they probably contributed to the war effort in some way.

Over time, the Burke family was able to make a good life for themselves on the island. Back then, “people lived like they were rich and everyone knew each other and they shared all that they had,” says Betty Burke Days January’s great-granddaughter. The sense of community was so strong among the island’s families “that they would come together to build each other’s houses.”

The Burkes played a part in all of the island’s activities. January’s son, Harry, and his wife, Rebecca, worked for the soldiers in Palmetto Dunes. The couple was responsible for laundering and ironing the soldiers’ uniforms.

The work afforded them the chance to bring food to the area of Shelter Cove where they lived at the end of

each day.

A generation later, January’s son, James, and his brother-in-law, Henry Ford, became bakers in Savannah at Holston and Claassen Bakeries.

Eventually, Henry became known on the island as “The Bread Man” because he would bring his van full of breads and cakes home every day to sell to the native islanders. His daily deliveries were truly an island favorite, and on some days, he ran out of bread before making it all the way around the island.

For Gullah people, inherited land is both a strong source of pride and the most important, tangible link to the family’s heritage and legacy. Land that was occupied by newly freed slaves, unless it was purchased, did not come with a deed. Property ownership was established through a consistent presence on the land; passing the land down through the generations established ownership. This is known as heirs property today.

By the time January Burke died, he left a significant inheritance of land in the area that we now know as Burke’s Beach that stretches up to William Hilton Parkway in the Chaplin area.

Early on, the family understood and appreciated the value of the land and fought hard to keep it. Nancy Burke Ford, January’s granddaughter, would spend the winters working in Savannah to earn enough money each year to pay the taxes on the land so that it would be kept in the family. Before Henry Ford died, he wanted to make sure to “give all of his nieces and nephews a piece of land.” The land eventually was divided up among the children, but it continues to be classified as heirs property today.

Each first family’s story is a piece of the past that, like in a quilt, helps to form a beautiful pattern. Each piece is a unique and important part of the whole. The Burkes survived because of the strength of the family and the strength of their ties to the land. M April 2017 45

YEARS AGO, I clipped and saved the article below. Even then, the source was unknown. Surely by now, the numbers/percentages have changed somewhat. But I doubt that they have changed enough in a positive direction to modify the important message of the piece.

If… you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If… you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.”

The reason I kept it all these years is so that I might never lose my sense of gratitude or my sense of responsibility to those who are not nearly as blessed as I am.

While the article above has a worldwide focus, many members of our own local communities suffer from issues of poverty, ill health, lack of food/ shelter, illiteracy and fear of violence. What we might consider to be the basics of living are denied to all too many.

There are many local not-for-profit organizations that are laboring on the front lines of the fight against all of these issues and more. In addition,

“If… you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

there are organizations working toward improving the lives of us all through the arts, education, environment, healthcare, public safety, animal welfare and beyond.

If… you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If…you wish to learn more about these organizations, you can find more information on The Giving Marketplace. This is a database accessed through the website of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry (www. cf-lowcountry.org). It is searchable, and gives a great depth of information.

Never lose your sense of gratitude or your sense of responsibility to those who are not nearly as blessed as you are.

If…you wish to encourage your favorite nonprofits that don’t appear to develop a profile there, please do so, and ask them to connect with Debbie Cahoon at the Community Foundation.

If…you wish to provide financial support to any of the organizations listed there, a Donate Now button is provided to make this easy.

If…you have more blessings than most, and want to live generously,

If… you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

know that Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is here to help.

Questions? Call 843-681-9100 for more information.

If… you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

Denise K. Spencer President and CEO Community Foundation of the Lowcountry

If… you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

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PEOPLE

AN ORDINARY

LIFE Rhodie Shervington

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PEOPLE

THE EVERYDAY BEAUTY OF RHODIE SHERVINGTON’S 100 YEARS.

BY BARRY KAUFMAN | PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

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Although she’d be the last to say it, Rhodie Shervington’s life is a fascinating story. It stretches from the rural farmland of St. Matthews, South Carolina, to the rough-and-tumble streets of the Bronx. It continues in a quiet room at Preston Health Center, where she prepares to turn 100 years old this month.

It’s the story of a girl who grew up working the fields, who went on to college at South Carolina State, who gained her master’s degree from the College of the City of New York.

At a time when few women were pursuing higher education, Shervington would not be stopped by prevailing social mores.

It’s a story she wrote herself, through years of hard work and self-determination.

But don’t tell her that.

“It was just, to me, an ordinary life,” said Shervington.

Perched in a corner chair of her room, immaculately dressed as always and flanked by portraits of her parents, both S.C. State grads, Shervington gracefully deflected the spotlight when asked about her remarkable life.

If you ask her what it meant to pursue higher education at a time when most young women were being encouraged to stay at home, she’ll tell you it was typical. And as for what it must have been like to leave the bucolic countryside of St. Matthews for the urban monstrosity of New York City?

“It was just like any other place,” she said. “Nothing special.”

Indeed, Shervington views her history as just an average, ordinary life. As though everyone born into rural South Carolina just after the turn of the century forged his or her own destiny in the way she has. One of five brothers and sisters, she left her hometown to pursue higher education, first from S.C. State and then from College of the City of New York where she received a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree, as well as a master’s of library science from St. John’s University.

In New York, she met her husband, Eugene, and spent years working in social services as well as in education. Her investment savvy allowed her to continue forging her own path, giving her financial freedom to pursue her love of travel and eventually make her way down to Hilton Head Island.

She still owns a condo in Ocean Club, where once a year she hosts a flock of nieces and nephews from all over the country.

One niece, D'Letter Shumate, comes all the way from Alaska.

“She’s spent her life helping others and helping her family, guiding us all and making sure we received our education,” Shumate said. “She’s just been a big role model in our family.”

So as she prepares to celebrate this milestone birthday, surrounded by family and friends in an island getaway far from the fields of St. Matthews or the streets of the Bronx, we congratulate Rhodie Shervington on a life that’s far more fascinating and inspiring than the ordinary life she sees it as. M April 2017 49

PEOPLE

MAKING HIS MARK ON TOWN DESIGN

BY KIM KACHMANN PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

"I'm

a competitive person,” Jake Gartner said. “I try to be the best I can be, whether it’s family life, being a builder, coach or the chairman of a board — I want to be the best they’ve ever had. Excellence drives me in my personal life and my professional life.”

Gartner is putting that drive and passion for excellence to work for his community as chairman of the Town of Hilton Head Island’s Design Review Board.

Aside from his work on the board, Gartner owns Hammerhead Builders, winner of several LightHouse Awards and “Builder of the Year” as voted by Hilton Head Monthly readers. His wife, Kim, teaches science at Hilton Head Island Middle School. They have two active kids: 14-year-old Haleigh, who loves acting, singing and volleyball; and 12-year-old Payce, who loves sports, especially soccer and baseball. Last year, Gartner coached the Hilton Head Hurricanes, the town’s travel baseball team.

His goal as chairman of the Design Review Board is to protect the unique character of the island.

“I get stressed out if I’m not doing a really good job,” Garner said. “I try to stay true to the design guidelines for buildings and landscaping like Shelter Cove, Sea Turtle Marketplace and what you’re going to see at Coligny. There’s a human element on the path to building large shopping areas, but there’s a dictum: follow the town design guidelines. The DRB looks at everything from the roof to the façade and the landscape to make sure the building project is in keeping with island character as defined in the Town of Hilton Head Island Design Guide.”

MAKING THEIR MARK

Each month, this column profiles Lowcountry citizens who offer fresh insights, renewed hope and a deeper sense of connection to our community.

50 hiltonheadmonthly.com

JAKE GARTNER Gartner’s board involvement grew out of his association with HHI 25, a group of individuals under the age of 40 running successful businesses on the island.

Lee Edwards, former town councilman and president and CEO of The Greenery, created the group to get a younger perspective on town matters.

“The town’s important to me because my kids will grow up here and my business will be here forever,” Gartner said. “I have a love for the town and a responsibility to it.”

The board reviews every new building project along the island’s main roads — William Hilton Parkway, Pope Avenue, Palmetto Bay Road, etc. — the beachfront and the resort zoning district. This includes deep into Sea Pines, where the board reviewed and approved the redesign of the Sea Pines Resort clubhouse and beach club.

“We check everything from the soffit and fascia to how many and what size magnolia trees are needed. We look at benches, trash cans, walkways, and

PEOPLE service yards… it’s a lot,” he said. “We have talented architects, landscape architects and attorneys on the board.

Everyone is on point to maintain the island’s character through the town’s design review guidelines.”

Though he and the rest of the board are doing their best to honor the spirit of Hilton Head, Gartner recognizes that its decisions aren’t always popular.

“We get beat up sometimes. With Shelter Cove, public opinion told us that we didn’t do a good enough job retaining trees. We’ve also had folks who get steamed who say, ‘I really just want to open a business.’ I get it, but they have to get it to the point that it looks right,” he said. “The Design Review Board is here to review projects and make sure they fit into the design character of Hilton Head. We’re called to protect, and sometimes that doesn’t jibe.”

While there are a lot of projects on the horizon, there’s one that isn’t: Gartner said he hasn’t seen any plans to renovate Northridge, which some residents have been calling for.

“It’s so great to see plans come through, but Northridge isn’t on the docket,” he said. “We’ve reviewed two new hotels that are replacing the old hotel by Verizon on the south end. The hotels wanted to use the same branding and structures as always. We said that isn’t happening. But there were compromises.”

And it isn’t just businesses: The Design Review Board also makes sure parks and other public structures fit within the island’s aesthetic.

“We just approved the new park, playground, little amphitheater and museum for Coligny. We haven’t gotten to the other side of the street yet but, that’s coming,” Gartner said. “The Coligny Plaza Shopping Center will be renovated, too.”

The review board looks at exterior design but also references the interior design to make decisions about things like where to put a window.

“You can’t put a window in a kitchen, but you may have to put up a false window or some cool shutters to keep

within a Lowcountry design,” he said.

Architects with Court Atkins Group designed the new Sea Turtle Marketplace, going up by the Starbucks on the island’s north end.

“It’s not going to be a walk-around mall — the marketplace is going to have some drama, some differentiation and aesthetics,” Gartner said. “As far as I know, the Starbucks isn’t going to be redesigned. A potential anchor grocery store is Lidl.”

Lidl is a 40-year-old German grocery store chain with more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries. Its tagline is “Highest Quality Products. Lowest Possible Price.”

“Lidl grocery stores have a very, very contemporary look – sloping roofs with walls of windows – which in no way fits our design criteria. We’ve been back and forth with them. We want them to come. We understand the importance of having a good anchor grocery store.

This is a terrific grocery that would be a great addition to the island,” Gartner said. “It has been a challenge but we’re pursuing it and they’re pursuing it.” M

April 2017 51

BUSINESS

CELEBRATING ENTREPRENEURS If you would like to nominate an entrepreneur from Hilton Head Island or Bluffton, please email editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com

Sherry Goff HILTON HEAD WOMAN INVENTS A BRA WITH POCKETS

BY ROBYN PASSANTE PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

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Sherry Goff’s interest in running her own business was sparked in the mid-1980s when she earned her master’s degree in business administration and entrepreneurial studies from the Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.

“I got very interested in entrepreneurism, but life got in the way; I wanted to start my own business, but I had kids instead,” says the proud mother of three.

But while she was in business school, Goff had the opportunity to interview William Rosenberg, the founder of Dunkin’ Donuts. “He was so inspirational. He gave me the biggest piece of advice I ever got: ‘Sherry, take an old idea and make it better.’ That’s exactly what he did with those old corner coffee shops.”

And that’s exactly what Goff has done with the oldest of women’s garments, the brassiere, giving it something women have been wanting, needing or already sort of making on their own — pockets.

The idea for Goff’s PocketBra by SherryWinks came to her one morning on a walk with her dogs. “I thought, ‘Man 52 hiltonheadmonthly.com

I wish my bra had pockets.’ And then the entrepreneur in me came to life, and I interviewed my friends about the idea, and they were pulling out all kinds of things from their bras,” she said. Goff knew then she had hit on something women could and would use, if given the chance. So she went to see a patent attorney, who did some research and helped her file for her first patent in the spring of 2011. A second patent was filed the same year.

PocketBra by SherryWinks was on its way.

Goff now has four utility patents, with

three more patents pending for her idea’s many variations. The bra is designed with a lined pocket in the band that stretches under the arms; both cups have pockets in them as well.

“My daughter was in college at the time and she was losing everything. Her college ID, her room key … and every time you have to replace her college ID it’s $50. So she just sticks it in there and she’s good for the day,” says Goff, who sees her product as a way to fix what’s missing in today’s fashions.

“Fashion has evolved, but function hasn’t

SHERRY’S

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TIPS FOR

kept up. A lot of fashion nowadays doesn’t have good pockets. At sporting events you’re not allowed to bring in purses anymore, or they have to be clear.”

The feedback she’s gotten from women around the world has been rewarding.

1. Find a problem and solve it.

“So many stories I get,” she says. “Diabetic women That is your opportunity. thank me up and down because there’s nothing 2. Don’t listen to the naysayers. pretty out there for their insulin pumps.”

Everyone is going to tell you why it Goff currently offers her PocketBra online in one can’t be done. style, two colors and 10 sizes, “which is nothing when 3. Trust your gut. Everyone is going it comes to bras,” she acknowledges. And she’s to tell you what to do. Your gut is learned that entrepreneurship is harder than she ever the one that will be right. imagined it would be.

4.

Settle in for the long haul.

“Design, manufacturing, shipping, warehousing, Persistence will prevail. marketing, oh my god. I thought you put up a 5. Don’t let money be an obstacle. website and then people start clicking on it,” she says Necessity is the mother of invention. with a laugh. “It was a real eye-opener.”

6. Fake it till you make it.

A year and a half ago, with all three kids grown and gone, Goff moved to Hilton Head from her home in Massachusetts. “My two dogs and I got into a car and drove down to a house sight unseen; we just needed a new start,” she says. “And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Here she was helped by the Hilton Head Island Economic Development Corporation and was put in touch with Andy Neri, former president of Thirty-One Gifts, who helped her weigh her options.

“That was really key,” she says. “It’s tough as an entrepreneur to step away from the fire and take a macro look at things rather than a micro look on a daily basis.”

They agreed the best move for Goff’s business was to sell it to a large, established brand with the resources to help it reach its potential.

“There’s no way I can compete with the billion-dollar companies; I can’t compete with Nike or Under Armour or Maidenform. It’s just silly for little Sherry to even try,” she says. “It’s a brand, but it’s so small that someone could take it and brand it the way they wanted.”

With athleisure one of the hottest segments of the apparel industry, Goff is hopeful her idea will catch the eye of a major brand, and she’ll be able to take a break from the business and enjoy her success. But she’s thrilled to have gotten a chance to realize her dream of entrepreneurship after all these years.

“It’s a roller coaster. You have good days and bad days. I’ve had jobs before, but working for yourself is tough,” she says. “But it’s so rewarding.” M

Entrepreneurs

April 2017 53

BUSINESS

Sunshine on a

Ranney Day

COUPLE WITH LOCAL TIES GIVE GRAVELY ILL CHILDREN ANOTHER REASON TO SMILE

BY ROBYN PASSANTE, PHOTOS BY NICOLE W PHOTOGRAPHY

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hen Holly and Peter Ranney decided to combine her background in interior design with his talents in construction to give back to their community, it only took one project for them to realize they’d found a calling.

The military-style bedroom makeover they completed for 11-year-old cancer patient Mathew Majka in 2012 was done with their own money, time and talents. The Ranneys also contacted Robins Air Force Base in Georgia on behalf of the preteen who dreamed of joining the Air Force; they gave him a specially sized uniform and flew him to the base for lunch while the makeover was being done.

“Over 50 of them came out for the reveal, lined up and saluted him as he walked into his place and into his room,” Holly recalls of that first makeover. “That was definitely when 54 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Pete and I looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, this is definitely something we were meant to do.’”

Since then the Ranneys, of Atlanta, Georgia, have started their own nonprofit organization, Sunshine on a Ranney Day, through which they’ve completed more than 50 projects within 60 miles of downtown Atlanta — free makeovers of bedrooms, therapy rooms and bathrooms for kids who are either gravely ill or have special needs, giving families under incredible stress a huge home blessing and a new reason to smile.

“We didn’t know anything about children with illnesses when we started this, and it’s one thing a lot of people take for granted,” Holly Ranney says. “There are so many children out there who need help and have special needs. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

Pete Ranney, who graduated from Hilton Head Island High School in 2000, grew

An 11-year-old Florida State fan got a surprise visit from former Seminole star running back Warrick Dunn after his new room was revealed.

up around his family’s Hilton Head-based construction business, Ranney and Sons, which today is run by his father, Steve Ranney, and brother Jacob Ranney. He met Holly in 2008 in Atlanta and they married in 2010,

BUSINESS

Mathew Majka, an 11-year-old cancer patient, got a military-style bedroom makeover thanks to the Sunshine on a Ranney Day organization.

back when he was working as an accountant and saving his construction skills for the weekend — like building their pot-bellied pig, Gracie, a custom miniature version of the couple’s home.

Starting Sunshine on a Ranney Day has had a steep learning curve, but one that’s been fulfilling on many levels, the couple says.

“Just doing the construction is a lot different than running a nonprofit. I think both of us are kind of surprised at what it takes to run a nonprofit,” Pete Ranney says. Both continued to hold down their full-time jobs for the first two years, but today they work full-time for the nonprofit group, along with two employees and a host of volunteers, volunteer designers and area sponsors.

Up to four projects are ongoing at a time, and the mostrequested makeover involves adapting a bathroom to be wheelchair-accessible.

“It’s a life-changing thing; parents are picking up these kids and putting them in the bathtub,” Holly Ranney says of giving families a new way to care for their special-needs child — like by installing wheelchairaccessible showers. “And a lot of

these families don’t feel like they deserve it, or think that there are others out there who need it more than them.”

The Ranneys also work with the nearest Make a Wish Foundation chapter as well as other nonprofit groups in the region that are geared toward helping families with these types of needs and wishes.

The couple’s goal for 2017 is to complete 20 makeovers. To fund them, Holly Ranney and her team of volunteers plan an annual Evening of Sunshine Gala at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta. Last year, the event raised $550,000.

“We’ve raised close to $3 million total since we started five years ago,” Pete Ranney says of how generous the community has been toward their mission. And his hometown has been plenty supportive, too; many from Hilton Head travel to Atlanta for the gala to donate to the cause.

The couple has talked about expanding to other areas, but the Ranneys have solid sponsor support and connections in Atlanta, not to mention a seemingly never-ending need there. Plus, families who’ve been helped by Sunshine on a Ranney Day show up to the annual gala and to other families’ makeover reveals, creating a network of support, all connected by a similar blessing.

The busy couple typically only makes it back to Hilton Head once or twice a year, but with Tucker, their first child, turning 1 this month, the pull of grandparents might be even stronger than the tug of wanting to return to the South Carolina coast — and Pete Ranney’s roots — more often.

“The best thing about it is having family on the beach,” Holly Ranney says.

For now, though, they’re happy to help families in need right where they are. M April 2017 55

BUSINESS

T Seed Science

ONE LOCAL COMPANY LOOKS TO BRING THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MARIJUANA TO THE ISLAND —

WITHOUT THE HIGH.

BY BARRY KAUFMAN PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

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im McDougall doesn’t look like someone you’d buy marijuana from. With his Captain America good looks, closecropped blond hair, thick-rimmed glasses and crisply starched white shirt, he appears more likely to sell you a high-end yacht than an eighth of pot.

But then the edibles come out — neon green lollipops and kaleidoscope gummies infused with Nerds candy. Then the crystals and the wax, powders and apricot-scented clumps designed to be smoked through a vaporizer.

What he’s selling definitely looks like the sort of edible and smokeable marijuana now being sold at dispensaries in dozens of states where the drug has been legalized for recreational and

medicinal purposes.

But appearances can be deceiving. It’s not marijuana — at least not the way you know it.

What McDougall is selling through his company Seed Science only contains one component of the marijuana plant: CBD. It just, you know, looks like it’s illegal. And that’s not entirely accidental.

“We’re taking a little bit from the professional side of medical marijuana with the look and feel of it,” McDougall said. “We try to emulate what the dispensaries do, but we really want to show people there’s a science behind this. It’s to help you improve your life and health.”

Despite the clever marketing tying into the billion-dollar marijuana industry, which continues to be illegal in South

BUSINESS Carolina, what Seed Science sells is completely legal. CBD, or cannabidiol for you scientists out there, is actually just one of nearly 113 cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant.

And while it won’t get you high, according to Seed Science its products might help you with a litany of health problems, including insomnia, digestive issues, PTSD, depression, epilepsy, MS and Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few.

“What I wanted to do is bring the benefits of the plant, which is illegal, to the people,” McDougall said. “We’re offering something that’s healthy without the high.”

McDougall has built his business around touting the benefits of CBD as a health supplement, slowly growing a supply chain and a business empire in classic entrepreneurial fashion.

So you can imagine his surprise when everything about his industry suddenly became illegal.

“That was a crazy couple of days,” he deadpanned.

The headline on a High Times article from mid-December of last year read “DEA QUIETLY CLASSIFIES CBD OIL AS SCHEDULE 1 DRUG” and it spelled certain doom for Seed Science. Outlets like Rolling Stone and Fox News picked up the story, whipping McDougall’s entire industry into a panic that they were suddenly on the wrong side of the law.

“A lot of people were freaking out,” McDougall said. “It turned out it was just a reclassification.

What you have to do is look at the actual document from the DEA.” At issue was what legal

experts felt was the federal Drug Enforcement Agency overstepping its bounds, classifying all parts of the marijuana plant as a Schedule 1 narcotic. However, language in the original controlled substances act clearly excludes the portions of the plant CBD is derived from.

The DEA was quick to walk its new stance back. Speaking to U.S. News and World Report just days later, DEA spokesman Russ Baer said, “…the change published last week in the Federal Register has nothing to do with a crackdown, and in fact will have the primary effect of making cannabidiol (CBD) research easier. From a practical standpoint, we are giving priority, actually, to those researchers who are conducting research with marijuana extracts.”

Which, it turned out, was a blessing for Seed Science, as the DEA became de facto cheerleaders for a branch of research it had just days before launched into a legal gray area.

“I thought it was Big Pharma making a move,” McDougall said.

“That was almost a nightmare scenario.”

While legal challenges may yet give McDougall a few more crazy days, he is confident that not only will the possible health benefits of CBD outweigh any stigma associated with marijuana, but that said stigma may be forgotten before long. “(Marijuana) legalization is a foregone conclusion. When, exactly, I’m not sure,” he said. “The plan is to have a brand name that’s trusted so when (marijuana) is legalized, people will know Seed Science is a place they can come to for the best meds.” M Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the hemp plant and has a very similar genetic make to Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but offers no psychoactive properties.

April 2017 57

BUSINESS

A Housing Financial Update

BY ELIHU SPENCER

Since many people living on Hilton Head Island or in Bluffton are homeowners, I thought it might be time to do an update on the state of housing finance.

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It

has now been almost a decade since the peak of the housing bubble and the excesses in mortgage lending practices that ultimately ended with the advent of the “Financial Crisis.”

Interestingly, the “Great Recession” was born of a lack of liquidity in the residential lending market that ultimately snowballed through the entire global financial system.

Let’s start by providing a quick review of the facts that led to the collapse of the global financial markets. It is important to recognize that the expansion of mortgage credit originated with the

honorable goal of increasing the rate of homeownership. Homeownership and wealth generation are highly correlated, and families that enjoy homeownership tend to be more stable, according to the Joint Center for Housing at Harvard.

In an effort to expand homeownership opportunities, mortgage lenders, at the encouragement of at least three administrations and Congress, looked for ways to expand the mortgage credit envelope by increasing maximum loan-to-value ratios and developing alternative credit options. This expansion of credit criteria led to an expanded demand for singlefamily properties, a predictable increase in home prices and a self-generated spiral that ultimately ended poorly.

As a result of the bursting of the “housing bubble,” our housing finance system has undergone significant changes, like the enactment of the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as changes due to natural market forces. Some of the “natural market forces” include the bankruptcy of Wall Street investment banks, the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the demise of the private-issue residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market. Today, well over 95 percent of all new mortgage originations end up either in Ginnie Mae or agency-issued MBS, which carry an explicit federal government guaranty.

Global investors have lost confidence in privately issued and guaranteed securities as a result of the significant losses experienced in the financial crisis.

Since 2009, the number of private MBS issued through Wall Street investment banks can be counted on one hand, and government-guaranteed loans must now conform to the “qualified mortgage” criteria as defined by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, or the CFPB. As we look to the new Trump administration and its approach to mortgage finance, as local homeowners we have skin in the game. The availability of both qualified mortgage and non-qualified mortgage loans is essential to maintaining liquidity in the mortgage markets and the stability of home prices in our local market. We need a viable govern-

BUSINESS

ment-backed mortgage alternative like Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and a private securities market that can provide greater than $1 trillion in mortgage credit annually.

Ginnie Mae has proven to be a very efficient issuer of MBS and needs to be retained in its role of providing liquidity for the FHA and VA loans that effectively serve both first-time homebuyers and veterans. These federal programs have done a great job of serving niche homebuyers through various economic cycles.

On the other hand, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have become “wards of the state,� and their futures are tied to the political winds of Congress. As homeowners, we need the products and services provided by these previously shareholder-owned companies. Since 2012, when the Obama administration placed them in conservatorship under the control of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), these two companies have returned to profitability,

repaid the U.S. Treasury 100 percent of the funds they were advanced, plus a profit, and in the fourth quarter of 2016 jointly generated over $10 billion in profits. Fannie and Freddie need to be recapitalized and returned to private ownership. With a strong regulator and without the political interference we saw in the 1990s, these are proven businesses that serve the important role of providing liquidity to our mortgage markets.

With the oversight of the FHFA, the CFPB and other financial institution regulators, we have a mortgage finance system that doesn’t need to be reinvented. As in many cases in Washington, we need to retain what works and not try to make political points by trying to reinvent the wheel. M Elihu Spencer is a local amateur economist with a long business history in global finance. His life work has been centered on understanding credit cycles and their impact on local economies. The information contained in this article has been obtained from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

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ON THE MOVE NEW HIRES/PROMOTIONS/AWARDS

Layman

Burns

Miller

Alexander

Spruce

Covert Aire promoted Trey Layman to sales manager of the company. As sales manager, Layman is responsible for growing commercial and residential sales throughout Beaufort and Jasper counties and some areas in coastal Georgia. Layman has been with Covert Aire for three years in commercial sales.

Sammi Burns, of Hilton Head Island, has taken on the role of assessor/trainer at LAVA 24 Fitness. Burns graduated with a degree in athletic training and a minor in health and biology from Erskine College.

Steven E. Miller, CPA has been named to serve as regional managing partner for the Bluffton branch of WebsterRogers LLP, an accounting and consulting firm In his new role, he will be charged with driving the firm’s global strategic vision at the local and regional level.

Gregory Alexander will join the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce as the director of public policy and small business. Alexander has served as the president and CEO of the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce since January 2009. Prior to that, he was the assistant vice president and business developer for Capital Bank in Clinton.

Richard Spruce is the town of Bluffton’s new chief building official, effective Friday, March 17. Spruce has been with Bluffton for nearly a year as the chief plans examiner. In his role as chief building official, Spruce super-

HILTON HEAD HOSPITAL EARNS SEAL OF APPROVAL Hilton Head Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Chest Pain Certification, becoming only the second hospital in the state of South Carolina and the first in the Lowcountry to earn this impressive achievement.

The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Hilton Head Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review in February by Joint Commission experts who evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as cardiac-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.

vises the administration of building and construction codes, permits, facilities management and standards for construction procedures.

The Greater Bluffton Chamber & CVB is pleased to announce its newest member to its board of directors, Shawn Young. Young has been the headmistress at Cross Schools for the past eight years. Young graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. She earned her master of arts degree in middle grades math and science from Oglethorpe University and obtained her specialist degree in educational administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.

George Owens, the town of Bluffton’s chief building official for two and half years, retired March 17.

Owens has served as the town’s chief building official since November 2014 and has worked for the town for nine years. In addition to serving as chief building official, Owens has

MALONEY ATTENDS DERMATOLOGY MEETING IN ORLANDO Meghan Maloney, MS, PA-C of Hilton Head Dermatology, attended the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting in Orlando from March 3-6. The annual meeting offered sessions with dermatology experts and decision-makers from around the world. The sessions she attended were on the newest techniques of cosmetic fillers and Botox, as well as general dermatological issues.

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also held the positions of a commercial, residential and fire safety plan examiner. Prior to his positions with the town, he worked for 25 years as a chief building inspector, plans examiner and construction superintendent in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Town of Hilton Head Island. Owens is also a Vietnam veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps.

Dr. Brad Schultz has been announced as the head of Cross Schools. Schultz will conclude his service at Greater Atlanta Christian School in May and join Cross Schools full time on June 1. Schultz will be the first head of school and will complete the leadership team with. Susan Hackett and Shawn Young. He brings a wealth of experience, creativity and innovative thinking that will result in the enhancement of students’ learning environment.

Second Helpings, a Hilton Head Island-based nonprofit group that collects food from local grocery stores and farms and delivers it to local food pantries and soup kitchens, has a new executive director.

Lili Coleman of Hilton Head took over the post March 6, leading the organization in its efforts to rescue

BUSINESS

and recycle perishable foods including fresh meats, produce and dairy provided by local grocery store chains and other food suppliers by delivering it to those in need.

AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS Senior Zach Whitton became the fifth Hilton Head Christian Academy student in two years to be appointed to a service academy. He has been accepted to West Point.

Hilton Head Public Service District and its staff earned a trio of accolades at the annual South Carolina Environmental Conference.

The service district’s recycled water plant on Oak Park Drive was honored with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s annual Facility Excellence Award.

Vince Malphrus of the service district was also inducted into the Water Environment Association of South Carolina chapter of the “Five S Society.”

McNair Law Firm is pleased to announce that Kathryn Whitaker, its director of marketing and business development, has been selected as a 2017 Forty Under 40 winner by the Charleston Regional Business Journal. Whitaker’s extensive work in the legal marketing industry, combined with her involvement and commitment to improving the Charleston community, make her a strong asset to both.

Court Atkins Group has been named the architect of record for the Lowcountry’s first golf celebrity-inspired restaurant, Darren Clarke’s Tavern. The Irish Pub Company of Atlanta is steering the project. Executives there said they selected Court Atkins Group because they knew the firm would effectively guide the restaurant’s signature design and ambitious construction schedule.

A team from May River High School took the top spot in Beaufort County’s sixth annual Academic WorldQuest Competition. May River’s Gray Team finished first among 10 competing teams from district high schools, April 2017 61

BUSINESS with a pair of Bluffton High School teams coming in second and third. The winning May River team consisted of Daniela Hernandez, Jurnee Jones, Darwin Pitts and Cheyanne Ward. The team was coached by teacher Michael Campbell.

United Way of the Lowcountry’s Women United is proud to announce Connie Hipp has been named this year’s 2017 Woman of the Year. The award was presented during Women United’s Annual Power of the Purse event at Dataw Island Clubhouse. Hipp’s volunteerism spans decades in Beaufort as she supported countless organizations with her time and talents. She has dedicated the past three decades to directing and managing the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Beaufort Program as a volunteer to educate future leaders about the community and inspire them to get involved.

Numerous Civil Air Patrol cadets and senior members participated in a weekend search and rescue exercise at the Ridgeland Airport. During this two-day event, cadets and adults received 31 total certifications in seven different search and rescue areas — ground team member, urban direction finding, mission staff assistant, mission radio operator, mission scanner, mission observer, and mission pilot.

Gov. Henry McMaster presented tourism industry achievement awards Wednesday to two major events and a hotel employee during the annual South Carolina Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel. The prestigious Governor’s Cup was given to the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance for being the most outstanding tourism effort in the state for 2016. The relatively new ArtFields event in Lake City was given the Charles A. Bundy Award for outstanding efforts to boost tourism in a rural community.

NEW BUSINESS Bluffton has a new downtown garden center. Cordelia’s Garden Center at 172 Bluffton Road is a full-service garden, nursery and landscaping center. Owner Anthony Farris, who also owns the Garden Medic, promises great service and high-quality flowers, plants, trees and hardscapes. The center also offers retail and installation of nursery items as well as pavers and other accessories to enhance and beautify local landscapes both residential and commercial.

Tidewater Wealth Solutions provides insurance and retirement planning life, disability, long-term care, annuities and identity theft protection programs while specializing in providing solid education, solutions and services in the field of life insurance and retirement planning. Cherise Barkley is the owner and broker and her husband, Coach Tony, owns and operates The B4 Success Company.

Residents of the Lowcountry now have access to physical therapy, sports medicine and workers’ compensation services from the nation’s leading provider: ATI Physical Therapy. Welcoming patients at ATI’s Hilton Head clinic is Maggie O’Brien PT, DPT. Hopeful Horizons opened a satellite office in Bluffton to serve victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault. The Wexford Plantation Charitable Foundation awarded Hopeful Horizons a grant in order to open this office to reach more victims and assist them on their path to healing.

BUSINESS NEWS The Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County announced the launch of the foundation’s major fundraising campaign to raise $250,000, and the creation of the Pat Conroy Legacy Society. The additional funds will

NEW SENIOR LIVING CAMPUS OPENING SOON IN RIDGELAND Community excitement is building for the “soon to arrive” debut of Jasper County’s latest addition to the senior housing market: Canterfield of Bluffton. Owned and developed

by Atlanta-based Medical Development Corp, this elegant assisted living project is preparing to open its doors in May. The senior living campus of Canterfield of Bluffton is conveniently located at 567 N. Okatie Highway in Ridgeland.

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MEMORY MATTERS ELECTS BOARD MEMBERS Memory Matters, the awardwinning charitable organization serving families for the past 20 years in southern Beaufort County who are living with dementia, has elected Drew Laughlin and Rose KearneyNunnery, RN Ph.D., to its board of directors. Laughlin, former mayor the Town of Hilton Head Laughlin Island, is a partner in the law firm Laughlin & Bowen PC on Hilton Head. He has led Hilton Head’s Design Review Board, Planning Commission, and Lowcountry Area Transportation Study Policy Committee. He also has served as president of the Hilton Head Plantation property owners association, Kearney-Nunnery and is currently on the board of directors of the Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival. Kearney-Nunnery is chairwoman of the department of nursing and health professions at the University of South Carolina Beaufort in Bluffton.

Slated to retire in March, she served as vice president for academic affairs at Technical College of the Lowcountry from 1997-2015, on the South Carolina Board of Nursing from 2000-11, and as a professor at USCB from January 2011 to the present. She has made numerous presentations at professional symposia and has authored myriad academic papers.

expand the foundation’s impact on the future of the library and its goal of maintaining its position as a first-class library, meeting the needs of the citizens of Beaufort County.

Berry & Carr is proud to announce the opening of a new location on Hilton Head Island.

The office is located at 1 Corpus Christi Place, Suite 113, making it the company’s third location to better serve their clients. Co-owners Patrick Carr and David Berry are excited to increase their clientele, as well as continue to serve their existing clients.

Hilton Head Outfitters & Bike Rentals is pleased to announce the official launch of its new website, www.hiltonheadoutfitters.com.

Among the features: user-friendly and deviceresponsive design; two new web cams, one at the front of the store and one in the back and one by the lagoon where the kayaks launch, allowing friends and family to view the activity on the website; new and easy-to-use online rentals and checkout with new ability to book lagoon fishing charters online; social feeds April 2017 63

BUSINESS

GRAND OPENING SET FOR PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE PGA Tour Superstore is ushering in a new experience for Hilton Head /Bluffton area golfers and tennis enthusiasts with an April 1 grand opening of its first interactive retail store, the largest golf and tennis store in the area. The 25,000 square foot location is at 1129 Fording Island Road in Bluffton, near the Home Depot. It will be an anchor in the new Bluffton Crossing shopping center. The grand opening celebration includes $30,000 in product giveaways to the first customers in line and a $15,000 donation that will benefit area youth golfers through The First Tee of the Lowcountry.

from Palmetto Dunes Resort social channels; new content including customer reviews, island recommendations, recent awards, service and sales information, details on lagoon and bike trails; and more.

Following a year-long study to identify Palmetto Bluff’s most environmentally critical habitats, Crescent Communities has committed to the expansion of the Crescent-managed forest area by an additional 90 acres, protecting this land from development and allowing the organization to study and maintain the land in a way that is best suited for the long-term health of the community, and ensuring healthy wildlife habitats. This land donation brings the total protected acres at Palmetto Bluff to 12,631, a combination of Crescent Communities-managed forest and the Walcam-managed forest.

Shopping trips at Tanger Outlets Hilton Head will now be even more convenient.

The outlet center is now offering year-round, free daily shuttle service between Tanger 1 and Tanger 2. Instead of having to hop back into their vehicles, guests can now enjoy a short, climate-controlled ride back and forth between the two shopping centers from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The shopper shuttle will depart Tanger 1 every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour and Tanger 2 on the quarter hour and quarter to. The shuttle will pickup and drop off at two locations at each center. At Tanger 1, the stops will be behind Shopper Services and across from Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH by the gazebo. At Tanger 2, the stops will be behind Shopper Services and at the crosswalk by Kilwin’s Chocolates & Ice Cream and Salty Dog Restaurant.

Posters are located on the sidewalk at each pickup and drop-off location.

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The Island Academy of Hilton Head has relocated from its New Orleans Road location into a brand-new building on the campus of Junior Players Golf Academy at Beach City Road and Finch Street. The Island Academy is an educationally innovative, private school options for Hilton Head Island students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Based on years of research and practical application, the Island Academy focuses on student-centered approaches to learning and project-based curriculum. Founded and created by Jennifer Winzeler and longtime educator and administrator Mary Ann Cyr, the Island Academy meet the needs of each student through its small class size and individualized attention.

Dr. Gary Thomas of S.C. Cancer Specialists recently served as the moderator of the annual joint meeting between the S.C. Oncology Society and the N.C. Oncology Association, held in Charlotte. The meeting is an annual conference focusing on the latest advancements in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.

Students at Bluffton High School can soon begin earning college credits at the University of South Carolina Beaufort through a new partnership between the two schools. Three USCB courses – college algebra, introduction to sociology, and public communication – will be taught on Bluffton High’s campus, while other courses will be available to students on USCB’s campus.

Bluffton Town Council is seeking qualified applicants for a variety of boards, commissions and committees. These groups are functionally organized and provide valuable input to Town Council when making decisions or formulating policy.

TOP LAWYERS

So you think you want to be a lawyer A LOOK AT WHAT IS IN STORE FOR FUTURE LAW STUDENTS

BY DEAN ROWLAND

SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTION

TOP LAWYERS

W

hat do you want to be when you grow up?

A rock ‘n’ roll star? A writer? An architect?

A teacher? A lawyer?

Really? A lawyer? Has “Law and Order,” “Boston Legal,” “The Good Wife” or “Matlock” stirred your passion to pursue this profession? Or did military lawyer Tom Cruise grilling colonel and prosecution witness Jack Nicholson in the courtroom drama “A Few Good Men” do the trick?

If you’ve got your heart set on a career in the courtroom, the first thing you have to do is get serious: about your education, your goals and your commitment. Plan on at least a seven-year journey before you print your business card or take your first case.

First, you’ll spend four years earning your undergraduate degree. There is no required field of study; anything goes, though many colleges offer a pre-law concentration. You’ll then need to pass the Law School Admission Test, or the LSAT, to demonstrate your skills and abilities in areas like critical thinking, reasoning and argumentation, which will be crucial to your future legal work. Score high enough and you can spend three or more years earning your juris doctor degree from one of the 205 accredited American Bar Association (ABA) institutions around the United States — have you considered attending the Charleston School of Law or the University of South Carolina School of Law? "Law schools prefer students who can think, read and write well, and who have some understanding of what shapes human experience,” the ABA wrote in 1997. Also significant in terms of students’ personality traits? According to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, 11 percent of “thinkers” and 20 percent of “feelers” dropped out of law school by the end of their second year.

Coursework in the second and third years usually are electives, thus enabling students to specialize in areas such as legislation and regulation, administrative law, criminal law, family law, corporate law or tax law. Additionally, law schools also offer the opportunity to study public law, advocacy, business law, appellate law or international law.

Now that you’ve completed your academic studies, take a deep breath and spend at least three months studying for your state bar examination. Roughly 10 percent to 40 percent of firsttime test-takers fail, although 30 percent to 70 percent pass on their second go-round. Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and President Franklin Roosevelt are notable names who swung and missed on the exam their first time; John F. Kennedy Jr. failed the exam twice before passing.

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TOP LAWYERS

In South Carolina, 69 percent of law school grads pass the state bar on their first attempt, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Of the 681 Palmetto State candidates who took the exam in 2015, 467 aced it.

South Carolina ranked second to last by state in the country based on lawyers per capita in 2015, with only 20.5 active and resident lawyers per 10,000 residents, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, there are 10,031 active lawyers in the state.

Experience, location and specialization determine earning power.

Nationally in 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual wage for lawyers was about $114,970, with the top 10 percent of professionals taking home more than $187,199. In South Carolina, the earnings top out at $134,000, with the 90th percentile earning $83,000, according to learnhowtobecome. com. Those working in state and local government tend to earn less than lawyers in the top bracket who specialize in financial and insurance law.

Attorneys often practice and represent clients in legal issues and disputes in a variety of areas, not just one. The most common practices are: riminal: These lawyers guide accused clients through the C arrest, bail, arraignment, pleas and trial.

Personal injury: Injuries and accidents of any nature usually involve insurance companies and financial settlements.

Estate planning: These attorneys work to ensure your life’s savings and assets are safe from beneficiaries’ creditors upon your death by drafting wills and trusts and directives for health care.

Bankruptcy: There are several types of bankruptcy proceedings, and criteria for eligibility to help you get out of debt if mired with financial difficulties.

Intellectual property: Anything involving copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design and trade secrets fall under the purview of these lawyers.

Immigration: This type of lawyer assists bringing individuals, family members and workers into this country via visas, citizenship, refugee status, asylum and green cards.

Employment and labor: Issues involving employer/employee relationships and contracts, and compliance with state and federal laws are handled by this type of lawyer.

Corporate: Anything having to do with corporation start-ups, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and tax compliance issues are covered by this type of legal specialist.

Real estate: Issues related to commercial or residential real estate and property fall under this job description, including transactions and drafting documents.

Tax: This lawyer helps individuals and businesses filing their tax returns to comply with state and federal laws.

Family: Direct family issues regarding prenuptial agreements, divorce proceedings, child custody and spousal support are covered by this type of lawyer.

Worker’s compensation: This legal expertise handles injuries on the job, workplace accidents or occupational disease to determine the extent of employer fault and rightful benefits owed.

Social Security disability: Complexities abound when it comes to eligibility for insurance benefits for mental or physical impairments and claims representation on appeals or reduced benefits.

Environmental: You need legal help if you are faced with enforcement action or need to make sure your business is complying with state and federal regulations.

Civil litigation: If you have been sued or are planning to sue and the issue isn’t criminal, then call this jack-of-all-trades attorney.

General practice: This generalist can represent you in court, assist in the drafting and reviewing of documents, and perform as an advocate in negotiations.

All practicing attorneys should be adept at separating their emotions and prejudices from an objective evaluation of their client’s situation. They must be able to garner respect, trust and confidence through demonstrable interpersonal skills. Who wants to spend hours with someone they really don’t like?

Top lawyers also need to demonstrate analytical and problemsolving skills, separating the relevant and irrelevant facts of the case, and clearly stating what the case is and what the best defense is. Their disposition should be calm, self-assured, confident, articulate and comforting.

The checklist for doing your due diligence on hiring an attorney should include credentials, experience, education, cost, accessibility, company size, referrals, specialization and reputation in the business community.

Fast facts about the legal field • There are 10,031 active lawyers in South Carolina.

• Cost can be contingency fees, which are an agreed-upon percentage of a recovery, typically 33 percent to 40 percent; flat fees for the total amount of services performed; hourly fees; or a retainer fee based on anticipated time spent on the case.

• Typically, lawyers charge $300 per hour for partners, $200 per hour for associates and $95 per hour for paralegals. Billing usually is based on 6- or 15-minute intervals. niversity of South Carolina School •U of Law ranked 93rd among 205 ABAaccredited law schools in the country; Charleston School of Law ranked 178th.

• L aw firms continue to be largest employers of lawyers, but many large corporations are increasing their inhouse legal departments to cut costs.

• USC School of Law was accredited by the ABA in 1925 and today has 615 students enrolled; Charleston School of Law was accredited in 2011 and has 417 students.

Sources: 2017 CollegeGrad LLC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, salary.com, patriotblog, Graphiq Inc.

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TOP LAWYERS

6 Questions for a Future Lawyer

BY DEAN ROWLAND Palmetto Dunes resident Jacob Hunt will be earning his law degree next month from Savannah Law School. The 27-year-old then will take the South Carolina bar exam.

When the Ohio native isn’t in class, he’s studying or working part time as a law clerk at Hilton Head Island’s Jolley Law Group. Here, he answers six questions about his future as a lawyer.

Q: Why do you want to become a lawyer?

A: To help people achieve their goals, that’s the biggest thing. To help people out with major problems they’re having and help them overcome their obstacles.

Q: What specialty do you want to practice?

A: Mostly business and health care law. I have a lot of family in the medical field. My step-dad is a cardiologist, my mom was an RN, and my grandma was an RN. I wanted to find a way to work in that industry in a different capacity. Health care law is a way to do that. It’s a very, very broad field, and a lot of it is very interesting.

Q: What qualities do you think make for a good lawyer?

A: I think integrity and honesty. When people come to you with their problems or their needs, just being straight with them and being a good communicator. I think being up front is the best way to achieve what they’re trying to get done, and to keep your reputation positive. One of the first things they tell you in law school is to not only get along with other attorneys, but to treat the other people in the industry well — other attorneys’ clerks, clerks of the court. Act and compose yourself with a lot of integrity.

Q: Why do you think your personality suits being a lawyer?

A: If you had asked me that a few years ago, I probably would have said it doesn’t suit me that well. But it’s changed.

I’ve done several internships over the years and it’s helped me to come out of my shell and be more outgoing. I get along with people well, and communicate with people well.

Communication is a huge part of what an effective attorney does.

Q: What do you find most interesting about law and the legal system?

A: There are constantly changes being made. It’s not like you learn the federal law, then the state law and you’re done. You have to constantly be learning.

Pictured above: Partners Alisa McCray, Cathy Olivetti and Daphne Withrow

All For One. You.

This is our motto and commitment to a remarkably diverse range of services to support you. Your business. Your Life. Your People.

At OLIVETTI, MCCRAY & WITHROW, LLC we provide seamless resources to get the results you need without navigating multiple offices or telling your story over and over. Our approach is simple. We’re here for you, listening and providing collaborative solutions. So your life can carry on.

We believe your legal journey should be a personalized experience.

We’ll address concerns regarding your family, your estate, your forward planning and your health – issues that define your quality of life. Our process is designed to help you express, explain, and provide your background in a supportive atmosphere. No impersonal attitudes or complicated legal jargon. Plenty of understanding.

We see things from your perspective and make it our priority to comprehend what you value most. Then we determine the best solutions for achieving your goals. We’ll walk with you every step of the way until your legal matters are resolved.

Considering our 50 years of combined experience, there’s no doubt we have the skills, resources and conviction to keep your life on track.

ESTATE PLANNING | PROBATE ADMINISTRATION | ESTATE LITIGATION CORPORATE/FINANCIAL GUIDANCE | LOSS MITIGATION | REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS AND CONTRACT NEGOTIATION - RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PERSONAL INJURY AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

OLIVETTI, McCRAY & WITHROW, LLC 2 Corpus Christi Place, Suite 105 | Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 843.341.9260 | www.omwlawfirm.com

Daniel A. Saxon, Catherine A. Scarminach, Charles A. Scarminach, Elizabeth B. Mayo, Herbert L. Novit, Robert M. Deeb, Jr.

Proudly serving the Lowcountry since 1967.

ESTATE PLANNING & PROBATE Wills & Trusts Probate Administration Trust Settlements Guardianships Conservatorships Gaurdian ad Litem

REAL ESTATE LAW Residential closings Commercial Transactions Condominium Law Property Owner Associations Real Estate Developments Land Use & Zoning

Novit & Scarminach, P.A.

CORPORATE LAW Business Entity Formation Contract Review Small Business Assets & Stock Sales Mergers & Acquistions

The Jade Building, Suite 400 | 52 New Orleans Road | Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 843.785.5850 | fax 843.785.2090 | www.ns-lawfirm.com

Janik L.L.P.

Crystal L. Maluchnik 440.740.3047 crystal.maluchnik@janiklaw.com

Steven G. Janik 440.740.3099 steven.janik@janiklaw.com

Monica K. Bracey 440.740.3091 monica.bracey@janiklaw.com

JANIK L.L.P. was founded on September 1, 1988 and enjoys an “AV” rating, the highest rating available to law firms, by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.

Our practice is devoted to litigation. Our attorneys are listed in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Super Lawyers” for commercial, insurance and personal injury litigation. We have been consistently selected as one of as one of the “Best Law Firms for Insurance and Personal Injury Defense” by Best Lawyers and U.S. News and World Report, and have been selected as an “All Star Go-To Law Firm” by Corporate Counsel magazine for our representation of Fortune 500 clients.

We are admitted to practice before the Courts of Ohio, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, and have been actively engaged in major litigation in state, federal and administrative forums in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

JANIK LLP 1000 William Hilton Pkwy. | Suite 103 | Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 www.janiklaw.com

David Parker Geis

Attorney THOMAS J. FINN is licensed to practice law in the states of South Carolina, Georgia and Connecticut. Finn’s practice specializes in litigation matters focusing on construction and serious personal injury cases. For over two decades, Finn has had the privilege of representing numerous homeowners associations and hundreds of single family homeowners who have discovered they have construction problems. Finn has handled many complex litigation issues including wrongful death and serious personal injury matters.

Finn completed his undergraduate work at Ithaca College in New York. Finn received his juris doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. Finn also earned a master's in international relations from the prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Finn is proud to have served our country as a Marine Corps officer.

While stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Finn served as special assistant United States attorney, chief assistant defense counsel and series commander.

Finn has tried cases in both the state and federal courts in South Carolina and is a member of the South Carolina Association of Justice.

Finn’s experience as a trial lawyer has resulted in other lawyers routinely seeking his advice on litigation matters.

He resides on Hilton Head Island with his wife, Anne, and two children, Justin and Amelia.

DAVID PARKER GEIS practices family law throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry, including Beaufort and Jasper County. He has more than 35 years experience as a trial attorney and family lawyer.

He is of counsel to the Beaufort County Law Firm of Jones, Simpson & Newton, LLC and to the White Plains Law Firm of Kramer & Kozak, P.C. Mr Geis has the highest peer review rating for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability from Martindale Hubbell and is listed in the National Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in both New York and South Carolina.

Mr. Geis is past Chairman of the Family Law Council of the South Carolina Bar; and Past President of the Beaufort County Bar. He has lectured in the area of Family Law and contributed to the Toolkit for Family Lawyers.

Mr. Geis presently restricts his matrimonial practice to South Carolina and has practiced almost exclusively in South Carolina for approximately 15 years. He is also a Certified Family Law Mediator in South Carolina and New York State.

Mr. Geis is a graduate of Adelphi University, B.A. 1966; Fordham University School of Law, J.D. 1972, and New York University School of Law, LLM, 1977. He served as an officer on active duty in the U.S. Army and is a Vietnam Veteran.

Mr. Geis represents clients in proceedings dealing with Equitable Distribution, Custody, Visitation, Alimony, Child Support, Separate Maintenance and Probate. All of these areas are stressful to individuals and their families. Understanding the client’s needs at a time when they have lost a loved one or are dissolving a marriage is an important part of representing a client. No two people are identical and no two cases are identical. In order to arrive at a fair and satisfactory result for the client, an understanding of the person is often as important as knowing the law. David Geis has years of experience, knowledge and success in all of these facets.

FINN LAW FIRM, P.C.

THE LAW FIRM OF DAVID PARKER GEIS, LLC

38 D-4 New Orleans Road | Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 843.682.3555 | thomas@finnlawfirmpc.com

18 Pope Avenue | Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 7 Plantation Park, Suite 3 | Bluffton, SC 29910 843.715.0661 | www.dpgeislaw.com

Dale Akins DALE AKINS is an experienced, skilled trial lawyer and is licensed in all State and Federal Courts in South Carolina and Georgia. He provides aggressive legal representation mainly in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire and has done so for over a quarter of a century. He has earned a reputation for excellence and integrity amongst his colleagues.

Mr. Akins maintains a dynamic practice in the heart of Old Town Bluffton in Bluffton Village, focusing on serious personal injury, wrongful death and bad faith insurance cases. He believes it is of paramount importance in any case to keep the client’s best interest at the forefront through innovative and ethical means, and he persistently advocates for his clients to ensure that they receive maximum recovery and the compensation they deserve.

Mr. Akins graduated from Furman University in 1988 and earned his law degree from Mercer University in 1991. He has practiced in Beaufort County since that time. He and his wife, Sally, have lived in Rose Hill since 1994. She is also an attorney who practices in Savannah, Georgia.

Mr. Akins is very active in various Bar Associations, both statewide and nationally. He is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell, which indicates he possesses the highest level of skill and ethics as determined by his colleagues and peers. He has also been selected as a South Carolina Super Lawyer in the Plaintiff’s counsel category, and he has lectured on several occasions as part of continuing legal education programs. He is a South Carolina certified mediator. He is an associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates after having been found to “possess the requisite skill, integrity and experience in the special art of advocacy to qualify for this rank.” He is on the LexisNexis MartindaleHubbell list of Top Lawyers in South Carolina.

In times of trial, consider the Akins Law Firm.

AKINS LAW FIRM, LLC 6 Johnston Way, Unit A | Bluffton, SC 29910 843.757.7574 | fax 843.757.7601 | www.daleakinslaw.com

Arrested? Divorce? Don’t try and face it alone.

COURTNEY A. GIBBES is a sole practitioner focusing primarily on the areas of criminal defense and family law. She obtained a bachelor's in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 2001. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she held paid staff positions in U.S. Senate and presidential campaigns relating to legal compliance to federal election laws.

After working in Washington, D.C., she returned to her home state and attended law school at the Charleston School of Law due to its emphasis on public service. During law school, she worked in the mayor’s office as an extern for the City of Charleston’s legal department as well as clerked for two federal magistrate judges and a prominent criminal defense attorney. After obtaining her juris doctorate, Gibbes returned to Columbia and worked at the public defender’s office for six years. During that time, she gained extensive litigation experience through her representation of thousands of clients on a litany of criminal charges and has an impressive trial record.

For the majority of her time at the public defender’s office, she represented clients charged with violent felonies such as murder and armed robbery. She is a 2012 graduate of the distinguished National Criminal Defense College. Gibbes has the skills to argue and negotiate on her clients’ behalf throughout the many different aspects of the justice system.

COURTNEY A. GIBBES 200 Main Street, Suite 102A | Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 843.384.0441 | fax 843.681.5583 | www.gibbeslaw.com

Our

2015 RBC Heritage champion, Jim Furyk, begins last year's tournament week with the ceremonial tee shot into Calibogue Sound.

74 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Golf continues to be Hilton Head’s biggest breadwinner

BY LISA ALLEN PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

There is no place more glorious than Hilton Head Island in the spring. The temperature is perfect; azaleas are in full bloom and the area is getting reading for its biggest party, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

April 2017 75

T

he festivities aren’t just for those at The Sea Pines Resort. It’s a gift for the entire area, and, boy, after the fall we’ve had, we need it.

Residents from Ridgeland to Daufuskie Island will be celebrating the monumental effort everyone put into cleaning up after Hurricane Matthew. While our guests will see only hints of the mess that was, we’ll know and toast each other.

We’ll be able to concentrate on what makes this area so special: our warm, Southern welcome to everyone visiting one of the world’s most beautiful places. “(The RBC Heritage) is a very big week for Palmetto Dunes,” said Clark Sinclair, director of golf for Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort.

The week of the Heritage tournament is the second big week in a row for Palmetto Dunes. An even bigger period is the week before, Masters week, as people use Hilton Head as home base and commute daily to watch the tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

But there is far more to golf here than a single tournament.

The Lowcountry is a golfing mecca year-round because the welcome, the courses and the conditions are tournament quality no matter when you join us.

For example, the other peak golf season is October, when hundreds of golf groups flock to Hilton Head. The groups range in size from four to more than 100.

During the summer, golf shares the spotlight with beach time, tennis and family activities.

But back to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, which begins April 10 and runs through April 16.

Highlighted on everyone’s social calendar for 49 years now, the tournament buoys the entire area.

“You’ll see players and caddies on the range at our three courses (Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Arthur Hills) to get some practice in,” Sinclair said. “It’s lower-key here. We might also see them playing later in the week if they miss the cut.”

Sinclair said even if players do miss the cut, they tend to stay in the area. “The vast majority of them love coming down here.”

Hilton Head often is ranked as the favorite tournament for PGA Tour players. Many rent houses and bring their families.

“They can be regular tourists here. They can go out to restaurants and people respect their space,” Sinclair said. “It’s so much fun. There is such electricity that week.”

Join the party April 10-16, but come back often. After all, South Carolina really understands golf.

“Golf generates more income than any other single entertainment or recreation activity in South Carolina,” according to a report by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. The report pegged golf’s economic impact statewide at $2.7 billion in 2016 across 350 golf courses.

We’ll drink to that. All year long. M

“ the RBC Heritage Presented

by Boeing, begins April 10 and runs through April 16”

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Back for More

South African star golfer Branden Grace returns to defend his title

BY JUSTIN JARRETT PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

On

the eve of last year’s RBC Heritage Presented

by Boeing, Hall of Fame golfer Ernie Els told fellow South African Branden Grace he had a good feeling about his pal’s prospects at Harbour Town Golf Links.

“We went to his house for coffee, and he told me this is one event that I’m going to win a couple of times in my career,” Grace recalled after notching his first PGA Tour victory at Harbour Town last April. “It was nice to hear from a legend like that.”

Grace made good on his mentor’s prediction, rallying from three shots back with a 5-under-par 66 in the final round, and he’ll be back this month to try to add another tartan jacket to his closet.

The Heritage already held a special place for Grace because his tie for seventh here in 2015 helped him secure his PGA Tour card for the following season.

Grace carded three rounds in the 60s in his first Harbour Town start, a harbinger of what was to come a year later.

“I like this place,” Grace said after firing a 66 in last year’s first round. “It's completely different. … There's a couple of shots that I've got up my sleeve — that I like hitting, that I grew up hitting — and I think it suits this place.”

Grace, 28, became the 11th player to earn his first PGA Tour victory at the Heritage, but he was far from an unknown name among golf fans prior to donning tartan on a Lowcountry Sunday. The win was Grace’s 10th international victory, a list that includes seven European Tour triumphs, including backto-back wins at the Qatar Masters in 2015 and 2016. Last year also was a great one 78 hiltonheadmonthly.com

South Africa's Branden John Grace currently plays on the European Tour, the PGA Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

off the course for Grace, who also married Nieke Coetzee in November.

Perhaps Grace could follow in the footsteps of the last firsttime winner at Harbour Town — Boo Weekley in 2007 — and join Weekley, Davis Love and Payne Stewart as the only men to win back-to-back tartan jackets.

Winning at Harbour Town has made Grace somewhat scarcer in the United States. With his PGA Tour card secured for two years, he has the flexibility to be more creative with his schedule, playing more international tournaments and focusing on major championships and World Golf Championships events.

There’s plenty to indicate Grace could soon add his name to the list of Heritage champions who have also won majors.

He has posted top-five finishes at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship each of the past two years, and at No. 19 in the Official World Golf Ranking (as of March 16), he’s the highestranked player from South Africa — a roster that includes the likes of major champions Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.

“The majors are big things, but people don't remember the thirds and fourths, they only remember the wins,” Grace told reporters at last year’s Valero Texas Open. “I really wanted to get that first W over here.”

Fittingly, Grace celebrated that first stateside victory with Els, who was on the other end of his second phone call following the big win.

The first went to his parents back home in South Africa. “(Els) actually called me but I was busy with the interviews and then he was texting my fiancé and he's like, ‘Listen, tell him to call me urgently,’ so I gave him a call back,” Grace recalled days after his win at Harbour Town. “He's a hard one to deal with at sometimes, you know. He says ‘Call me,’ you call him.”

On April 17, 2016, Grace claimed And when he says you’re going his first PGA Tour victory at the to win a golf tournament, you win RBC Heritage after shooting a final a golf tournament. M round 66.

April 2017 79

meet the

Contenders A mere six months after Hilton Head Island was hit by a hurricane, Harbour Town Golf Links is again playing host to one of the most celebrated PGA Tour events for an impressive 49th consecutive year.

BY JAMES MCMAHON PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

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PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

As

it has every year for nearly five decades, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has attracted many of the top PGA Tour stars, including marquee International players and popular American stars. Back to defend his first Heritage victory is one of those international standouts: Brendan Grace. The South African is joined by European stalwarts such as Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald, who has five top 5 finishes at Harbour Town, but no title to show for it.

Those golfers, along with the rest of the field, will take on a golf course that not only held its own against Mother Nature’s wrath in October, but has stood strong against the power and length explosion of the PGA Tour over the past couple decades.

Pete Dye’s gem along Calibogue Sound is among the most unique layouts on the PGA Tour circuit, and it remains the primary reason so many top names in golf return to Hilton Head year after year.

So who are the players to watch this year? Here’s a compilation of golfers — some who have already proven their mettle at Harbour Town and others who have come painfully close without winning, as well as a few who are challengers here for the first time.

However one chooses to qualify them, these are players to keep an eye on as tournament week progresses. It’s entirely possible the eventual champion is absent this list, but nonetheless it’s a good start when forecasting the action during the much-anticipated 2017 edition of one of Hilton Head’s signature events.

THE DEFENDING CHAMPION

Last year proved to be a breakthrough season for Grace, and as the Heritage often is for many first-time winners, his triumph at Harbour Town was the pinnacle. The South African rallied from a three-shot deficit to outlast Russell Knox and Luke Donald by one shot. Overall, Grace posted nine top 10s at PGA Tour events in 2016, including top 5s at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and earned just under $3 million.

This year, however, hasn’t been quite as kind to the world’s 18th-ranked golfer. Through the first 10 weeks of 2017, Grace has only played four times on the PGA Tour. His best finish was a tie for 13th in Hawaii, and he was forced to withdraw after an opening-round 77 at the Honda Classic in late February. Grace ranks outside the top 70 in most key performance calculators, including driving, around the green and accuracy categories.

We’ll soon see whether a return to Hilton Head signals a return to the form that won him the tartan jacket last year — but the current state of his game won’t get it done this time around.

PAST CHAMPIONS & CURRENT THREATS GRAEME MCDOWELL

His major champion status notwithstanding, PGA Tour victories have been few and far between for Graeme McDowell. In fact, the Irishman has only one tour win since his 2013 Heritage title, and really hasn’t been in contention very much the past two seasons.

To be fair, the former U.S. Open champion has played sparingly stateside, especially in the first half of the past few seasons. Disregarding majors and World Golf Championship events, McDowell made only 15 or so starts on the PGA Tour in 2016, and regrettably missed 10 cuts in those tournaments.

One of those missed cuts was right here at Harbour Town, which outside of his 2013 victory hasn’t been very kind to the world’s 87th-ranked player.

His accuracy and short-game make him a threat, but recent history suggests he’s a marginal one at best.

JIM FURYK

Forced to sit out last year due to wrist surgery, Jim Furyk returns to one his favorite and most successful venues on the PGA Tour, with his sights set on a return to form. When right, the two-time Heritage champion has a game perfectly suited for the challenges presented by Harbour Town.

The 2018 Ryder Cup captain is consistent off the tee, reliable with irons and, when putting well, can be very good around the greens. In 17 Heritage stars, Furyk has eight top 10s and has earned more than $3 million, a strong Harbour Town resume by any standard.

Furyk has eased his way back onto the tour this year, playing in only a handful of events. So how “back” he’ll be when the Heritage starts is among one of the more interesting questions of tournament week. If the RBC Ambassador has his trademark accuracy, course management and patience about him, he’ll be where he usually is at Harbour Town—around the top of the leaderboard. If not, we’ll have to settle for just having a great champion back in action.

MATT KUCHAR

BRANDT SNEDEKER

Brandt Snedeker has been an all-or-nothing kind of guy in 2017. The 2011 Heritage champion had six starts through the WGC Mexico Open in early March and recorded three top 10s and a top 15 against two missed cuts in those events. The strong finishes demonstrate that when on, Snedeker remains one of the best putters in the PGA Tour, but when off, he can implode with the best of them.

That same all-or-nothing performance describes Snedeker’s Heritage career. The world’s 23rd-ranked player has earned $1.2 million in 11 Heritage starts, but $1 million of that came from his one victory. The former Vanderbilt star has missed the cut three times, including last year’s early exit. So if you want to see Snedeker this year, be sure to catch him during the first two rounds just to be safe — but if he’s around on Sunday, expect to see him late into the afternoon.

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Given his all-around game and consistency at the time, Matt Kuchar’s thrilling 2014 victory at Harbour Town surprised very few people. The fact that the American hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since then is likely to take many by surprise. In fact, Kuchar has gone winless in his past 70-plus starts through the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

There’s nothing easy about winning on the PGA Tour, but Kuchar’s victory slump isn’t simply a result of increased competition. In seven starts this season, he’s recorded just one top 10, and has missed the cut three times. During that stretch, his shot-making and accuracy have dropped from his normal standard.

Never a long hitter, Kuchar ranks near 100 in greens in regulation and 143rd in proximity to the hole. Driving distance is one of those stats that doesn’t really matter at Harbour Town, but accuracy to the small greens is an absolute must. That’s where Kuchar needs to improve if he’s going to break his elongated winless streak at the very place he last tasted victory.

CONTENDERS

LUKE DONALD

ADAM HADWIN

Prior to his impressive victory at the Valspar Championship last month, Adam Hadwin would have been more dark horse than contender. Yet with his first PGA Tour title now in hand, the Canadian absolutely has to be considered a threat to challenge for a tartan jacket.

Hadwin was impressive on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, one of the most challenging tracts on the PGA Tour, as he held off a talented field to claim the breakthrough victory. The RBC Ambassador leaped onto the scene earlier this season with a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge, eventually finishing second behind Hudson Swafford, and brings a game well-suited for Harbour Town.

He currently ranks among the top 10 in putting and scrambling and top 5 in sand saves. Both are nice attributes to have around the challenging greens of Dye’s layout.

Bottom line, seeing Hadwin around the top of leaderboards isn’t going to be a surprise any longer, and he’s likely to be found right there come Sunday’s final round.

It’s hard to imagine a player with a better Heritage resume without ever winning the event than Donald. The once-upon-a-time world No. 1 has five top three finishes in 11 Heritage starts, including a tie for second last year.

Whether Donald, who has earned a tidy $3.3 million on Hilton Head in those starts, is snake bit or simply due is among the more interesting storylines this year.

Donald‘s accuracy, shot-making and short game are tailor-made for Harbour Town. Conversely, his lack of distance isn’t the concern it might be on more traditional PGA Tour courses. Like many Europeans, Donald has made limited starts on the tour this year, playing only four tournaments through mid-March, and his best finish in those events is a modest tie for 17th at the Genesis Open. That quiet start notwithstanding, Donald’s track record on Hilton Head makes him a player to watch in his 12th Heritage start.

JASON DUFNER

The former PGA Champion is a fan favorite as much for his personality off the course as his play on it. The inspiration the Internet craze “Dufnering” is making his ninth Heritage start, while looking for a first serious run at a tartan jacket.

The four-time PGA Tour winner’s best finishes at Harbour Town are a tie for 14th back in 2011 and a tie for 24th a year later. That said, he’s only missed the cut one time and has the type of reliable game that can certainly succeed on the Sea Pines course. He comes to Hilton Head in decent form, having posted three top 25s in his three starts this year through the WGC-Mexico Open.

AND ONE FAN FAVORITE …

AARON BADDELEY

MARTIN KAYMER

Kaymer is making just his third start at Harbour Town and his first since 2014, making him equal parts mystery and threat in this year’s field. The two-time major champion posted a tie for 24th three years ago, and remains one of the dangerous international players on the PGA Tour.

Kaymer spends more time on the European Tour, but does have three PGA Tour titles to complement his 12 international victories, highlighted by both a U.S. Open and PGA Championship. The German tied for fourth at the Honda Classic back in February, suggesting he’ll arrive on Hilton Head in good form. Given his quality shot-making and solid short game, he has to be a player to favor for a first Heritage title.

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When Aaron Baddeley donned the tartan jacket back in 2006, he was among the fastest rising stars on the PGA tour. As the Aussie makes his 13th appearance at Harbour Town Golf Links, he’s just another player in search of what could have been and what might still be.

That Heritage victory was Baddeley’s first on the tour, but since then the world’s 153th-ranked player has only added three more, with the most recent coming last year at the Barbasol Championship. And he’s seen far more failure than flash in 2017. Baddeley missed three straight cuts to close out the West Coast Swing earlier this year, and his best finish since the calendar turned to 2017 is a tie for 25th at the SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

ERNIE ELS

When it comes to the Heritage, Ernie Els is the quintessential bridesmaid. The Hall of Fame golfer has flirted with the tartan jacket several times, only to be denied by admittedly less-accomplished golfers. Still, the South African remains a Hilton Head fan favorite, in large measure for the graceful way he handles falling short and the fact that he truly is among the more genuine players on the PGA Tour.

The four-time major champion is by no means the golfer he was in his prime, evidenced by the fact that Els hasn’t made the cut in a PGA Tour event since last November at the Shriner’s Hospital Championship for Children (as of mid-March).

If Els has any hope of waking up the Harbour Town echoes, he must find a way to figure out a game that is struggling in way too many aspects. He ranks in the 190s off the tee, the 200s in greens in regulation and his putting is only good enough for 116. Those are less than promising numbers for the Big Easy, yet Els will undoubtedly be among the most celebrated players during tournament week.

Simon Fraser

Heritage Classic Foundation chairman reports tournament is on great footing

BY DEAN ROWLAND PHOTO BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

L

ater in the same month that Hurricane Matthew slammed its Category 2 wrath into Hilton Head Island, Simon Fraser announced that the Heritage Classic Foundation had committed to donating up to $100,000 for hurricane relief efforts. Local residents in need of food, shelter or clothing would soon get it.

This is what the nonprofit foundation does — it helps people and organizations in the Lowcountry and has since its founding in 1987. More than $35 million has been distributed to charitable groups, as well as area students in the form of academic scholarships, said Fraser, now in his 11th year as foundation chairman.

“Beginning with the very first tournament, we made money to give away to charity,” Fraser said, noting the foundation raised its first $1 million in charitable gifts about three years after its PGA Tour debut in 1969.

Ever since Arnold Palmer won the inaugural Heritage golf tournament and pocketed $20,000 of the total $100,000 purse for his effort, this PGA

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Tour stop has grown in prestige. Branden Grace deposited a $1,062,000 check for winning last year, and this year’s purse is $6.5 million, thanks in large part to title sponsor Royal Bank of Canada and presenting sponsor Boeing. Other proceeds come from ticket sales and corporate, patron package, expo and category sponsorships.

More than $2.5 million of the foundation’s $10 million annual budget is targeted for 40 or so local and regional charitable organizations in the fields of health, welfare, children, youth activities and education, Fraser said. Last year, 37 Beaufort County collegians received $175,000 in scholarship grants, part of the $3.8 million raised and distributed to 275 students since the program began in 1993.

“The foundation is important because the golf tournament is important,” said Fraser, a partner and founder at Fraser & Allen law firm on the island. “You can’t separate the foundation from the golf tournament.”

In addition to host sponsoring the RBC Heritage, scheduled this year for April 10-16, the foundation also supports The Players Amateur tournament, the South Carolina Congressional Cup, the Sea Pines Junior Heritage and the South Carolina Juniors Championship. Fundraising programs Birdies for Charity, Heritage Champions Fore Charity and the Tartan Club contribute to the foundation’s kitty.

Only twice during the foundation’s long run of success were there financial challeng-

es that disrupted continuity: “It has a $96 million ecoin 1987, when host sponsor nomic impact in the state of Sea Pines Company filed South Carolina,” he said. “It’s for bankruptcy, and in 2010, estimated to generate more when title sponsor Verizon than 1,000 jobs. But probably, dropped out and the foundaand the most important thing, tion had to foot the bill to is the publicity from the telesponsor the tournament the cast and all the other media following year. surrounding the tournament. This That was “ Beginning is stuff you can’t then. with the buy.

“The tourvery first nament is on “That would be great footing,” all of our town’s tournament, Fraser said. marketing budwe made “The financial get if you were money to health of the to put a value on foundation is it. It’s broadcast give away very good.” in 226 countries to charity” Both RBC and and more than a Boeing recently signed fivebillion households tuning in year contracts that will keep to the tournament. We don’t them as title and presenting have enough money to buy sponsors through 2021. that publicity.”

It’s no wonder Fraser is May good weather and upbeat about the tournament. plaid prevail. M

April 2017 87

Doug Smith

Tournament chairman emphasizes event’s impact on local charities

BY DON MCLOUD PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

G

olf is not just a fun sport for Doug Smith, but a decadeslong mission.

His advocacy of the game hit a new high this year when he was picked to serve as the 2017 tournament chairman for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. Smith, of Spartanburg, was selected for the post by the Heritage Classic Foundation in recognition of his work toward the foundation’s mission, which is “to enhance quality of life and economic vitality of South Carolina through signature golf events.”

As tournament chairman, Smith presides over the PGA Tour event’s opening and closing ceremonies. He also hopes to spread the word that the tournament is not just about watching golf, but helping improve South Carolina through charitable giving. The Heritage Classic Foundation, which runs the tournament, has donated millions of dollars in proceeds from ticket sales to various nonprofit groups.

“Our focus is to really try to educate people that the more they support the tournament, the more we’re able to support their local charities,” he says.

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Smith’s love of golf began as a youth competing in junior tournaments and continued as an undergrad at Wofford College. As an adult, his passion for the sport expanded to growing the state’s youth programs.

In 1995, he founded the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational Tournament, which is ranked by Golfweek as a top 10 national tournament. The event attracts 80 or so of some of the top junior players in the country each year to the Country Club of Spartanburg. PGA Tour pros Bubba Watson and Lucas Glover are among the tournament’s distinguished alumni.

Smith believes that growing the state’s junior golf programs is crucial to help save a game that has been losing

youth to other sports.

“A lot of parents, frankly, don’t have the time to play golf and aren’t taking their kids out to play golf,” he says.

“So we have to give them every reason to want their 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- or 8-year-old youngster to come out and participate.”

When Smith, 58, is not promoting junior golf, he practices law in Spartanburg as a partner at Johnson, Smith, Hibbard & Wildman Law Firm.

He served Spartanburg in the S.C. House of Representatives for 16 years, eight as speaker pro tem. He has also served as president of the S.C. Golf Association. He and his wife, Alison Evans Smith, have two children in college.

In 2011, Smith was tapped as a trustee for the Heritage

Classic Foundation.

“His connections and reputation across South Carolina are second to none,” said tournament director Steve Wilmot, who praised Smith’s selection as chairman. “It’s an honor for the RBC Heritage to have a stand-up professional, colleague and friend like Doug to represent and support our tournament this year.”

Smith says he hopes to do all he can to help further the foundation’s mission.

“I couldn’t be part of a better charity than the Heritage Classic Foundation,” he says, “because from its inception, the people who

FOUNDATION’S MISSION TO ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ECONOMIC VITALITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH SIGNATURE GOLF EVENTS

have been involved in that tournament are people who dream big.”

“And that’s what we’ll keep doing — dreaming big.” M

April 2017 89

Heritage adds another

Pro-Am to keep up with demand

BY LISA ALLEN | PHOTO BY LARRY LAMBRECHT

Almost like the release of a new iPhone, hoards of golfers lie in wait for Pro-Am tournament packages to go on sale for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

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here are more than 300 spots, but in essence some reserved their place in line years ago because corporate partners and longtime Pro-Am players get first rights of refusal.

“We have one person who is playing his 49th Pro-Am,” said Derek Paton, vice president of sales and marketing for the Heritage Classic Foundation.

“There isn’t room for many new players.”

Over the years, organizers added a second, then a third Pro-Am. Short of adding floodlights for nighttime rounds, they ran out of daylight on the days they didn’t need Harbour Town Golf Links for the tournament itself.

Organizers, working with PGA Tour officials, came up with a great idea: Host a Pro-Am at the brand-new Atlantic Dunes designed by none other than the winningest Heritage player ever: Davis Love III. Love has five (five!!) tartan jackets.

The event lets more people play with PGA Tour pros, shines a spotlight on the stunning redesign of the Ocean Course and honors Heritage champion and course designer Love. It’s a triple crown, a hat trick, a triple play of golf.

“What we’ve tried to create, based on supply and demand, is an exclusive experience with a PGA Tour professional,” Paton said. “We didn’t want a corporate event.”

Tom Reilley, chairman of the tournament’s Pro-Am committee, said they worked hard to make sure the event would be on par with those at Harbour Town.

“The top 42 on the money list at the event play at Harbour Town,” Reilley said. “The other 90 PGA Tour pros are looking to play a round for practice. Why not at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event? Otherwise, they have to find another place to play, anyway.”

Paton said Pro-Am tournaments are unique sporting events.

“You’ll have those stories to tell about standing beside a PGA Tour pro inside the ropes and playing a round with them,” he said. “It’s the best way to appreciate their skill. It is a fine art. You’ll hit your second shot from where the pro does. It’s a different perspective.

“I’m from Toronto and I love hockey, but I can’t get on the ice with my favorite players. I don’t want to play football with my favorite linebacker. Golf is unique in that way. You can play with your favorite golfer. It’s indescribable.”

The Atlantic Dunes Pro-Am will be a shotgun start and limited to 20 teams, each with four amateur players paired with the PGA Tour player.

“It’s the first year, so we wanted to start small and make sure everyone has a great time,” Paton said. “At Harbour Town, there is this sense of a big event.

There are spectators and official PGA TOUR scorers. At Atlantic Dunes, it will be more intimate.

I imagine the PGA Tour pros will feel like they can let their hair down a bit more.”

Paton said players will enjoy the remade course. It follows the same

track as Sea Pines Ocean Course, but that’s where the similarities end. Love pulled sand along the sides of wide fairways to remind players the ocean is just a few long-iron shots away. He also ringed sand around the enormous, perfectly groomed greens and reversed the elevation on the iconic 15th par 3. Now, the green is raised so one can enjoy the gorgeous view while putting out.

“Sea Pines and Davis Love III have done an incredible renovation,” Paton said.

The event also provides more revenue for the tournament.

“Costs are rising,” Paton said.

“We will be able to give more to local charities.”

The package includes breakfast, an after-play reception, a gift package, shopping spree and tickets to the RBC Heritage.

And stories you’ll tell for years. M

INFORMATION The Atlantic Dunes Pro-Am will be the fourth PGA Toursanctioned Pro-Am at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

Monday, April 10 Pro-Am Presented by Boeing, Harbour Town Golf Links Wednesday, April 12 RBC Heritage Pro-Am, morning and afternoon rounds, Harbour Town Golf Links RBC Heritage Pro-Am, morning round, Atlantic Dunes For tickets and more information, go to www.rbcheritage.com.

April 2017 91

VETERANS WELCOME

Heritage Classic Foundation thanks service members with Patriots Outpost

BY DON MCLOUD

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing will continue its tradition of honoring military men and women at this year’s tournament, even as one longtime volunteer steps down from his leadership role.

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The Patriots Outpost is an exclusive facility for active duty and retired military, along with their dependents, to gather and enjoy special hospitality in a private skybox during the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

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he Heritage Classic Foundation offers free tournament admission to active-duty military and their dependents, and its Patriots Outpost will once again offer a free party and skybox by the 16th green for those who serve their country.

Capt. Jack Wilson, retired U.S. Navy Reserve, has been volunteering to run the Patriots Outpost since 2010 and has decided it’s time for younger retired veterans to take the reins.

“I think I’ve been doing it long enough,” Wilson says. “And I just felt that it was time to step back and let somebody else have a chance to take responsibility.”

Retired Navy Capt. Paul Hyers and retired Marine Master Sgt. Dwight Hora

will step into the leadership posts. Wilson says he’ll still come by the outpost this year to relieve volunteers who need a break, but he’ll leave the heavy lifting to Hyers and Hora.

“I’m confident they know how to handle things,” Wilson says.

The Patriots Outpost began in 2010 as a way for the Heritage Classic Foundation, which runs the tournament, to show appreciation for the military.

“The Heritage Classic Foundation created the Patriots Outpost to give activeduty military members a special experience at the RBC Heritage,” said tournament director Steve Wilmot. “It is our way of saying thank you for their service, sacrifice and dedication to our country.”

In 2012, the event moved from a tent

at the 18th fairway to a skybox donated at the 16th hole. Each year, the outpost has grown, with last year’s event attracting a record crowd of 1,045 over four days, a 39 percent increase from 2015.

Over time, the outpost expanded admission to include retired military.

Retirees who show military ID are allowed in on a space-available basis.

Retired veterans also volunteer as hospitality ambassadors to check IDs for admission to the skybox.

The outpost offers free catered food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Its title sponsor is Berkeley Capital Management, and CoastalStates Bank serves as presenting sponsor. The outpost also presents donations made to the tournament’s Patriot Partners program for various military charities.

Wilson has been with the outpost since its start. He had volunteered at the Heritage for five years when he was looking for a different task in 2010.

“It was all part of God’s plan,” Wilson says. “I happened to show up at the (Heritage Classic) Foundation at a time

when this came through.”

Because he was retired military, he was asked to volunteer, and he gladly accepted. He has made sure the outpost operated smoothly since then, watching as it grew each year and brought cheer to the nation’s servicemen and women.

His most memorable tournament was in 2015, when pro golfer and fellow U.S. Naval Academy graduate Billy Hurley III paid a visit.

“He was gracious enough to come by the outpost, pose for pictures and talk to people,” Wilson said of Hurley, who served in the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf.

Hyers attributes much of the growth of the outpost crowd to improved efforts to spread the word to nearby military bases.

“As the word gets out more and more to the military community, they just keep coming,” Hyers says. “And that’s what we’ve been working on the last couple of years, to make sure that the word gets out. Because we found that a lot of people didn’t know about it.“

All branches of service are represented, with personnel coming from Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Fort Stewart, among other installations in the region. Military personnel also bring their dependents, and in some cases, families of deployed members come. Last year, for instance, a busload of wives of deployed Marines came in from MCAS Beaufort.

“It’s a family affair,” Hyers says. “It’s always a very respectful atmosphere.”

It’s also a way to honor the sacrifices made by military members and their families.

“This is a great way to give back to people who are serving their country,” Hyers says. “It shows appreciation for their sacrifices.”

Hyers expects another banner year for the Patriots Outpost at this month’s Heritage.

“The word is getting out that activeduty military can come to the tournament for free and can go to the outpost,” he says. “It’s going to be as big as last year, if not bigger.” M

April 2017 93

The Heritage

Classic Foundation: Beyond the Numbers

BY BARRY KAUFMAN | PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

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The organization’s impact can’t be measured in dollars and cents alone.

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very year, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing rolls into town, and every year, the numbers get bigger.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for this, hundreds of thousands raised for that.

April 2017 95

It’s a testament to the fantastic work this organization does that we somehow find ourselves getting numb to the numbers. We applaud when we hear the total and congratulate everyone on another year of fundraising.

But that’s the thing about numbers: They can’t tell the whole story. You can read how the Heritage Classic Foundation has raised $35 million since its inception in 1987 and know that’s a massive chunk of change, but still not really see all the wonderful things that money accomplishes. On an intellectual level, we know that $3,807,850 in scholarships helps pay for a lot of education.

But we don’t really stop to think how vastly different those 275 students’ lives will be thanks to these donations.

There’s the $7.2 million raised through Heritage Champions Fore Charity. The $5.25 million raised though Birdies for Charity. All wonderful gifts to our community, but only numbers if you don’t look closely.

As a wise man once said, “If it’s not putting food on the table, it’s just numbers in a book.”

Dive deeper into the giving that goes on each year, and you’ll see that the quantifiable numbers translate into an immeasurable impact on community, and on the lives of those they benefits.

FROM HILTON HEAD’S BRIDGES TO THE BRIDGE OF THE USS MILWAUKEE

Among the most direct ways the Heritage Classic Foundations touches lives is through its scholarship program.

Every young student whose name you see in the paper has had the entire course of their destiny rewritten by this program, with new opportunities presented to them that they may never have seen otherwise.

Michael Brasseur knows this like few others. One of the original scholarship recipients back in 1993, he was able to attend Vanderbilt University thanks to the foundation, going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and secondary education. That education in turn allowed him to be commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy. And when the 96 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Michael Brasseur was able to attend Vanderbilt University thanks to the Heritage Classic Foundation. He went on join the United States Navy. When the USS Milwaukee was commissioned in the fall of 2015, he served as commanding officer.

USS Milwaukee was commissioned in the fall of 2015, Brasseur served as her blue crew’s commanding officer.

In a letter to the Heritage Classic Foundation, Brasseur wrote, “Not only did the scholarship provide much needed financial assistance, it was a huge point of pride for my family and me.

In addition to getting my college paid for, there is a certain amount of esteem bestowed upon the recipients of the scholarship. … Your scholarship was and remains very important to my education and career.”

BIRDIES AND CHAMPIONS And all that money raised for local charities? It funds very real projects that

have an immediate impact on our community.

Take The First Tee of the Lowcountry, which just opened its brand-new Gumtree Road facility. Featuring a 350-yard driving range, six-hole Clyde Johnston short course and nine-hole disc golf course, this facility will give thousands of area kids the opportunity to build life skills through the game of golf.

And during the 2014 capital campaign to get the facility built, The First Tee of the Lowcountry’s involvement in the Champions Fore Charity campaign was crucial.

“In 2014, we got nearly $30,000 through the foundation,” said executive

much to so many. The first is 20, the number of years that Memory Matters has partnered with Birdies for Charity. The second is 69, the number of people who will receive the program’s low-wealth fee waiver. The waiver provides Memory Matters’ services free of charge to those who need it most, and is almost entirely funded by Birdies for Charity.

“An organization like Birdies for Charity steps in In 2014, The First Tee of the Lowcountry received nearly $30,000 through the Heritage Classic Foundation. at a crucial point for our caregivers and their loved ones who are living with the disease of So whether it’s giving kids a place to learn dementia,” said Memory Matters execuand grow in the game of golf, helping peotive director Sheila Strand. “This is a ple connect with their ancestors, giving a long haul for people. … Their budgets caregiver a chance to breathe or just giving are stretched. These kinds of gifts from a kid a chance to lead our men and women Birdies for Charity are priceless to us. It in uniform, these dollars do a world of good changes their entire life.” once you go beyond the numbers. M PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

director Brady Boyd. “At the time, starting out, that was huge. … We’re very grateful.”

The Heritage Library also has found the Heritage Classic Foundation’s support critical in supporting its mission.

Apart from making up for a slight dip in income during the summer, funding from Champions Fore Charity and Birdies for Charity has given the Heritage Library new avenues for marketing its programs to donors.

And what’s more, funding from the foundation was directly responsible for the massive body of archives the library has been able to obtain that outlines an important part of Lowcountry history.

“All of the pension records of the United States Colored Troops that we have ordered from the National Archives were paid for by three grants received over the past 10 years,” said Linda Piekut, the library’s executive director.

And if you really want to see numbers, we can give you two that have meant so

April 2017 97

The Non-Golfers Guide To The Best Heritage Week Ever

Y

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

The top golfers on the PGA Tour flock to Hilton Head Island each year, and not just for the quality of the golf.

BY TIM WOOD

es, Harbour Town Golf Links provides world-class competition for the pros, but the laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere and the fan support on Hilton Head make the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing one of the tour’s premier events.

The action is non-stop for golf fans, giving locals a chance to walk side-by-side with the greatest in the game for a week. But the true beauty of this glorious week each year is the social aspect of the RBC Heritage.

“There is so much beyond the golf. That’s what strikes me year after year,” said Mike Eddy, a veteran spectator of the past 23 Heritage tourneys. “You have the folks that tell me every year that it’s a pain for the locals and I ask them, ‘Have you ever been?’ And of course they say no. If you’ve been, you know that the Heritage is the biggest party all year for all ages.”

That has never been more the case than in 2017, as RBC Heritage officials have added new venues and beefed up fan-favorite events away from the fairways and greens. So for the uninitiated, here’s the Non-Golfer’s Guide to Your Best Heritage Week Ever.

PLAY HERITAGE BINGO

BRING THE KIDS EARLY IN THE WEEK

Tuesday, April 11, is Coca-Cola Youth Day and is easily the best day to bring the family, both because of the volume of activities and the lack of crowds at Sea Pines.

Parents and kids can watch the pros during their practice rounds all day before taking to the green for the annual putting contest at 3 p.m. Kids 15 and younger can putt alongside the pros, and the first 200 kids receive a free tournament souvenir. Each child who sinks a putt also wins a prize courtesy of Coca-Cola. Register in the text next to the clubhouse.

The day ends with a family movie on the Heritage Lawn at 4:30 p.m.

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This is Bastek’s brainchild, and it helps keep non-golfers engaged throughout the weekend. He and friends create a bingo card with various “I Spy”-type events, such as a woman in high heels, dude wearing a cowboy hat, That Guy wearing golf spikes as a spectator, the girl with the Britney Spears fedora, the lobster-suntanned person, the caddy eating a sandwich, the alligator less than 10 feet from a walking path, and, of course, the fan (or better yet, player) peeing in the woods.

“It might take us all four rounds to fill the card, but it’s never boring,” he said. “I tell folks constantly, don’t worry about the golf. Even for golf fans, the golf is often the least memorable part of Heritage Week.”

BECOME AN EXPERT PEOPLE-WATCHER

“The island is an amazing place for people-watching, but it doesn’t get any better than Heritage Week,” Eddy said. Longtime Heritage fan and frequent Heritage volunteer Tom Bastek thoroughly agrees.

“It’s on par with the Kentucky Derby in terms of all walks of life coming out and being part of this weeklong party atmosphere,” Bastek said. “But there are definitely better spots than others for the people-watching.”

Bastek’s pro tips: The walking path and gallery between holes 10 and 16 is the obvious but still epic people-watching spot — even after all these years.

“You have the two fairways meeting up, so you have folks both heading toward the final three holes and the crowds just heading out on the back nine. It’s a classic seeand-be-seen spot,” he said.

The more underrated but perhaps even better spot is the confluence of holes 2, 3, 6 and 7.

“It’s amazing. You have the greens at 2 and 6 coming together along with the tee boxes at 3 and 7. It’s really one of my favorite spots on the course to meet new folks and old friends,” he said.

WEAR PLAID, GET SWAG

Saturday, April 15 is the annual Plaid Nation Day. This is the day where tartan rules the links. Win RBC Heritage swag and tickets to next year’s tourney by winning competitions like Fastest Clad in Plaid, Tartan Trivia and overall Best Dressed in Plaid. Contests take place on Heritage Lawn from noon to 2 p.m. The day ends with the post-round concert on Heritage Lawn, which kicks off at 8 p.m. and features local bands such as Cranford Hollow.

NETWORKING GALORE

Think Indeed and other job sites are the best places to find your next dream gig? Think again. Countless Heritage patrons have said that Harbour Town is the best networking spot, not just during Heritage Week, but over the course of the entire year.

“I have scored four jobs over the past 15 years at the Heritage,” said diehard tourney goer and mortgage specialist James Thiessen, who travels each year from North Carolina for the first two rounds. “You’re catching employers in social mode. So you’re meeting new people and you’re talking in an informal, chill setting. And all of a

sudden, before I know it, I just had a job interview. I don’t go specifically to get a job. It just seems to happen because it’s the best social scene in the Carolinas you’re going to see.”

CHECK OUT THE EVER-EVOLVING VENUES

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

Tourney organizers are adding two new prime socializing locales this year, Tito’s Stillhouse and Wine@Nine. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is kicking off its official partnership with the Stillhouse, an open-air venue on the Heritage Lawn open to all spectators of legal drinking age and featuring Tito’s cocktails.

Wine@Nine is an upscale outdoor spot between holes 1 and 9 that will feature premium wines, sparkling wines and mimosas. Luxury wineries such as Simi Winery and Meioma will be featured, along with onsite sommeliers showcase vintages.

The venues join the Michelob Ultra 19th Hole and Doc’s BBQ Club 15 as the premium on-course lounges and eateries that complement the concession stands located throughout the course.

HOUSE PARTY DELIGHT

When you’re tired of being on the course, do the tour of the various house parties at condos situated along the course.

While many are invitation-only, veteran partygoers say many of the parties are far from exclusive. You just need to do your reconnaissance ahead of the tournament to plot your party plan.

“I have one friend who always rents a house, and I know that handing him a $75 bottle of scotch always gets me in the door,” Bastek said.

CREATIVITY CAN MAKE YOU A CELEBRITY

Masters champs often take the week of Heritage off to recharge, so when Zack Johnson came to Harbour Town in 2007, Bastek and friend Chris Smith came up with a unique way to say thank you. They bought a couple of green blazers at The Bargain Box, hand-wrote Masters badges and followed Johnson throughout the tourney. The idea landed the pair on TV throughout the weekend and on the front page of PGA.com for a day. M April 2017 99

Notebook

Random stuff you should know about this year's Heritage.

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

HERITAGE

WEBB SIMPSON TO SPEAK AT CHRISTIAN HERITAGE BREAKFAST

Webb Simpson will be the guest speaker at the 21st annual Christian Heritage Breakfast at 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 11, at The Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island. The event is sponsored

by The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and The College Ethics Symposium. It is open to the public. Simpson is most notable for winning the 2012 U.S. Open. As an amateur, he was a member of the United States' victorious 2007 Walker Cup and 2007 Palmer Cup teams. In college, Simpson played on the Wake Forest University golf team on the Arnold Palmer scholarship. After turning professional, he played on the Nationwide Tour, where he finished in second place twice. Simpson qualified for the PGA Tour after his tie for seventh at the 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School. In 2011, he had his first two victories on the PGA Tour, which came at the Wyndham Championship and at the FedEx Cup playoff event, the Deutsche Bank Championship. These wins helped him finish second on the tour's money list. He was also a member of the United States' victorious 2011 Presidents Cup team.

Tickets to the breakfast are required in advance and are $30 per ticket or $275 for a table of 10. Proceeds will help support South Coastal FCA for the benefit of local middle and high school youth and coaches ministry in area schools. For more information, go to christianheritagebreakfast.com or call 843-290-3744.

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

TITO’S VODKA HAS HERITAGE POURING RIGHTS

HERITAGE CLASSIC FOUNDATION NAMES 8 SCHOLARS Eight outstanding Beaufort County seniors were named Heritage Classic Foundation Scholars at a luncheon on March 21 at Sonesta Resort. The students come from five different high schools including May River High School and Whale Branch Early College High School, which have never had scholarships awarded previously.

During the awards presentation, Scott Richardson reminded the audience about why an extra award was added last year, “When the RBC Heritage’s Tartan Club was restructured in 2016, the members wanted to give back to one of the Foundation’s charitable programs.

They chose the Scholar Program. Their memberships fund the annual Tartan Club Award.”

Five of the newly named Scholars will receive an $18,000 scholarship over the next four years. Three additional awards carry a $22,000 opportunity. The latter scholarships honor the past Scholar Committee chairmen, John Zimmerman and the late Mike Malanick. The Tartan Club Award recognizes the donations made by the Tartan Club.

Next fall, 31 Beaufort County collegians will be receiving 100 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Foundation grants at an expenditure of $149,500. A grand total of $3,965,350 will have been awarded to 312 students after the 2017 distribution.

In addition to these eight scholarships, the Foundation is funding four $2,500 annual scholarships to the University of South Carolina Beaufort and two $1,500 annual scholarships to the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

Richardson pointed out at Tuesday’s luncheon, sponsored by Palmetto Electric Cooperative, “These scholars are not just straight A students. They are leaders in their schools, communities and churches. They have interests that vary from engineering to music to fostering golden retrievers.”

The following graduating seniors were selected: Beaufort High School – Sophia Bursch, Akasha Nelson, Hilton Head Island High School – Madeline Prince, Arianna Serpe, Hilton Head Preparatory School – Charlotte Ruhlin, Catherine Sheehan, May River High School – Jurnee Jones, Whale Branch Early College High School – Thomas Felver

Tito’s Handmade Vodka signed an agreement to be the 2017 official vodka partner of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

The partnership includes preferred pouring rights at the event — including the pro-ams, pairings party and special events.

The centerpiece of the sponsorship is a new destination on the Heritage Lawn called Tito’s Stillhouse. Open to all spectators of legal drinking age, the open-air venue will feature specialty Tito’s cocktails and activities.

“Our partnership with Tito’s will also be showcased in retail stores around the Hilton Head Island area,” said RBC Heritage tournament director Steve Wilmot. “The RBC Heritage is more than just a golf tournament; it is a community event that Tito’s brand has embraced.”

“What makes the RBC Heritage so appealing is the generous contributions and impact it makes throughout the area,” said Chrystal Barley, the South Carolina representative for Tito’s. “Giving back and helping the communities we serve is important to Tito’s Handmade Vodka.”

WEAR BLUE ON THURSDAY FOR AUTISM AWARENESS The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has designated Thursday, April 13, as the tournament’s Autism Awareness Day, or “Blue Out Day.” PGA Tour professionals, caddies, spectators and media will all be asked to wear blue on Thursday and join World of Golf Hall of Fame member and four-time major champion Ernie Els in showing support for those affected by autism spectrum disorder. Blue and white autism awareness ribbon pins will be available to players and caddies at the 1st and 10th tees. A number of lucky spectators wearing blue will be rewarded with their own autism awareness pin by roaming Els for Autism representatives at the tournament.

HERITAGE PRESENTED BOEING RBCRBC HERITAGE PRESENTED

BY BY BOEING

SCHEDULEOFOFEVENTS EVENTS SCHEDULE MONDAY, APRIL 10

• Monday Pro-Am Presented by Boeing Pairings Brunch, 9:30 a.m.

• Parade and Opening Ceremonies, 18th green, 10 a.m.

• Monday Pro-Am Presented by Boeing, 11:30 a.m.

• Monday Pro-Am Presented by Boeing Awards Party, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

• Pro Practice Rounds, all day • Pro-Am Registration, 9 a.m.

• Coca-Cola Youth Day • Plaid About Reading Winners Pro Meet and Greet, 2 p.m.

• Putting Contest, 3 p.m.

• Family Movie on the Heritage Lawn, 4:30 p.m.

• RBC Heritage Pro-Am Draw Party, 5:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

• RBC Heritage Pro-Am at Harbour Town, 7 a.m.

• RBC Heritage Pro-Am at Atlantic Dunes, 1 p.m.

• RBC Heritage Pro-Am Awards Reception, 2 and 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

• Autism Awareness Day, wear blue • First Round, morning starting at 7:20 a.m. and afternoon starting at 11:50 a.m.

• Palmetto State Reception, Sonesta Resort, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

• Second Round, morning starting at 7:20 a.m. and afternoon starting at 11:50 a.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

• Plaid Nation Day, wear plaid • Third Round, 8:30 a.m.

• Plaid Nation Day Contests on the Heritage Lawn, noon • Concert on the Heritage Lawn featuring Whitley Deputy and the B-Town Project, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

• Easter Service on the 18th Green, 7:30 a.m.

• Easter Egg Hunt, 8:30 a.m.

• Final Round, 8:30 a.m.

• Trophy Presentation, following play

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

• The Golf Channel: 3-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1-2:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday • CBS Sports: 3-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday • Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Channel 208 or 93: noon-6 p.m.

Thursday through Sunday • PGA Tour Live: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday (featured groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday (featured holes), 3-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (CBS simulcast) April 2017 101

WINE LOVERS HAVE A NEW VENUE TO ENJOY

The Heritage Classic Foundation announced a new venue between holes 1 and 9.

Wine@Nine will be an upscale outdoor venue where wine lovers can watch the tournament and enjoy wines from premium wineries including Simi Winery and Meiomi. It will be open Monday to Sunday to all spectators and will be built out with hardwood floors, vineyard décor and barrel tables.

The venue is being done by Bill Wines and his team at Meeting Dynamics.

Premium wines, sparkling wines and mimosas will be served.

“We identified an area on the course that had been lacking excitement and created a destination for the wine enthusiasts who will find it very appealing,” tournament director Steve Wilmot said. “Wine@Nine compliments the social atmosphere at our event while creating new opportunities for our partners to engage with their consumers.”

Spectators will be able to watch the golf tournament on a large video board or they keep an eye on the action from elevated viewing platforms on hole No. 9. Proceeds from Wine@Nine will support the Hilton Head Island Fire Fighters Foundation, whose members man the concession stand adjacent to the venue.

Clos Du Bois is the official wine at all RBC Heritage concession stands.

TOURNAMENT FACTS When: April 10-16, 2017 Purse: $6.5 million History: 49th event. Harbour Town Golf Links was designed by Pete Dye, in consultation with Jack Nicklaus, in the fall of 1969. A number of past champions, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Tom Watson and the late Payne Stewart have been enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Demographics: 63 percent of spectators have an annual income of more than $100,000, 52 percent are 50 and older, and 73 percent completed a four-year college degree.

Volunteer effort: More than 1,200 volunteers work throughout tournament week.

Attendance: 130,000 people attended the RBC Heritage in 2016.

Oldest champion: Hale Irwin, 48 Youngest champion: Davis Love III, 23

Reach: The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing is broadcast to more than 226 countries outside the United States. More than 1 billion households across the world can tune in to see Harbour Town’s famous candy canestriped lighthouse.

Contributions: $35 million has been distributed to those in need throughout South Carolina and Georgia since 1987. In 2016, close to $2.4 million was distributed to charitable organizations, the arts, medical institutions and for college scholarships.

Economic Impact: Each year, the RBC Heritage pumps more than $96 million into South Carolina's economy.

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Most wins: Davis Love III, 5 Best aggregate score: Brian Gay, 264 MULTIPLE WINNERS Nine men have won the Heritage more than once: 5 WINS: Davis Love III: 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2003 3 WINS: Hale Irwin: 1971, 1973, 1994 2 WINS: Johnny Miller: 1972, 1974; Hubert Green: 1976, 1978; Tom Watson: 1979, 1982; Fuzzy Zoeller: 1983, 1986; Payne Stewart: 1989, 1990; Stewart Cink: 2000, 2004; Boo Weekley: 2007, 2008; Jim Furyk: 2010, 2015

PARKING CHANGES ANNOUNCED

With the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn still dealing with debris from Hurricane Matthew, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has been forced to change its parking plan.

Complimentary general parking will be at the Hilton Head public school complex. There will be no parking at Honey Horn.

Motor coach service to and from Harbour Town (approximately a 20-minute ride) will be offered continuously during event hours. The motor coaches will begin each day at 6:30 a.m. and stop at 9:30 p.m. The motor coaches will pick up and drop off at the Harbour Town Marina.

Tournament shuttles are still located at Coligny Plaza. Complimentary shuttles will take spectators from the Coligny Beach parking lot to a special drop-off near Harbour Town. Parking in the Coligny Plaza area is first come, first served. Bicycle parking is also available. The shuttles will run from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

There is no general spectator parking inside Sea Pines except for handicapped parking, which will be in a different location this year. Handicapped parking passes are issued by Sea Pines security.

Complimentary bicycle parking is available inside Sea Pines at the tennis courts next to the Harbour Town pool parking lot and near the 13th green at 16 Baynard Park Road.

All cyclists must have a tournament ticket or a volunteer badge to be admitted through the Sea Pines gates. Cyclists may enter Sea Pines at the Ocean Gate or at the Main Gate.

GREEN POWER AND RBC HERITAGE: A PERFECT PAIRING FOR 9 YEARS

Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Santee Cooper will once again team up with the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing to power the 2017 tournament with 100 percent “green” power.

The tournament was the first major green power event in the state back in 2009. Santee Cooper generates green power from clean, renewable energy sources including landfill biogas, solar power and wind power within South Carolina. In 2001, Santee Cooper became the first utility to generate green power and offer it for sale in South Carolina, and Palmetto Electric Cooperative signed on as one of the first cooperatives in the state to offer green power to its members.

“As South Carolina’s most significant sporting event and one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the country, we are committed to thinking green and are proud to make 2017 the ninth year in a row we power the RBC Heritage with green power,” said Steve Wilmot, tournament director for the RBC Heritage. “Buying renewable energy has led us to implement a number of other environmental programs during tournament week. I’d like to send out a friendly challenge to other golf events across the state to make their greens even greener by purchasing green power.”

In addition to purchasing green power for this event, RBC Heritage has dedicated space for a booth on The Heritage Lawn, near the 18th fairway, to educate spectators about renewable energy benefits. South Carolina residents who visit the booth will also be able to sign up to purchase green power for their own electric needs. To learn more, go to www.santeecooper.com.

April 2017 103

BEAUFORT GOLFER EARNS SPONSORS’ EXEMPTION

PAST HERITAGE CHAMPIONS

Arnold Palmer, winner of the 1st Heritage in 1969.

MANY GOLFERS IN FIELD HAVE SOUTH CAROLINA TIES

Five South Carolina golfers are showed allegiance to their home state by committing to play in the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. Lucas Glover, Bill Haas, Kevin Kisner, Ben Martin and William McGirt will all be competing for the champion’s tartan jacket. Glover was born in Greenville and played golf at Clemson University. He now lives on St. Simons Island, Georgia. He has earned three wins on the PGA Tour, including the 2009 US Open Championship. He has already carded two back-to-back top 10 finishes this season. He will be competing in his 15th Heritage. Haas has earned six PGA Tour victories and was the 2011 FedExCup winner. The Greenville resident is following in dad Jay’s footsteps and making the Heritage a tradition; he hasn’t missed the Harbour Town event since finishing Q-school in 2005.

He also has a long relationship with the Heritage Classic Foundation. Haas won the Players Amateur, held in Bluffton, in 2002. Kisner earned his first PGA Tour victory at last year’s RSM Classic. The Aiken native shot a final-round 65 to finish T4 at this year’s Sony Open. The University of Georgia grad finished second at the 2015 RBC Heritage after losing to Jim Furyk on the first playoff hole. He will be making his fifth start at the RBC Heritage. Martin was born in Greenwood and still calls it home. He graduated from Clemson University in 2009 and earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be making his fifth start at Harbour Town. McGirt was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, and played golf for Wofford College in Spartanburg. His first win came at the 2016 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. He will be making his seventh start at Harbour Town Golf Links after finishing T9 at the 2016 RBC Heritage.

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Year 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969

Player, Country Branden Grace, South Africa Jim Furyk, United States Matt Kuchar, United States Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland Carl Pettersson. Sweden Brandt Snedeker, United States Jim Furyk, United States Brian Gay, United States Boo Weekley, United States Boo Weekley, United States Aaron Baddeley, Australia Peter Lonard, Australia Stewart Cink, United States Davis Love III, United States Justin Leonard, United States José Cóceres, Argentina Stewart Cink, United States Glen Day, United States Davis Love III, United States Nick Price, Zimbabwe Loren Roberts, United States Bob Tway, United States Hale Irwin, United States David Edwards, United States Davis Love III, United States Davis Love III, United States Payne Stewart, United States Payne Stewart, United States Greg Norman, Australia Davis Love III, United States Fuzzy Zoeller, United States Bernhard Langer, West Germany Nick Faldo, England Fuzzy Zoeller, United States Tom Watson, United States Bill Rogers, United States Doug Tewell, United States Tom Watson, United States Hubert Green, United States Graham Marsh, Australia Hubert Green, United States Jack Nicklaus, United States Johnny Miller, United States Hale Irwin, United States Johnny Miller, United States Hale Irwin, United States Bob Goalby, United States Arnold Palmer, United States

Score 275 266 273 275 270 272 271 264 269 270 269 277 274 271 270 273 270 274 266 269 265 275 266 273 269 271 276 268 271 271 276 273 270 275 280 278 280 270 277 273 274 271 276 272 281 279 280 283

Par -9 -18 -11 -9 -14 -12 -13 -20 -15 -14 -15 -7 -10 -13 -14 -11 -14 -10 -18 -15 -19 -9 -18 -11 -15 -13 -8 -16 -13 -13 -8 -11 -14 -9 -4 -6 -4 -14 -7 -11 -10 -13 -8 -12 -4 -5 -4 -1

Mark Anderson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cheng Jin and Camilo Villegas were granted sponsors’ exemptions into the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. Anderson grew up in Beaufort and competed in the Junior Heritage as a youth. He earned his first exemption into the 2009 RBC Heritage after winning the 2008 Players Amateur, held in Bluffton.

He has earned one win on the Web. com Tour at the 2013 BMW Charity Pro-Am held in Greenville. He will be making his sixth start at Harbour Town. DeChambeau grabbed the golf world’s attention after he won at the 2015 U.S. Amateur and the NCAA Division 1 Championship. He is only the fifth player in history to win both in the same year. The 23-yearold attended Southern Methodist University as a physics major. His love of science plays a role in his golf game. He is called the “Mad Scientist of Golf” because he takes a scientific approach to the game. He made his professional debut at the 2016 RBC Heritage and wore a Ben Hogan-style cap in the tournament’s signature tartan. He finished tied for fourth place. Jin earned his sponsors’ exemption by winning last summer’s Players Amateur at Berkeley Hall Golf Club. The Beijing native, who is a freshman at the University of Southern California, has an impressive list of international wins. He won the PGA Tour China's 2014 Nine Dragons Open, becoming the first amateur ever to win a PGA Tour China event. In 2015, a course record 62 in the first round helped him win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

That victory earned him a spot in the 2016 Masters. Villegas grew up in Medellin, Colombia, and played golf for the University of Florida. He now lives in Jupiter, Florida. He has four PGA Tour victories and two international wins. He competed in his first RBC Heritage in 2006 and is making his 11th start. He has carded three top-10s at Harbour Town.

HERITAGE F A S H I O N Available at Robert Trent Jones Pro Shop (Palmetto Dunes) 843-785-1136 (worn by Kety)

Photography Lisa and Mark Staff Styling Roxanne Madere Gilleland Models Katie Casey, Mike Casey, Kety Marquez, Mackenzie Hilton, Cheyenne Wright, Leslie Hughes, Jock Miller, Marianna Elizabeth Epps Makeup Maria Noel Bagnulo of Head Makeup Artistry and Esthetics Hair Rebecca Bianchi of Le Spa of Sea Pines Special thanks Harbour Town Yacht Club and Mike Casey for use of his boat

Available at Edwin Watts 843-837-3399 (worn by Katie)

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“I see shopping locally as a way to keep our dollars in our local community.”

–John Giles; Stage & Style

Every time you choose to purchase local instead of from a national chain or online, you are helping build the community.

For every $100 spent at a local business, $68 stays in the local economy compared to only $43 if spent at a national chain.

If each household redirected $20 of planned weekly spending from chain stores to locally owned merchants, the local economic impact would reach approximately $67.7 million.

That means more money for schools, parks and other services.

Stage & Style’s owner John Giles with designer Jonathan Adler

Before heading to a big box store, please consider patronizing a Shop More Local Business partner.

Find the directory at shopmorelocal.org!

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QA &

“I always try to think local first when it comes to spending.

I use local tradesmen and consignment shop to source local talent and furnishings. I work with local furniture stores and salespeople because these are the same people I see eating out or shopping in the same local stores I do.”

shop more local

.org

Stage & Style’s John Giles finds value in shopping local.

Q. Please tell us about your business and what makes it special?

A. Stage and Style is a premiere home staging and decorating company that stages homes for sale for owners or their realtors, redecorates existing interiors including repurposing furnishings, up fits rental properties, shops, selects, and installs new furnishings and trims homes for the holidays.

Q. What makes customers in the Lowcountry unique?

A. Lowcountry customers are unique because they all come from different areas and many have extensive backgrounds.

Most retire here for the beauty, climate and knowing their families will come to visit them here!

Q. Tell us about any special people you’ve met through your business.

A. All of our customers are special! Each and every customer has different taste and style of their own. Our mission is to get to know that sense of taste with every customer, so the customer’s needs are met with each and every project we take on. One of my best clients was a client with a disabled daughter. The project was detailed to make sure the daughter’s needs were met but at the same time giving the family an updated space they all would love.

Q. How do you see the importance of local shopping? How does your business interact/ support with other local businesses? The community?

A. I see shopping locally as a way to keep our dollars in our local community. I always try to think local first when it comes to spending. I use local tradesmen and consignment shops to source local talent and furnishings. I work with local furniture stores and salespeople because these are the same people I see eating out or shopping in the same local stores I do. I attend local events and also support local charities.

Q. Where do you see the business climate in the Lowcountry going?

A. The local business climate is growing at rapid speed. Beaufort County is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. I foresee growth between all of our barrier Islands. More and more bridges to the smaller Islands connecting them all, one by one until they are all connected and we move freely from island to island and bridge to bridge.

To learn more about the importance of shopping locally, or to sign up your business, visit shopmorelocal.org!

M FASHION

ChamberDFashion Week E B U T S

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till searching for just the right outfit for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing? The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce's Chamber Fashion Week has you covered.

Through April 8, retailers and boutiques on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton are offering discounts and deals and holding trunk shows and events as part of the inaugural style event.

“Our local boutiques and clothing

stores offer a huge variety of apparel and accessories with the coastal chic flavor and unmistakable Lowcountry charm,” said Charlie Clark, vice president of communications at the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. “We want to celebrate that diversity and showcase our retailers that are just one of the pillars of our business community. Chamber Fashion Week will do just that while offering special offers throughout the week.”

But there’s more to Chamber Fashion Week than just discounts; there is also a full slate of events, including Shop on the Dock on March 31, Plaid ParTee on April 6 and the CFW Fashion Show on April 7.

Check www.chamberfashionweek. org for a full list of participating stores and their offerings and events. Chamber Fashion Week is presented by the Vacation Company and supported by Hilton Head Cadillac. M

BIRDIE JAMES

COPPER PENNY

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHAMBER FASHION WEEK The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Fashion Week is March 31-April 8. Go to www.chamberfashionweek.org for details and a full list of participating retailers.

March 31st Shop on the Dock • 3-7pm at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina Pop-up shops from local retailers, a DJ, drinks and more.

COASTAL BLISS

LOUETTE BOUTIQUE

April 6th Plaid ParTee • 5:30-7pm at the Rooftop Bar at Poseidon Sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Wine & Spirits $10 in advance for Chamber Members, $15 at the door; $20 for in advance for future Chamber Members, $25 at the door Celebrate National Tartan Day, toast to the Heritage Classic Foundation, and get a look at spring style with models from Chamber Fashion Week participants. Enjoy complimentary drinks by Tito’s Vodka and Sea Glass Wines, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment.

April 7th CFW Fashion Show • Doors open at 6pm, Fashion Show at 7pm The Rooftop Bar at Poseidon • $20 per person Get a first-hand look at fashions from local stores while enjoying a menu of heavy hors d’oeuvres, giveaways, and entertainment

by Whitley Deputy after the fashion show.

TOO BELLES BOUTIQUE 118 hiltonheadmonthly.com

GOLF

THE UPSIDE OF HURRICANE MATTHEW GOLF COURSES GET WHAT THEY CRAVE MOST:

LIGHT AND AIR FLOW

No one was injured. That was the best part of Hurricane Matthew as it blew through the Lowcountry in early October.

BY LISA ALLEN

B

ut the storm did leave a heck of a mess. There wasn’t a square foot anywhere that wasn’t covered with branches, leaves or sea grass. In every direction, a tree was blown over, snapped off or lodged in someone’s roof. In all, 2.5 million cubic yards of debris were hauled from Hilton Head Island alone, an amount that would fill up Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium five times over.

120 hiltonheadmonthly.com

Five months later, thanks for the work of legions of people, the cleanup is nearly done.

Though The Sea Pines Resort’s three courses lost hundreds of trees, (the number, like a good fish story, continues to grow in size), there wasn’t any damage that couldn’t be fixed.

“We did an assessment, and nothing changed the shot value or integrity of any of the golf courses,” said John Farrell, director of golf operations for The Sea Pines Resort.

A couple of trees that were integral to the design of Harbour Town Golf Links were lost, but they were immediately replaced. The brand-new Atlantic Dunes got a little more renovation and Heron Point’s trees were thinned out a bit, Farrell said.

At Palmetto Dunes' three courses — Arthur Hills, Robert Trent Jones and George Fazio — the Fazio course took the brunt of the storm.

“We lost hundreds of trees on the courses,” said Clark Sinclair, Palmetto Dunes’ director of golf.

But after the cleanup, Sinclair said it’s like the storm never happened. “If you didn’t know the courses really well, you would never know.”

For those familiar with Hilton Head courses, they will notice a difference: It’s like someone opened the sunroof.

“We have more circulation and sun on the golf courses,” Farrell said, adding that the hurricane thinned the canopy over Sea Pines’ courses. “It’s less claustrophobic.”

It also is great news for the turf.

“We had old-growth canopies everywhere. Now we can grow grass where we couldn’t before,” Sinclair said.

Both Sinclair and Farrell

GOLF

said the courses are in the best shape they’ve ever seen.

“Maybe it’s because they were closed for two months,” Farrell said. “It relieved some of the stress on the turf. But I’ve never seen the courses looking better.”

The storm also spurred Palmetto Dunes to renovate the 55 bunker complexes on the Fazio course.

“We’ve reshaped them to their original contours and size,” Sinclair said. “We didn’t have a choice after the storm.

Their faces collapsed and all of the sand was gone.”

Sinclair said the storm took out all of the weak trees, which will give other vegetation a chance to grow.

“As spring comes with all the new growth, I see it’s turning out great.”

Sinclair said people took the storm in stride.

“It was nice to see how patient everyone was with us working on the courses,” he said. The Hills and Jones courses were closed for two months and the Fazio course just reopened in midFebruary.

Cleanup was overwhelming at first. “You just work your way into the property.

It was tree by tree, literally,” Sinclair said.

And regardless of former role, cook or clerk, those who knew how to use a chainsaw were heroes.

“For our executive staff, it was a learning experience.

None of us had been through something like that. Now that they’ve done it, that’s a positive,” Sinclair said. “But I never want to do it again.” M April 2017 121

GIVING BACK FIRST TEE’S NEW GOLF CAMPUS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

BY DON MCLOUD PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

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Top: Jerome Hicks. Left: Cesar Aguilar-Reyes 122 hiltonheadmonthly.com

he word most often heard around First Tee of the Lowcountry’s new golf campus on Hilton Head Island isn’t “fore.”

It’s “core.”

That’s a referance to the core values the nonprofit organization teaches its young players.

“Really, what the First Tee is about is instilling life-changing values in youth through the game of golf,” says executive director Brady Boyd.

Thanks to its year-old facility, the Lowcountry group plans to increase its outreach, with a goal of connecting with every elementary school student in Beaufort and Jasper counties. It also has opened its campus to adults who want to hone their golf skills or enjoy some of its other amenities. From 2 to 5 p.m. April 23, First Tee will officially open its driving range, 6-hole par-3 course and 9-hole disc golf course to the public. The celebration, which was postponed in October because of Hurricane Matthew, will feature a performance by Cranford Hollow, food and drinks, golf demonstrations and other activities.

The facility opened last spring, giving kids a place to learn to play golf. But more important, it has taught them values that will help guide them throughout their lives. Those nine core values are honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

GOLF

First Tee of the Lowcountry is part of an international nonprofit organization, but it is one of only a few chapters that has its own facility. It adjoins the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island on Gumtree Road.

The golf campus spans 13 acres behind the club. For a $5 donation, the public can use the 325-yard driving range or other First Tee amenities when they are not being used for after-school or summer programs.

It also has a stocked pond where kids can fish for free.

Boyd says opening the campus to the public was always part of First Tee’s plan. It comes from its desire to give back to the community, which donated the $1.5 million to build the facility. It also increases public exposure for its programs and helps raise money.

Over time, First Tee will do more to promote the facility for public use and for special events. It already has plans for a disc golf tournament, and other similar events could be in the works. Disc golf is a growing sport that could attract players to Hilton Head from around the country, says Bill Evans, First Tee board member.

In the three years since First Tee started on Hilton Head, it has spread to several schools. The organization trains gym teachers to include golf in their curriculums and gives them special golf clubs to help young beginners. The equipment includes plastic clubs with oversized heads and balls similar to tennis balls. The goal is to introduce kids to the sport in a fun way. Over time, as the children progress through the program, they advance to real clubs. Some are now playing for their high school golf teams.

Before the First Tee facility opened, the organization taught its lessons at courses around Beaufort County. Area golf courses continue to donate space and playing time to the program, providing convenient locations for families.

The program’s Life Skills Course, which mixes the core values with golf lessons, is taught by Boyd, program director Nick Dunham and volunteer coaches who have been trained by First Tee. The class costs $65, but no child is turned away because of the fee, says Boyd. The program also accepts donations of clubs and makes sure each child gets to play.

Chris Alvarez working with Coach Brad.

The program is run by a local board and paid staff members Brady and Dunham.

Donna Sanders serves as a volunteer administrative assistant. First Tee depends on volunteers to help with maintenance, teaching classes and other tasks, and it always needs more people willing to lend a hand.

Paul Caruso, a First Tee of the Lowcountry founder and former program director, volunteers to teach the Life Skills Course and has been amazed at the results. He especially enjoys seeing the children succeed because of the program.

“I had one child who started with me 3 1/2 years ago. … Now he’s a freshman in high school, and he made the high school golf team.

“That was a pretty proud moment for me.”

To Caruso and other First Tee officials, though, the main goal is not success on the golf course but success in life.

“These kids will hopefully someday be responsible parents, responsible community leaders,” Boyd says. “That’s what we’re trying to develop here.” M

WANT TO GO?

The grand opening celebration for First Tee of the Lowcountry’s golf campus will be from 2 to 5 p.m. April 23. The campus is behind the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island, 151 Gumtree Road.

First Tee will also hold its annual Community Leadership Awards Banquet from 5 to 8 p.m.

April 10 at Sea Pines Country Club, 30 Governors Road.

For more information, call 843-686-2680.

April 2017 123

BROWN GOLF THE GOLF GORILLA IN BLUFFTON, SIDLES ONTO HILTON HEAD

BY LISA ALLEN | PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

It’s becoming difficult not to notice a new golf powerhouse in the area: Brown Golf.

It

bought its first course, the struggling Pinecrest Golf Course, in March 2011. Just six years later, Brown Golf owns or operates 30 golf courses in four states, including six in Bluffton and two on Hilton Head Island.

“I’ve been in the golf business since 1978,” CEO John Brown said. “I was a golf professional, then manager, then 124 hiltonheadmonthly.com

general manager. I was working for Troon Golf out of Scottsdale when I decided to start my own company.”

Troon had a couple of courses in the Lowcountry, so that is where Brown started to look for courses to buy as the Great Recession settled in. He found Pinecrest, and then bought Island West.

Eagle’s Pointe and Crescent Pointe quickly followed, as well as courses in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

“Golf was in the tank at the time and there were many, many properties for sale at great prices. We took advantage of that,” Brown said.

Brown Golf first managed Rose Hill. The company also took over

management of Dolphin Head.

Most recently, a venture capital firm offered to sell Palmetto Hall to Brown, including its two courses, Arthur Hills and Robert Cupp, which were being managed by the Heritage Collection.

Since then, Brown has concentrated on boosting service and activities for members.

“We are a value-oriented company.

Through our portfolio, there are various levels of value,” he said. “There is housing on all of them from $200,000 to more than $1 million. It doesn’t matter how wealthy your member is, everyone is looking for a value in golf. And they want good service and good food.”

GOLF Brown said he can provide the amenities at a lower price than single owners because Brown Golf has a template it can take from place to place.

“We cross-train everyone and we have good vendor relationships. We also can move equipment and golf carts from place to place as needed,” he said.

For example, when a single club has to aerify fairways or greens, it might have to close the course for a day or two. “We can do it in a few hours because we have the resources to throw at it. Therefore, we lose less revenue.”

But Brown stressed that service and excellent course conditions are their first priorities.

“The golf courses are going to be in really great condition. Even with our lower-end public courses, they are in great condition.”

Brown Golf operates several ways. It owns and operates a course or it leases the course, manages it or offers consulting for others.

“Most of our success comes from owning and operating. We have skin in the game,” Brown said. “We have to make a profit at our own properties. That’s not the case with all management companies.

They get their fees no matter what.”

Other area golf resorts welcome the new competitor.

“Given the great reputation the destination has, I’m sure they are striving for the same things we are: good conditions, great customer service and return customers,” said Clark Sinclair, director of golf for Palmetto Dunes.

John Farrell, director of golf for The Sea Pines Resort, wishes the company well.

“I want only good things for them,” he said.

Farrell said he hopes Brown Golf continues the tradition of Southern hospitality for which the area is known.

Brown recognizes the impact his company’s quick rise has had.

“We have changed the dynamic of golf in this area,” said Brown, a resident of Hampton Lake who visits at least three of his clubs every day. “I have people coming up to me and thanking me for keeping golf affordable and helping them have a great retirement. We’re charging what we think is a fair price and we’re making money doing it.” M April 2017 125

GOLF AT ITS BEST AT THE SEA PINES RESORT

BY DAVID WOOD PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SEA PINES RESORT / ROB TIPTON

W

The Sea Pines Resort's Heron Point (top), Plantation Golf Club (center) and Atlantic Dunes (bottom).

126 hiltonheadmonthly.com

hen the star on the marquee of the three courses at The Sea Pines Resort shines as brightly as does Harbour Town Golf Links, the two other layouts there must be exceptional on their own merits to share in the spotlight.

After all, Harbour Town is not only a coveted “bucket list” course for amateurs seeking to pad respective resumes of top courses played, the Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus co-design is even gushed over by the game’s best practitioners.

Two-time major champion Jordan Spieth says, “I really love Harbour Town Golf Links. It is a fantastic golf course.”

Golfing great Tom Watson agrees, “I loved Harbour Town right from the beginning. I still love it and put it in my top five golf courses.” Perhaps Ernie Els says it best, “Harbour Town is incredible.”

The resort’s Heron Point course has received more and more recognition since Pete Dye was brought in to tweak his original 2007 design. The architectural maestro made a series of subtle modifications in 2014 with the objective of making the course more player friendly. His team softened the green surrounds and contours, enlarged several greens, and added ornamental landscape beds throughout the layout.

GOLF His efforts were well received by most everyone teeing it up there with the culmination of Heron Point named “2015 Course of the Year” by the Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association as well as ranked No. 11 in GOLF Magazine’s “Best You Can Play Near You” in South Carolina.

Now the resort is showcasing its splendid new Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III course which opened in Oct. The work of Love Golf Design, Atlantic Dunes is a complete reconstruction of the historic Ocean Course, the first on Hilton Head.

Love, the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, lead architect Scot Sherman and Mark Love created entirely rebuilt holes to accommodate modern shot values and frame scenic corridors.

Atlantic Dunes features a pronounced seaside ambience and Lowcountry feel accented by coquina shells and seaside grasses. The course benefits both visually and strategically from restoration of natural sand dunes as well as the creation of new dunes blending seamlessly into the design. Tens of thousands of

indigenous plants were installed in these areas to complete the seaside feel.

“Atlantic Dunes is challenging from the back tees, but with several additional tee-boxes the course is thoroughly enjoyable for players of all abilities,” says Love. “It is a classic layout that rewards strategic thought and well-executed shots, and misses are not overly penalized.”

Sea Pines also upped the ante significantly with its golf amenities surrounding its exceptional 54 holes. The spectacular new 44,000-square-foot Harbour Town Clubhouse was named the 2016 “Best New Public Clubhouse” by Golf Inc. Magazine. The resort’s 23,000-squarefoot Plantation Golf Club was awarded the 2015 “New Clubhouse of the Year” by the same publication.

Receiving “Platinum” status in GOLF Magazine’s biennial Premier Resorts list for 2016-2017 put a final bow on the results of the substantial investments Sea Pines has made. Platinum is the highest honor bestowed by the publication and singles out the “best of the best”

The 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links is considered one of the most feared and beautiful in all of golf.

golf destinations. Pebble Beach Resorts, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, The American Club and Pinehurst Resort joined Sea Pines on the list.

Everything mentioned above makes for a true world-class golf experience.

Even better, The Sea Pines Resort is right here on Hilton Head Island. M

April 2017 127

BY DON MCLOUD PHOTOS BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

H

HANNA KIEFER

German student uses competitve edge to get ahead in golf and life

128 hiltonheadmonthly.com

anna Kiefer came to Hilton Head Island from Germany two years ago with three goals in mind.

She wanted to improve her English, her golf game and win a scholarship.

Thanks to some hard work at Hilton Head Prep, where she’s a senior, and at the Junior Players Golf Academy, she quickly achieved two of those goals in her first year.

This year, she achieved goal No. 3 — earning a scholarship to play golf at Stetson University in Florida.

Kiefer began playing golf at 4 years old. It was only natural: Her mother played on the women’s German national team and now competes on the senior national team. Mother and daughter sometimes played against each other in Germany, where many tournaments are open to all age groups. They’ll do the same when Kiefer returns home for summer break.

When asked if she can beat her mom, she says yes. But then adds with a smile that she hasn’t seen her play lately, so she’s not quite sure.

Kiefer says though that her game has definitely improved under the direction of her JPGA coach Adam Rushin.

“My scoring is more consistent in the 70s,” she says. “Before I came here, it was like sometimes in the 70s, and that was really, really good.”

She admits to not taking practice very seriously when she first arrived on Hilton Head. So Rushin took her aside.

“I talk to Adam a lot, and he told me if I want to get better, I have to set my goals for practice.”

GOLF

“ I just know it’s a tournament, and I want to win the tournament”

Rushin says such lack of discipline is common in teenage golfers, but Kiefer took his advice to heart and began to see immediate results.

She won six out of 11 events she played on the 2016 Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. Her highest score of the season was a 71.

She was named the tour’s Player of the Year in the Girls 14-18 Division.

Rushin says Kiefer’s natural ability and competitive spirit make his job easier.

“She’s very, very athletic,” he says. “… It’s always a little bit easier when they’re that athletic to change their golf swing and make them a better player.”

He taught her to practice with a purpose. After that, he just turned her loose on the course.

“She’s a serious competitor,” he says. “It’s fun to watch her.”

Kiefer nods and smiles shyly.

“I just know it’s a tournament,

and I want to win the tournament,” she says.

Kiefer will graduate in May, and her mom and godmother plan to come for the ceremony. She’ll return home to Kronberg; then she will compete in tournaments most weekends in Germany until she arrives at Stetson in August.

As to whether she will turn pro after college, Rushin says she has that ability if she chooses to, but it’s a hard life.

“I can see myself on the Tour,” she says, “and then on the other hand, I can’t. There’s so much traveling around, jumping from one hotel to the next hotel.”

So for now, her goals are to do well academically at Stetson and help her new team win.

Rushin has no doubt she’ll achieve those goals, just as she did when she moved to Hilton Head.

“She’s a normal German, very emotional,” he says, “but it drives her to success.” M April 2017 129

SERA TADOKORO

130 hiltonheadmonthly.com

GOLF

Japanese student starts with four English words, ends with school address

BY LISA ALLEN | PHOTOS BY MIKE RITTERBECK

I

nternational students are nothing new to the International Junior Golf Academy in Bluffton. The school welcomes students from around the world every year — IJGA, the oldest independent junior golf academy in the country, has students from 28 countries.

But for the students themselves, there is nothing ordinary about it.

It was Sera Tadokoro’s grandfather who encouraged her to apply to the academy after they read about it in Japan. He would be somewhat nearby at the automotive supply company he was starting in North Carolina.

“I was scared,” said Sera. She was only 14 when she arrived in the Lowcountry four years ago from Osaka, Japan. “I didn’t know anyone and didn’t speak much English. But when I visited, the people at the academy were really nice and I liked the practice area.”

Erin Elliott, director of student life at IJGA, was not surprised by Sera’s progress.

“When she came here, she could say ‘yes,’ ‘no’ and ‘my name is Sera.’ But she had a maturity about her,” Elliott said. “I wouldn’t hesitate to have her speak in front of any group.”

And she did. Sera recently spoke before the entire school.

Elliott said IJGA helps students learn English by housing them with other non-English speakers. “Putting them with native English speakers is overwhelming. But if they are with other people who are learning English too, they have to rely on that new common language to communicate.”

On the course, Sera was in her element.

“My whole family plays golf,” she said. “I used to play softball, but softball is more about team work. Golf is individual, but I can still play with my friends.

“I like my long game,” Sera said. “I’m pretty good with my driver.”

Sera really enjoys IJGA. “It’s more free than my old school. We didn’t have TVs and we couldn’t use phones or computers. Our only free time was on Saturday nights.”

Sera has decided to attend the University of Kansas in the fall and plans to study business administration.

“If I don’t make it as a professional golfer, I want to start a business related to golf. In Japan, they don’t speak English. If I open my own business, I can use my English-speaking skill in Japan,” Sera said.

Learning English is essential for IJGA graduates who want to attend college in the United States, Elliott said. She said Sera will do especially well at the University of Kansas because of its strong ESL program.

Sera said she returns to Japan twice a year and misses her family.

But the best part of this area, she said, “is the weather and the seafood.”

Her advice to young students considering such a big move?

“Don’t be afraid. Everyone is nice. If they don’t understand, they’ll help you.” M April 2017 131

SPORT

ALABAMA WINS DARIUS RUCKER INTERCOLLEGIATE AT LONG COVE Long Cove Club, in partnership with Darius Rucker and the University of South Carolina, hosted the sixth annual Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Golf Tournament presented by The Kroger Co. and Reynolds Consumer Products. The tournament was held March 3-5 at Long Cove Club’s nationally acclaimed golf course on Hilton Head Island. The tournament kicked off with a private concert by Rucker for players, coaches, sponsors and Long Cove members. The tournament has become a signature event on the women’s collegiate schedule and 17 of the top teams from around the country traveled to the island to compete for the title, with the University of Alabama claiming its fourth Darius Rucker Intercollegiate victory. The Crimson Tide’s 7-over total gave them a twoshot win. Sophomore Cheyenne Knight defended her title after shooting a bogey-free 65 during the final round.

MICHIGAN STATE WINS COLLETON RIVER COLLEGIATE The Michigan State University men’s golf team captured its third tournament title of the 2016-17 season by winning the fifth annual Colleton River Collegiate, held March 6-7 at Colleton River Club in Bluffton. The Spartans started the final day in second place behind the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but rallied to capture the team title with a 20-over 884 (293-299-292). Michigan State’s third-round 292 was the lowest round of the day. The Spartans ended the day with three players in the top four. This win was particularly special as Spartan alum and Colleton River member Al Thiess died last month, and the team was able to pass the trophy along to his widow, Willa.

“When we left on Friday, we, as a team, decided that we were going to go no matter what the circumstances were and win this tournament and give the trophy to Al’s widow, Willa. We just visualized it, and it is exactly how it played out,” said Casey Lubahn, Michigan State’s head coach. “There was a lot of emotion for all of us, but this program has been success because of the people who believed in it, and Al was one of those key people.”

Other participating teams were the University of Alabama Birmingham, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State, University of Connecticut, University of Memphis, Miami University in Ohio, Michigan State, Oakland University, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University and the University of Wisconsin 132 hiltonheadmonthly.com

HARTOUGH, WEAVER NAMED TO LOW COUNTRY GOLF HALL OF FAME

World-renowned golf landscape artist Linda Hartough has been selected for induction into the Low Country Golf Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place April 1 at Moss Creek Golf Club. Bob Collar, founder and executive director of the Low Country Golf Hall of Fame, will serve as master of ceremonies, and 13-time LPGA Tour winner Rosie Jones will speak.

“Linda Hartough's standing in the world of golf has brought such attention to us here in the Lowcountry,” Collar said. “We consider her to be the No. 1 golf landscape artist in the world, and she is most deserving of a place in our Hall of Fame.”

Hartough, who resides on Spring Island, joins Doug Weaver as an inductee into the third induction class of the Low Country Golf Hall of Fame.

Weaver certainly knows golf, particularly Lowcountry golf, as well as anyone. A former PGA Tour player, Weaver HARTOUGH has coached 23 years — the past 13 serving as Palmetto Dunes’ highly respected director of golf instruction. One of the resort's popular attractions is the complimentary Monday golf exhibition and clinic, where participants experience Weaver's effective and entertaining style. The weekly event is hands-on and prizes are given.

Previous Low Country Golf Hall of Fame inductees include Sea Pines founders Charles Fraser and Joseph Fraser Jr.; well-known professionals Mike Harmon, Tim Moss, and Jim and Karen Ferree; successful amateur Kevin King; longtime Sea Pines executive Cary Corbitt; and golf writer Charles Price.

WEAVER

HAIG POINT CLUB HOSTING ADULT TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Haig Point Club will host the 2017 Adult Tennis Championships on April 7-9 on Daufuskie Island. The tournament, a series of three one-day tournaments, will be played at Haig Point Club’s six Har-Tru Courts. The entire draw for the tournament will be played in one day. First match times will be available on Wednesday, April 5, on the Tennislink tournament website. A fee of $40 is required for player entry and will include round-trip ferry passage for the duration of the tournament, a lunch on the day of play and a welcome gift. All entries and fees must be received by April 3.

“We are looking forward to hosting the tournament and providing a highly enjoyable experience for the players and their guests,” said Ron Glenn, Haig Point’s director of tennis and wellness.

GARDNER-WEBB WINS WEXFORD INTERCOLLEGIATE

The Gardner-Webb men’s golf team captured the Wexford Intercollegiate, held Feb. 27-28 at Wexford Golf Club. The Bulldogs posted an 18-over 882 (298-291293) to finish ahead of Winthrop, University of South Carolina Aiken, Radford University, the University of Akron, Cleveland State, Francis Marion, Mercer, High Point University, Wofford, Davidson, Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, Presbyterian, Oakland, Siena College, Dartmouth and Hartford. Radford’s Myles Creighton posted the top individual score with a 71-73-68 — 212.

April 2017 133

SPORT

Billy Christie (left) won the AAAA state wrestling championship for the 170 weight class. Alex Braden won the 138 class.

A CHAMPIONSHIP FRIENDSHIP Hilton Head Island High School wrestlers both make their mark on The Wall

BY TIM WOOD PHOTOS BY MIKE RITTERBECK

134 hiltonheadmonthly.com

T

he Wall is for legends. On a small island, with far fewer prospects to draw from than powerhouse schools across the Southeast and nation with feeder programs drawing kids in, head coach Mike Newton is the latest to carry on Hilton Head Island High School wrestling’s expectation for excellence.

Alex Braden and Billy Christie entered the training room as freshmen, staring at The Wall, dreaming of one day earning a place on the listing of school records and state champions.

Christie had greatness in his genes — his father, Bill, was a former Virginia high school state champion and wrestled at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Billy began wrestling in kindergarten and immediately fell in love with the sport in Virginia before moving to Hilton Head as an eighth grader.

Braden’s passion didn’t truly spawn until middle school. He was a wiry kid with long arms and legs but very little meat on his bones and a technique closer to WWE than Greco Roman. So when the 132-pound Braden met the more muscular, more technically sound 170-pound Christie, they didn’t exactly seem like natural training partners.

“You can’t measure passion on paper, and Billy and I knew from the day we met that we had that passion to

be great,” Braden said of the unlikely pairing that has led to a friendship far beyond the mat. “We came in bonded as freshmen with big dreams, but we knew from day one that we both had the drive to meet those dreams.”

Three years later, the pair has earned four individual state championship titles. Braden scored titles at 132 as a freshman and 138 as a junior, while Christie has won back-to-back state titles at 170.

And both Braden and Christie say those state titles would never have happened without one pushing the other.

“Our strengths and weaknesses complement each other so well,” Christie said of his training partner. “I force him to fight with power every day because of my build, power he probably never knew he had in him. And I force him to beat me with technique or get pinned quickly. We both love the camaraderie of this team, but we both love having those six minutes on the mat to ourselves to create our own destiny.”

Braden laughed when forced to describe his style and what he brings to the table for Christie.

“I’m funky, I wrestle funky,” Braden said. “I get him in positions he’s not used to being in because I’m not, shall we say, classically trained. I made him faster on his feet because he has to work to corner me.”

“I call him Noodles, because he’s just so dang

SPORT slippery,” Christie said. “But to have that kind of practice, that kind of work ethic every day, it prepares us so well for the matches.”

Their records have consistently improved. Braden went from 38-18 as a freshman to 101-11 over the last two years. Christie went from 46-13 as a freshman to 107-7 over the last two seasons.

Both credit Newton with creating a schedule that consistently pushes them, including the creation of the Coastal Clash tournament at Hilton Head High, which draws top-notch schools from across the Northeast.

“Some schools put 20 to 30 matches on a schedule each year.

Coach Newton, he gets us 50 to 55 matches,” Christie said. “That’s a tough schedule, but it makes us prepare each and every day, makes us constantly aware of what we’re putting in our bodies and focuses us on nutrition and training.”

The pair takes that training to the next level. Both have foregone other sporting passions to focus solely on wrestling and the pursuit of mat excellence. Braden said that after getting a bit big-headed with his unexpected freshman title, the second-place finish as a sophomore was a wakeup call to what he needs to do to compete at a higher level.

“Billy has shown me what that next level is. He picked me up after that loss and just got me training harder than ever. I’m so grateful to him for that,” Braden said. “His dedication, it’s pushed me and shown me that I have bigger things inside me, so much more to achieve.”

And while some may look at this as the offseason, Braden and Christie are keeping a rigorous schedule of training and sanctioned tournaments on the weekends throughout the spring and summer, including the recently completed spring nationals in Virginia Beach.

Christie will head north soon, making his annual trek to his family’s summer home on Cape Cod. There, he will compete in tourneys throughout the Northeast, a hotbed for technically elite wrestling talent.

Braden will travel this summer as well, wrestling with the Michigan Bad Boyz elite squad before heading up to Massachusetts to train with Christie for a couple weeks and join Christie’s training at The Dungeon, a wrestling gym famous for spawning national champions.

“We’ll also train with my dad, who puts us through some of the most rigorous routines either of us have ever faced, so there’s no down time,” Christie said. “We both have big plans for senior year and beyond.”

Braden will look to make the jump to 145 pounds to win a third state title, while Christie will look for a three-peat at 170. Both are pushing teammates to thrive for a region, Lower State and state team title. And a spring break visit from Talon Seitz, Seahawks legend and current wrestler at nation powerhouse Nebraska-Kearney, have them chasing an undefeated season.

“He posted a 54-0 mark and he’s busting on us that we can’t do that,” Christie said of seeing Seitz. Plus, the collegian was doing a little recruiting during his visit home.

“He has us both pegged for spots at Nebraska-Kearney, but we both told him we are only thinking of senior year right now,” Braden said.

They have both accomplished so much already, both made their mark on The Wall. But both are within legendary records. Christie is 49 wins away from setting the Seahawks’ record for career victories, while Braden is 30-plus pins away from breaking the career pins mark at Hilton Head High.

“It’s a big year ahead,” Christie said. “I feel very grateful to be sharing all this with someone like Alex. It’s been a friendship and a friendly rivalry that I know I’ll treasure forever.” M April 2017 135

HEALTH

Palmetto Heart Walk raising funds to save lives

“One person dies of cardiovascular disease every 39 seconds. That’s 2,200 people each day in the U.S.”

T

o raise funds and awareness to fight cardiovascular disease, the Charleston & Coastal South Carolina Chapter of the American Heart Association will hold the Palmetto Heart Walk on April 29 at Shelter Cove Community Park on Hilton Head Island. The event has a 1-mile loop and a 5K option. More than 800 attendees are expected this year, said Jennifer Waites, a director of marketing and communications for the American Heart Association.

“We’re not only raising funds, we are saving lives,” she said.

“It’s funneling right back into the community and will raise heartbeats to help diseases right in our backyard.”

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, and is prevalent among firefighters. According to a 2015 study by National Fire Protection Association, “…heart disease has been recognized as a serious health issue for the fire service for quite some time now. Sudden cardiac death has consistently accounted for the largest share of on-duty firefighter 136 hiltonheadmonthly.com

PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

BY HALLIE MARTIN

deaths since the NFPA began this study in 1977.”

A group from the Hilton Head Firefighters Association will form a team to participate in the Palmetto Mike Mayers Heart Walk for the first time to raise awareness about heart disease among firefighters. Wearing gear that is hot and heavy, lifting tools and carrying equipment, and making critical decisions in seconds is strenuous on firefighters, both physically and mentally, said Mike Mayers, the Hilton Head Fire Rescue deputy chief of operations.

“It puts a lot of stress on the heart. Not everyone is challenged as physically and mentally as a firefighter,” he said. “As much as we preach to people to live lives of moderation, we have to do an even better job. We got to put our money where our mouth is. We can’t tell people they should do these things and not do it ourselves.”

The Hilton Head Island community is blessed to have an extraordinary cardiac care system, Mayers said. Not only was Hilton Head recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs as a heart-safe community in 2012, Hilton Head Fire Rescue is certified gold standard with the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline. The program was developed to care for patients who are suffering from high-risk, time-sensitive emergencies including heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrest, according to the AHA website. Mission: Lifeline helps regions form a coalition

HEALTH

within the community to make an effective, efficient system of care that saves and improves lives.

Recognizing the signs of a heart attack, better access to AEDs, CPR training, speedy response by EMS and providing quick transportation to heart-friendly hospitals, “that’s the difference between people having a heart attack that could kill them to walking out a hospital intact,” Mayers said.

Hilton Head firefighters will also judge a CPR contest among local high school students. The dummies that are provided are computerized so the judges have an objective way to measure if CPR is being administered correctly.

A year ago, South Carolina became the 30th state in the U.S. to require that high school students learn hands-on CPR. The AHA worked with legislators that bill.

CPR doubles or triples survival rates for those suffering from cardiac arrest when it is administered right away. Teaching high school students CPR adds thousands of potential lifesavers to the state’s rosters.

As for this month’s Palmetto Heart Walk, Mayers said he hopes a big crowd comes out to support awareness and research for cardiovascular disease.

“We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of people there,” he said. “As firefighters, our interest is in making sure that (people) are healthy and happy, and we want to set a good example and walk right alongside them.” M

IF YOU GO: AHA Palmetto Heart Walk 2017

Date: April 29 Time: Check in at 8:30 a.m.; Walk starts at 9:30 a.m.

Place: Shelter Cove Community Park Registration: Participants can register for free, but donations are welcome. Groups can register as a team, people can join as individuals.

April 2017 137

HEALTH

BY BECCA EDWARDS

A

Becca Edwards is a wellness professional, freelance writer and owner of b.e.WELL+b.e.CREATIVE (bewellbecreative.com)

ccording to the History Channel, “historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.” Apparently, “people who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to Jan. 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.” In honor of all those poor souls who endured “having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as ‘poisson d’avril’ (April fish),” let’s debunk some of the most common fitness myths. To help us with this timely task, fitness guru Laura Fromdahl of TriStrong Coaching shares her wellness wisdom.

MYTH NO. 1: Avoid ionized salt.

“I was tracking women with thyroid issues who were doing everything right and analyzing their diet and nutrition logs. I found a correlation to the Himalayan pink and other sea salts craze. After some research, I realized these newly popular salts didn’t have iodine,” Fromdahl said. “I asked them to switch back to good 138 hiltonheadmonthly.com

old-fashioned Morton’s and almost immediately people started seeing a difference.”

Fromdahl says that while sea salt has its benefits, including providing a necessary source of magnesium, there are also positives to iodine — a mineral responsible for regulating thyroid function, supporting healthy metabolism, aiding in growth and development, and preventing certain chronic diseases like cancer.

MYTH NO. 2: Eat carbs post-workout.

“It’s simple math. Calories in versus calories out,” Fromdahl said, disputing the myth that people who exercise need to consume considerably more carbohydrates. “Someone might burn 800 calories during a workout, but eat 3,000 as a recovery meal.”

Often these calories are in the form of carbohydrates.

“Carbs are fuel and have a certain window. If you don’t use all that fuel, it’s stored

as fat,” Fromdahl said. “Two hours before training, you should consume a balanced meal of carbs and protein, but not a lot of fat because you don’t want it to sit in your gut. Thirty minutes before a somewhat strenuous workout is when you have something like a banana.” As for a post-workout snack, opt for a protein like a hard-boiled egg rather than a carbohydrate.

MYTH NO. 3: Drink tons of water.

“Too much water actually flushes out electrolytes,” Fromdahl said. She recommends electrolyte supplements like Nuun. Though “hydration is based on sweat rate, humidity and the sport,” there is no hard and fast rule about how much water and electrolytes you should consume. Fromdahl tells people to listen to their bodies.

“If you start to feel nauseated or have a headache, that’s a sign you’re dehydrated.”

MYTH NO. 4: Triathlons are only for extreme athletes.

Many people worry a triathlon would be too strenuous on their body, but Fromdahl, who entered the sport to treat a running injury, would suggest otherwise. “Each sport — swimming, biking and running — complements and contradicts each other to create balance and prevent injury.” M April 2017 139

AT HOME

140 hiltonheadmonthly.com

AT HOME

small wonder Kentucky woman turns tiny treehousestyle home into sophisticated space

BY DEAN ROWL AND PHOTOS BY ROB K AUFMAN

S

o what does a woman who was a born and raised in Kentucky and who’s been modeling internationally since she was 16 do when she wants a getaway beach home on Hilton Head Island? She buys a one-bedroom, 520-square-foot octagonal-shaped treehouse-style home built in 1976 in Sea Pines, naturally.

And then she hires Sharon Cleland at J. Banks Design Group to turn an interior mess into a “little jewel that turned out like a dream,” said Kelly Movshina, who moved from France to Aiken, where she now lives with her pilot husband and young daughter.

“It reminded me of a little place I stayed at in Thailand for a month,” she added of the home, which she bought in June. “The windows were amazing and I saw the possibilities.”

So did Cleland. Thank goodness.

“The interior was awful,” Movshina said. “And I was thinking how can I make this place great? But I had no idea. She is like sunshine, a ball of sunshine.”

April 2017 141

AT HOME

before

“ It’s all about beach living,” Cleland said.

before

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Cleland’s native Irish eyes were clearly smiling because she saw and relished the challenge of transforming a small space into a “casual, coastal, sophisticated space with an organic comfortable feel.”

“I was excited, actually, because it was so unusual and quirky,” said Cleland, who has been an interior designer at J. Banks for six years. “I think it challenged me more because of the scale required, more thought and careful planning to utilize every square inch.”

Everything, from roof to floor and in between, was either removed and replaced or redone during the six-month renovation.

“It was all new selections,” Cleland said. “It’s a nice casual look, casual comfort. It’s a home of fresh air.”

Six steps outside lead up to the kitchen and the one door in the cathedral-ceiling condo.

One of the first design touches Cleland applied in the condo was installing a beefy wall-to-wall sisal rug on top of the linoleum flooring in the living room and positioning a sisal area rug over a portion of ceramic driftwood plank look-alike tiles in the kitchen.

AT HOME

before

Trims were refinished, the textured wooden wall panels were given a fresh, updated coat of paint, and coarse textured grasscloth drapes portion off the walls in the living, dining and kitchen area.

“She saw driftwood and texture and organic neutral tones,” Movshina said of Cleland’s inspiration for the design.

Natural linen side panels were layered over textured white wooden shades on windows, and an artisan-crafted tiered oyster shell fixture hangs over the dining table, Cleland said. An organic driftwood finish on the media console flirts with simple clean lines and streamlined accessories.

On the shelf over the kitchen area, over-sized woven baskets are mixed with galvanized-patina olive buckets for dramatic effect. Kitchen finishes were redone with Corian.

Contemporary artwork and wall sconces adorn the wall above the couch that opens up as a sofa bed.

In the bedroom, a sealed pebble floor was installed in the master shower, and the natural bed linens and durable fabrics on the furniture stand up to the beach lifestyle of the family.

“It’s all about beach living,” Cleland said.

A hair-on-hide textured bench, an organic grainy wood finish on the dresser and a circular mirror playing off the angles complete the bedroom ensemble.

“I have traveled everywhere, and seriously, these beaches are the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, really,” Movshina said. “When I sit out on the deck and hear the ocean, it’s amazing. I couldn’t be happier. I just love the whole feel of Hilton Head. It’s just gorgeous.” M

before

before

VENDOR LIST Master bedroom dresser: Renwil Master bedroom round wall mirror: Avant Garde Living room wall covering: Palecek Living room wall lights: CASA Fiore Tile: Home Depot Living room chair: Pier 1 Wooden shades: Budget Blinds April 2017 143

DISTINCTIVE.

C R E AT I V E .

ORIGINAL.

IT’S ALL I N THE DETA I LS.

24 Marsh View Drive | Hi lton Head Island | 843.785.4500 | ken@crastcustomhomeshhi.com | www.crastcustomhomeshhi.com

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN I COMMERCIAL DESIGN F U R N I S H I N G S A N D FA B R I C S I W I N D O W C O V E R I N G S R E N O VAT I O N S I N E W C O N S T R U C T I O N

Bluffton’s Favorite Interior Design 2016 Best Interior Design for 2016

5 Promenade Street | Suite 1302 | Bluffton, SC info@kellycarondesigns.com 843.540.9759 | kellycarondesigns.com

150 hiltonheadmonthly.com

DO NOT BE CONFUSED!

There is only ONE local heating and air conditioning company owned by the EPPERSON FAMILY and that is…

LOCAL OWNERS: Pat Epperson Martin Jones Patrick Epperson, Jr.

At EAC Heating & Air, our goal is to provide peace of mind along with top-quality air conditioning repair and service.

Making a wise, informed choice is more important than ever in today’s tough economy. We want to make your decision easier with competitive pricing and exceptional service – after all, you are our friends and neighbors!

EAC Heating & Air is NOT in any way affiliated with any Service Experts companies. If you want to do business with our family-owned business, remember to look for the E.A.C. logo in our advertisements.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR MANY YEARS OF SUPPORT!

2016 Favorite Heating & Air on Hilton Head

Call EAC for Details. Expires 4/30/2017

Call EAC for Details. Expires 4/30/2017

Call EAC for Details. Expires 4/30/2017

Call EAC for Details. Expires 4/30/2017

www.eacair.com

•

843-681-3999

EAC Heating & Air is not associated with Epperson Heating & Air.

152 hiltonheadmonthly.com

April 2017 153

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April 2017 155

An artful approach to interior design Court Atkins Group’s 501 South Studio team creates an inviting backdrop for the Artist Cottage at Palmetto Bluff

BY PAUL A MAGRINI PHOTOS BY J. SAVAGE PHOTOGRAPHY 156 hiltonheadmonthly.com

The artwork of Betty Anglin Smith adds vibrant color to the Artist Cottage dining room.

The new Artist in Residence program is a collaboration between Palmetto Bluff and Garden & Gun magazine that celebrates the arts, fosters creativity and offers a hands-on education. As part of the program, notable artists are invited to stay in the Artist Cottage in Palmetto Bluff’s newly constructed Moreland Village. Court Atkins Group’s 501 South Studio team was chosen to steer the interior design for the Artist Cottage, a project they considered a privilege.

“Our mission with the Artist Cottage was to create a fresh take on the Lowcountry cottage aesthetic,” said Deborah Van Plew of 501 South Studio, the interior design team at Court Atkins Group. “We introduced unexpected furnishing choices, mixed various textures and layered antique and contemporary elements to keep each room inviting, interesting, inspiring and unpretentious.”

Van Plew and associate Adrienne Warner added curated art to their masterpiece, tapping Hilton Head Island’s Red Piano Gallery and president Ben Whiteside to provide a stunning, diverse collection of art pieces, selected by Van Plew. Her choices include works by leading Lowcountry artists Jonathan Green, Betty Anglin Smith, Mandy Johnson, Addison Palmer and Mark Stewart, plus a hint of Nashville twang provided by artist Anne Blair Brown.

AT HOME

Above: 501 South Studio’s Adrienne Warner and Deb Van Plew.

Right: Assorted views at the Artist Cottage in Palmetto Bluff.

“The cottage flows like a vintage Lowcountry film, capturing the highlights and ambience of coastal Carolina,” Whiteside said. “501 South Studio chose a palette of subtle cottage tones, allowing emphasis on the artwork. For instance, Betty Anglin Smith bursts onto the scene with her intense hues and signature coastal theme. The Jonathan Green selection is 66 inches by 101 inches, truly a brilliant mural depicting native Gullah culture — what I’d call the definitive Gullah-Geechee.”

Van Plew placed the Smith painting in the cottage dining room, where she and Warner also positioned an antique French farm table, companion buffet and leatherfringed benches. “With the addition of contemporary lighting, it’s one of our more dramatic ensembles,” Van Plew said.

The Artist Cottage study will also earn applause, with the Green painting inspiring its design and an aesthetic vibe Van Plew described as “cool, eclectic and relaxed.” 501 South Studio’s choices for this room include a vintage-inspired high desk, industrial desk lamp, cowhide rug and custom ebonized wood-slatted side tables. “Of course the (Jonathan) Green painting commands the room,” Van Plew said. “It’s the superstar.”

Each area of the residence reflects its own design highlights. The great room beckons guests with leather and natural marble, giving this gathering spot a sense of luxury while the mix of fabric textures keeps the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. A library of Southern authors is located here, paying tribute to the literary arts.

Culinary arts are represented in the cottage kitchen, which is simple and understated, featuring natural blonde wood and white slab cabinetry alongside stainless steel appliances and concrete-looking countertops.

While the 501 South Studio team was

committed to a contemporary feel throughout the cottage, integrating signature architectural elements such as natural blonde oak floors, nickel-joint wood walls, brick and open trusses, they occasionally strayed from their script, adding unexpected touches like the personalized penny-tile floor in the mudroom.

“Because art isn’t always serious business,” Van Plew said with a smile.

As for his art business, Whiteside said his collaboration with Van Plew at the Artist Cottage has restored his connection with one of the Lowcountry’s most vibrant communities. “Years ago, we operated a thriving gallery there, adjacent to the post office. When the economy tumbled, we closed,” Whiteside said.

“Seeing the renewed interest in Palmetto Bluff is a good sign and a gift. We hope it allows us the opportunity to introduce authentic Lowcountry art to other cottages and homes in the area.” M April 2017 157

REAL ESTATE

A SERIES OF IMPENDING EVENTS Far from unfortunate, everything’s looking up on Hilton Head Island.

Except for home prices.

It’s time that changed.

Y

ou don’t need to look too far to see that amazing things are going on around Hilton Head Island. Everywhere you turn, a spirit of “out with the old and in with the new” is sweeping the dust off the rock, polishing it to a glorious luster.

From the rebirth of run-down shopping centers to the re-nourishment of our beaches and the rejuvenation of our golf courses, it’s almost like watching Hilton Head Island be reborn. Forget the storm. Wipe the word “rebuilding” from your vocabulary.

Hilton Head Island is not just rebuilding. It’s crackling with new energy like no other time in its history, and everything seems to be looking up.

So why aren’t home prices?

“Our prices are stuck in the middle to lower end, and that’s not right,” said Philip Schembra of Schembra Real Estate Group. “When you look at all of our competition in high-end oceanfront resorts, we’re lagging behind.”

He’s not wrong. Hilton Head Island homes are drastically undervalued when compared to similar communities like Kiawah Island or Boca Raton, Florida.

Fortunately, this spirit of rejuvenation on Hilton Head is creating the perfect atmosphere to send those home values skyrocketing, placing the island’s values where they belong among other upscale coastal communities.

In real estate, there’s a term called 158 hiltonheadmonthly.com

an “impending event.” Essentially, it’s something on the horizon that could have a positive impact on home values, be it new development or community improvement. According to Schembra, it’s been some time since the island had one of those, since there haven’t been new developments.

But if you want to talk improvements, Hilton Head has those in spades. And it’s time the island knew what they were worth. To help make this point, Schembra assembled a cross-section of local leaders for a recent symposium outlining the exciting things getting ready to reshape Hilton Head. Each presented what was new in their own personal sphere, with each adding to a portrait of an island set for a period of enormous growth and prosperity.

The first panelist was Steve Birdwell, president of The Sea Pines Resort, who emphasized the tremendous work already done in overhauling the resort.

From the new Planation Golf Club, Sea Pines Beach Club and Harbour Town Clubhouse to course improvements at Harbour Town Golf Links and Atlantic Dunes, the resort has just wrapped a period of unprecedented remodeling.

And it’s not done yet. Just wait until you see what’s being done around Harbour Town.

Heading outside the gates of Sea Pines, Hilton Head town manager Steve Riley outlined what “a half-billion of

PHOTOS BY FAITHOGRAPHY

BY BARRY K AUFMAN

REAL ESTATE

investment over the past six years” looked like in terms of new projects all over the island, from the new Shelter Cove Towne Centre to the expansion of the Island Rec Center to the new University of South Carolina Beaufort facility; from the rebirth of Pineland Station as Sea Turtle Marketplace to the Marriott Courtyard property planned for Pope Avenue.

Again, these are all things you see happening around you. But it’s worth emphasizing that this is an enormous opportunity for island real estate.

“For those of us in real estate, that’s going to enhance our jobs and make it a heck of a lot easier,” Schembra said. “Any time you build these types of facilities, you bring money along with it. But more importantly, people’s dreams become reality.”

Driving home the immense interest in our area, Ariana Pernice, vice president of the Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau, outlined the hard work being done to spread the Lowcountry brand to the world. Through destination marketing, the organization has placed the Hilton Head brand in targeted print and online channels that have created marked interest in the island, from increases in search engine traffic to major awards from outlets like Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today and Travel + Leisure.

That interest is translating to home sales, as James Wedgeworth of Charter One Realty pointed out during his presentation.

Comparing the first 22 days of February from last year to this year, Wedgeworth illustrated a 20 percent increase in homes sold.

“The good news is, you only need to have a small increase in sales to have a positive impact in property values,” said Wedgeworth. “If all this money’s being invested, that’s positive for the long-term value of Hilton Head. I was selling property earlier today; I wish I’d had Steve and Steve in the car with me.”

And therein lies the next step. If the island’s real estate community recognizes the immense work being done, the incredible investment already made and the exciting “impending events” on the horizon — events outlined during the symposium — rising home values will follow.

“As it is, we overdeliver in amenities and underdeliver in price,” said Schembra. “If we’re winning all these awards, and people already love the island, what are they going to think when we roll out everything that’s coming next?”

So get out there and spread the word that big things are happening and even bigger things are coming, Hilton Head Island. Your home values will thank you.

“We definitely have a story to tell,” said Schembra. M As an exercise in comparing high-end listing prices, Schembra Real Estate Group researched listings for a range of five-bedroom homes on Hilton Head Island and in comparable upscale oceanfront resort communities.

The stark differences in average prices speak for themselves: Hilton Head Island: $5.4 million Boca Raton, Florida: $13.3 million Jupiter, Florida: $8.9 million Kiawah Island: $12.5 million Palm Beach, Florida: $28.9 million Sarasota, Florida: $20 million

The Hamptons: $27 million Nantucket: $12.9 million Naples, Florida: $54.9 million Vero Beach, Florida: $12.9 million Stuart, Florida: $6 million Sea Island, Georgia: $6.5 million

April 2017 159

GUESTS BECOME NEIGHBORS

The Lowcountry proves you don’t have to be rich to live in paradise

A

BY JEAN BECK

fter attending the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing or spending a week on one of the many awardwinning golf courses in the area, many return to their hometowns eager to explore the possibilities of calling the Lowcountry home — or perhaps home away from home. The region offers a wide variety of lifestyle living, from traditional neighborhoods and historic homes to beach-oriented communities or private gated plantations, each offering unique features and amenities such as country clubs, marinas, beach access, walking and bike paths, special interest clubs, socials and other events.

If other golf resort and beach communities like the Hamptons, Palm Beach or Nantucket are compared to the Lowcountry, it becomes clear that the Hilton Head Island area offers luxury at an enticingly lower price point. The region prides itself on its notable and numerous accolades; for example, in 2016 Travel + Leisure magazine named Hilton Head the No. 1 island 160 hiltonheadmonthly.com

in the United States and No. 8 in the world. Also in 2016, Forbes magazine named Bluffton one of the “Best Places to Retire,” and this year, Coastal Living Magazine named Hilton Head Island the seventh “Happiest Sea Town in America.”

The internet is a great place to start when researching a move to the Hilton Head area; there is a ton of information and social networking available right at your fingertips. But there is nothing like a local Realtor to assist you in your decision.

Only a Realtor has access to the latest market figures and data for the Hilton Head area and can supply the accurate information to help you make an informed decision.

The South Carolina Lowcountry’s elegant beauty draws you in and gives you an inner peace of tranquility and substance. It is why so many go from island guests to neighbors. M Jean Beck is the executive vice president of the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors.

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Engel & Völkers welcomes Terri Rupp and Bill Rupp to their growing team. The Rupp Team are leaders in the marketplace that have particularly exceptional skills in serving a premium clientele. Their commitment to excellence in everything they do, combined with their skills in negotiation and dedication to their clients have propelled them to top realtors in the marketplace.

Joy Vinson joins the Engel & Völkers leadership team as vice president, client and advisor. Vinson is a seasoned business leader with experience in sales, marketing, technology, training and management. Her most recent position at the Hilton Head MLS added real estate to her long list of expertise and skills, making her a perfect fit as she helps the company continue their recent success.

Charter One Realty is pleased to announce that Scott Collins has joined the company at its Belfair office. Collins joins over 130 top-producing real estate professionals at Charter One Realty, the Lowcountry’s sales volume leader in real estate. After discovering his love for the Lowcountry, Collins relocated from the Chicago area to Bluffton to pursue his career as a real estate agent. He is dedicated to building lasting relationships with his clients, focusing on each client’s personal needs, and making sure every aspect of their home sale or purchase is met.

Weichert RealtorsCoastal Properties owners/brokers-in-charge Joe and Karen Ryan welcome David Edl to the agency’s sales team.

Edl is a native of Akron, Ohio, growing up on the border of Green, Lake, and Springfield townships. After graduating from the University of Akron, he took on many entrepreneurial pursuits including the video software industry in the late 1980s and then property acquisitions and rentals in the 1990s to the present.

John Beal has joined Diamond Realty and Property Management as broker associate and manager of business development. In that capacity, Beal will be spearheading the company’s commitment to dynamic growth in its real estate sales division.

He previously held a real estate license for over 10 years with Weichert Realtors Coastal Properties and RE/MAX Island Realty in the capacity of Realtor, broker associate, sales trainer and office manager.

Collins Group Realty welcomes two new staff members and moves another to meet growing client and business opportunities. Dawn Hoffman, the group’s current Bluffton office manager, will move to the group’s main office to support the Hilton Head Island-based listings team as a second listings coordinator. Vicki Collins will take over the role of Bluffton office manager, where she will offer comprehensive support to the group’s mainland specialists, while also serving as assistant to

the company’s marketing manager, Ashley Smith.

Taylor Standen, a Hilton Head Island native, joins the Hilton Head listings team as a full-time listing coordinator. Standen will focus on the processing, logistics and marketing of properties listed for sale on Hilton Head.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management.

Hilton Head Properties Realty and Rentals is pleased to welcome Sea Cloisters Vacation Rentals.

Sea Cloisters Villas are complemented by an onsite front desk, providing customer service at its highest level. This makes it both unique and wonderful on Hilton Head Island.

Joining the Hilton Head Properties Realty and Rentals property management team are Rocky and Carol Mullis, who will be working at the Sea Cloisters office. They have more than 30 years of property management and vacation rental experience.

RE/MAX Island Realty agents took a break from Lowcountry living and headed west to participate in the National R4 RE/MAX Convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 27-March 2. Agents, brokers and owners from all over the world meet in Las Vegas annually to connect and grow as companies and individual agents.

April 2017 161

Mother Nature’s Hole-in-One

M

oss Creek is a southern coastal Community nestled deep in the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry located just minutes from the bridge leading to world-famous Hilton Head Island. Every Moss Creek property owner is a Member in this exceptional private Community where neighbors count you first as friends.

Enter the gates of Moss Creek, and you’ll find yourself in a place where homes are nestled along rich tidal salt marshes and creeks that boasts stunningly beautiful sunsets.

Golf at Moss Creek is some of the finest in the Lowcountry with its two championship courses, Devil’s Elbow South and North. The Fazio designed courses are lined with magnificent oak trees and tall airy pines, strategically placed bunkers, large lagoons and water tributaries, and last but not least, the salt

marshes which change twice daily with the tides.

The Tennis Community in Moss Creek embraces players of all levels. The USTA award winning Tennis Center consists of 7 Har-Tru courts (5 lit), a practice wall, tennis Clubhouse, and plenty of seating for tennis enthusiasts to view matches or exhibitions.

Overlooking Mackay’s Creek and the Moss Creek Marina, the waterfront Pool and Fitness Complex is home to our two heated and cooled pools; a beach entry pool for relaxation and enjoyment of Members, an exercise pool for lap swimmers and exercise classes, and a shaded kiddie pool. Upstairs in the Fitness Center, the view from the cardio equipment is unparalleled and the center has an active program of classes and personal training.

ADVERTISEMENT

2015 USTA Facility Award Winner

$1,000 UNLIMITED

Activity Fee!

Every Moss Creek owner* has the option to pay an Annual Activity Fee of $1,000 for UNLIMITED USE of the following amenities:

• UNLIMITED

Golf on both Fazio Courses (excludes cart fees) UNLIMITED Golf Practice Facilities UNLIMITED Tennis Center Use MARINA USAGE, including boat ramp and new kayak launch is also provided. (Limited to one wet or dry storage slip/space and two kayak storage spaces based on availability.)

This is the most attractive amenity package available in the Lowcountry.

The exceptional combination of value plus quality makes Moss Creek truly unique as a private, residential community. Owners who choose not to take advantage of the Annual Activity Fee can pay a daily fee for use of the amenities.

It’s all here at Moss Creek, unlimited amenities for an affordable price. Come visit us and see why we are so proud of our community.

• • •

*Includes owner,spouse/partner & dependent children (under 22) living at home.

Contact Us!

The Bostwick Point Park is a beautiful Community park located along the marsh, and is home to our natural surroundings dog park.

The Moss Creek Clubhouse is a center of activity for Members and their guests. Our Members enjoy casual dining, monthly club special events, and happy hour on the verandah overlooking the beautiful marsh.

The Community is financially strong, maintains a Reserve Fund to keep all of its amenities in excellent condition, and has a well thought out Long Range Plan.

Come discover the beauty of Private Club Living at Moss Creek – Mother Nature’s Hole-in-One.

mosscreek@mosscreek-hiltonhead.com www.mosscreek-hiltonhead.com

CharlesSampson.com • CSampson.com BridgeToHiltonHeadHomes.com

Island Resident Since 1972 REALTOR of The Year 1996, 2004, 2015

HiltonHeadIslandSouthCarolina 81 Main Street, Suite 202, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 (843) 384-7300 or (800) 267-3285 ext. 4215

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION COLLECTION 14 OLD FORT DRIVE

67 HICKORY FOREST

40 ROOKERY WAY

OUTSTANDING home just off the 10th Fairway of the Country Club of Hilton Head – catch the breezes from Skull Creek / the Intracoastal Waterway. 3400 plus sq. ft. with 4 bedroom or 3 plus a bonus room, 3 ½ bath. Formal LR and DR plus a kitchen/family room. Short distance to the Country Club Clubhouse & Skull Creek Docks. $629,000

BEST wrap around lagoon views in HHP. A short distance from the Port Royal Sound. Corner lot. 3 BR, 2 ½ BA, formal LR & DR, kitchen/family room plus office and covered patio. Updated wood floors, smooth ceilings, detailed moldings, granite counters, paver driveway and path. New roof, water heaters and HVAC system. $575,000

BEST LAGOON VIEWS in Hilton Head Plantation! Full size homesite with a tranquil lagoon and footbridge view. Bright and open 3 BR, 2 BA Formal living room, high ceiling, fireplace and screen porch. Neighborhood pool.

Best value under $440,000 in Hilton Head Plantation. $435,000

5 COUGAR RUN

15 SEABROOK LANDING DR

2008 HILTON HEAD CLUB VILLA

ENJOY LONG LAGOON VIEWS with the herons and egrets. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-car garage plus a loft for at home office space and a Carolina room off the formal dining room. Eatin kitchen and formal living room. One owner Rookery home – to be under $400,000.

TRUE LOCK AND LEAVE. Views of 10th fairway and green of Dolphin Head. Short distance to the Beach Park. 3 BR, 3 Full Baths and great room floor plan. All New Flooring & Kitchen Cabinetry. Private patio and outside storage. $325,000

VIEWS OF BEAR LAKE from the expansive deck. Soaring windows in the living room, updated kitchen and baths, unique garage workshop. 4 BR or 3 plus a bonus, 2 full and 2 half baths. Private Cul de Sac location midway between Dolphin Head Beach Park and Spring Lake Pool. $495,000

7 ANGLERS POND COURT

18 CHINA COCKLE LANE

SPRING LAKE POOL

SO

LD

16 PURPLE MARTIN

LAGOON AND CONSERVANCY VIEW - private cul-de-sac pie shaped lot. Neighborhood pool and tennis complex $168,500

2ND ROW Port Royal Sound Full Size Corner Wooded. Short distance to Dolphin Head Beach Park $189,000

THE SPRING AND SUMMER SHOWING SEASON IS ALMOST HERE NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY ON HILTON HEAD.

SKULL CREEK/Intracoastal Waterway/Sunset Views 1.27 acre/Country Club of Hilton Head 13 th Fairway/Exclusive Seabrook Landing - neighborhood pool and day dock $325,000

YOUR HOME HERE. THINKING ABOUT SELLING… LET US HELP YOU!

CHARTER ONE REALTY The One to Turn to for All Your Real Estate Needs

Charles Sampson (843) 681-3307 x4215 Mobile - (843) 384 -7300

Charles@CharlesSampson.com

Frances Sampson (843) 681-3307 x236 Mobile - (843) 384-1002

Frances@FrancesSampson.com

Angela Mullis (843) 681-3307 x223 Mobile - (843) 384-7301

Debbie Cort (843) 681-3307 Mobile - (843) 384-8491

Give Charles, Frances, Angela, Debbie or Daniel a Call!

Daniel Cort (843) 681-3307 Mobile - (843) 384-2206

DebbieCort@CharterOneRealty.com

Angela@AngelaMullis.com

DanielCort@CharterOneRealty.com

843-384-7300

21 SPARTINA CRESCENT - SEA PINES

21 FAIRWAY WINDS

OUTSTANDING PANORAMIC MARSH VIEWS, 10 minute bike ride to Harbour Town or the beach, neighborhood pool and tennis courts, are some of the reasons you will love calling 21 Spartina Crescent home. This 3 bedroom 3 bath home has many updates including new windows and doors, new deck and entry porch. Open great room/ dining, a large 2nd floor family room. Updated master bath, two car garage with extra storage and a stair chair lift to 1st and 2nd floor decks. One of the largest homesites in Spartina Cresent. $1,195,000

OCEAN VIEW, LAGOON/GOLF VIEW, short distance to the Beach and the site of the new Port Royal Beach Club. Outstanding open floor plan. 4 Bedroom, 4.5 Baths. 2 master suites, first and second floor and each have outstanding views. Large 2nd floor ocean view deck, private pool, sea wall along the lagoon, 2-car garage and expansive amount of storage areas. Perfect as a primary residence or a lock and leave 2nd home. 21 Fairway Winds is ready for you to add your personal touches to make it yours. Location – View – and Open Floor Plan. $895,000

12 BALDWIN LANE

16 KINGSTON COVE – SHIPYARD

121 BEACHWALK

11 BEACH ARBOR

RELAX on covered rear terrace viewing the golfers putt on Indigo Run’s Golden Bear 6th green or drive the 7th. Cul-de-sac setting with extra privacy from the lagoon and wetland. Stucco, 3 bedroom plus den, 3 full bath home with smooth ceilings, bright and open great room / split bedroom floor plan. $517,000

SHORT DISTANCE TO THE BEACH – Great 2nd home, short term rental or a home for full time living. 3 Bedroom, 3 Full Baths, updated kitchen, fireplace and covered parking underneath.

Enjoy sitting on the screen porch watching the bird activity in the lagoon. $398,500

STEPS TO THE BEACH, Sonesta and Van Der Meer Tennis. 2nd floor wraparound deck for outdoor enjoyment. Smooth ceilings, wood floors & granite tops. Fully appointed with 65” flat screen, Tempur-Pedic king, down to the Keurig. Fireplace, Jacuzzi and more. Closest Shipyard Villa to the Beach.

A five-star rental machine. $260,000

IMAGINE you own a place at the Beach – right in the heart of Forest Beach – steps to the ocean and Coligny Plaza. 2 bedroom 3 bath villa with decks overlooking private courtyard and complex pool. New appliances and HVAC. Great Rental, 2nd home or Island Lifestyle living home.

822 WIREGRASS WAY

56 STATION LOOP

8 BROADLAND

LOWCOUNTRY HOMESITES HILTON HEAD PLANTATION 7 ANGLERS POND CT. LAGOON VIEW $168,500 18 CHINA COCKLE LANE 2ND ROW SOUND $189,500 15 SEABROOK LANDING 1.2 ACRE SKULL CREEK VIEW $325,000

WHY WAIT TO BUILD? 2014 home with almost 2,500 sq. ft., 3 bedroom plus flex room, oversized garage, fenced yard, screened porch and many upgrades! Hilton Head Lakes is a private gated community with sweeping lake front vistas and Tommy Fazio designed golf course. $369,000

SPACIOUS AND BRIGHT, this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home is located in popular Lawton Station and features almost 2,500 SF. A more traditional floor plan with all bedrooms and laundry on 2nd floor, this home’s many pluses include wood floors, backsplash in kitchen and a large, fenced yard. $339,900

WELL MAINTAINED, 3 BR 2BA split bedroom home located in the Willows. Features updated kitchen and guest bath, newer floors, newer HVAC and water heater and newer appliances, ceiling fans throughout and patio. 2-car garage. Located to dining, shopping and entertainment centers. River Ridge Academy and May River School District. $216,000

BLUFFTON 16 BARTONS RUN DR $189,000 38 BARTONS RUN DR $185,000 HILTON HEAD LAKES 966 WIREGRASS WAY $69,900 242 TOPSIDE W $104,900

#1 Ranked Real Estate Company in The Lowcountry

Andy Reed

Hilton Head Realtor Since 1997

Charlie Reed

Hilton Head Realtor Since 1980

Rich Reed

Hilton Head Realtor Since 2001

Tom Reed

Hilton Head Realtor Since 2000

Real Experience.

19 Pheasant Run | Hilton Head Plantation

295 Turnberry Village Villa | Palmetto Dunes

44 Yorkshire Drive | Wexford

Golf Views - 3 Bedroom - 3 Bath MLS# 359485 | $649,000

Golf Views - 2 Bedroom - 2 Bath MLS #359626 | $357,000

Golf / Lagoon View - 5 Bedroom - 5.5 Bath MLS #351584 | $1,099,000

29 Oglethorpe Lane | Palmetto Hall

19 Jacana Street | Forest Beach

275 Long Cove Drive | Long Cove

Golf Views - 4 Bedroom - 3.5 Bath MLS #351206 | $638,900

4th Row - 5 Bedroom - 3 Bath MLS #352475 | $999,000

Lagoon View - 4 Bedrooms - 4 Bath MLS #354921 | $585,000

314 Fort Howell Drive | Palmetto Hall

3 Ensis Road | Port Royal Plantation

9 Rice Lane | Sea Pines

Golf View - 5 Bedroom - 3.5 Bath MLS #359344 | $619,000

6th Row - 3 Bedroom - 2 Bath MLS #342661 | $447,500

Lagoon View - 3 Bedroom - 2.5 Bath MLS #356562 | $489,000

Info@ExploreHHI.com | 843.686.9526 www.ExploreHHI.com

T

R

T

he eed eam is a family owned partnership within Charter One Realty that specializes in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton real estate sales. Consistently ranking in the top 1% in local real estate sales, The Reed Team’s real estate business focuses on oceanfront, oceanside, luxury and golf community properties.

Reed Team

left to right: Lisa Fleming, Carri Fuge, Andy Reed, Charlie Reed, Tom Reed, Richard Reed, Mary Aiana, Anne Wilson

Having more than 100 years of combined local real estate experience, The Reed Team applies unparalleled competence, professionalism and innovation to their clients’ real estate goals - delivering real experience and real results.

Real Results.

14 Rice Mill Lane | Long Cove

2114 Windsor Place II Villas | Palmetto Dunes

3 Charlesfort Place | Hilton Head Plantation

Golf Views - 4 Bedroom - 4 Bath MLS #356340 | $669,000

Oceanfront - 1 Bedroom - 2 Bath MLS #353916 | $465,000

Port Royal Sound View - Waterfront - 4 Bedroom - 4.5 Bath MLS #350866 | $2,700,000

8 Oak Point Landing | Long Cove | Broad Creek View

9 Catboat | Palmetto Dunes | Oceanfront

Gorgeous home with an office/library off the master bedroom and an open kitchen/family room with lovely water views. There is a 3-car garage, an elevator, a private pool/spa and an incredible media room or 5th bedroom. Scenic Broad Creek views. Prepare to be impressed!

4 Bedroom - 5.5 Bath | MLS #354310 | $1,849,000

Named “Sea Castle” this spacious oceanfront home provides outstanding views and two open living areas for a great family or group vacation. Features 2 master bedrooms a private walkway to ocean as well as a private heated swimming pool. Excellent for primary, secondary, or rental property.

5 Bedroom - 5 Bath - 3 Half Bath | MLS #359308 | $4,299,000

Make the right move - whether you are buying or selling, call us today!

#1 Ranked Real Estate Company in The Lowcountry

SEA PINES REAL ESTATE AT THE BEACH CLUB 847 KETCH COURT – SEA PINES

208-A HILTON HEAD BEACH & TENNIS - FOLLY FIELD

7 BLACK DUCK ROAD – SEA PINES

Beautiful studio villa with gorgeous views of the Harbour Town Lighthouse and Calibogue Sound. Just steps to your boat, the shops and restaurants of Harbour Town, and the Harbour Town Golf Links.

MLS #359591 $229,000

What an ocean view! Don’t miss this one! All updated and ready to go.

Top of the line appliances and furniture. This can rent for 250 dollars to 275 dollars a night in season. The tennis courts, huge ocean front community pool and beach bar are beautiful.

MLS #359185 $179,000

Stylish contemporary beach house features a Bosch appointed kitchen, a bright open living and dining area that’s ideal for entertaining. Relax in the recreational level that includes game room and bar.

MLS #354405 $3,195,000

Jeannie Lawrence 843.816.2275

Mary Pracht 843.298.1715

48 SHELL RING ROAD – SEA PINES

345 GREENWOOD GARDEN – SEA PINES

181 TWIN OAKS - SEA PINES

Private setting with 3 bedrooms 3 baths. Granite and updated kitchen. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, crown molding. Master bath has jacuzzi tub and spa shower. Master bedroom large walk in closet. Bonus room over the garage. 2 car garage.

MLS #357522 $669,000

Completely remodeled in 2014. Wonderful interior courtyard and back deck looks over the Pete Dye Heron Point golf course.

Granite throughout, with updated floors. 3 bedrooms 3 baths.

Pine plank wood ceilings. Community pool redone in 2014.

MLS #350478 $510,000

Renovated and designer decorated 3 BR/3 BA villa furnished with French & Swedish Antiques. Fantastic views of Harbour Town golf course 10th & 16th holes and Calibogue Sound View. All bathrooms completely renovated. Walk to Harbour Town, bike to the beach.

MLS #337961 $799,000

4 TWIN PINES ROAD – SEA PINES

2003 TURTLE LANE – SEA PINES

28 TWIN PINES ROAD – SEA PINES

Totally rebuilt 5 BR, 5.5 BA floor plan with upgrades. Minutes from Harbour Town. Gourmet kitchen, high end appliances, dining room, office, great room, 2nd living room, master suite plus 4 bedrooms with their own private baths. Super view of Heron Pointe.

MLS #355359 $1,399,000

3 BR, 3 BA Oceanfront “End Unit.”Granite in beautiful white & stainless kitchen. Largest 3 BR floorplan with custom wall treatments.

Fabulous master bath and guest baths, tile floors and total privacy with oceanfront views. Private gated enclave with 2 pools.

MLS #357036 $1,749,000

Looking for a home with lots of natural light, an open floor plan, and park-like setting? With golf views in the back and open space in the front, this 3 bedroom, 2.5 custom built home offers easy living on a great residential street.

MLS #356455 $639,000

Tommy Austin 843.384.7033

Pete Rebish 843.290.0998

Wendy Corbitt 843.816.2672

Jeannie Lawrence

Mary Pracht

Jeff Hall

Tommy Austin

Pete Rebish

Wendy Corbitt

WWW.

BEACHCLUBREALESTATE .COM

9 TRIMBLESTONE LANE – LONG COVE

523 PLANTATION CLUB – SEA PINES

107 KNIGHTSBRIDGE ROAD – WOODBRIDGE

Exceptional lot with one of the largest building envelopes in Long Cove. Enjoy view of 4th hole of The Pete Dye designed golf course.

Amenities include golf, tennis, swimming, boating, gardening, dining & social life. Seller will pay the entire 2017 annual assessment.

MLS #352856 $139,900

Beautiful villa with a dynamite long Heron Point Golf View from your balcony. Recently totally updated with new kitchen (granite, stainless & floors) new baths, new appliances, new floors, new furniture & new paint. Move-in-ready to enjoy.

MLS #352357 $335,009

Lovely 3 BR, fenced yard home with cathedral ceilings, separate dining room, breakfast room, Carolina room. Updated with plantation shutters, handsome light fixtures and new floors. Features 2 car garage fronting quiet cul-de-sac with pretty park in middle. Room for boats and RV’s.

MLS #357811 $264,900

Wendy Corbitt 843.816.2672

Nancy Cunningham 843.683.4580

Nancy Cunningham 843.683.4580

24 WINDJAMMER COURT – SEA PINES

2248 HERITAGE VILLA – SEA PINES

294 STONEY CREEK – SEA PINES

Heart-of-Harbour Town Home! Features High clerestory windows, liv. rm. with wood-burning fireplace, surround sound, 4 en-suite bdrms, huge Brazilian Ipe deck overlooking lagoon & very secluded pool, w/changing cabana and bath. Lush landscaping.

MLS #359592 $895,000 Nancy Cunningham 843.683.4580 & Tom Schmierer 609.647.9324

Excellent condition 2 BR, 2.5 BA large Townhouse with ideal location near pool. Recently updated bathrooms and kitchen with new refrigerator and dishwasher. Beautifully furnished, Excellent rental income, Light and airy and a Pleasure to show!

MLS #356006 $357,000

Well priced 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath excellent condition rental villa with updated kitchen, new AC and private wooded view. Strong rental history with Sea Pines, huge pool on site and walk to new amenities of Harbour Town!

MLS #354158 $389,000

Bill Buryk 843.422.4431

Bill Buryk 843.422.4431

51 WOODBINE VILLA – SEA PINES

9 GREENWOOD COURT – SEA PINES

8 PLANTERS WOOD DRIVE – SEA PINES

Close to the ocean & completely redone! 2 BR/2BA single level, open floor plan, Carolina room, smooth ceilings, kitchen w/ gorgeous granite & stainless appliances. Private courtyard w/views of the 12th green.

MLS #359026 $387,500

5 bedroom, 5 1/2 bath ocean home in a private cul-de-sac. Redone stone bathrooms, granite and stainless steel appliance kitchen, huge screen porch, high ceilings, many living areas, new paver circular driveway and outdoor pool and spa patio plus new fire pit.

MLS #353804 $1,449,000

Custom home on 2 lots with golf and lagoon views. Features a great room with high ceilings and fireplace, dining room, den, gourmet eat-in kitchen, and master bedroom on the first floor.The second floor features bedrooms and a family room with kitchenette. Two car garage.

MLS #355296 $1,739,000

Lynne Anderson 843.384.5426

Rob Reichel 843.384.6789

Rob Reichel 843.384.6789

RECIPIENTS OF 2016 PRESIDENT’S CUP

BEST IN THE LOWCOUNTRY SINCE 1957

Nancy Cunningham

Tom Schmierer

Bill Buryk

Lynne Anderson

SEA PINES REAL ESTATE AT THE BEACH CLUB 11 BEACHSIDE DRIVE – SEA PINES

21 PINE ISLAND ROAD – SEA PINES

38 BATTERY ROAD – SEA PINES

Updated 4 bedroom, 4 bath high ceilings Beach home with views to the ocean and easy walk to the beach. Granite kitchen with stainless appliances. Large screen porch plus 2 car carport with much storage and community pool. Walk to all that South Beach offers.

MLS #339813 $969,000

Charleston type gated brick courtyard entry. Interior Architects marsh front sun filled 3 BR (possibly 4) 3.5 BA cathedral-ed ceiling home with walls of glass and 3 fireplaces (one outside). Big screened porch and deck. High ceilings, huge master suite.

MLS #359471 $1,329,000

Located at the end of a quiet private cul-de-sac, a short walk or bike ride to the beach. Open floor plan 3BR 3Bath home with 2 master BR in renovated condition. Bedrooms are spacious and separation gives privacy.

Two seating sections, large dining area is ideal for family get together.

MLS #358909 $749,000

Rob Reichel 843.384.6789

Rob Reichel 843.384.6789

Rob Reichel 843.384.6789

2225 HERITAGE VILLA – SEA PINES

1855 BEACHSIDE TENNIS – SEA PINES

376 MOUNT PELIA RD – BLUFFTON

Perfect location on Harbour Town links #1. Front row seating for the Heritage Golf Tournament. Totally upgraded and in turnkey condition.

Easy walk to Harbour Town and all the amenities or hop on a tram and head to the beach. Great renovations...must see to appreciate.

MLS #352105 $379,000

Great view of the sound & pool from this bright villa. Large wrap around deck or private balcony off the master bedroom. Features raised ceiling, built-in bookcase and walk in closets. End unit on second floor accessible to steps for quick access.

MLS #351247 $769,900

Your own heated pool plus so much more in this classic, custombuilt 4 Br, 4 Ba three story (with elevator) home located in Wilson Village. Wrap-around covered porches complete this Southern oneof-a-kind beauty...too much to mention, must see to appreciate MLS #341819 $2,399,000 (F)

Nancy Love 843.290.3069

Nancy Love 843.290.3069

Barbra Finer 843.384.7314

305-C HILTON HEAD BEACH & TENNIS - FOLLY FIELD

RECIPIENTS OF 2016 PRESIDENT’S CUP Sea Pines Real Estate at The Beach Club was awarded the 2016 President’s Cup at the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors’ annual Membership Luncheon held at the Country Club of Hilton Head. The President’s Cup is the association’s highest honor and recognizes one brokerage that has actively shown a commitment to the association and that exemplifies the Realtor code of ethics.

Sea Pines Real Estate at The Beach Club participates on committees, takes leadership positions including the board of directors, and is dedicated to the betterment of the real estate industry.

Open floor plan. The walls in the bedroom feature a wood like tile for warmth and sound buffering. Contemporary furniture throughout which compliments the upscale kitchen and bathroom with a walk in tiled shower. Ocean view and a private landscape view.

MLS #356619 $165,000

Mary Pracht 843.298.1715

WWW.BEACHCLUBREALESTATE.COM

BEST IN THE LOWCOUNTRY SINCE 1957 Rob Reichel

Nancy Love

Barbra Finer

Her professional and personal philosophy:

“Acta non verba” — “Action not words”

Christina Forbis

Realtor | Broker christina@christinaforbis.com www.christinaforbis.com

843.301.7339

Christina’s Real Estate carreer is based on cultivating lasting client relationships - with a vision driven by Community Connections...Client Commitments.

This spans beyond prospective buyers and sellers.

Christina maintains powerful relationships throughout the industry with other top realtors, attorneys, home inspectors, contractors and service providers to ensure her clients receive the best of everything!

25 Ocean Point Place

41 Scarborough Head Road

ONE-OF-A-KIND 2ND ROW OCEAN PORT ROYAL

CLOSE TO THE BEACH IN PORT ROYAL

$1,199,000 4BR/4 Full BA/2 Half BA 3,842 sq. ft.

Private Courtyard View

$649,000 4BR/2 Full BA/2 Half BA 3,100 sq. ft.

Tranquil Golf View

9 Dahlgren Lane

7 Century Drive

8 Sally Port Road

REMODELED & CLOSE TO BEACH IN PORT ROYAL

METICULOUSLY CARED FOR AND RECENT UPDATES IN PORT ROYAL

18TH FAIRWAY IN PORT ROYAL

$549,000 3BR/2.5BA 3,016 sq. ft.

Golf View

$549,000 4BR/3BA 3,005 sq. ft.

Spectacular Golf and Sunset View

3 Bertram Place

ROOM FOR A POOL IN PORT ROYAL

$599,000 4BR/3BA 2,957 sq. ft.

Golf View

$484,000 4BR/3BA 2,224 sq. ft.

Private Deck and Patio

Community Connections...Client Commitments Buying or Selling? Call Christina Today!

CHARTER ONE REALTY The One to Turn to for All Your Real Estate Needs

#1 Ranked Real Estate Company in The Lowcountry OLDFIELD

OLDFIELD

WEXFORD

OLDFIELD

33 OLD OAK ROAD $1,495,000 • MLS#356447

15 PONDHAWK ROAD $979,000 • MLS#358975

25 WEXFORD CIRCLE $895,000 • MLS#359087

1 IVANHOE CIRCLE $895,000 • MLS#357161

Fantastic views from the front and back of this classic Lowcountry Oldfield home. Wonderful marsh & river views from your rear porch & panoramic views of the 17th fairway from your front porch.

Quite possibly the most unique and versatile home in Oldfield. The views over the beautiful pool and across Big Arrowhead Lake are incredible and the sunsets are magnificent. This is a must see home.

This 4000 sf character-filled home has panoramic views of Wexford’s private golf course. Heart Pine and brick flooring, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 3-car side entry garage with parking courtyard, & in-law suite.

When you think of Oldfield Style and quality, this home passes all the tests.

Absolutely immaculate condition and move in ready. If there was ever a must see in Oldfield, this is the one.

DEREK HOLLAND

DEREK HOLLAND

843.290.0273 | DerekHolland@CharterOneRealty.com

843.290.0273 | DerekHolland@CharterOneRealty.com

LONG COVE

INDIGO RUN

SEA PINES

SEA PINES

10 DUCK FIELD ROAD $849,000 • MLS#351333

602 COLONIAL DRIVE $799,000 • MLS#354630

11 GUNNERY LANE $799,000 • MLS#354250

117 CLUB COURSE DRIVE $769,900 • MLS#356050

4 BR, 4 BA. Walk to the community docks from this lagoon view location at the end of a cul-de-sac street.

Immaculate open-concept home with contemporary features and an abundance of natural light.

RYAN BASSETT

843.338.2120 | ryan@ryanbassett.com

5 BR, 4.5 BA, plus office & large bonus room w/ balcony overlooking the 13th hole of The Golf Club at Indigo Run. Approximately 5000 square feet and impeccably maintained.

RYAN BASSETT

843.338.2120 | ryan@ryanbassett.com

ROSE HILL, GOLF SIDE

LONG COVE

RYAN BASSETT

843.338.2120 | ryan@ryanbassett.com

DEREK HOLLAND 843.290.0273 | DerekHolland@CharterOneRealty.com

Walk or bike to the beach from this Sea Pines pool home with 4 bedrooms (6 possible sleeping areas), 5.5 baths, and 2 large living areas. Light and bright with high vaulted ceilings, window walls, and skylights.

RYAN BASSETT

843.338.2120 | ryan@ryanbassett.com

Open floor plan,1st floor master, 2 guest bedrooms w/their own baths, heart pine floors, pool/spa, spacious rear patio, oversized 2 car garage, almost 3000 sq ft w/ bonus room & paver driveway.

ENID ANDERSON

843.368.5353 | enidanderson@gmail.com

SUN CITY

FOREST BEACH

29 PINCKNEY DRIVE $379,900 • MLS#357153

4D XANADU VILLAS $234,900 • MLS#359423

UNDER CONTRACT

26 GREENWOOD DRIVE $429,000 • MLS#359124

1 COTTON HALL LANE $629,000 • MLS#353774 Over 3,500 sq ft with open floor plan.

New custom chef’s kitchen, hardwood floors, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, bonus room, 2-story great room overlooking private pool situated on a lagoon view lot.

DENNIS PUCKEY

843.683.6779 | dennispuckey@aol.com

This lovely well-built home has had a total makeover, with an all new extra-large kitchen and sitting area, ss appliances, wine cooler, hardwood floors, Silestone countertops, and 40” cherry cabinets

HOLLY SNYDER

843.384.7534 | Holly@SoldOnBluffton.com

This unit has new tile floors, bathrooms & kitchen. Largest 2 BR floor plan & offered fully furnished.

Turn key ready for long or short term rentals. Easy access to pool, tennis courts, & beach.

This 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home has been completely redone. House has bullnose corners, crown molding, fireplace, laundry room, 2 car garage & 13x15 enclosed porch with heating and air & tile floor.

DENNIS PUCKEY

843.683.6779 | dennispuckey@aol.com

RICH MURRAY

843.209.4960 | richmurray@charteronerealty.com

You’re Never far from ONE of our 10 Charter One Realty Offices ...

Throughout Hilton Head Island & the Lowcountry, We’re the ONE You Can Turn to for All of Your Real Estate Needs

www.CharterOneRealty.com | Toll Free 844.526.0002 An international Network of Brokers Representing Luxury Properties Worldwide

Rick helped 90 families in 2016 with their real estate needs

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

6 Marsh Owl Ct. Great value on

this 3 BD + Carolina Room + loft area that has natural light throughout and gorgeous lake views. Open eat in kitchen to family room area extends into Carolina Room. Close to bike/leisure trails, Spring Lake Pool & Rec area, and Dolphin Head. This home even boasts a large 1st floor master BR. Location is everything and this has it ten fold! Great value at $489,900.

OFF PLANTATION HOME

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

7 Bob Cat Ln. Gorgeous curb appeal and superb location near the sound, bike path and Dolphin Head Golf Course. Combining beautiful golf and lagoon views, but keeping its privacy.

This newer 2000 custom built 3 BD & bonus room has gorgeous features: Open kitchen to family room, wood and tile flooring, custom molding and 1st floor master BD/BA. Plus space to add BDs/BAs/media room. $665,000.

SEA PINES

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

20 China Cockle Ln. 2nd row corner

home steps to Port Royal Sound. Nearly 4,000 sq. ft. w/enclosed lanai and pool w/ bar, leading to the living area. Open concept kitchen to family room w/ SS appliances & gas range. Features include new crown molding and fixtures, fans & hardware, and hardwood floors. Prep kitchen, 2 fireplaces and BD/BA upstairs w/kitchenette! This home has it all and priced to move at $749,000. Jan 2017 Appraisal $975K.

OFF PLANTATION HOME

32 Peregrine Dr. Stunning 4 BD home

w/ wrap around covered deck. Renovated kitchen w/ granite counter tops & SS appliances, wood flooring on main level & downstairs. Features include crown molding, updated fixtures, gas fireplace, tons of storage, good size BDs & large master BD/BA & 2-car garage. Located in the gated community of Peregrine Pointe w/ community dock overlooking Broad Creek – great for kayaking, fishing & viewing the Shelter Cove Fireworks all summer long. $349,000.

BUILD YOUR OWN

34 Pearl Leaf Ln. - Hilton Head Plantation Excellent opportunity to purchase

a golf view lot in Oyster Reef Crossing subdivision, on a cul de sac, well treed with privacy and views. Sellers have plans to build a beautiful home specifically designed for this lot they are willing to include with an acceptable offer. Building is back in our area and as the inventory for resale continues to decline, lot prices will be on the rise! Tree & Topo Survey included all for $129,500.

20 Otter Rd. Beautiful custom home, 8 Ansley Ct. Situated all on one level, this 3 BR home with 2 car garage has been updated to the hills. One of the nicest master bathrooms that you will ever see, gorgeous mahogany wood and travertine flooring, eat in kitchen with custom cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a Carolina room. Too many features to list! Large fenced-in yard w/storage shed too. $384,500.

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private gated courtyard with all new Spanish tile. This 4BD, 3BA (1 BD/ BA on 1st floor) home has many new updated features including hardwood floors, custom designer paint, updated bathrooms, smooth ceilings, spray foam insulation. Front and backyard grass and fire pit. Professional landscaping and an outdoor shower. Plus a beach locker at Tower Beach will covey to new owners, all for $427,500.

25 Mossy Oaks Ln. - The Crosswinds Deep water views on the Broad Creek in this hidden gem of a community. With only 64 total properties, Crosswinds is a gated community w/day dock, community pool and stunning Charleston style homes architecture throughout. Stunning sunsets and majestic sunrises await you to build your future dream home on the perfect lot for $224,900!

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

4454 Bluffton Pkwy. Priced well below the market for a quick sale. Approx.

3,000 sq. ft. total w/four offices, large main show room or conference area, two handicap accessible rest rooms and a complete kitchen area. Everything situated on one level with plenty of parking. This space has so many uses for nearly every type of business, nonprofits and more. Great location near downtown Bluffton, just off the Parkway. Spaces this size do not last long on the market, not at $249,000.

Rick was there to help in every aspect of the sale, from preparing property for showing to communicating with other agents to make certain that all the unique features where emphasized. His knowledge of the local market, recent comp sales, and local contractors for when a problem had to be addressed quickly, is unparalleled.

Len and Suzanne, Hilton Head Island - Friends and Clients since 2009

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Rick Saba

Carolina Realty Group (843) 683-4701 Rick@TheBestAddressinTown.com www.RickSaba.com

2009 Realtor® of the Year Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors® 2005 President Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors®

Would you like to get AUTO ALERTS on ANY COMMUNITY OR VILLA COMPLEX? Please call (843) 683-4701 or email me today: Rick@TheBestAddressinTown.com

Follow me on the web and on Facebook & Twitter.

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Betty Hemphill (c) 843-384-2919 www.bettyhemphill.com betty@bettyhemphill.com

Selling Island-wide for Over 25 Years with Over $250 Million Sold!

Ingrid Low

(o) 843-686-6460 (c) 843-384-7095 www.ingridlow.com ingrid@ingridlow.com

Selling Island-wide for Over 29 Years with Over $245 Million Sold!

Ann Webster

(o) 843-686-2523 (c) 843-384-5338 www.annwebster.com ann@annwebster.com

Selling Island-wide for Over 34 Years with Over $250 Million Sold!

1911 SOUTH BEACH CLUB – SEA PINES – Incredible panoramic view from this 2nd floor 3 BR, 2.5 BA villa in SBC, West Atrium. Private boardwalk to pool and beach. Secure building with renovated lobby, elevator, parking garage and storage.

Very well maintained, kitchen remodeled w. built-in credenza. Gas FP, wet bar, 2 balconies, 10’ ceilings, laundry room, charming foyer. $795,000 F.

35 N. CALIBOGUE CAY — Enjoy sunsets and DEEP WATER views over the Calibogue Sound from this stunning setting. A rare opportunity to build the house of your dreams on this secluded Sea Pines peninsula. $1,695,000

30 GULL POINT ROAD IN SEA PINES — Great opportunity to be part of Gull Pt Assn with marina, kayak racks, Har-Tru tennis courts, children’s playground and less than a mile to the beach. Terrific marsh views! 2 car carport, 14 ft elev. Priced at lot value. $975,000

20 WINDJAMMER COURT - SEA PINES - Unique “Low Country” style home on Lagoon in HT. WALK to Golf /Tennis /new Club House. 4 BR/3½ BA, PLUS office/study. Elaborate Master suite downstairs. Never rented. Pristine condition. FP, pool, fenced area for pets. Ideal primary or 2nd home, or great rental. $745,000 UNF

1468 SOUND VILLA — Enjoy beautiful Calibogue Sound views from the deck of this 4 BR South Beach home. This home has been refurbished and includes a family room, fireplace, updated kitchen and baths, 1 car garage. $995,000 furnished

370 LONG COVE DRIVE — Just remodeled 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with

4 CLUB COURSE LANE – SEA PINES – Charming 3 BR/2BA home facing Newhall Preserve. Approx. 2388 s.ft. High and vaulted ceilings throughout. Lovely sun room. Fireplace. All on one floor. Large deck, spacious dining room. 2-car garage. $419,000

21 OAKMAN BRANCH — LONG COVE CLUB One of the last exceptional lots available in Long Cove Club. Views of the 12th green out to the Broad Creek. Private gated golf community with first class amenities including boat dockage. $350,000

13 PENDER LANE – SEA PINES – Turnkey beach home with 3 BD/2 BA and private back yard. Refurbished in 2015. $399,000 furnished.

4 PINTAIL — SEA PINES – Beautifully updated 3 BR South Beach home; private heated pool, screened porch, lagoon view, 4th row beach house. $699,000 furn.

R T! DE AC UNNTR CO

40 BAYNARD PARK RD. — Handsome contemporary 3 br plus office, 3 1/2 ba with remodeled kitchen and baths, high vaulted smooth ceilings, 2 car garage, large year round indoor pool, multiple decks and loads of light. Views of Harbour Town 14th green and across Baynard Park to Calibogue Sound. Great opportunity to be in this sought after neighborhood! $1,250,000.

sunset views over lagoon and 2nd fairway of top ranked Pete Dye Course in Long Cove Club with private marina, heated pool, tennis, golf and new clubhouse. Handsome curb appeal, wood floors, granite and stainless. $788,500

891 KETCH COURT – SEA PINES — Extensive remodel with smooth ceilings, new cabinets, baths, kitchen, furniture this 3 bedroom/3 bath townhome is on the top two floors of the mid rise building.

Great rental history, turn key condition. $359,000 Furnished.

Bill True, Christina Galbreath-Gonzalez, Mary Lou Haraburd, Lisa Medford, Nancy Presley, Chris Walker, David Gerwels, Felice LaMarca, Joe Homa, John McMahon, Roni Kincaid, Chuck Chasar, GT Taylor, Susie Boehm, Randy Smith

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See all of Drew’s listings at DrewButler.com.

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1. 2 Chantilly Lane . Indigo Run $599,000 Built in 2014 - Like New 2. 75 Tucker Ridge $454,000 Open feel, great room with 20 ft ceiling 3. 631 Colonial Drive . The Golf Club at Indigo Run $739,000 Brand New - Completion April 2017 4. 150 Belfair Oaks Blvd . Belfair $599,000 Best SqFt Value - On Golf Course in Belfair

hiltonheadmonthly.com

5. 126 Wedgefield Drive . Indigo Run (Golden Bear) $659,000 Upgraded and Panoramic Golf Views 6. 5 McGuire Court . Palmetto Hall $579,000 Quiet Cul De Sac - Awesome Family Home 7. 58 S Port Royal Drive . Port Royal $849,000 Walk to the Beach - Estate Sale 8. 23 Sedge Fern Drive . Palmetto Hall $749,000 Screened in pool and hot tub - Quality construction

March 2017 196

A Realtor Who Is More Than Just A Marketing Campaign!

Top Listing and/or Selling Agent 31 out of 38 Years with Dunes Real Estate

THE KEN OLIVER WAY Staying current with industry trends is second nature to Ken Oliver. He understands that over 95% of today’s clients are high-tech savvy and often use the Internet for their initial home search. So after you’ve done your homework, there’s Ken Oliver to step in and take over with his A+ real estate game. Yes, you get the smart

online and offline marketing campaigns, that’s a given.

But you get even more with Ken the person, who listens, strategizes and skillfully guides buyers and sellers to meaningful sales results with comfortable ease. Not because it’s his job, it’s his privilege. Why wait? Call Ken today.

You’ll be glad you did!

PALMETTO HALL

For more information text 4209128 to 843-547-0131

3 McGuire Ct. Straight out of Architectural Digest!

Fabulous family home featuring 5 BR’s / 4.5 BA’s, reclaimed hardwood throughout, huge gourmet kitchen, custom cabinetry with granite,1st floor master suite with spacious bath, all leading out to private porch & heated pool. Two staircases lead upstairs to more living space w/ 3 bedroom suites, 2 media rooms/ offices, and more. This home cannot be replicated for asking price. $849,000

PALMETTO HALL

For more information text 4112866 to 843-547-0131

250 Fort Howell Dr. Meticulously maintained 3 BR/2.5 BA plus large multi-purpose bonus room, 3-car garage, large circular drive, large screened-in porch & multiple decks. This home is filled with natural light with walls of glass to enhance your golf views, 2-sided gas log fireplace, hardwood floors, open eat-in kitchen & family room and large master suite. $424,500

PALMETTO DUNES

For more information text 4209103 to 843-547-0131

3506 Windsor Court South Top Floor Penthouse with Big Ocean Views! Unique end unit featuring 2 large private oceanfront balconies. Fabulous views from every room. Beautifully updated throughout, granite kitchen counter tops & breakfast bar. Master and guest bathrooms are totally updated. Master bath has huge glass block walk-in shower. Very cool & very beachy villa.

A must see! $775,000

Ken’s 2016 Honors

SHELTER COVE

• Dunes Real Estate's Listing Agent of the Year, 2016 • Dunes Real Estate's Selling Agent of the Year, 2016 • Dunes Real Estate's Top Producer, 2016 • Top Listing and/or Selling Agent 31 out of 38 Years for Dunes Real Estate • 38 Years of Stability/Knowledge/ 843.816.0167 cell Experience with Dunes Real Estate 843.842.0816 office • 40-Year Island Resident 866.842.0816 toll-free

866-319-0687 fax Ken-Oliver.com Ken@Ken-Oliver.com

For more information text 4133467 to 843-547-0131

7447 Anchorage Villa Impeccably maintained, never rented & highly sought after 1st floor location w/elongated lagoon views. Kitchen w/cocktail pass through, living room, dining room, breakfast bar…all w/big water views! Fabulous pool/spa complex with loads of sun decking. Located in Shelter Cove Harbour w/restaurants, shopping, dining, arts center, fishing, kayaking, and access to all Palmetto Dunes amenities & beach. $265,000

CARROLL & DAYTON

David Carroll Cell 843.384.8111 Tracy Dayton Cell 843.686.4000 NORTH FOREST BEACH

PORT ROYAL PLANTATION

PALMETTO DUNES RESORT

UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

15 GANNETT STREET

Brand New Beach Home located 4th row to the Ocean! Superior construction & craftsmanship. Finishes, trim & details exceed expectations. 7 BR, 6.5 BA. Open kitchen to great room, plus a 2nd floor family room or bonus room. Private heated pool, with hot tub, lanai, 4 car garage, plus abundant storage and play areas. Paver drive and patios. Ocean views from several rooms. Fully Designer furnished.

Rental projections of $150K. Rentals starting to book for 2017, instant cash flow. Net Rental Guarantee also available. $1,895,000

INDIGO RUN GOLF CLUB

23 COTESWORTH PLACE

10 EVERGLADE PLACE

46 HAUL AWAY

PORT ROYAL PLANTATION

3 RAMPART LANE

Walk to the Beach! Builders personal home!

Amazing upgrades + renovations. Euro-style kitchen with Wolf Ovens & gas cooktop, quartz counters, Bazzeo cabinets, breakfast bar & dining area all open to Family Room.

5Br + Loft + 4 FULL BA. Master Wing with game room, office, family room, library.

4-car garage. Breathtaking views and sunsets! $1,295,000

Breathtaking wide views of lagoon with seawall and dock. Meticulously maintained gardens with abundant outdoor entertainment areas, pool & hot tub. 4 BR, 3 BA with hickory handscraped flooring, tile and carpet in bedrooms.

Close proximity to beach. A great home for rental. $995,000

Truly a one-of-a-kind home! Inverted floorplan with magnificent views across Fish Haul Creek and sunsets over the marsh with an astounding pool environment. 3 BR, 3 BA, ultimate woodwork, antique stair banisters, Heart Pine and Saltillo floors, granite countertops, cherry cabinets and much more. Observatory on 3rd floor. Full heated and cooled basement. $799,000

PALMETTO DUNES RESORT

LONG COVE CLUB

HAMPTON LAKES

2418 VILLAMARE

6 COTTON HALL LANE

37 GREEN TRAIL COURT

Quality constructed by H2 Builders, finest finishes, trim, detail & accessories. Travertine & Birch Floors, soaring ceilings & abundant natural light. 5 or 6BR (if needed), 4.5 BA. Living room w/ fireplace, formal dining room. Grand center island kitchen opens to casual dining and family room. Elegant Master Suite. Overlooking private pool and out to the 16th Fairway at The Golf Club.

In law, teenager or guest suite on 2nd floor. $779,000

Turn Key! Designer remodel top to bottom in 2016. 2 BR/2 BA. New Kitchen with Quartz countertops, Shaker cabinets, S/S appliances. Crown molding, smooth ceilings.

New furniture, mattresses, bedding, TVs, etc. Oceanfront complex. So many updates it will make your head spin. Outstanding rentals. Buy now and enjoy the rental income! $649,000

Rock solid built, custom home with long and wide lagoon view, cul de sac location in Long Cove Club. Elegant entry into living room, and dining room, kitchen has eat in area and opens to family room. Office or 5th bedroom on main floor with full bath. Master Bedroom festures 2 walk in closets, large double vanity, separate shower and large soaking garden tub. 2nd floor has two ensuite bedrooms, walk in storage PLUS heated and cooled artist studio or playroom. Also bonus room above garage with full bath. $599,000

Amazing New Home! 4BR, 4 FULL BA with 3,880 HSF. Significant upgrades including gas range, gas fireplace, custom ceiling fans throughout + custom audio/speaker system.

Stunning Kitchen, Great Room Architecture, Large Bonus|Media Room. Screened Porch.

Custom pavers on driveway, patio and porch.

Builders Warranty in place. Come live this incredible lifestyle! Home was just completed in Feb. 2016, barely used, step right into a new home with no hassle! $589,999

PALMETTO DUNES RESORT

THE CRESCENT

BRADLEY BEACH

UNIVERSITY PARK

259 CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

2 BR/ 2 BA plus loft, 2 Story Penthouse with miles of Broad Creek and tidal marsh views!

Newer appliances, baths, vanities, fixtures.

Brazilian Cherry Wood flooring. Partially furnished and an amazing value. Walk to shopping, dining, boating, nightlife, free shuttle to the beach. Best buy at $469,000.

3 CARRINGTON POINT

4 BR/3BA, 2 car garage, corner location on a cul de sac, full size wooded homesite.

Wood floors, granite and stainless in kitchen, all baths upgraded with granite and new vanities. New fixtures. Fireplace, great room, dining room, 2 story foyer. Master on 2nd floor with large bathand huge walk in closet. 2 more bedrooms share a full bath, plus laundry room. Front porch, back patio. $375,000

21 & 23 BRADLEY BEACH

Full size homesites, just across the street from the beach. Zoned Resort Development, allows many possible uses. Perfect for a single family home, rental income producing property, second home, or land bank for the future. $325,000 each

Search all MLS Listings on our website HiltonHeadHomeSource.com 60 Years of Combined Real Estate Experience and The #1 Real Estate Company CarrollDaytonRealEstate@gmail.com | www.HiltonhHeadHomeSource.com

202 STUDENT UNION ST.

Beautiful home with 4 beds, 3-1/2 baths.

(Room over 2 car garage has bed and full bath and a bar area). Kitchen has granite and newer appliances, tiled dining area.

Large living room and Master on the first floor. Large screened in porch off the dining area, fire pit, and beautiful maintained Fenced yard. Lagoon view across the street.

Community Pool, playground and fishing area! Come make this your home. $239,000

Richard MacDonald Team Richard MacDonald

Richard@RMacDonald.com cell: 843-384-8797 | office: 843-681-3307

Joey Doyle

JoeyDoyle@CharterOneRealty.com cell: 843-290-5055 | office: 843-681-3307

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

INDIGO RUN

INDIGO RUN

INDIGO RUN

“WHITE CAPS” Waterfront Estate. Main house, Guest Cottage and Pool House. Infinity edge pool overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and Port Royal Sound. Screened Porch Garage $2,850,000

ISLAND LIFE STYLE Home with a Screened Lanai, Pool and Hot Tub in the private Golf Club of Indigo Run. 4 Bedrooms, 4 Full Baths. Popular Great Room plan opening to large Chef’s Kitchen. 3 car garage. $749,900

SOUGHT AFTER, Raintree Grande Model overlooking the 14th Fairway/15th Green of the private Golf Club. 5 Bedrooms or 4 Bedrooms + Bonus Room, 5.5 Baths. Elegant Living and Dining Room.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL NEW “Homes by Marshside” Covered Porch overlooking 16th Fairway in The Golf Club. 4 Bedrooms and 4 Full Baths $719,000

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

PALMETTO HALL

FOLLY FIELD

RIBAUT ISLAND – Stately Southern Living Home with covered porches with views and breezes over the Port Royal Sound. Grand Foyer; Private Master Suite plus 3 Guest Rooms. $699,000

BEAUTIFUL HOME – Within walking distance to the CCHH and Skull Creek Marina + panoramic view of the 10th Fairway. Completely updated! 3 Bedrooms + Study | Office. $649,900

MODEL PERFECT 5 Bedroom or 4 Bedroom + Bonus Room home with 5.5 Baths with a beautiful Golf View. Professionally decorated home with loads of upgrades. $639,000

BEAUTIFUL DIRECT OCEANFRONT villa with panoramic OCEANFRONT View! Fully furnished 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1st floor Sea Cloisters villa. Great 2nd home or rental property. $535,000

FOLLY FIELD

INDIGO RUN

INDIGO RUN

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

PANORAMIC OCEANFRONT View with 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, fully furnished villa. Sea Cloisters is a private oceanfront complex with 64 units, a beautiful Oceanside pool and security gated entrance. $530,000

POPULAR COURTYARD style Home overlooking Otter Creek. Spacious 4 Bedroom, 4 Bath home with a beautiful Courtyard Swimming Pool. $519,000

MODEL PERFECT overlooking beautiful lagoon on quiet cul-de-sac. 3 Bedroom, 3 baths. Spacious Great room, Chef’s kitchen, plus Carolina Room.

Beautifully updated; New Roof. $499,000

RENOVATED HOME at the end of a cul-de-sac overlooking a tranquil lagoon. Spacious Living space opens to a beautiful new kitchen. Elegant Master Bedroom and Bath. Guest Suite. New roof and driveway. $399,000

LAWTON STATION

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

AVALON AT INDIGO RUN

SUN CITY

BEAUTIFUL & SPACIOUS, 4 BR/3.5BA, including first and second floor Master Bedrooms; Bonus Room, great living space or Office, Carolina Room and Screen Lanai. Large deck and fenced in backyard. $389,000

VIEWS ACROSS GOLF COURSE to Dolphin Head Beach from this cottage style home on a quiet cul-de-sac. Remodeled with beautiful upgrades! 3 Bedrooms and 2 Baths. 2ND Home. $389,000

RARELY ON THE MARKET, 3 BR/3BA Avalon Duplex Villa. Décor all on one level with a 2 car garage.

Loaded with upgrades including brand new Sandcastle oak floors. Popular north end location. $379,000

PERFECT SPACIOUS 2BR/2BA plus den, open floor plan with large master bedroom. Large open kitchen, perfect for entertaining with beautiful bay windows, an over-sized center island. $319,000

HILTON HEAD PLANTATION

INDIGO RUN 21 Larium Place . . . . $199,000 BEST VALUE 4 Bedroom Home! Large Great Room with hardwood floors and fireplace with brick accent wall. Kitchen/Breakfast Room. Two Master Suites or mother-in-law suite. $310,000

35 Lancaster Place . . . $179,900

PALMETTO HALL 15 Madison Lane . . . . $107,000 BERKELEY HALL 4 Rice Hope . . . . . . $10,000

CONTACT RICHARD MACDONALD FOR INCREDIBLE HOMESITES

April 2017 201

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April 2017 205

ENVIRONMENT

Sea cows making their spring trip to local waters

BY DON MCLOUD

M

ost people think of manatees as lazily floating about the waterways of Florida. But each spring, these docile creatures get the urge to travel.

Their search for cooler waters brings them north, with many making Beaufort County rivers and estuaries their summer homes. Some migrate as far as Cape Cod, until fall and winter temperatures send them back to Florida’s warmer waters.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources veterinarian Al Segars expects manatees to begin arriving in local waters soon.

“Our first reports generally come in April or May,” he says. “As warm as it’s been this year, it will probably be April when we start getting some reports.”

In recent years, DNR has recorded an increasing number of public manatee sightings. Segars isn’t sure whether that increase is due to the agency expanding its public awareness efforts or to an actual rise in the manatee population. But aerial surveys by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission do indicate the manatee population is growing. In 2010, the agency reported 5,076 manatees; this year, that number rose to 6,620.

Manatees, also known as sea cows, feast upon marine vegetation. In South Carolina, they prefer the state’s coastal estuaries and rivers. Some also hang out in Lake Marion farther to the northwest.

They are sometimes spotted in the ocean.

Manatees have no natural predators in the wild. Their main threat comes from humans.

Boaters at marinas have been known to water them with hoses or to feed them. Such practices draw them dangerously close to marinas and boats.

“We often identify them by the boatpropeller scars,” Segars says. “It’s almost kind of like a fingerprint.”

206 hiltonheadmonthly.com

MAKE WAY FOR

MANATEES

Some suffer mortal wounds. Segars reports that one manatee was killed last year in Shem Creek near Charleston after being struck by a boat. Another was also found dead there, but the cause of death could not be determined.

So each year the manatees’ arrival comes with an urgent warning to humans: Don’t feed them, water them or interfere with them in any way.

Otherwise, you could be unwittingly putting them in harm’s way.

“When people think they’re being friends and helping them out,” Segars

says, “what they’re doing is baiting them to the most dangerous place in the world.”

DNR has posted signs at marinas cautioning boaters of the dangers facing manatees. The signs also ask the public to report manatee sightings to DNR, which uses that information to learn more about the sea cows’ whereabouts in the state.

Though humans are the main threat to manatees, they have also been helping to save the animals.

Migrating manatees need to return to

ENVIRONMENT Florida when water temperatures start dipping below 68 degrees. Some, however, wait too late to make the return trip, or they get trapped. That’s when SeaWorld Orlando and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service come to the rescue.

Last fall and winter, SeaWorld made two rescue trips to South Carolina to capture stranded manatees. Five manatees found in the Cooper River in Charleston were transported back to Florida.

A lone sea cow at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island had DNR concerned last summer. The sea cow swam through the pipe under William Hilton Parkway between Shelter Cove and the Palmetto Dunes lagoon system and couldn’t get back out. It was feared the manatee would be trapped in the lagoon when water temperatures dropped. DNR monitored the animal closely and was prepared to call SeaWorld, but eventually, the sea cow escaped on its own.

Though they often swim alone, manatees are also found in small groups.

But one thing is for certain, they move around a lot. One manatee that comes

through South Carolina was rescued in 2015 in Cape Cod. He was outfitted with a tracking device, and last year, he returned to the same spot.

So as you hit the waters this spring and summer, be on the lookout for our friendly manatees. Let DNR know if you spot one and make sure you keep your distance. Tampering with manatees is a federal offense.

Segars says DNR typically warns violators, focusing on education rather than penalties. Most people who feed manatees are unaware of the dangers and stop once they understand the consequences.

“It’s completely innocent, but completely wrong,” he says. “… Nobody wants to hurt a manatee, but inadvertently, by things we do with good intentions, we create some real problems.” M

Want to learn more?

The Coastal Discovery Museum will host “Manatees in South Carolina” at 3 p.m. April 5. Al Segars, a veterinarian with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, will give the presentation at the museum at 70 Honey Horn Drive on Hilton Head Island. Admission is $7 per person. Reservations are required by calling 843-6896767, ext. 223. For ages 12 and older.

When spotting a manatee: • Report sightings to www.dnr.sc.gov/ manatee/sight.htm • To report dead or injured manatees, call 1-800-922-5431.

April 2017 207

WHAT TO DO

APRIL 1: LEO’S LEGACY FAMILY FUN DAY FESTIVAL ... APRIL 1: P

APRIL 10-16

RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing: Monday, April 10-Sunday, April 16, Harbour Town Golf Links, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island. Don’t miss the 49th annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, South Carolina’s only PGA Tour event. The historic event takes place during the week following the Masters and continues the longstanding tradition of being one of golf’s most notable tournaments. For information regarding staying at The Sea Pines Resort, please call 1-800-SEAPINES or visit seapines.com/heritage. To learn more about the RBC Heritage and available ticket packages, please call 843-671-2448 or visit rbcheritage.com.

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

APRIL CALENDAR APRIL 1

Leo’s Legacy 3rd Annual Family Fun Day Festival and 5K: 2-7 p.m.

Saturday, April 1, Oscar Frazier Park, Bluffton. The event includes a 5K race, silent auction, bouncy houses, cornhole tournament, games, food, drinks, live entertainment from local bands and a mac & cheese competition. This family-friendly event raises money for local scholarships and other charities.

Registration for the 5K and cornhole tournament is available online at legoslegacysc.com. Restaurants interested in competing in the mac & cheese competition can email amy@ leoslegacysc.com.

Party in the Pines: 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1, Sea Pines Forest Preserve, Hilton Head Island. Please join the Sea Pines Forest Preserve Foundation for a family-fun spring 208 hiltonheadmonthly.com

event. Proceeds benefit the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Tickets are $40; contact Community Services Associates (CSA) at 843-671-1343 or visit seapinesforestpreserve.org.

Free Introductory Tennis Clinic: 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1,Port Royal Racquet Club, 15 Wimbledon Court, Hilton Head Island. Tennis is a great way to get some exercise while having fun. For information, call or text 401487-2627, or email coachhaley33@ gmail.com. Or go to www.haleytennis. com.

Blues and BBQ: 5-9 p.m. Saturday, April 1, The New Northridge Club, 435 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. Mitchelville Preservation Project will debut their signature dinner and dance — Blues and BBQ featuring Deas Guyz. Enjoy a slowcooked barbecue dinner paired with

handcrafted desserts, served with traditional Lowcountry recipes prepared

by Ruby Lee’s. Proceeds to benefit the Mitchelville Preservation Project.

Individual tickets start at $65. Tickets and table reservations are available at exploremitchelville.org or by phone at 843-255-7301.

Hilton Head Community Invited to Free Golf Clinic: 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 1, International Junior Golf Academy, 1 Pinecrest Way, Bluffton. Youth ages 5-16 are invited to participate in a junior golf clinic.

Each session is open to the first 100 registrants. All participants must preregister for the event. If you would like to take part in this clinic, please contact DaWayne Penberthy at 843-540-6196 or by email at dawayne.penberthy@ ijga.com to register. Please include your name, age, the session you are interested in, and your phone number.

Touch-A-Truck Event: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturday, April 1, Tanger 1 Outlet Center 1256 Fording Island Road, Bluffton. Calling kids of all ages: Join us for Tanger’s second annual Touch-A-Truck event. Come climb, honk and explore a variety of trucks and vehicles from Bluffton Township Fire Department, the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Palmetto Electric, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and many more. Admission is free but attendees are encouraged to bring school supply donations to support Project Connect. tangeroutlets.com.

APRIL 2-3

Peter Millar Trunk Show at Knickers in Harbour Town: Sunday, April 2 and Monday, April 3, Knickers, 149 Lighthouse Road, Suite L, Hilton Head Island. A Peter Millar representative will be on hand to assist with fit and selection. knickersmenswear.com

1: PARTY IN THE PINES ... APRIL 1: FREE

APRIL 3, 5, 18, 27

LEGO Robotics: 5 p.m. Monday, April 3; 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 5; 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 18; and 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 27; Bluffton Library, 120 Palmetto Way. Build and program robots with our LEGO WeDo 2.0 kits.

Registration is required. For ages 7-12.

For additional details, go to beaufortcountylibrary.org, call 843-255-6510 or email kbaxter@bcgov.net.

APRIL 3-7

Gregg Russell Concerts: 7:30-9 p.m.

Monday-Friday, April 3-7, and MondayWednesday, April 10-12, Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island. Over the years, Gregg Russell has become a Sea Pines classic. You’ll find him under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town, entertaining adults and children alike. His concerts are not to be missed. Complimentary. Visit seapines.com for additional information.

APRIL 5

“Manatees … in South Carolina??”: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive. Join Al Segars, veterinarian from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, to find out when and where these animals visit our coastal waters. What is our impact on these marvelous animals? Are there laws

restricting how we interact with them?

Learn this and much more about these summertime visitors. $7 per person donation requested and reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223.

APRIL 6

Raising Healthy Eaters: 6-7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 6, Hilton Head Library.

Colleen Kachmann of Life Off the Label presents a program of tips and techniques to raise healthy kids, focusing on whole, plant-based foods. It’s extremely difficult for home-cooked meals to compete with a culture of cheap and easy junk food. But protecting our kids from the explosion of chronic diseases is arguably the most important job we have as modern parents. Free. For more information, visit beaufortcountylibrary.org, or contact Lauren Read at 843-255-6531 or lread@bcgov.net.

Traveling Preschool Bus: 11 a.m.

Thursday, April 6, Bluffton Library, 120 Palmetto Way. Beaufort County School District’s traveling preschool bus will be stopping by the Bluffton Library.

It is equipped with activities, materials and brochures for caregivers of children ages 1-5. Free. For additional details visit beaufortcountylibrary.org, call 843-255-6510 or email kbaxter@ bcgov.net.

APRIL 23

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Presents “Brahms: A German Requiem”: 4-6 p.m. Sunday, April 23, First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. One of the most revered and profound works of orchestral repertoire, the Brahms Requiem, performed with a full 100-voice chorus. For additional information, visit hhso.org or call 843-842-2055.

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WHAT TO DO

APRIL 4-30: SOBA JUDGED SHOW ... APRIL 6: KICK-START POE

APRIL 6

Kick-Start Poetry 2017: 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 6, Hilton Head Library.

Fourth annual poetry reading to kickstart poetry month. Featuring Audre Allison, Barry Dickson, Thelma Naylor, Bill Newby, Ava Nixon, Stephanie Orrell, Adrian Schnall and Denny Baer. Free. For more information, visit beaufortcountylibrary.org or email billnewby517@gmail.com.

APRIL 6, 13 The Society of Bluffton Artists’ Gallery is located at 6 Church Street in Old Town.

SOBA judged show open to all artists

T

BY HEATHER BRAGG

he Society of Bluffton Artists’ 23rd annual Judged Show will feature a number of firsts.

For starters, this year’s show, from April 4-30, is open to all artists — not just SOBA members.

Also, this is the first year the show will have a theme: “On the Street Where You Live.”

Artists are encouraged — but not required —to submit work that reflects this theme, a meaningful location in their artistic worlds.

“The show’s theme provides a metaphor for all of the month’s activities,” said Nancy Vineburgh, a SOBA board member and an event organizer.

Drop off and registration is scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 3 at the SoBA Creative Center for Arts at 8 Church St. The show is limited to the first 100 entries.

Judging will take place later in the afternoon on April 3. Plein air painter Peggy Root of Tennessee will judge the artwork. Root is a nationally renowned landscape painter whose work was featured in the January 2016 issue of Artists Magazine.

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DETAILS

Submissions for the Society of Bluffton Artists’ 23rd annual Judged Show will be accepted Monday, April 3, with winners announced Friday, April 7. Cost is $25 for SOBA members, $40 for non-members. sobagallery.com

All awards will be given during a ceremony during the show’s opening reception, to be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday, April 7.

Three cash awards across all mediums will be given: $250 for Best In Show; $150 for 2nd Place; and $100 for 3rd Place.

SOBA’s “Award of Excellence” will be given in each artistic category: oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed medium, drawing pencil, pastels and 3-D. SOBA is the flourishing art hub in Old Town Bluffton at the corner of Church and Calhoun streets. SOBA offers regular art classes, featured artist shows, exhibitions and more. For a calendar of events and more information, go to www.sobagallery.com or call 843-757-6586. M

iPhone Class: noon-2 p.m. Thursday, April 6, and noon-2 p.m. Thursday, April 13, Hilton Head Library. This nuts-and-bolts class gives an introduction to using your device, including the most helpful apps. Register in advance for both sessions. Free. For more information, visit beaufortcountylibrary.org, or contact Lauren Read at 843-2556531 or lread@bcgov.net.

APRIL 7-9

2017 Adult Tennis Championships: April 7-9, Haig Point Club, 10 Haig Point Court, Hilton Head Island. The championship, a series of three oneday tournaments, will be played at

APRIL 29

Haig Point Club’s six Har-Tru Courts.

The entire draw for the tournament will be played in one day. A fee of $40 is required for player entry and will include round-trip ferry to Daufuskie Island for the duration of the tournament, a lunch on the day of play and a welcome gift. For additional details, visit tennislink.usta.com.

APRIL 8

Fifth annual Taste of Bluffton: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, Calhoun Street. Bring your appetites because some of Bluffton’s best restaurants will be preparing their favorite samples.

The Greater Bluffton Chamber is looking for vendors and sponsors for this year’s Taste of Bluffton. If you are interested in participating, contact the chamber at 843-757-1010 or email megan@blufftonchamberofcommerce. org. Visit www.tasteofbluffton.com for more information.

Learn To Row Day: 9-11 a.m.

Saturday, April 8, Old Oyster Factory, 101 Marshland Road, Hilton Head. The Palmetto Rowing Club will be holding its annual Learn To Row Day. A rain date is scheduled for April 29 at the

20th Anniversary Dog Walk Fundraiser: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29, Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island. Over the years, the Dog Walk has provided a morning of fun and entertainment for dogs and their owners, with contests, prizes, entertainment, music, dancing, beach fun, vendors, raffles, silent auctions and much more. This event is not only a fun day for the public, but it also is a very important fundraiser for the shelter. The money raised from this event goes toward financial aid for pet emergencies, provides free TNR for feral cats, as well as low/no-cost spay/neuter for dogs and cats and, new this year in partnership with Beaufort County Animal Shelter, free microchipping for outdoor cats. Visit hhhumane.org for additional details.

OETRY 2017 ... APRIL 6: IPHONE CLASS .

APRIL 29

Roaring ’20s Gala: Saturday, April 29, Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, Shipyard Plantation, Hilton Head Island. The St. Francis Family School Association will present the Roaring ’20s Gala, a semi-formal celebration of growth in all its countless forms, including academic, intellectual, and spiritual. The gala will include dinner, dancing, and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $75 per person. Tickets are available at the church office at 843-681-6350, or the school office at 843-681-6501.

same time and location. Learn To Row Day is an opportunity to try the sport with an experienced rower. For more information about rowing and the Learn To Row Day, go to palmettorowingclub. com or call 843-298-2345.

Easter Eggstravaganza: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 8, Shelter Cove Community Park, 39 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island. The Easter Eggstravaganza is the perfect reason to get outdoors with your family this spring. There will be bounce houses, concessions and all kinds of other entertainment and activities to enjoy.

Zip line, rock wall and bungee jumping sold separately. Admission is $10 for those ages 2-12 and free for adults. For more information, call the Island Rec Center at 843-681-7273 or go to islandreccenter.org.

Easter Eggstravaganza at First Presbyterian Church: 10 a.m.

Saturday, April 8, First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. Come out for age-appropriate egg hunts, Easter egg coloring, refreshments, music and a children’s dance party with Beth Green.

Cost is $5 per child. Visit www.fpchhi. org or call 843-681-3696.

APRIL 9-16

Holy Week at First Presbyterian Church Hilton Head Island: 8:30 and 11 a.m. Palm Sunday, April 9: traditional services, the Sanctuary Choir presents “Christus” by Mendelssohn; 9:45 a.m., contemporary service. 5:30 p.m., Maundy Thursday, April 13: Dinner, $10 per adult and $5 per child, with reservations due by April 12; service of worship and communion at 6:30 p.m.; canned good collection for Sandalwood Food Pantry. 6:30 p.m. Good Friday, April 14: 6:30 p.m. Tenebrae worship service. Easter Sunday, April 16: 7 a.m., CrossRoads sunrise service in the church courtyard; 8:30 and 11 a.m., traditional worship services; nursery at 8:30 and 11 a.m. 843-681-3696.

APRIL 9

Helping Parents Heal: 1-3 p.m.

Sunday, April 9, Seaquins Ballroom, 1300 Fording Island Road, Bluffton.

Monthly meetings of this nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting parents who have lost children offer them support and resources to aid in the healing process. For more information, please contact Irene Vouvalides at 201-233-6015 or email ivouvalides@ aol.com April 2017 211

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APRIL 11: ANNUAL CHRISTIAN HERITAGE BREAKFAST ... APRIL 11

APRIL 11

Annual Christian Heritage Breakfast: 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 11, The Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, 130 Shipyard Drive, Hilton Head Island. Four-time PGA Tour champion Webb Simpson will be the guest speaker. The event is sponsored by The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and The College Ethics Symposium. Event is open to the public. Tickets required in advance at cost of $30 per ticket or $275 for a table of 10. Additional information and tickets are available online at christianheritagebreakfast.com or by calling 843-290-3744.

MAY 6-7

The Hilton Head Island Boat Show: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 6, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, Windmill Harbour Marina, Hilton Head Island. The Hilton Head Island Boat Show is a rare chance to experience the waterfront lifestyle of Windmill Harbour. Among the many highlights and attractions are over 60 boats, including sailboats and powerboats, varying in size from 10 feet to 70 feet. Tented vendors will be positioned around the marina, selling marine services, insurance and financing as well as complimentary lifestyle goods. Activities are scheduled throughout each day of the show, including live music, clinics, games, book signings, special guests and a Kentucky Derby Cocktail Party on Saturday night. For more information, visit hiltonheadislandboatshow.com.

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APRIL 11, 25

Horseshoe Crabs: Living Fossils: 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, and Tuesday, April 25, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive. Discover the biology, behavior and importance of the American horseshoe crab. These one-hour special presentations are coordinated in conjunction with horseshoe crab spawning season. Space is limited and reservations are required.

Cost is $7 per person, ages 9 and older only. Reservations may be made by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223.

APRIL 12

Liberal Men of the Lowcountry: noon, Wednesday, April 12, 101 Berwick Drive. Speaker will be Hannah Horne, director of public policy and small business at the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, who will discuss helping the chamber’s members grow their businesses through education and political advocacy, current business issues and future developments in the area. Lunch is $20 for guests. To attend, contact Richard Hammes at 847-921-8188.

Sip & Shop at Abode: 4-7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 12, Abode, 6 State of Mind St., Bluffton. Join Abode for wine and mingle with a designer and artist as you shop. Door prizes will be awarded hourly and all attendees will receive a gift. For additional details, visit abodesc.com or call 843-815-3322.

L 11: HORSESHOE CRABS ... APRIL 12: LIBERAL MEN OF THE LOWCOUNTRY ... APR MOAA Spouses for Service: noon Wednesday, April 12, Fishcamp on Broad Creek, 11 Simmons Road, Hilton Head Island. Monthly luncheon. For questions or to make a reservation, contact Jayne Danoff at jayne.danoff@ gmail.com.

Zika Virus; What is the risk?: 3 p.m.

Wednesday, April 12, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive. Dr. John D. Edmant will present this program on Zika and related mosquitotransmitted viruses for people living in the Lowcountry and traveling to the Caribbean. This lecture will contrast the biology and distribution of these vector mosquitoes and how they are able to maintain and transmit flaviviruses to people. The cost is $7 per person and reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223.

APRIL 13

Slow Flow Vinyasa: 10-11 a.m.

Thursday, April 13, Hilton Head Library. Back by demand for one day only. Join us for a slow-paced class of sun salutations that link the breath

with the movement. Slow flow gives attention to alignment while working on balance, flexibility, and strength.

Come practice your downward dog and tree in a safe, non-judgmental setting.

It’s a great way to clear your mind and make space in your heart. Bring a yoga mat and any level of experience. Free.

For more information, visit beaufortcountylibrary.org, or contact Lauren Read at 843-255-6531 or lread@ bcgov.net.

APRIL 13-15

Ultra Experience at Reilley’s Plaza: Thursday, April 13-Saturday, April 15, Reilley’s Plaza, 7 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Island. The whole plaza will be lit up in blue lighting each night with blue VIP carpets, step and repeats — the whole shebang.

One location will be “featured” each evening. There will be a total of eight bands and an international DJ. Guests will be treated to a VIP experience at one location per night. Boardroom: Thursday night. One Hot Mama’s: Friday night. Reilley’s Grill & Bar: Saturday. reilleyshiltonhead.com.

APRIL 4-9

“Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical”: 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 through Saturday, April 8, and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9, Hilton Head Preparatory Main Street Theatre, 3000 Main St., Hilton Head Island. The life of Rosemary Clooney comes to life on stage in this exhilarating and inspiring musical biography. “Tenderly” offers a fresh, remarkably personal and poignant picture of the woman whose unparalleled talent and unbridled personality made her a legend. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for students younger than 18. Call the box office at 866-749-2228 or visit tenderlyhhi.com.

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APRIL 13-15: THE SALTY DOG HERITAGE CRUISE ... APRIL 17: ONC

THE ART MARKET to feature 90 accomplished artists

T

he Art Market at Historic Honey Horn, a juried fine art and craft festival, will be held Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30. The event will feature 90 accomplished artists from the region and from across the country who will bring their best work to compete for $5,000 in prize money. Artists were juried into this show to provide a wide variety of fine art, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, wood and fiber arts.

This year’s winning artists will be selected by Barbara Heimsch, a ceramic and mosaic artist with degrees in fine art and psychology. She was the director of the Marian Gallery at Mount Mary University for eight years and the director of the Morning Glory Fine Craft Show in Wisconsin for 10 years. She is currently a board member of the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council, one of the oldest artist-run organizations in the country, and has served as a juror for numerous gallery exhibitions and shows in the upper Midwest.

Also serving as a judge this year is Elizabeth Greenberg.

She has a master’s degree in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art, a master’s in museum studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth. She has served as the director of the Opalka Gallery at The Sage Colleges since 2013, where she focuses on modern and contemporary art & design. In addition to customary fine art shows, she has also produced numerous exhibitions and catalogs on topics ranging from the art of video game design to female Jewish fashion designers.

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Rain or shine, the outdoor show is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There is a $3 per person admission charge. Demonstrations will be held throughout the weekend.

Food, beverages, ice cream and Italian ices will be available from Jack Frost.

While you are at Honey Horn, explore the beautiful grounds.

Nestled within the arms of the interior salt marsh of Jarvis Creek lies a 68-acre parcel of land that has been known as Honey Horn for more than two centuries. It is the largest parcel of open land on Hilton Head Island and the last property that you can enter and envision what the island was like before it was developed. The oldest homes on the island, magnificent live oaks, ancient cedars and beautiful wide-open fields all harken back to the days when this was a quiet agrarian community.

Experience what the island was once, is now and hopefully will be in the future. The Discovery House at the Coastal Discovery Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday.

The temporary entrance to the museum for the art market and the Coastal Discovery Museum is on U.S. 278 eastbound, between Spanish Wells and Gumtree roads. M

APRIL 13-15

The Salty Dog Heritage Cruise: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, April 13 through Saturday, April 15, 223 S. Sea Pines Drive, Hilton Head Island. Enjoy a full bar, views of the famous 18th green and onboard putting green. Visit cruise.saltydog.com or call 843-6712233 for more details.

The Salty Dog Luau: 4-8 p.m. April 15, The Salty Dog Café, South Beach Marina Village, 224 S. Sea Pines Drive, Hilton Head Island. Tropical-inspired cuisine, live music, free leis, and special appearances by Jake the Salty Dog. For more information, call The Salty Dog Café at 843-671-2233 or go to saltydog.com.

APRIL 17

Once Upon A Time: 4 p.m. Monday, April 17, Bluffton Library, 120 Palmetto Way. Once upon a time, there was a very fairy tale-themed party. There will be crafts, activities and snacks inspired by some of your favorite fairy tales.

And yes, you can dress up. For ages 5 and older. Free. For details, visit beaufortcountylibrary.org, call 843-2556510 or email kbaxter@bcgov.net.

APRIL 2

APRIL 19

“Love, Loss and What I Wore”: 7:309:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19. Eight local woman take to the stage to tell tales of monumental moments in their lives — all marked by a particular dress, a pair of shoes, a bathing suit, a tattoo — in Lean Ensemble Theater’s production of Nora and Delia Ephron’s comic yet poignant play “Love, Loss and What I Wore.” This one-night performance benefits Women in Philanthropy and LoCo Motion/Carolina Cups’ breast cancer screening, treatment and research program. For tickets and additional information, visit leanensemble.org.

The Lowcountry Christian Women’s Connection Luncheon: 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, April 19, Hampton Hall Clubhouse, 170 Hampton Hall Blvd., Bluffton. The double features will include Linda DePue, presenting the latest line of Premier Design Jewelry for purchase, and Nicole Smith, owner of Make It Pretty studio, who will give a presentation on floral design and demonstrate seasonal do-it-yourself ideas.

Lunch is $25 and must be prepaid by Wednesday, April 12. For more details call Kathy at 843-705-1292 or Carol at 843-705-7604.

Hilton Head Choral Society’s Choral Festival: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 2, Holy Family Catholic Church, 24 Pope Ave., Hilton Head Island. The Hilton Head Choral Society will host the first-ever Hilton Head Choral Society Choral Festival. The concert will include performances by the Hilton Head choral group in addition to four invited choruses including: a choir of 30 singers from Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri (pictured); a group of students from May River High School; the Charleston Southern University chorus; and the Parish Choir of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Savannah. All seating is reserved. Tickets are available at www.hiltonheadchoralsociety.org or by calling 843-341-3818.

NCE UPON A TIME ... APRIL 18

APRIL 22

2017 Bluffton Old Town Paint Out: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, the corner of Calhoun and Lawrence streets. Artists are invited to break out their paintbrushes and sun hats for this fun plein air painting event. The entry fee is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event. Registration forms are available at any of the Old Town art galleries and online at sobagallery.com. Artists, check in at the event tent between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and then head off to paint at one of the picturesque settings in beautiful Old Town Bluffton. Artists and visitors are invited to gather at the event tent at 4 p.m. for judging, viewing and awards — including cash prizes for first, second and third place winners. For more information, visit the Bluffton Arts District Facebook page, go to sobagallery.com or call 843-757-8185.

APRIL 20

The Palmetto Quilt Guild Monthly Meeting: 1 p.m.

Thursday, April 20, Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club, 40 Folly Field Road, Hilton Head Island. Guests are welcome. The program for April will feature Darlene Donahue. The title of her program for April is: “Tips and Tricks for Creating Award Winning Quilts.” More information can be found at palmettoquiltguild.com or by calling 304-543-6529.

Computer Basics: 2-4 p.m. Thursday, April 20, Hilton Head Library. Are you “getting by,” memorizing how to do a few specific tasks on a computer but lacking the background to understand how you get there or what to do next? Novice computer users are invited to learn the basics, bringing much relief and excited empowerment to their technological sessions. Registration is required.

Free. For more information, visit beaufortcountylibrary. org, or contact Lauren Read at 843-255-6531 or lread@ bcgov.net.

APRIL 21

Bluffton Sunset Party Summer Kick Off Party: 5-9 p.m. Friday, April 21, Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf St., Bluffton. Bluffton Sunset Parties are held once a month April 2017 215

WHAT TO DO

APRIL 21-24: PALMETTO AN

on Friday nights during the summer.

Each sundown celebration finds the Bluffton community coming together to celebrate local foods, vendors, craft beers, homegrown music, and other fun activities for everyone of all ages.

People can party with their pooches at these kid- and pet-friendly parties that will benefit several local charities and continue to feature the very best local bands. Tickets for each Bluffton Sunset Party are $5 at the door, while children 12 and younger get in for free. For more information, visit blufftonsunsetparty.com or call Bear Foot Sports at 843-757-8520.

APRIL 22

APRIL 21-24

Daddy/Daughter – Mother/Son Dance: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, Hilton Head Island High School, 70 Wilborn Road, Hilton Head Island. A DJ and snacks will be provided. Tickets are $25 per family. The dance will be located in the Hilton Head Island High School gym, For more information, contact Sandra.Mcguire@beaufort.k12. sc.us or call 843 689-4807.

Palmetto Animal League Eighth annual Online Auction: 8 a.m. Friday, April 21, through 10 p.m. Monday, April 24 at www.PALauction.org. For the eighth year in a row, Palmetto Animal League is giving folks a great excuse to shop during the Bid for PAL online auction. The highly-anticipated auction will benefit abandoned, abused and neglected pets in our community. Register now and browse the online catalog. It’s a shopper’s paradise featuring fantastic items donated by area animal-loving businesses. Bid to win awesome items, including golf packages, vacations, pet items and more.

APRIL 16

Penn Center 1862 Circle Gala: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, 130 Shipyard Drive, Hilton Head Island. Join the Penn Center for this formal affair honoring the founding of Penn School and the induction of Penn Center ambassadors into the 1862 Circle Membership. The evening includes a formal dinner, induction ceremony, as well as a silent auction fundraising event. Visit penncenter.com for additional information.

APRIL 23

First Tee Grand Opening Event with Cranford Hollow: 2-5 p.m. April 23, The First Tee of The Lowcountry, 151 Gumtree Road, Hilton Head Island.

Come see our new community facility built just for you. Featuring music

by Cranford Hollow, kids’ activities,

Easter Egg Hunt in Sea Pines: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, April 16, Sea Pines Resort, 32 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Island. The Easter Egg Hunt is an annual tradition and the Easter Bunny will be a part of the festivities. Provided by The Sea Pines Resort and the shops in Harbour Town. For more information, contact The Sea Pines Resort Recreation Department at 843-842-1979 or go to seapines.com/ events.

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ANIMAL LEAGUE EIGHTH ANNUAL ONLINE AUCTION ... APRIL 22: PENN CENTER 1 fishing, disc golf demos, golf course demos, helicopter ball drop, and food and beverages for purchase from Local Pie. Visit Facebook.com/ FirstTeeoftheLowcountry.

APRIL 25

Memory Matters’ Chef’s Event: 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, Sea Pines Country Club, 30 Governors Road, Hilton Head Island. The Chef’s Event is always an anticipated annual extravaganza. This year, supporters will also get a glimpse into the boundless future of Memory Matters, presented by new executive director Sheila Strand. For information, call 843-8426688 or go to memory-matters.org.

APRIL 26

Responsible Oystering in the Lowcountry: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island. Andrew Carmines, a native of the Lowcountry with a love of the area, will discuss in detail the process of producing single oysters from the brood stock, to the hatchery, to the upweller,

and ultimately to the consumer. The process is detailed and heartbreaking at times. Cost is $7 per person, ages 12 and older only, and reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223.

APRIL 28

Military Officers Association of America: Friday, April 28. Preview Day of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Air Show and have dinner at the River Club on Callawassie Island, catered by Jim ‘N Nicks. For more information, contact Mary Lou Fehrman at marylou101041@aol.com.

APRIL 29

Autism Awareness 5K Bubble Run and Children’s Dash: Saturday, April 29, Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym, 163 Bluffton Road, Bluffton. Adults and seasoned youth runners are invited to join in for this 5K to raise autism awareness, along with a children’s dash for the little guys. Proceeds to benefit scholarship funding. For more information, visit ignitethesensesgym. com or call 843-757-0179.

APRIL 18-29

Society of Bluffton Artists’ Fourth annual Children’s K-5 Art Expo: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; Center for Creative Arts, 8 Church St., Bluffton. Artwork is created by budding artists in a school art class with no hands-on assistance from the teacher. An opening reception for the public will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23. Visit sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843-757-6586.

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APRIL 29: THE SALTY DOG B

Gary Nordmann working his magic.

Artists of Spring Island featured in temporary exhibition

T

hrough April 30, the Coastal Discovery Museum is hosting the temporary exhibition “Where Nature Meets Art.” Offered by the Artists of Spring Island, the exhibition provides a glimpse into the beauty of the island. Spring Island’s focus on preservation and environmental conservation complement the Coastal Discovery Museum’s recently adopted mission to “inspire people to care for the Lowcountry.” Visit the museum to see the works from some Spring Island artists who have gained an appreciation for the area’s unique culture, heritage, and environment.

Spring Island is celebrating its 27th year, and so is its arts program. At its inception in 1990, the developers of Spring Island wanted to ensure the preservation of the cultural history of the island and its stunning beauty.

The Spring Island Arts Program’s mission is to honor and expand the island’s impact on the culture and artistic legacy of the Lowcountry. This mission is also a key part of the island’s community. The founders wanted to invite artists to visit the island, experience its beauty, find rejuve218 hiltonheadmonthly.com

nation and gain inspiration for their art. In turn, the artists leave an original piece of art, created on the island, to add to Spring Island’s collection — now totaling nearly 200 works.

The members of the Artists of Spring Island have varied backgrounds. Some are relatively new to the art world, gaining inspiration from their surroundings and learning more about their craft by participating in the program’s workshops and classes. Others are more firmly established in the artistic community, either from an art-related career or from formal training before moving to Spring Island. Regardless of their experience level, all the group’s members benefit from the visiting artists’ knowledge and craft by participating in workshops and classes. The growth of the arts program has led to focus groups in ceramics, metalworking, painting, photography and, recently, “potpourri,” which includes fiber, paper, wood and sculptural arts enthusiasts.

For more information, go to www.coastaldiscovery.org and www.springisland.com. M

G BURGER BONANZA ... APRIL 29: WILD

APRIL 29

The Salty Dog Burger Bonanza: 4-8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, The Salty Dog Café, South Beach Marina Village, 224 S. Sea Pines Drive, Hilton Head Island.

The Salty Dog will show off its burger skills with all kinds of cool variations of this cookout staple. The café will start serving them up at 4 p.m. accompanied by live music by Bruce Critchton.

For more information, call The Salty Dog Café at 843-671-2233 or go to saltydog.com.

Wild Women’s Tea Party: 2-4 p.m.

Saturday, April 29, Indigo Hall (at Indigo Run) 101 Berwick Drive, Hilton Head Island. The tea party will include a fashion show, prizes for Wildest Hat, Prettiest Hat, and Best Hat and Gloves Combo. There will be big and small item prize raffles, including a diamond provided by Quinn’s Diamond Jewelers. Lots of music, food and drinks in a fancily festooned atmosphere of fun frivolity. Tickets are a $40 donation, with proceeds to benefit Lowcountry Legal Volunteers. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to lowcountrylegalvolunteers.org or call 843-815-1570.

SAVE THE DATE

MAY 3-4

Hearts Open Golf-a-Thon: Wednesday, May 3, and Thursday, May 4, Haig Point Club, 10 Haig Point Court, Daufuskie Island. Swing into action for hospice care and chance to win $10,000. Please join this very special Golf-a-Thon for Hospice of the Lowcountry that includes 18 holes on the exclusive Haig Point Signature Course, the Wednesday night party, breakfast and awards lunch, and tee gifts valued at $150. For more information, visit hospicecarelc.org.

MAY 10

Colors of Spring Trunk Show: 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, Optical Solutions, 10 Hospital Center Commons, Suite 100, Hilton Head Island. Spring-themed refreshments will be served. With every purchase of an Eco frame, a tree is planted in a deforested area. For every MODO frame sold, a pair of glasses is donated to a child in need. To get 50 percent off frames, purchase a complete pair of glasses (frame and lenses). For more information, call 843-681-6682.

APRIL 21

Relay for Life: 4-10 p.m. Friday, April 21, Shelter Cove Community Park, Hilton Head Island. The public is invited to this celebration to benefit the American Cancer Society. The theme for this year’s event is “Paint the Lowcountry Purple!”

There will be a cancer survivor’s dinner, a luminaria ceremony, a walk for cancer survivors and caregivers, games and activities for kids and adults, food, entertainment and a huge silent auction. Please join in and bring a friend. It’s free and we welcome the entire community to join us in honoring survivors, remembering those who lost their fight, and recognizing those currently battling cancer. For more information or if interested in being a donor or sponsor, contact Wendy Pollitzer at 843-263-3216 or email wendy.pollitzer@cancer.org.

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WHAT TO DO

APRIL 27-29: THE CLEAN HO

Lean Ensemble presents

‘The Clean House’

atilde, an earthy young Brazilian housekeeper, would rather be onstage delivering comic lines than wielding a feather duster for her employer, an uptight doctor named Lane. Along with her frustrations about her messy home, Lane discovers she’s about to lose her surgeon husband to his 67-year-old Argentinian breast cancer patient. Thrown into the mix are a loopy quest to find a healing yew tree in Alaska, an extended dirty joke told in Portuguese, and a sponge-wielding sister who finds scrubbing bathrooms to be therapeutic.

Offbeat humor, impromptu arias, wacky poetry and romance accent the big themes of love and loss in Lean Ensemble Theater’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s “The Clean House.” This whimsical comedy, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is directed by Lean Ensemble’s Blake White and features ensemble member Jenny Zmarzly along with Taylor Harvey, Karin de la Penha, Carolyn Popp and Ryan K. Bailer.

“The Clean House” takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. April 27-29 and May 4-6, with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on April 30 and May 7.

Talkbacks with Lean Ensemble cast and crew will follow each performance, and all shows will be held at Hilton Head Preparatory School’s Main Street Theatre, 3000 Main St., Hilton Head Island.

Tickets are $40 for evening performances and $35 for matinees, with $15 tickets for students and active-duty military. Group rates are available.

Lean Ensemble Theater is a professional, performing arts company founded in the spirit 220 hiltonheadmonthly.com

PHOTO BY BRIAN PAULETTE

M

BY CAROLYN MALES

Taylor Harvey plays Matilde, a Brazilian maid who’d rather be doing standup comedy in Lean Ensemble Theater’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s “The Clean House.”

that theater is a living entity which is bigger than any individual or group lucky enough to work in the field.

Despite many long-held hypotheses that theater is a dying art form, they choose to celebrate its vibrancy and longevity. It is their belief that a band of artists can come together in the truest sense of the word ensemble, each part in relation to the whole, and bring an innovative form of theater to the Lowcountry of South Carolina, a community ready to lean forward and engage, hungry for something with a bit more bite.

For more information, go to www.leanensemble.org or call 843-715-6676. M

HOUSE ... MAY 11: DREAMING OF HOME G

MAY 11

Dreaming of Home Gala: 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday, May 11, Hampton Hall Clubhouse, 170 Hampton Hall Blvd., Bluffton. Join in the vision that “every child will have a home,” while enjoying an evening of live entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and live and silent auctions. Tickets $90 Visit familypromisebeaufortcounty.org for more information, or call 843-815-4211 or contact minervafamilypromise@gmail.com.

MAY 11, 25

Horseshoe Crabs: Living Fossils: 6-7 p.m. Thursday, May 11 and Thursday, May 25. The Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive.

Discover the biology, behavior and importance of the American horseshoe crab. These one-hour special presentations are coordinated in conjunction with horseshoe crab spawning season.

After this indoor presentation, you will be provided with information about where you can find spawning horseshoe crabs, and begin your quest

to find horseshoe crabs just hours after the presentation. Space is limited and reservations are required. $7 per person, ages 9 and older only, and reservations may be made by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223.

MAY 11-14

“Pop Goes The Music!”: 7 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday, May 11, 12, and 13, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14, Magnolia Hall, 114 Sun City Lane.

The Sun City Chorus and Concert Band proudly presents “Pop Goes The Music!” These talented musicians bring you the music you know and love, from Jersey Boys to Abba to Simon and Garfunkle. Tickets are $23.

843-368-3153 or email Suncitytix@ gmail.com.

MAY 18-21

South Carolina Youth Leadership Conference: May 18-21, University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head Gateway Campus, 1 University Blvd., Bluffton. The South Carolina Youth Leadership Conference is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to

MAY 20

All Saints Garden Tour: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 20, All Saints Episcopal Church, 3001 Meeting St., Hilton Head Island. The 30th annual garden tour, still the only tour of private gardens available on the island, will feature seven magnificent gardens; three on the island and four in Bluffton. In addition to admission to seven gardens, the $35 ticket includes a beautiful luncheon served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the church. Also at the church, a lovely boutique of high-end hand crafted items, an original art sale, a bake sale, Master Gardeners plus landscape items for sale from Taylor’s Nursery. Tickets are available online at allsaints-hhi. org. There are also over 20 businesses on the island and in Bluffton where tickets are available. For additional information, call 843-681-8333.

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APRIL 22: NATIVE PLANT SALE ... MAY 25: PRESERVATION SYM enhancing the leadership potential of students in South Carolina through an annual conference. Follow through is designed to ensure their practice of leadership in a meaningful and useful way in their schools and the communities in which they live. For more information, visit scyouthleadership.org.

MAY 25

Coral Honeysuckle

APRIL 22

Native Plant Sale at Coastal Discovery Museum: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island.

The museum will host its first native plant sale, featuring a variety of native plants to cover diverse landscaping needs, from vines to blooming bushes to butterflyfriendly landscaping. Museum volunteers and Master Gardeners will be on hand to explain the value of the different species available at the sale. Cash or check only. For more information, visit coastaldiscovery.org or call 843-689-6767.

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Preservation Symposium Sponsored

by Town of Bluffton: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, Town Hall Auditorium, 20 Bridge St., Bluffton.

May is National Preservation Month with the theme “This Place Counts.”

In conjunction, the town of Bluffton is sponsoring its second annual Preservation Symposium with the Bluffton Historic Preservation Society sponsoring the reception at The Pine House immediately following. For more information, call Joan Heyward at 912-441-0119.

MAY 27-28

Ninth annual Hilton Head Island Art Festival with Craft Marketplace: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 27,

and Sunday, May 28, Shelter Cove Harbour, 1 Harbourside Lane, Hilton Head. About 100 of America’s finest artists will descend on Hilton Head Island at Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina. Visit with artists displaying paintings, jewelry, sculpture, photography, pottery and much more. This show will contain a separate craft marketplace. Also available at the venue is fine dining, exquisite retail, and live entertainment, making this a fun, free family event. Take a break from the beaches and golf courses and come to this unique event. Visit artfestival.com for more information.

ONGOING Music & Taste on the Harbour: 6-9 p.m. Thursdays through May 18, Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina.

Dance the night away on Thursday nights at Shelter Cove Harbour! This exciting seasonal event combines the best local bands with delicious food and drinks. Now in its ninth season, the spring outdoor concert series will feature a variety of bands

YMPOSIUM ... MAY 27-28: NINTH ANNUA on Thursday nights throughout this spring. Featured Shelter Cove Harbour restaurants will set up as usual around the Neptune statue and will offer a variety of specially priced light appetizers, wine, beer and cocktails. Limited seating will be provided so you are encouraged to bring your own chair.

Visit palmettodunes.com for concert schedule and more details.

Welcome Exhibition and Happy Hour Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina: 5:30 p.m. Monday nights through October, 1 Harbourside Lane, Hilton Head Island. Tennis staff members and guests gather over cocktails to watch the pros play on Centre Court in Palmetto Dunes. Free. Visit palmettodunes.com for more information.

“Where Nature Meets Art”: through Sunday, April 30, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island. Offered by the Artists of Spring Island, this exhibition will provide a glimpse into the beauty of one of our neighboring islands. Visit the museum to see the works from some Spring Island artists who have gained an appreciation for our area’s unique culture, heritage, and environment.

Please check the Coastal Discovery Museum’s website at www.coastaldiscovery.org for images of some of the

work in the exhibit and a schedule of artist demonstrations or gallery walks.

More information about the Spring Island community may be found at www.springisland.com.

Candace Whittemore Lovely Special Exhibition: 7 a.m.-4 p.m. MondaySaturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, the French Bakery, Shelter Cove Towne Centre, 28 Shelter Cove Lane #120, Hilton Head Island. Candace Whittemore Lovely, an American impressionist painter known for her pleasing and peaceful views of American life, introduces “IRISES after Vincent Van Gogh” on debris logs from Hurricane Matthew. She is most renowned for painting Barbara Bush’s original White House portrait.

Her entire collection can be viewed at www.candacelovely.com Farmers Market of Bluffton: 1-6 p.m. Thursdays, 1271 May River Road, Bluffton. We’ve got more great reasons to visit! The market is now open with additional public parking provided by the town of Bluffton. We’ll be adding an Artisan Showcase on the first Thursday of every month to highlight a handful of local artists and their incredible Lowcountry craftsmanship.

Keep an eye out for fabulous new food and farm vendors this year and find

APRIL 26-MAY 21

“Sister Act”: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, April 26-May 21, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. “Sister Act” is the feel-amazing musical comedy smash that the New York Post calls “ridiculously fun!” This comedy like “nun-other” tells the hilarious story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe Las Vegas diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look — a convent. Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. Tickets are $57 for adults and $39 for children; save $10 April 26-27. For tickets, call the box office at 843-842-ARTS or go to tickets.artshhi.com.

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WHAT TO DO

APRIL 21-MAY 7: THE DROWS

A love affair with the

Drowsy Chaperone

I

BY BARBARA K. CLARK

have always been intrigued by the titles of Broadway plays.

How many times have you attended a show and found yourself still wondering what the title had to do with the play long after curtain call? This was my thought when I first heard about “The Drowsy Chaperone,” the opening show for May River Theatre Co.’s 16th season.

“Drowsy,” the winner of five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk awards, has all the elements of a hilarious musical farce. It is a play within a play, crammed full of every cliché, gag and gimmick from the golden age of musicals.

The idea for the play was originally hatched when several friends created a spoof of old musicals for a party in honor of Bob Martin, one of the show’s writers, and a friend, Janet Van De Graff. Don McKellar also collaborated on the writing and the music and lyrics are by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison.

Sitting in the director’s seat of May River Theatre’s production is Travis Hornsby, director of last season’s “Young Frankenstein.”

Hornsby’s love affair with “Drowsy” has been going on for the past six years.

“This is a show for theatre lovers and newbies alike, with nods to typical character archetypes, past theatergoer experiences, and musical theater traditions,” he says. “It not only engages seasoned theatergoers, but also seeks to amuse and entertain all of those sitting in a darkened theater. Our would-be narrator, Man in Chair, provides witty commentary while navigating his favorite record — yes, record — of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone,’ a 1920s throwback to the days ‘when 224 hiltonheadmonthly.com

PHOTO BY SCOTT GROOMS

Michael Weaver plays the Man in the Chair.

champagne flowed while the caviar chilled and all the world was a party — for the wealthy anyway.’ ” This isn’t Hornsby’s first time staging “Drowsy,” and he says he’s excited to present the show to Lowcountry audiences.

May River’s cast includes Michael Weaver as Man in the Chair; Mimi Molina as Drowsy; Jean White as Janet Van De Graff; Danny Bittick as Robert Martin; Stephan Brannan as George; Steve Mason as Feldzig; Catie Anne Mengel as Kitty; Andy Wallington as Underling; Gail Westerfield as Mrs. Tottendale; Saundra Woods as Trix; and Robert Ryan as the superintendent. Jonathan Boulon and Christian Osbourne are two gangsters disguised as pastry chefs, and the rest of the ensemble includes Lindsey Brannan, Corrie Frohnapfel, Matthew Davey and Xavier Jackson.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” takes the stage at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 21 through May 7, with 3 p.m. Sunday matinees.

Shows will be held in Ulmer Auditorium at Bluffton Town Hall.

Tickets are $27 and are available at www.mayrivertheatre.com or by calling the box office at 843815-5581 starting April 17. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mondays and Fridays. All reserved seats are $27. M

WSY CHAPERONE ... APRIL 22: CHARLES your next favorite thing! Real food, real people, real close. Visit farmersmarketbluffton.org for more information.

Savannah Culinary Tour: 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday, Savannah Historic District, Savannah. Experience an exploration of Savannah’s deep association with fine food and drink in a two-anda-half-hour tour that offers tastes of the very best of the Hostess City’s delectable cuisine. Join your certified tour guide on an afternoon journey that is delicious, informative, and fun. Tickets are $49 for adults, $45 for military, and $39 for children ages 12 and younger.

Reservations are required; visit www.

SavannahCulinaryTour.com or call 912604-3007 for more information.

The Town of Hilton Head Island seeks volunteers to serve on the Culture and Arts Advisory Committee: The mission of this new committee is to work actively and collaboratively with the town’s culture and arts network director to achieve goals. Applicants should be aware that this will be a highly active working committee that will likely meet more than once a month during business hours. Preferred applicants will have experience in local entertainment, arts, culture and heritage endeavors, or other professional qualifications helpful to fulfilling the

committee’s mission. Apply online at hiltonheadislandsc.gov/boards/ or call 843-341-4604. Please submit a resume with your application.

Spring Sports at Island Recreation Center: Registration is ongoing. There is still time to register for spring sports at Island Recreation Center. Call 843681-7273 or visit islandreccenter.org for additional information.

May River Expedition by Coastal Discovery Museum: 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and Thursdays through May 30. The tour will go out most Tuesday and Thursday through May 30. This two-hour exploration of Bluffton’s May River aboard research vessel Spartina will be led by Marine biologist Capt.

Amber Kuehn. Participants will observe nature up close with a display of live organisms. A scientific explanation will accompany a trip through this scenic river and salt marsh. From microscopic animals to dolphins, the possibilities are endless. Cost is $40 for adults and $30 for children ages 12 and younger.

Reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223 or by going to www.coastaldiscovery.org.

Birding at Pinckney Island by Coastal Discovery Museum: 8-10 a.m. April 5, 14, 19 and 27 and May 3, 11, 18 and

MAY 13

Bluffton’s MayFest 2017: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Old Town Bluffton. The 39th annual MayFest coordinated by The Rotary Club of Bluffton will be held Saturday, May 13 in Old Town Bluffton. The festival, often referred to as the Bluffton Village Festival, will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Enjoy this eclectic and homespun Southern festival, famous for its unique arts and crafts, music, delicious food, the 29th annual Ugly Dog Contest and the fifth annual Pie Eating Contest. Admission is free. For information call 843-815-2277, go to blufftonvillagefestival.com, “like” us on Facebook or email blufftonvillagefestival@gmail.com.

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WHAT TO DO

SATURDAYS: SWEETGRASS BASKET MAKING CLASSES ... WEDN 24, Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge.

Spring bird watching program at Pinckney Island led by experienced bird watchers from the museum. The walk will include the combination of habitats at Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge. Space is limited to 15, ages 12 and older only. Participants are asked to bring their own binoculars and the program will be canceled in case of rain. The program is $12 per person and reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223, or online at www.coastaldiscovery.org.

Sweetgrass Basket Making Classes: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, April 8 and 22, and May 13 and 27, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island. Learn about the history of the sweetgrass basket, one of the Lowcountry’s best known art forms, from a local Gullah basket maker. The cost if $65 adult and reservations are required by calling 843-689-6767, ext. 223 or online at www.coastaldiscovery.org.

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Dolphin Research Excursion by Coastal Discovery Museum: 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays in April and May. The excursion will study acoustic communications between resident dolphins in the May River. While researchers from Dr. Eric Montie’s lab at the University of South Carolina Beaufort visually identify and record dolphin vocalizations, marine biologist Capt. Amber Kuehn will share what we have learned about these fascinating cetaceans. Cost is $55 per person, ages 10 and older only, and reservations are

required by calling 843-689-6767, ext.

223 or online at coastaldiscovery.org.

Lowcountry Critters with Joe Maffo: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays through May 5, Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive. This casual “Meet and Greet” will help participants to learn more about the alligators, snakes, turtles and other critters that share Hilton Head Island with us. Joe Maffo with Critter Management will bring along some of his “friends” to share with everyone.

Visitors can stop by various stations to meet the different types of animals on site. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger; those younger than 5 are free. No reservations for this program, just drop in and see!

Monday Night Exhibitions: 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Aug. 28; (Except April 10 and 17), Sea Pines Racquet Club, 5 Lighthouse Lane, Hilton Head Island. Join in for an exciting tennis demonstration with valuable tips, refreshments, prize

drawings, and our traditional fishbowl sale. For additional information, please contact the Sea Pines Racquet Club at 843-363-4495.

Live Jazz at Ela’s Blu Water Grille: 7 p.m. nightly and 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. during Sunday Brunch, ELA’S Blu Water Grille, Shelter Cove Harbour Shops, 1 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island.

For schedule and more information, visit www.elasgrille.com.

The Jazz Corner: Nightly concerts at 8 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. The Village at Wexford C-1, Hilton Head. The Jazz Corner’s intimate, elegant atmosphere is the perfect setting to enjoy an evening of world-class entertainment enhanced by our innovative Southern menu and personal, attentive service.

For concert schedules and more information, visit www.thejazzcorner.com, or call 843-842-8620.

First Books of Beaufort in Need of Volunteers: First Books of Beaufort holds story hours at Title I schools and distributes over 750 books each month

to 4-year-olds to take home. The organization is in need of volunteers to read at three locations on Hilton Head Island. Volunteers can chose a time, date and school convenient for them once per month. For more information or to volunteer, go to www.firstbooksofbeaufort.com or email firstbooksofbeaufort@gmail.com.

Golf Clinics for all Ages: Times vary, Country Club of Hilton Head. Group and individual golf programs for adults and juniors led by PGA professional Jeff Picus of Excel and Enjoy Golf Academy. To learn more or to register for any of these programs, contact Picus at 843-295-8888 or classapro@ pga.com.

Tea Time at Rose Hill Mansion: 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Rose Hill Mansion, 199 Rose Hill Way, Bluffton. Experience afternoon tea at the most beautiful plantation house in the Lowcountry.

Selections include custom crafted teas, elegant finger sandwiches, and heavenly desserts. Small groups or large groups welcome. Cost is $40 per person. Call Lou Anne Takach today to book your tea time at 843-757-6046.

Volunteer Biking Ambassadors Needed: The Hilton Head Island Bicycle Advisory Committee is seeking individuals to help foster a welcoming environment and enhance safety on Hilton Head Island bike paths.

Volunteer bike ambassadors provide directions, maps, safety tips and flyers to visiting cyclists. Bike Ambassadors will work primarily during the busy summer season from May 28 to Aug. 6. All volunteers must attend a training session held on either May 10 or June 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the Palmetto Dunes Fire Station. For more information, contact Carmen Oliver at HHIBikingAmbassadors@gmail.com.

Swim Lessons at Island Rec: Through April, Island Recreation Center, 20 Wilborn Road, Hilton Head Island.

Make a splash this spring! For more information, visit www.islandreccenter. org or call 843-681-7273.

PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

EDNESDAYS: DOLPHIN RESEARCH EXCURSION ... WEDNESDAYS: LOWCOUNTRY CR

MAY 20

21st annual Rib Burnoff and Barbecue Fest: 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20, The Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Dr, Hilton Head Island.

Professional South Carolina Barbecue Association-certified judges will direct the blind judging to pick the Judge’s Award winners and festivalgoers will pick the popular vote winners. Beer, wine, soda, hot dogs and ice cream will also be available for purchase. Advance tickets will be sold at several local businesses at a reduced price of $15. Tickets at the gate are $20. For more information, contact Bill Haley at bhaley@hhivacations.com for general information, or Jim Gant, jim@ gantfamily.com, to get information on participating as a cook.

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SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT

The CyberPatriot Team of the Civil Air Patrol Lowcountry Composite Squadron advanced to the regional competition in February. Team members were Samuel Rexrode, Joey Reindl, Alex Brown, Josh Jolin, Josiah Lamont and Benjamin Weigel.

Jackie Dout and Fred Astaire Dance Studio owner/instructor Sandro Virag competed in the Heritage Classic DanceSport Competition in Asheville, North Carolina, where Dout placed in the top 20 out of 500 competitors.

The Wexford Charitable Foundation donated $89,000 to local charities, including the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island, The Children’s Center, Family Promise, Heather Trew Foundation, Heroes of the Lowcountry, Hilton Head Island Safe Harbour, Hospice Care of the Lowcountry, The Literacy Center, Meals on Wheels, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Neighborhood Outreach Connection, Pockets Full of Sunshine, Programs for Exceptional People, and Second Helpings.

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GET IN THE SPOTLIGHT To submit photos from your event or party, email editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com or you can share them directly from your Facebook page by liking us on Facebook.

The Esquivel family was awarded the Peggy May Inspiration Award at the Foundation for Educational Excellence’s annual Jewels and Jeans event. Pictured are Miss La Isla 2017 Rebecca Gelb, Eric Esquivel and his wife, Stephanie, Barbara and Hector Esquivel and Jackie Rosswurm, chairwoman of the Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Ray Ushikubo, 15, from Japan and the United States, won the 2017 Hilton Head International Piano Competition.

(Photo by Luis Barrero Photography) After being announced, Dr. Brad Schultz, the new head of school at Cross Schools, rode in on a hoverboard.

Larry Heichel, Louanne LaRoche and Pat Buckley Moss at a special reception.

Cordelia’s Garden Center recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribboncutting ceremony.

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SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at K Hovnanian Homes at Hampton Lake.

May River Montessori received a $2,000 grant from The Whole Foods Kids Foundation to create a new garden landscape.

The Literacy Center’s 11th annual Cooks & Books was a success.

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Vital Personalized Healthcare.

Hurricane Matthew forced the Coastal Discovery Museum to cancel the May River Gallery’s planned exhibition late last year. Though gallery members were disappointed, they decided to donate their annual ornament sale proceeds to the museum. From left: Barb Snow, Natalie Hefter and Susan Knight.

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hotographer Arno Dimmling captured these images March 12 at the Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

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CAMPS

2017 GUIDE Plan to get the kids out of your house and involved in something fun!

T

he countdown to summer vacation has begun, and with it the annual question faced by all parents: What are we going to do with the kids? Whether you’re looking to ship the kids off for a whole week, or just get them out of the house for a few hours so they don’t spend the whole day watching Netflix, there is a great selection of summer camps right here in the Lowcountry.

The Lowcountry lifestyle we all appreciate definitely extends to the quality of summer camps we have available. It’s easy to take for granted that our location makes the surf and nature camps that kids across the country dream of attending a reality here.

Whether you’ve got an aspiring Beethoven at home, or the next Picasso, there’s a camp where they can devote their vacation to practicing. For the adventurous kids, there are always new and exciting outdoor camps to check out. M Art Cafe Kids Night Out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Art Cafe Kids Night Out: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Art Cafe, 5 Lagoon Road. Kids will have so much fun at the Art Cafe! During Kids Night Out, your child will paint two pottery projects, play games and eat dinner with other kids. While the kids are having fun, the adults can enjoy a relaxing night downstairs at Rockfish Seafood and Steaks. Call 843785-5525 for more details and to reserve your child’s spot today.

Alliance Dance Academy Registration is ongoing. Alliance Dance Academy, 4383 Bluffton Parkway. Join us this summer for fun-filled days of crafts, books, movies and, of course, dance! Bring your lunch and a drink and we will supply the snacks.

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Summer classes also available for creative movement, ballet, tumbling, jazz, tap and hip-hop. Ages 2 ½ and older. $200 first camp per person, 10 percent discount each additional camp per person. Each week is filled with activities based on the theme of the camp. To register or for more information, visit alliancedanceacademy.com or call 843-7578277.

Station 300 — Kids Bowl Free Summer Program May 1-Sept. 5, Buckwalter Place Shopping Center, 25 Innovation Drive, Bluffton. Kids bowl two free games every day! Fill your summer days with fun at the state-of-the-art arcade with 40 games and a prize redemption center. Finish the day off at the snack bar and Zeppelin’s Bar & Grill featuring plenty

CAMPS of seating indoors and an outdoor patio.

Hours vary; register at www.KidsBowlFree. com/Station300. Go to station300.com for more information or call 843-815-2695, ext. 3.

Hilton Head Prep 2017 Summer Camps Hilton Head Prep welcomes friends, neighbors, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton residents and visitors. As camp sizes are limited, they encourage early registration. Summer camps include Discovery Dayz All Summer Long Day Camp, Summer Strength & Conditioning Program, Basketball Camp – Rising Grades 8-12, Storm Soccer Academy Full-Day Camp, Storm Soccer Academy Half-Day Camp, Baseball Camp, Junior Dolphin Football Camp, Drama Camp, Animal Care Camp, Instructional Volleyball Camp, Basket Weaving Camp, Junior Sailing Camp, Yo-Yo Camp. For further information about offerings, email Liz Nash at lnash@hhprep.org or call 843-715-8522. Online visit hhprep.org/ student-life/summer-programs.

IDEA Studio Summer Camps IDEA Studio offers the best summer fun children can experience. They will be offering weekly summer camps beginning the week of June 5 and running through the week of July 31. IDEA Studio’s summer camps are half days with Kdg.-3rd graders from 9 a.m.

to noon each week and 4th-8th graders from 1:30-4:30 p.m. each week. This summer they will be alternating three different camps: Create with Clay pottery camp, Inspired by the Masters art camp, and Wet & Wild art camp. All camps are held at IDEA Studio, 21 Mathews Dr., Ste. 2, on Hilton Head Island. Clay camps are $175 per week and art camps are $150 per week. They will be offering an early bird discount for registrations received before May 22. 843342-5439, scartstudio.com.

IJGA Summer Camp Weekly sessions beginning June 5 through Aug. 7. Train like a pro this summer. With a team of worldclass professionals dedicated to developing junior golfers, at International Junior Golf Academy you’ll get the right technical, tactical, mental and physical training to accomplish amazing things this summer

and beyond. IJGA’s unique program delivers customized golf training/competition by director Jonathan Yarwood in a close, family environment on Hilton Head Island. For more information, visit IJGASummerCamp. com or call 843-264-7448.

Coastal Carolina Camp (ages 7 and up) at Shelter Cove Marina A fun, engaging adventurer day camp. Daily activities may include kayaking, crabbing, water trampoline, environmental discovery and beachcombing. Plus lots of games that provide a great introduction to the Carolina salt marsh ecosystem and loads of fun. $125 per child per two-day session. For more information, visit outsidehiltonhead.com or call 1-800-686-6996.

Kids N’ Clay Camp 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. June 12-15 and June 23, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. Students ages 7-12 will learn a variety of ceramic hand-building techniques including pinch, slab, coil, surface decoration, glazing and more. No class Friday, June 16, to fire clay pieces in the kiln; students return June 23 to glaze the work. Pieces will be fired a second time and available for pickup the following week. Tuition is $115.

Online registration required. For more information, contact Alana Adams at AAdams@ artshhi.com or visit artshhi.com/workshops.

Theatre Camp 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 19-23 or July 24-28. Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. Campers ages 9-14 will make a cast of new friends during this fun-filled week!

Campers will experience a mini-production and will not only be the cast, but will also be the production crew. Kids will learn how to write scripts, understand and develop characters, create sets and props, and design costumes. Tuition is $210; online registration is required. For more information, contact Alana Adams at AAdams@ artshhi.com or visit artshhi.com/workshops.

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CAMPS

Take the Stage! Performing Arts Camp 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. for ages 6-8; 12:45-3 p.m. for ages 9-13; June 26-30 or July 10-14, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. Join us as we explore music, dance and drama in this one-week camp. Students will work with professional artists and will be exposed to a variety of performing art forms in our Black Box Theatre and will create a mini showcase performance on Friday. Tuition is $110; online registration is required. For more information, contact Alana Adams at AAdams@artshhi.com or visit artshhi.com/ workshops.

Mixed- Up Masterpieces Visual Arts Camp 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. for ages 9-13, 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. for ages 6-8, June 26-30 or July 10-14, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. In this one-week camp, students will study folk and fine art from all around the world that will inspire both traditional and unusual 2-D and 3-D masterpieces. A mini-showcase exhibit/reception will be held Friday. Tuition is $110; online registration is required. For more information, contact Alana Adams at AAdams@artshhi.com or visit artshhi.com/ workshops.

STEAM Camp 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. July 31-Aug. 4, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. STEAM Summer Camp is an exciting and hands-on learning opportunity for youth ages 9-14, with a special emphasis on the STEAM curriculum areas (science, technology, engi-

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neering, art and mathematics). During this fun-filled week, campers will learn about concepts such as vibrations, circuits, forces of motion, simple machines and electromagnetism while creating projects that will have them eager to learn more. Projects will include a “robot” that draws, tiny dancing sculptures made with homopolar motors, pendulum paintings, kinetic sculptures and “circuit bugs.” Tuition is $115; online registration is required. For more information, contact Alana Adams at AAdams@artshhi. com or visit artshhi.com/workshops.

Guardian Angels Sitting Service Guardian Angels Sitting Service is a child care, elderly companion and pet-sitting referral agency servicing the Lowcountry and the surrounding areas. We provide baby-sitters and activity coordinators to families, hotels, rental properties, churches, small and large company functions, weddings, camps, clubs, plantations and resorts. We can develop, plan and manage an activities program, kids night out, day camp, holiday craft events and weeklong summer camps for your company. Call us today for more information at 877-4704277, ext. 4.

The Page Island Growth Center This 35-acre chain of eight islands is the ultimate in coastal camping. The facility includes campsites, contemporary rest room facilities, cooking facilities, fire pits and Lowcountry activities including fishing, kayaks, paddle boards, crabbing and nature trails. Offered by Outside Brands. M

THE NICE GUYS

MUSIC

High school students bring new sound to local music scene

BY DON MCLOUD PHOTO BY LLOYD WAINSCOTT

They say nice guys finish last, but a new band of teens in southern Beaufort County is proving that isn’t always true.

T

hey say nice guys finish last, but a new band of teens in southern Beaufort County is proving that isn’t always true.

They call themselves The Nice Guys, and in their first-ever gig, they finished first.

It all happened in the spur of the moment last March for Hilton Head Christian Academy students Nick Myher, Kevin Myher and Andrew Mooney and Hilton Head Island High School student Alex Syragakis. A teacher coaxed them into performing together in the Rising Stars Talent Competition sponsored by the Island School Council for the Arts.

They won first place.

Since then, they have brought a new sound to the Hilton Head music scene. They added Hilton Head Christian Academy student Davis Lentz on sax and perform frequently at Big Bamboo Cafe.

As their crowds have grown, so have their bookings. After they finish their junior year in May, they’ll spend the summer playing every Tuesday night at the Big Bamboo and every Thursday evening at Coligny Plaza.

Following the talent show win, the band decided to work on their sound and image.

“We definitely wanted to play what people are not playing around here,” Nick says.

They play cover songs, but with their own twist.

Each member of the band has his own different musical tastes — rock, jazz, funk, rap, you name it — and all are accomplished enough musically to fuse them together in an infectious, bouncy concoction that lets the audience know it’s time to dance.

“We’re a party band,” says Andrew, “so we play a lot of upbeat and just fun, danceable music.”

They dress alike for their performances, typically wearing white dress shirts, black pants and skinny black neckties.

“We wanted people to remember us,” Nick says.

And the nice attire fits the image of a band that calls itself The Nice Guys.

And they really are nice guys.

Nick plays electric guitar, and his twin brother, Kevin, plays electric bass. They both sing. They’ve been playing music together since eighth grade.

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MUSIC

They got their love of music from their father, Bob Myher, who sings and plays guitar in local bands The Pinckney Island Boys and OCD. Both say they’re having a blast, but Kevin seems to have found his alter ego onstage.

“People perceive me as sort of the shy twin,” he says. “And when I’m up there, people have told me that I’m like a completely different person.”

Alex has been playing piano since he was 5. He moved his freshman year to Hilton Head from Connecticut, where he played in bands. He also sings, and, like his band mates, enjoys cutting up onstage.

“We try to make the audience have a good time,” he says. “You’ll see us making jokes between songs and just using our personality and charisma to our advantage.”

Davis might have been a latecomer to the band, but he’s made up for lost time.

He sees his sax as broadening the band’s appeal.

“I think it helps us connect with a lot more people because older people grew

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up listening to saxophone and that’s just not something seen as much in today’s music,” he says. “So I think it helps us connect with different generations.”

He’s also enjoying making money the fun way.

“Not many people The Nice Guys, from left: Andrew Mooney, Kevin Myher, Davis Lentz, Alex Syragakis my age get to do that and Nick Myher. for their job. I think it’s really cool because I get to do what I love “I enjoy pleasing a crowd. It’s just kind of to do.” my goal to be refreshing and to let people Andrew has been playing drums since know that we try to be different.” fourth grade. Many islanders may know All five say they’re not sure what the future him from his performance at the Jazz holds for the band or their careers. They’re Corner. He also teaches younger players. just taking things a step at a time. Their goal He comes by his musical talent honis to book as many gigs as possible, setting estly. Both his father and grandfather were their sights on the wedding market. drummers. “It just kind of runs in the fam“People will come up to us, and they’re ily,” he says. like, ‘Do you do weddings?’” says Nick.

He’s excited to be using his musical tal“And we’re like, ‘Why not do wedent to make others happy. dings?’” M

DINING

WHAT’S

COOKIN’

A HEAPING HELPING OF LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS

Cocktails of

Champions

BY CARRIE HIRSCH PHOTOS BY BUTCH HIRSCH

A

congregation of alligators. A murder of crows. What do you call a batch of cocktails? A hangover. In honor of the RBC Heritage Presented

by Boeing, this glossary of golf terms has been transformed into cocktails. We have conjured up our own definitions with the help of vodka, rum, whisky, tequila and prosecco — and caffeine, of course. Hilton Head Island’s Harbour Town Golf Links has hosted this PGA Tour event for decades (the inaugural tournament was held in the fall of 1969) and next year will be the Heritage’s golden anniversary, so start pre-gaming now! M

Got a good cocktail recipe? Email it to editor@ hiltonheadmonthly.com

1. RUM & ESPRESSO:

Chip Shot

Official definition: A chip with some spin.

Our definition: A drink with some spin.

1 teaspoon chocolate chips or cocoa powder ½ cup steamed milk 2 shots hot espresso 2 ounces Hilton Head Distillery Two Traditions Espresso rum whipped cream chocolate shavings Pour chocolate chips into the bottom of a large coffee mug. Add steamed milk, hot espresso and rum. Stir, then top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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WHAT’S

COOKIN’ CONTINUED

2. PROSECCO:

“Frog Hair” of The Dog

Official definition: The short fringe surrounding the greens, isolating it from the fairway.

Our definition: Drop the “frog” part and get to work on the dog of the hair that bit you!

2 ounces peach juice 1 small scoop peach sorbet 6 ounces prosecco fresh raspberries Pour peach juice into a fluted champagne glass and add peach sorbet. Top with prosecco and drop in a few raspberries.

4. RUM:

Recovery Shot

3. COFFEE LIQUEUR:

Sweet Spot

Official definition: The preferred spot on the club face with which to strike the ball.

Our definition: Coffee can’t cure a bad shot, but coffee liqueur just might…

1 cup hot coffee 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 2 ounces coffee liqueur whipped cream chocolate shavings In a large coffee mug, stir together hot coffee and brown sugar until sugar dissolves.

Add in coffee liqueur, stir, and then top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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Official definition: A hit to bring the ball back into a playable position, typically from a hazard.

Our definition: Kudos on your recovery shot — bottoms up!

3 ounces Hilton Head Distillery coconut rum ½ cup milk 1 scoop rum raisin ice cream 1 tablespoon toasted coconut whipped cream Combine coconut rum, milk and rum raisin ice cream and process in a blender. Pour into rocks glass and top with whipped cream.

Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

5. VODKA:

Shotgun Start

Official definition: A tournament in which the field starts from different holes at the same time.

Our definition: Everybody has to drink at the same time, might as well make it count.

1 teaspoon chipotle powder 1 teaspoon coarse salt 2 ounces vodka 4 ounces tomato juice lemon wedge juice of 1 lemon zest of ½ lemon 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon hot sauce pinch of black pepper sliced lemon & celery stick Moisten the rim of a pint glass with a wedge of lemon. Combine chipotle powder and salt and place into a shallow bowl and then evenly dip the rim to coat. Combine vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and black pepper in a shaker and give it a good shake. Pour into glass and garnish with lemon slice and celery stick.

7. RUM:

Mulligan

6. TEQUILA:

Knockdown Shot Official definition: A shot played into the wind.

Our definition: Avoid knocking down too many of these or you will be three sheets to the wind.

1 wedge lime 1 tablespoon coarse salt mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar (to coat the rim of the glass) 1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red chili pepper flakes 2 ounces sparkling limeade 3 ounces tequila blanco 2 tablespoons powdered sugar sliced lime 1 dried arbol chili pepper Moisten the rim of a margarita glass with a wedge of lime. Sprinkle the salt/sugar mixture into a shallow bowl, and then evenly dip the rim of the margarita glass to coat. Combine ice, crushed red chili pepper flakes, sparkling limeade, tequila and powdered sugar in a shaker. Give it a quick shake and pour into glass. Garnish with lime and dried arbor chili pepper.

Official definition: When a player is allowed an extra shot after a bad one, not counted on the scorecard.

Our definition: When a player gets to drink another one and it doesn’t count.

4 tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to coat the rim of the glass ¼ cup water 1 wedge lime 2 ounces white rum 2 ounces fresh lime juice zest of ½ lime 2 ounces pineapple juice 4 pineapple chunks for garnish To make the brown sugar simple syrup, place brown sugar and water in a microwaveable glass measuring cup. Microwave until brown sugar dissolves (approximately 2 minutes).

Moisten the rim of a highball glass with a wedge of lime. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into a shallow bowl and evenly dip the rim to coat. Combine ice, brown sugar simple syrup, rum, lime juice, lime zest and pineapple juice in a shaker and give it a good shake. Pour into glass and garnish with pineapple chunks on a skewer.

April 2017 239

BLUFFTON

HILTON HEAD

SAME, BUT DIFFERENT.

32 Bruin Road

8 Archer Road

843.837.8888

843.686.3388

redfishof bluffton.com

redfishof hiltonhead.com

DINING

WHAT’S

COOKIN’ CONTINUED

NOW OPEN

STREET MEET OFFERING FUNDRAISER SPIRIT NIGHTS Enjoy delicious food in a fun atmosphere along with your family and friends while supporting your organization. It’s as easy as choosing your Tuesday date, letting your fellow members and supporters know about it and showing up. Street Meet The American Tavern will donate 10 percent of food sales from 5 to 8 p.m., dine in or carry out. The next scheduled Spirit Night is April 25 to benefit St. Francis Catholic School. For more information, call 843-290-1147

SALTY DOG HOSTING EASTER EGG HUNT

The Salty Dog Cafe is hosting its Easter egg hunt from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 15. The annual event is one of the largest free egg hunts in the Southeast. Thousands of eggs will be hidden around South Beach Marina for kids ages 12 and younger to find and trade in for fun prizes. The Salty Dog Luau will follow from 4 to 8 p.m. Other events this month include the Salty Dog Heritage Cruise on April 13-15 and the Salty Dog Burger Bonanza on April 29. For more information, call 843-671-2233.

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SERG GROUP RELEASES CONCEPTUAL IMAGE OF NEW RESTAURANT

SERG Restaurant Group recently released a conceptual image of the new Skull Creek Dockside restaurant.

Construction on the building, which used to be Chart House, has begun. The building will feature a large patio space and an expanded second level that will be used for private events. The restaurant will share open space with neighboring SERG restaurant Skull Creek Boathouse for oyster roasts and family entertainment. Chart House closed after Hurricane Matthew. Skull Creek Dockside has targeted a summer opening.

C’est Bon, meaning “it’s good” in French, opened in March at The Shops at Sea Pines Center.

The cafe specializes in gelato, espresso, fresh-baked pastries and nitro cold brew. The interior is open and bright with a European feel that includes stainless steel cases and a parquet tile floor. It’s a good destination for sweet treats.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 843-671-2200

SPROUT MOMMA FINDS NEW HOME ON HILTON HEAD After years of renting the kitchen from Piggly Wiggly in Coligny Plaza, Sprout Momma has found a new home on Hilton Head Island.

The popular bakery will be located at 21 Cardinal Road, Suite 105, off Beach City Road.

Over the next month, the bakery will be waiting on permits, knocking down walls, installing equipment and getting the building ready to open. Like always, the bakery will specialize in made-to-order breads and pastries with a focus on wholesale customers. One new addition will be grab-and-go lunches. The bakery will also appear at farmers markets in Bluffton, Port Royal, Columbia and Savannah

POOL BAR JIM’S REOPENS

Jim Lisenby, a Hilton Head Island man famous for his tropical frozen fruit concoctions, is back in business.

Lisenby has teamed up with Dave Peck, owner of A Lowcountry Backyard restaurant, to reopen Pool Bar Jim’s at the beach bar behind The Sea Crest Resort on North Forest Beach. Lisenby served his frozen drinks at the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort for many years, but his arrangement with the resort ended last year. The new bar is open seven days a week and offers a Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 843-816-4648

DUCK DONUTS OPENS AT FRESH MARKET SHOPPES

A new doughnut shop has opened at the Fresh Market Shoppes on Hilton Head Island. Duck Donuts offers madeto-order vanilla cake donuts, fried in a soybased shortening for a healthier product.

Each donut contains approximately 210 calories. Customers start with a coating, pick a topping and then choose a drizzle. Find more information at duckdonuts.com.

TWISTED CORK OFFERING LIVE MUSIC

Twisted Cork Cocktail & Wine Bar is hosting live music every Friday and trivia every Monday.

Call 843-802-0510 for details.

DINING

PARTY ON!

Host the perfect Heritage cocktail party The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing is a fantastic excuse to throw a great cocktail party. Just remember, a spectacular soiree takes more than just excellent drinks. The food must be on point as well. To help turn your Heritage cocktail party up a notch, we reached out to two catering experts for recipes that are both easy to make and guaranteed to please.

Black & Blue Carolina Crab Dip Martinis with Grilled Baguettes CELEBRATIONS CATERING & EVENTS INGREDIENTS

3 shallots, diced 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons brandy 3 cups heavy cream 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature 1 pound domestic lump crab meat (hand-picked) Salt, white pepper and Tabasco (as needed) 3 tablespoon Clemson Blue Cheese, crumbled 1 baguette, sliced and grilled Sauté shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent. Deglaze with brandy (careful of flame-up) and cook until alcohol burns off. Add heavy cream, bay leaves, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add cream cheese and continue to simmer until smooth. Add crabmeat and season with salt, white pepper, and Tabasco. Serve in martini glasses with grilled baguette slice and crumbled Clemson Blue Cheese.

Additional option – garnish with fresh crab claw in addition to baguette slice and Clemson Blue Cheese.

PALMETTO DUNES PIMENTO CHEESE DUNES CATERING & EVENTS INGREDIENTS

d, seeded and diced 4 large pimento peppers, roasted, peele d and diced seede d, 2 jalapenos roasted, peele erature temp room at e, chees cream of es ounc 4 e nnais mayo cup 1/2 1/2 teaspoon Frank’s RedHot, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 cup chopped pickles with brine rably Tillamook); 1 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese (prefe r grated on the large holes of a box grate serving.

Combine all ingredients and chill before better than much work Note: Freshly grated cheese will pre-grated, bagged cheese.

April 2017 243

DINING

a passion for cooking

Appearance on ‘Chopped Junior’ an exhilarating experience for young Bluffton chef

BY HALLIE MARTIN PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

A

iden McCarthy didn’t want to be a firefighter or policeman or superhero for Halloween when he was two. He wanted to be a chef. It was a precursor to the passion that would land him on an episode of the Food Network’s “Chopped Junior”10 years later.

“He was just in it from the beginning,” said his mother, Leah McCarthy, of Aiden’s passion for cooking. She and her husband, Ryan, own the Downtown Deli in Old Town Bluffton, a catering company and a food truck. “He has always shown interest from a young age. He’d always ask, ‘Can I help?

Can I stir? Can I measure?’ He just wanted to do everything, and was always, always, always in the kitchen wanting to help.”

Aiden, 12, competed in the Feb. 21 “Heads Will Roll” episode of “Chopped Junior.” When he opened up his mystery basket and saw shrimp staring right back at him, he knew he was in his comfort zone.

“I’m from the Lowcountry,” Aiden said.

“Cooking shrimp is like riding a bike. You just know it.”

Aiden quickly decided to cook a shrimp quesadilla with persimmon pico de gallo and moon pie sour cream.

But with just five minutes left in the round,

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Aiden McCarthy

“I realized my quesadillas are burning and I’m running out of time. I cannot serve the judges burnt quesadillas,” Aiden said on the show. But, he persevered, taking the shrimp out of the tortillas and starting over.

His shrimp was perfectly cooked. His presentation was clean and neat. But, citing too little cheese in the quesadilla and not enough acid in the pico, Aiden was chopped in the first round.

“I felt upset, but I also felt just proud to have the opportunity,” he said. “It was really fun; the outcome never bothered me.”

The journey to “Chopped Junior” started over the summer. The show’s casting agency reached out to Leah’s colleague in Savannah, who recommended Aiden.

Then the virtual auditioning began. Aiden had to do a home video that showed him cooking, a Skype interview with a producer, “a lot of paperwork,” and more. He was one of 14,000 kids who tried out for the show. The episode was taped in October in New York City, and the family had to keep the outcome a secret for more than four months.

DINING

“Oh my gosh, it was super hard,” Leah said.

On the night the show aired, they watched it as a family. “It’s been the biggest emotional roller coaster we’ve been on with any of the kids. Every parent wants their kids to succeed. It was a huge high when he got on … and to be the one to go out first, it was such an extreme low.”

They were soon uplifted by the outpouring of support from the community.

Our phones were going crazy,” Leah said.

“Wherever we’d go, people were stopping us to congratulate Aiden and say how shocked they were to see him ‘chopped’ first.”

The town of Bluffton recognized Aiden before the show aired, and people lined up at Downtown Deli to buy the now-famous shrimp quesadilla and chopped salad, which was on the menu for a week. Sales of those two dishes went to Aiden’s college fund.

Aiden has been in the restaurant business since before he could walk. When the McCarthys opened Downtown Deli, he’d eat Cheerios in a high chair next to the register and later helped clear tables, Leah said. He learned to cook alongside his father, including one of his favorite dishes, shrimp and grits. “It’s one of the first recipes I remember cooking with my dad,” Aiden said.

The seventh-grader at River Ridge Academy will help in his family’s restaurant or on the food truck any chance he gets, and has also taught a series of kids cooking classes with his 10-year-old sister, Kate. His goal is to attend the Culinary School of America in Hyde Park, New York, and eventually open his own restaurant.

Even though the outcome of “Chopped Junior” was disappointing, Aiden called his experience “exhilarating.”

“It’s such a cool experience — a lot to put into words,” he said.

To Leah and others, it wasn’t the outcome that impressed them; it was the way Aiden held his head high and plans to persevere with his passion.

“I’m so proud that he was recognized not only for the culinary skills, but (the judges) recognized what a sweet young man he is and how he handled himself. They complimented his Southern charm and his manners,” Leah said. “It just warms my hear that he has such perseverance. He never had a bad attitude or blamed anyone. He handled it like a true champ.” M April 2017 245

DINING

Rooted in the Lowcountry

BY BARRY KAUFMAN | PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

FARM in Bluffton has carefully nurtured a remarkable new dining experience.

246 hiltonheadmonthly.com

It

may be hard to believe now, but prevailing belief once held that you couldn’t make gourmet cuisine work in Bluffton. It was, after all, a working-class river town.

If you weren’t steaming oysters or smoking a hog, you were overthinking it.

But over time, Bluffton woke up to the endless culinary possibilities beyond its traditional staples. And thus began the epicurean renaissance currently elevating Bluffton’s foodie scene.

The epicenter of all of this is FARM, a restaurant whose fame comes as much from its mouth-watering cuisine as its monastic devotion to local sourcing.

Yes, the entire farm-to-table movement is everywhere, but you won’t ever find it expressed as literally — or as deliciously — as you will at FARM. Let’s start with the literal expression of farm to table. Founder Ryan Williamson’s journey to launch FARM started quite literally on a farm — his 3/4-acre Low

Country Farms, tucked away among the trees off the stretch of May River Road leading to Savannah. His produce was already famed for its flavorful contributions to the menus at Palmetto Bluff when he started researching local food culture.

“The one thing that I found it lacked was locally sourced food in any of the restaurants that I liked dining in,” Williamson said.

That research led him to the determination behind that old adage: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. He joined with former Palmetto Bluff executive chef Brandon Carter, with whom he’d already been working, along with managing partner Josh Heaton, and “after 16 months of stress, grey hairs, near heart attacks and financial hemorrhaging,” FARM opened and Bluffton’s food scene hasn’t been the same since.

They’re not just making gourmet cuisine work in Bluffton, they’re helping it define Bluffton. In Carter’s kitchen, classic

DINING

collard greens are transformed into something unforgettable by skilled application of smoked chilies and cider vinegar. May River oysters remind us why we live here through a subtle preparation of chili garlic butter and Meyer lemon (try them fried with Georgia white shrimp on Sunday taco night).

Carter’s extensive experience in worldclass kitchens infuses every dish with flavors and textures that heighten the experience of knowing everything you taste didn’t travel far to get here.

“All of our food purchases are from local and regional purveyors and small business food distributors,” said Williamson. “That’s literally how we order each week. I text, call or email these same people and we get it done, every week.”

That sourcing goes all the way to the beverage list, with beer and spirits joining meat and veg offerings with serious local cred.

Gourmet cuisine. In Bluffton. So much for prevailing belief. M

FARM’s culinary team is continually evolving the menu, taking inspiration from the seasonal bounty of local produce, cultural traditions from around the world and contemporary culinary ideas.

April 2017 247

DININGLISTINGS BBREAKFAST LLUNCH DDINNER OOPEN LATE SSUNDAY BRUNCH

HILTON HEAD

FACES BEHIND THE FOOD SCENE MARGARET PEARMAN

NORTH END

ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY 45 Pembroke Drive. 843-342-2253. BLD BELLA ITALIA BISTRO AND PIZZA 95 Mathews Drive in Port Royal Plaza. 843-6895560. LD

WINE DIRECTOR AND MANAGER, CHARLIE’S L’ETOILE VERTE

[Question] Your restaurant has been serving locals and tourists for 35 years. What role has it played in your life? [Answer] My relationship with our family restaurant has definitely been one of both love and hate. Since I can remember, I have been working in the restaurant. The restaurant has provided me with many experiences through travel, which have given me a broader perspective of the world. More than anything, working in a restaurant is quite humbling, and teaches you a lot about human nature. Lastly, it has provided me with a strong work ethic. The show must go on is not just for theater.

THE CAROLINA ROOM The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, Port Royal Plantation.

843-681-4000, ext. 7045. BLD

[Q] Working in a restaurant with your family seems so Old World and romantic. Is it anything but that?

[A] You wouldn’t find me romanticizing the restaurant business. The restaurant business is tough and working with family is super complicated. I often envy those who do not have such an emotional connection to where they work, and can just put in their notice. There are lots of fights, but at the end of the day we have the common goal of getting things right for the customer.

IL CARPACCIO If you’re hankering for some authentic Italian cuisine, this island institution is worth finding. Pizza is cooked in a hardwoodburning oven and everything is made from scratch. 200A Museum St. 843-342-9949. ilcarpaccioofhiltonhead.com. LD

[Q] Is there a generation behind you that will eventually take over?

[A] My brother and I both have young children. I am currently six months pregnant with my second. I am hoping that they have the opportunity to experience something different, and I 248 hiltonheadmonthly.com

FIESTA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL (NORTH) 95 Mathews Drive. 843-342-8808. BLD FRANKIE BONES 1301 Main St. 843-682-4455. LDS THE HEALTHY HABIT 55 Mathews Drive, Suite 116. 843-686-5600, healthyhabithhi.com LD HUDSON’S SEAFOOD HOUSE ON THE DOCKS 1 Hudson Road. 843-681-2772. hudsonsonthedocks.com. LD

PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

[Q] Many children want nothing to do with the family business. Why was it different for you? [A] I came into the business because I saw the need to manage and grow the business, coupled with my graduation coinciding with the economic crisis of 2007. I had struggled to make ends meet as a wine rep. The restaurant had so much untapped potential. At some point, I hope to have a second life and pursue my love of painting. … I think the restaurant business definitely comes with an expiration date in respect to the physical demands.

CRAZY CRAB (NORTH) 104 William Hilton Parkway, 843-681-5021, www.thecrazycrab. com. LD

would make them go out and work for others before deciding to return if they had the desire.

[Q] You are a French restaurant, but many locals go for your seafood. Would you say seafood and French cuisine are connected?

[A] There is certainly a strong connection between French cuisine and seafood. I think that we have conformed to what our clientele wants to see on the menu. We like to use some classic French preparations along with many other ethnic influences.

[Q] Do you have any cooking tips you can share? [A] KISS: Keep it simple stupid! Less is more when it comes to cooking.

LAGERHEAD TAVERN 155 High Bluff Road, Hilton Head Plantation. 843-684-2184, www. lagerheadtavern.com. LD MAIN STREET CAFÉ 1411 Main Street Village.

843-689-3999. LDS MANGIAMO! 2000 Main St. 843-682-2444. LD MUNCHIES 1407 Main St. 843-785-3354. LD NEW YORK CITY PIZZA 45 Pembroke Drive.

843-689-2222. LD

[Q] The hand-written menu is something that’s unique to Charlie’s. How is it created each day? [A] Every afternoon, the chefs create a list for my dad or me. We sit down and write it out on a template while talking with the chefs to make sure our descriptions are on point.

Then we simply photocopy.

OCEANS RESTAURANT 2 Grasslawn Ave., The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. 843-681-4000. LDO

[Q] How does the restaurant acquire its ingredients? [A] We buy all of our ingredients from many different wholesalers, from the big guys to the small ones. Availability and pricing is always shifting around, and we have to shop around to find the best value to keep menu prices stable.

PLANTATION CAFÉ AND DELI 95 Mathews Drive. 843-342-4472. BL

Continued on Page 255

OKKO 95 Mathews Drive. 843-341-3377. LD OLD FORT PUB 65 Skull Creek Drive. 843-6812386. DS PAN FRESCO OLE 55 Matthews Drive.

843-681-5989. LD

THE PURPLE COW 95 Mathews Drive. 843-681-2253, purplecowhhi.com. BLD REILLEY’S NORTH END PUB 95 Mathews Drive. 843-681-4153. LDSO RUAN THAI HUT 1107 Main St., 843-6813700. LD

DINING

RUBY LEE’S 46 Wild Horse Road. 843-6817829. LDS SKULL CREEK BOATHOUSE 397 Squire Pope Road. 843-681-3663. DO SPROUT MOMMA 21 Cardinal Road, Suite 105. 843-683-0827, sproutmomma.com STARBUCKS 430 William Hilton Parkway in Pineland Station. 843-689-6823.

STREET MEET 95 Mathews Drive, Port Royal Plaza. 843-842-2570. LDO SUNSET GRILLE 43 Jenkins Island Road.

843-689-6744. LDOS TJ’S TAKE AND BAKE PIZZA 35 Main St. 843-681-2900. LD WISEGUYS 1513 Main St. 843-842-8866.

DO YUMMY HOUSE 2 Southwood Park Drive.

843-681-5888. LD

HILTON HEAD MID-ISLAND

843 890 William Hilton Parkway, Fresh Market Shoppes. 843-686-8843. LD ALEXANDER’S Featuring seasonally-inspired cuisine, locally-caught seafood and many locally-sourced ingredients. Open for early dining and dinner, seven nights a week. 76 Queens Folly Rd. alexandersrestaurant.com, 843-785-4999. D ALFRED’S European-trained chef Alfred Kettering combines some of the most appealing elements of classic American and Continental cuisine in this tiny Plantation Center hideaway. Grab a seat at the chef’s counter to watch the master at work. 807 William Hilton Parkway, #1200, in Plantation Center. 843-341-3117. alfredshiltonhead. com D ARTHUR’S GRILLE Arthur Hills course, Palmetto Dunes. 843-785-1191. LD BIG JIM’S BBQ, BURGERS AND PIZZA Robert Trent Jones course, Palmetto Dunes.

843-785-1165. LD BISTRO 17 17 Harbourside Lane in Shelter Cove. 843-785-5517. www.bistro17hhi. com. LD BONEFISH GRILL 890 William Hilton Parkway. 843-341-3772. LD BUCCI’S ITALIAN CUISINE 13 Harbourside Lane, Shelter Cove Harbour.

843-785-3300. LDO CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL 14 Folly Field Drive. 843-785-5007. LD CAFÉ AT THE MARRIOTT Oceanside at Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, Palmetto Dunes. 843-686-8488. BL

CHARLIE GRAINGERS Shelter Cove Towne Centre, 40 Shelter Cove Lane, 843-7853200, charliegraingers.com/hiltonhead.

LD COCO’S ON THE BEACH 663 William Hilton Parkway; also located at beach marker 94A. 843-842-2626. LD COCONUTZ SPORTZ BAR Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road. 843-842-0043. DO CONROY’S Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, Palmetto Dunes. 843-686-8499. DS DRYDOCK 840 William Hilton Parkway, 843-842-9775. LD DUCK DONUTS 890 William Hilton Parkway, Suite 70. 843-842-3825. LD ELA’S BLU WATER GRILLE Featured in Bon Appétit and the winner of numerous OpenTable awards. Fresh-caught seafood and prime-cut steaks of the highest quality complement the extensive boutique wine selection. ELA’s is known for the best water views on the island. Serving lunch MondayFriday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner nightly starting at 5 p.m., and now offering “Sunday Brunch on the Water” complete with live jazz music every Sunday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 1 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove Harbour.

843-785-3030. www.elasgrille.com. LD FISHCAMP AT BROAD CREEK 11 Simmons Road. 843-842-2267. LDO FLORA’S ITALIAN CAFE 841 William Hilton Parkway in South Island Square. 843-8428200. D FRENCH BAKERY The bakery was established in 1998 by the Leon family, and taken over by the Belka family from Poland in 2012. The Belka family lovingly create baked goods for their local Hilton Head and Bluffton neighbors, as well as for tourists.

120 Shelter Cove Lane, Shelter Cove Towne Centre. 843-342-5420. BL GATOR’Z PIZZA Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort. 843-842-0004. D GIUSEPPI’S PIZZA AND PASTA 32 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove. 843-785-4144.

LD HAROLD’S DINER 641 William Hilton Parkway. 843-842-9292. BL HH PRIME Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Palmetto Dunes. 843-842-8000.

BLDS HICKORY TAVERN 50 Shelter Cove Lane. 843802-0010. LD HILTON HEAD SOCIAL BAKERY 17 Harbourside Lane. 843-715-3349, hiltonheadsocialbakery.com BLD ISLAND BAGEL & DELI South Island Square.

April 2017 249

DINING 843-686-3353. BL

2650. www.waybackburgers.com. LDO

JAMAICA JOE’Z BEACH BAR Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road. 843-842-0044. O

WORLD OF BEER 30 Shelter Cove Lane, Shelter Cove Towne Centre. 843-342-5522. www.worldofbeer.com. LDO

JANE BISTRO & BAR 28 Shelter Cove Lane, Suite 109. 843-686-5696. LD

XO SPORTS SPIRITS Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Palmetto Dunes. 843341-8080.

LUCKY ROOSTER KITCHEN + BAR 841 William Hilton Parkway, Unit A, South Island Square. 843-681-3474, www.luckyroosterhhi.com. DO MAYWOOD DAVIS 612 William Hilton Parkway. 843-368-2839, www.maywooddavis.com.

MEDITERRANEAN HARBOUR BAR AND GRILL 13 Harbourside Lane, Unit B, Shelter Cove Harbour. 843-842-9991, mediterraneanharbour.com. DO MIKKI’S CAFE 70 Marshland Road, 843379-4322. BL NEW YORK CITY PIZZA 28 Shelter Cove Lane, Suite 119, Shelter Cove Towne Centre.

843-785-4200. LD OLD OYSTER FACTORY With panoramic views overlooking Broad Creek, this Hilton Head landmark was voted one of the country’s “Top 100 Scenic View Restaurants”

by OpenTable. It was also recently recommended in the “Off the Beaten Track” column in The Wall Street Journal. Wine Spectator magazine bestowed its “Award of Excellence” for the restaurant’s wine list and knowledge of wine. 101 Marshland Road. 843-6816040. www.oldoysterfactory.com. DO ORANGE LEAF 38 Shelter Cove Lane, 843689-5323. www.orangeleafyogurt.com.

PISCES SEAFOOD-STEAK-SUSHI 841 William Hilton Parkway. 843-341-3300, piscesseafoodsteaksushi.com LD POSEIDON 38 Shelter Cove Lane, Shelter Cove Towne Centre. 843-341-3838. www.poseidonhhi.com. LDO RUAN THAI CUISINE I 81 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. 843-7858576. LD SCOTT’S FISH MARKET RESTAURANT AND BAR 17 Harbour Side Lane. 843-7857575. D SAN MIGUEL’S 9 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove Harbour. 843-842-4555. www.sanmiguels.com. LD SANTA FE CAFÉ 807 William Hilton Parkway in Plantation Center. 843-7853838. LD SEA GRASS GRILLE 807 William Hilton Parkway. 843-785-9990. LD STARBUCKS 32 Shelter Cove Lane. 843842-4090.

UP THE CREEK PUB & GRILL Broad Creek Marina, 18 Simmons Road. 843-681-3625.

LDO WAYBACK BURGERS 32 Shelter Cove Lane, Shelter Cove Towne Centre. 843-785250 hiltonheadmonthly.com

HILTON HEAD SOUTH END

AMIGOS CAFE Y CANTINA 70 Pope Ave. 843-785-8226. LD ANNIE O’S 124 Arrow Road. 843-3412664. LD ASIAN BISTRO 51 New Orleans Road. 843686-9888. LD AUNT CHILADA’S EASY STREET CAFE 69 Pope Ave. 843-785-7700. LD BAYLEY’S BAR & TERRACE 130 Shipyard Drive. Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island.

843-842-2400. BD BEACH BREAK GRILL 24 Palmetto Bay Road, Suite F. 843-785-2466. LD BESS’ DELICATESSEN AND CATERING Lunch specials include fresh homemade soups and assorted salads, and freshly oven-roasted turkey breast. Bess’ features Boar’s Head meats and cheeses. 55 New Orleans Road, Fountain Center. 843-7855504. www.bessdeli.com. BL BIG BAMBOO CAFÉ Long-running, casual hangout with a local vibe and a menu of burgers, seafood and festive libations. 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza.

843-686-3443. www.bigbamboocafe.com.

LDO BLACK MARLIN BAYSIDE GRILL AND HURRICANE BAR 86 Helmsman Way in Palmetto Bay Marina. 843-785-4950.

LDS BRITISH OPEN PUB 1000 William Hilton Parkway, Unit D3 in The Village at Wexford.

843-686-6736. LDO BRICKYARD PUB 45 Shipyard Drive, #200.

843-681-1530. LDO BULLIES BBQ 3 Regents Parkway. 843686-7427. LD CALLAHAN’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL 49 New Orleans Road. 843-686-7665.

LDO CAPTAIN WOODY’S Many restaurants claim to be a favorite of locals. Speaking as locals, one of our favorites is Captain Woody’s. Owners Shannon and Russell Anderson made a good thing even better with their new location at 6 Target Road.

Woody’s now offers more seating, an expanded menu and an attractive outdoor patio with an attached bar. 6 Target Road.

843-785-2400. www.captainwoodys.com.

LDO CAROLINA CRAB COMPANY

86 Helmsman Way, Palmetto Bay Marina.

843-842-2016. LD CARETTA COFFEE CO. Enjoy a cup of coffee made from some of the finest coffee beans in the world. Local baristas carefully grind and brew every shot and mix every cup by hand.

Coligny Plaza. 843-342-6400. BL CASEY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILLE 37 New Orleans Road. 843-785-2255 LDO CATCH 22 37 New Orleans Plaza. 843-7856261. D C’EST BON C’est Bon’s interior is open and bright with a European feel that includes stainless steel cases and a parquet tile floor.

Specializing in Nitro Cold brew, gelato and fresh baked pastries 318, The Shops at Sea Pines Center. 843-671-2200. cestbonhh. com.

CHARBAR CO. Executive chef Scott Bodkin’s burger creations have made this a local favorite, serving award-winning gourmet burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. 33 Office Park Road, Suite 213. Park Plaza, 843785-2427. LD CHARLIE’S L’ETOILE VERTE A great place for a power lunch or a romantic dinner.

Owner Charlie Golson and his son Palmer write the entire menu by hand each day, based on the freshest local seafood available. The dinner menu offers an array of 14 fresh fish, rack of lamb, filet mignon and more. 8 New Orleans Road. 843-785-9277. www.charliesgreenstar.com.D CHOW DADDY’S Located in the old Dry Dock building on Executive Park Road, using local, organic ingredients with meals prepared to order. Featuring salad bowls, sandwiches, tacos, hot bowls, platters and other snacks. The daily happy hour is 4-6 p.m. 14B Executive Park Road, 843-842-2469. www. chowdaddys.com.

COAST Sea Pines Beach Club. 843-8421888. LD COLIGNY DELI & GRILL Coligny Plaza. 843785-4440. LD COWBOY BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE 1000 William Hilton Parkway, Unit B6, The Village at Wexford. 843-715-3565. www. cowboybraziliansteakhouse.com. D

a big salad, a great green juice or a happy wrap. 32 Palmetto Bay Road in the Village Exchange. 843-785-3633. LD DOUGH BOYS PIZZA 1-B New Orleans Road. 843-686-2697. www.doughboyshhi. com. LD EARLE OF SANDWICH PUB 1 North Forest Beach Drive in Coligny Plaza. 843-785-7767.

LD FAT BABY’S 1034 William Hilton Parkway.

843-842-4200. LD FIESTA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 51 New Orleans Road. 843-785-4788. LD FLATBREAD GRILL 2 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-341-2225. flatbreadgrillhhi. com. LD FRENCH KISS BAKERY Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-687-5471.

BL FROZEN MOO Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-842-3131.

FROSTY FROG CAFE Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-686-3764. LDO GRINGO’S DINER E-5, Coligny Plaza. 843785-5400.

GRUBY’S NEW YORK DELI 890 William Hilton Parkway, Fresh Market Shoppes. 843842-9111. BL HARBOURSIDE BURGERS AND BREWS Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort. 843-8421444, www.seapines.com. LD HARBOUR TOWN BAKERY AND CAFE Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-363-2021.

BL HEYWARD’S 130 Shipyard Drive. Sonesta Resort. 843-842-2400. BD HILTON HEAD DINER 6 Marina Side Drive.

843-686-2400. BLDO HILTON HEAD BREWING COMPANY 7C Greenwood Drive (Reilley’s Plaza), Hilton Head Plaza. 843-785-3900. www.hhbrewingco.com.LD HILTON HEAD ICE CREAM 55 New Orleans Road, #114. 843-852-6333.

HINCHEY’S CHICAGO BAR AND GRILL Circle Center, Pope Ave. 843-686-5959.

LDO

CQ’S 140A Lighthouse Lane. 843-671-2779.

LD

HINOKI 37 New Orleans Road. 843-7859800. LD

CRANE’S TAVERN AND STEAKHOUSE 26 New Orleans Road. 843-341-2333. D

HOLY TEQUILA! Holy Tequila! offers a harmonizing blend of Mexican street food with new American flavors. Its inviting space features an open kitchen, an indoor/outdoor open-air seating area, a large tequila bar and a private tasting room. The menu features a wide variety of gourmet tacos, quesadillas, salads and small plates, all priced under $11; and a fully stocked bar with more than 40 premium tequilas, handcrafted specialty cocktails, Mexican beers and Spanishinspired wines. 33 Office Park Road, Suite 228. 843-681-8226. LD

CRAVE BY DANIEL’S 2 North Forest Beach Dr. 843-341-9379. cravebydanielshhi. com D CRAZY CRAB (HARBOUR TOWN) 149 Lighthouse Road. 843-363-2722. LD DELISHEE YO This is a hip hangout for healthy locals and travelers of all ages. A colorful and refreshing art-filled oasis of fresh and healthy food. Dig into a custom combo froyo sundae, a superfood smoothie,

April 2017 251

DINING IT’S GREEK TO ME 11 Lagoon Road in Coligny Plaza. 843-842-4033. LDO JAVA BURRITO COMPANY 1000 William Hilton Parkway. 843-842-5282. BLD JAZZ CORNER Village at Wexford. 843842-8620. DO JERSEY MIKE’S 11 Palmetto Bay Road, Island Crossing. 843-341-6800.

JUMP AND PHIL’S BAR AND GRILL 7 Greenwood Drive, Suite 3B. 843-7859070. LDO KENNY B’S FRENCH QUARTER CAFE 70 Pope Ave. in Circle Center. 843-7853315. BLDS LA HACIENDA 11 Palmetto Bay Road. 843842-4982. LD LAND’S END TAVERN South Beach Marina, Sea Pines. 843-671-5456. BLD LINKS, AN AMERICAN GRILL Harbour Town Golf Links Clubhouse, Sea Pines.

843-363-8380. www.linksamericangrill. com. LD LIVE OAK 100 North Sea Pines Drive. 843842-1441. www.liveoaklowcountrycuisine. com. LD LOCAL PIE Only the highest quality, regionally sourced ingredients go into these

252 hiltonheadmonthly.com

wood-fired, house-made pies. A local business, with local staff and local suppliers. 55 New Orleans Road. 843-842-7437. info@ localpie.com. LD A LOWCOUNTRY BACKYARD 32 Palmetto Bay Road at The Village Exchange. 843-7859273. BLD LODGE BEER AND GROWLER BAR 7B Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Plaza.

843-842-8966. DO MARKET STREET CAFE 12 Coligny Plaza.

843-686-4976. LD MARLEY’S ISLAND GRILLE 35 Office Park Road in Park Plaza. 843-686-5800. DO MELLOW MUSHROOM 33 Office Park Road in Park Plaza. 843-686-2474. www.mellowmushroom.com. LDO MI TIERRA (HILTON HEAD) 130 Arrow Road. 843-342-3409. LD MICHAEL ANTHONY’S CUCINA ITALIANA Michael Anthony’s has been recognized

by OpenTable diners as one of the “Top 50 Italian Restaurants” in the United States. 37 New Orleans Road. 843-785-6272. www.michael-anthonys.com.

NEW YORK CITY PIZZA 81 Pope Ave. 843842-2227. LD

NICK’S STEAK & SEAFOOD 9 Park Lane.

843-686-2920. D

81 Pope Ave. in Heritage Plaza. 843-7859020. BL

OMBRA CUCINA RUSTICA Popular local chef Michael Cirafesi and distinguished Philadelphia chef Nunzio Patruno have teamed up to open this upscale Italian restaurant in The Village at Wexford. Many dishes were created hundreds of years ago, passed down from generation to generation. All desserts, pastas and breads are made daily using natural and fresh ingredients imported from Italy. The Village at Wexford. 843-842-5505. www.ombrahhi. com. D

POOL BAR JIM’S 10 North Forest Beach.

843-816-4648

ONE HOT MAMA’S 7 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Plaza. 843-682-6262.

LDSO PALMETTO BAY SUNRISE CAFÉ Neighborhood cafe serving American breakfast all day and lunch classics, with outdoor seating. 86 Helmsman Way in Palmetto Bay Marina. 843-686-3232. BL PHILLY’S CAFÉ AND DELI 55 New Orleans Road #102, Fountain Center. 843-785-9966, phillyscafe.com L PINO GELATO 1000 William Hilton Parkway, The Village at Wexford. 843-8422822.

PLANTATION CAFÉ AND DELI (SOUTH)

POMODORI 1 New Orleans Road. 843686-3100. D THE PORCH The Beach House. 1 South Forest Beach Drive. 843-785-5126. BLD PORTER & PIG 1000 William Hilton Parkway, The Village at Wexford. 843-7153224. www.porter-pig.com. D PURE NATURAL MARKET 1012 William Hilton Parkway. 843-342-7873. BL QUARTERDECK 149 Lighthouse Road, Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-842-1999.

LDO RED FISH Upscale dining at its finest. Head chef Chaun Bescos takes advantage of his close relationship with local growers and farmers markets, tailoring Red Fish’s menu around the foods that are in season. The result is an eclectic blend of seafood, steaks, fresh fruit and local vegetables. 8 Archer Road. 843-686-3388. redfishofhiltonhead. com. LD REILLEY’S GRILL & BAR (SOUTH) 7D Greenwood Drive. 843-842-4414.

LDO

DINING RELISH CAFE 33 Office Park Road, Park Plaza. 843-342-4800. LD RITA’S ITALIAN ICE 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza. 843-686-2596. ritasice.com.

ROCKFISH SEAFOOD & STEAKS AT BOMBORAS An award-winning restaurant and bar, located steps away from the beach.

Offering fresh and local Lowcountry ingredients paired with craft beers and wine.

Open for lunch and dinner. A kid’s menu is available. 5 Lagoon Road. 843-689-2662.

LDO ROY’S PLACE 33 Office Park Road, 843785-4646. www.roysplacehhi.com. LD RUBY LEE’S SOUTH 19 Dunnigans Alley.

843-785-7825 SALTY DOG CAFE One of Hilton Head’s favorite outdoor cafes for more than 20 years. Fresh seafood. Located at South Beach Marina, overlooking Braddock Cove.

Both indoor and outdoor seating are available. Live music and children’s entertainment nightly during the season. South Beach Marina Village, Sea Pines. 843-6717327. www.saltydog.com. LD

OLD TOPSIDE WATERFRONT RESTAURANT Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-842-1999. D TRATTORIA DIVINA 33 Office Park Road.

843-686-4442. D TRUFFLES CAFE (SEA PINES) Fresh local seafood, Black Angus steaks, baby back ribs, homemade soups and garden salads. 71 Lighthouse Road, Sea Pines Center. 843671-6136. www.trufflescafe.com. LD TWISTED CORK A local cocktail and wine bar. You can find it in Festival Center Plaza, near the Sea Pines Circle. Open Monday through Saturday, 5-11 p.m. 843-8020510. LD VINE 1 North Forest Beach Drive in Coligny Plaza. 843-686-3900. LD WATUSI A place for breakfast, lunch and coffee. The cafe’s interior mirrors a warm, cozy living room where families and friends can gather and enjoy food in a casual homestyle setting. 71 Pope Ave. 843-6865200. www.islandwatusi.com. BL WHICH WICH? 70 Pope Ave., Suite 13.

843-715-9424. www.whichwich.com. LD

SAGE ROOM 81 Pope Ave., Heritage Plaza.

843-785-5352. D

WILD WING CAFÉ 72 Pope Ave. 843-7859464. LDO

SEA SHACK 6 Executive Park Drive. 843785-2464. LD

WINE AND CHEESE IF YOU PLEASE 24 Palmetto Bay Road, Suite G. 843-8421200.

SIGNALS LOUNGE 130 Shipyard Drive, Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island. 843842-2400. O

WRECK OF THE SALTY DOG South Beach Marina Village, Sea Pines. 843-671-7327. D

SIGNE’S BAKERY & CAFE 93 Arrow Road.

843-785-9118. BLS SKILLETS CAFÉ Coligny Plaza. 843-7853131. BLD THE SMOKEHOUSE 34 Palmetto Bay Road.

843-842-4227. BLDO SOUTHERN CONEY & BREAKFAST 70 Pope Avenue in Circle Center. 843-6892447. BL SPIRIT OF HARBOUR TOWN 843-3639026. www.vagabondcruise.com.

STACK’S PANCAKES OF HILTON HEAD 2 Regency Parkway. 843-341-3347. BLD STARBUCKS (SOUTH) 11 Palmetto Bay Road. 843-341-5477.

STELLINI 15 Executive Park Road. 843-7857006. D STU’S SURFSIDE 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza. 843-686-7873. LD THE STUDIO 20 Executive Park Road. 843785-6000. D SUNSET SLUSH 81 Pope Ave., 843-7857851.

SWEET CAROLINA CUPCAKES 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-342-2611.

TIKI HUT 1 South Forest Beach Drive at the Beach House Resort. 843-785-5126.

BLUFFTON AGAVE SIDE BAR 13 State of Mind St. 843757-9190. LD ALVIN ORD’S OF BLUFFTON 1230-A May River Road. 843-757-1300, alvinordsofbluffton.com LD AMIGOS BELFAIR (BLUFFTON) 133 Towne Drive. 843-815-8226. LD BACKWATER BILL’S 20 Hampton Lake Drive. 843-875-5253. LDO BLACK BALSAM & BLUE 1534 Fording Island Road. 843-837-2583, blackbalsamblue.com LD BLUFFTON BBQ 11 State of Mind St. 843757-7427. www.blufftonbbq.com. LD BLUFFTON FAMILY SEAFOOD HOUSE 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843-757-4010.

LD THE BLUFFTON ROOM 15 Promenade St. 843-757-3525. www.theblufftonroom. com. D THE BRICK CHICKEN 1011 Fording Island Road in the Best Buy Shopping Center. 843836-5040. LDO THE BRITISH OPEN PUB 1 Sherington April 2017 253

DINING Drive, Suite G. 843-815-6736. LDO BUFFALOS RESTAURANT 476 Mount Pelia Road inside Palmetto Bluff. 843-706-6500.

LD BUTCHER’S MARKET AND DELI 102 Buckwalter Parkway, Suite 3-G. 843815-6328. BLD CAHILL’S MARKET & CHICKEN KITCHEN 1055 May River Road. 843-757-2921. LD CAPTAIN WOODY’S Many restaurants claim to be a favorite of locals. Speaking as locals, one of our favorites is Captain Woody’s. 17 State of Mind St. in the Calhoun Street Promenade. 843-757-6222. www.captainwoodys.com. LDO CHEAP SEATS TAVERN 2 142 Burnt Church Road, 843-837-3287. LD CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER 108 Buckwalter Parkway. 843-837-2433.

LD CHIPOTLE Tanger I Outlet Center. 843-8362442, chipotle.com. LD CHOO CHOO BBQ XPRESS 129 Burnt Church Road. 843-815-7675. LDO CHOW DADDY’S This new restaurant is using local, organic ingredients with meals prepared to order. The menu features salad bowls, sandwiches, tacos, hot bowls, platters and other snacks. The daily happy hour is 4-6 p.m. 15 Towne Drive, Belfair Towne Village. 843-842-2469. chowdaddys.com.

LD CINCO MEXICAN GRILL & BAR 102 Buckwalter Parkway #3. 843-815-2233.

LD CLAUDE & ULI’S BISTRO 1533 Fording Island Road. 843-837-3336. LD CORKS WINE CO. BAR & BOUTIQUE 14 Promenade St., Suite 306. 843-8155168. DO CORNER PERK CAFE 1297 May River Road. 843-816-5674. cornerperk.com. BL THE COTTAGE CAFE, BAKERY AND TEA ROOM 38 Calhoun St. 843-757-0508. www.thecottagebluffton.com. BL DOLCE VITA 163 Bluffton Road, Suite F. 843-815-6900. D DOWNTOWN DELI 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843-815-5005. BL EL NUEVO VALLARTA MEXICAN BAR & GRILL 16 Kitties Landing Rd. 843-7069338, elnuevovallartabluffton.com LD

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FAT PATTIES AND SALT MARSH BREWING 207 Bluffton Road. 843815-6300. fat-patties.com. LD FIREHOUSE SUBS 32 Malphrus Road, #109. 843-815-7827. LD FIESTA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 876 Fording Island Road, Suite 1. 843-7067280. LD FORE & AFT 477 Mount Pelia Road, the Inn at Montage Palmetto Bluff. 843-8366210. L GIUSEPPI’S PIZZA AND PASTA 25 Bluffton Road. 843-815-9200. LD HINCHEY’S CHICAGO BAR & GRILL 104 Buckwalter Place, Suite 1A. 843-8365909. LD HOGSHEAD KITCHEN AND WINE BAR 1555 Fording Island Road. 843-837-4647.

LD HONEYBAKED HAM COMPANY 1060 Fording Island Road. 843-815-7388.

ISLAND BAGEL & DELI Sheridan Park.

843-815-5300. BL JAMESON’S CHARHOUSE 671 Cypress Hills Drive, Sun City. 843-705-8200. LD JESSAMINE 477 Mount Pelia Road, the Inn at Montage Palmetto Bluff.

843-836-6210. BLD JIM ‘N NICK’S BAR-B-Q 872 Fording Island Road. 843-706-9741. LD JUICE HIVE 14 Johnston Way. 843-7572899.

KATIE O’DONNELL’S 1008 Fording Island Road in Kittie’s Crossing. 843-815-5555.

LDO KELLY’S TAVERN 11B Buckingham Plantation Drive. 843-837-3353. BLDO KOBE JAPANESE RESTAURANT 30 Plantation Park Drive. 843-757-6688. LD LOCAL PIE Only the highest quality, regionally sourced ingredients go into these wood-fired, house-made pies. A local business, with local staff and local suppliers. 15 State of Mind St. 843-837-7437. localpie. com. LD LONGHORN Inside Tanger I. 843-7057001. LD LOS JALAPENO’S MEXICAN GRILL The Bridge Center. 843-837-2333. LD LOWCOUNTRY FLOWER GIRLS Berkeley Place. 843-837-2253. BL

EL SUPER INTERNACIONAL 33 Sherington Drive. 843-815-8113. LD

MAY RIVER GRILL 1263 May River Road.

843-757-5755. LD

FARM BLUFFTON The most talked-about new restaurant in Old Town. Much of the produce on the menu was grown at nearby Williamson Lowcountry Farms. Open for lunch and dinner. Sunday Taco Night. 1301 May River Road. 843-707-2041, farmbluffton.com. LD

MELLOW MUSHROOM 872 Fording Island Road. 843-706-0800. mellowmushroom. com. LDO MIDNIGHT BAKER 14 Promenade St. 843815-5355. LB MI TIERRA 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843-

DINING 757-7200. LD

Oak St. 843-757-8111. LDO

MI TIERRITA 214 Okatie Village Drive. 843-705-0925. LD

RED WINE BAR & RESTAURANT 1011 Fording Island Rd. Suite C105. 843-837-3747, redwinesc.com LD

MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL 3 Malphrus Road. 843-8378722. LD MULBERRY STREET TRATTORIA 1476 Fording Island Road. 843-837-2426.LDS NONNA ROSA 198 Okatie Village Drive, Okatie. 843 7071750. nonnarosabluffton.com LD OCTAGON BAR & GATHERING PLACE 477 Mount Pelia Road, the Inn at Montage Palmetto Bluff. 843-836-6210. D

RIVER HOUSE RESTAURANT 476 Mount Pelia Road in Palmetto Bluff. 843-706-6500. LD RUAN THAI CUISINE II 26 Towne Drive, Belfair Town Village.

843-757-9479. LD SAIGON CAFE 1304 Fording Island Road. 843-837-1800.

BLD

OLD TOWN DISPENSARY 15 Captains Cove. 843-837-1893.

LDO

SAKE HOUSE 1017 Fording Island Road, Suite 105. 843706-9222. LD

OROBELLO’S BISTRO & PIZZERIA 103 Buckwalter Place, Unit 108. 843-837-5637. www.orobellosbluffton.com. LDO

SALTY DOG BLUFFTON Tanger II Outlet. Offering a diverse menu with favorite dishes from the original Salty Dog Cafe and Jake’s Pizza, Salty Dog Bluffton is sure tp keep the whole family happy. 843-837-3344. bluffton.saltydog.com. LD

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE 100 Buckwalter Place. 843-7579888. LD PANDA CHINESE RESTAURANT 25 Bluffton Road. 843-815-6790. LD THE PEARL KITCHEN & BAR Bringing to Old Town Bluffton a bright, fresh take on the dining experience, The Pearl Kitchen & Bar will please your palate with the freshest of ingredients prepared in a manner that will excite, entice, and keep you coming back for more. 55 Calhoun St., 843-7575511. thepearlbluffton.com. LD PLANTATION CAFE 1532 Fording Island Road. 843-8154445.BL POUR RICHARD’S 4376 Bluffton Parkway. 843-757-1999.

DO R BAR 70 Pennington Drive. 843-757-7264. LD RANCHO ALEGRE CUBAN RESTAURANT 4490 Bluffton Park Crescent #104. 843-757-5556. LD RED FISH Upscale dining at its finest. Head chef Chaun Bescos takes advantage of his close relationship with local growers and farmers markets, tailoring Red Fish’s menu around foods in season. 32 Bruin Road. 843-837-8888. LD RED STRIPES CARIBBEAN CUISINE AND LOUNGE 8 Pin

SIPPIN COW 1D Promenade St., 843-757-5051. BL SOUTHERN BARREL BREWING CO. 375 Buckwalter Place Blvd. 843-837-2337. southernbarrelbrewingco.com.

SQUAT N’ GOBBLE 1231 May River Road. 843-757-4242.

BLD STOOGES CAFE 25 Sherington Drive. 843-706-6178. BL TRUFFLES CAFE Fresh local seafood, Black Angus steaks, baby back ribs, homemade soups and garden salads. 91 Towne Drive Belfair Towne Village. 843-815-5551, trufflescafe.com. LD TWISTED EUROPEAN BAKERY 1253 May River Road, Unit A. 843-757-0033, twistedeuropeanbakery.com BL WALNUTS CAFÉ 70 Pennington Drive in Sheridan Park. 843815-2877. BLS WILD WING CAFÉ (BLUFFTON) 1188 Fording Island Road.

843-837-9453. LD ZEPPLIN’S BAR & GRILL Inside Station 300. 25 Innovation Drive. 843-815-2695. LDO ZOE’S KITCHEN Tanger I Outlet Center. 843-837-5410. LD

Continued from Page 248 Fish is the hardest ingredient to procure. We rely on Sea Eagle Market out of Beaufort to supply us with most of our seafood.

[Q] What is your favorite menu item? [A] Rack of lamb has been a love affair of mine since the age of 8. I just love the flavor of lamb, and love how ours is seared and then roasted with Dijon mustard and herb crust.

[Q] What celebrities have eaten at Charlie’s? [A] Glen Frey, Duncan Shiek, Bill and Hillary Clinton, the prince of Morocco and Brooke Shields, to name a few big ones.

The prince of Morocco was the most unusual. His party demanded on coming in past our last reservation time around 9:30. They preordered everything for the table to be served family style. Each person had at least three plates apiece. His entourage was hilarious, and seriously interested in finding a fun place to go afterwards. He was very low-key and drank his own Coors Light aluminum bottles.

[Q] You are in charge of much of the wine buying responsibilities. What are some of your favorites at

the moment? [A] For the spring, I love an Italian white from Sicily called Grillo from Tasca d’Almerita winery. My top red of the moment is Alto Moncayo Grenache from Campo de Borja Spain. Both are fresh and full of flavor. I look for wines that possess complexity naturally from their place of origin and sense of varietal.

[Q] Where did you evacuate for Hurricane Matthew?

[A] My husband, daughter, and my mom went to our house in Ridgeland. My husband is a property manager there, and so we split our time between Ridgeland and Bluffton. We felt like it would be safe because we don’t have any trees nearby our house. Also, we were equipped with a generator and supplies.

[Q] What is something about you most people don’t know? [A] Most people are astounded to know that I was extremely overweight in my youth. When I was 13 years old, I lost 75 pounds. I spent a long time figuring out what makes my body feel and work the best. Working out is huge part of my life. M April 2017 255

LAST CALL

MARC FREY

Send your comments to mfrey@freymedia.com

One might assume that all this concentration of wealth would make Miami a wellto-do city, but the contrast could not be greater”

To Miami and Back

It’s

only an 8-hour drive away yet a world apart.

The first thing that hit me when I got out of the car in Miami is how blue the sky and ocean are and how the constant breezes reminded me of the Caribbean. Exactly the reasons wealthy New Yorkers started visiting via railroad as early as the “roaring 20’s” remain the reasons it is magnet for our second gilded era and a showcase for wealth inequality.

The super-wealthy live in high rise condominium towers—mostly sprinkled around Brickell Avenue— giving Miami the third most impressive skyline after NYC and Chicago. Apartments typically start at $2 million for the lower non-ocean facing floors going all the way to $60 million. The “Manhattanization” wave started mid-1990 and abruptly came to a halt in 2008 during the depression to resume in 2011 and is now in full swing again. One might assume that all this concentration of wealth would make Miami a well-to-do city, but the contrast could not be greater. Miami’s median household income ranks at the bottom among the 100 largest cities in the USA.

Translation: the people that work hard to serve the needs of the super wealthy are paid scraps.

It’s only an 8-hour drive away but it might as well be a different country that happens to lie within U.S. jurisdiction. If you dare to stop in “Little Haiti” at a gas station and are trying to make conversation with the attendants, English is not going to get you far. If you know French you might have a chance of asking a question but you will be hard pressed to understand the response. It is not uncommon to encounter well dressed and super friendly employees in the hospitality industry that simply don’t speak English; after all, most of their patrons speak Spanish. Long recognized as the gateway for travel and commerce to Latin America, Miami is also home of immigrants, so much so that 60 percent of all Miami residents are foreign-born.

This is the highest concentration of immigrants among major U.S. cities. Immigration from Cuba ranks the highest but it attracts people from all of South America, the Caribbean and Europe.

One reason Miami is so popular among visitors and second home owners has little to do with its

beaches and mild climate: the Panama Papers confirmed again what was long common knowledge. While the U.S. is keen on tracking down U.S. citizens hiding wealth off-shore, it is welcoming foreigners who park, invest or launder money here.

Indeed, after Switzerland and Hong Kong, the USA ranks number three among the top ten tax heavens of the world. So it should come as no surprise that “Art Basel” the world’s pre-eminent art fair is yearly hosted in: Basel, Hong Kong, and Miami.

Miami Beach, a separate municipality, is a resort driven Island, just as Hilton Head Island but that is where the likeness ends. Just go and visit to understand and appreciate the differences. Coming back, I once again felt assured that my wife, Anuska, and I made the right choice 25 years ago making the Lowcountry our home. The only advantage Miami Beach holds over our Barrier Island is that it is connected by six bridges (cause-ways) while we stubbornly hold to our one and only bridge connecting us to the “real” world.

Onwards! M

While our families and homes were the first concern following Matthew, our local economy is a close and intertwined second. Therefore, I’ve launched a not-for-profit initiative with a clear mission: Support local businesses. Further details about shopmorelocal.org are at the front of the magazine page 56.

Your participation and support of this effort is crucial in order for this initiative to succeed. Please say: YES count on me to be part of making the Lowcountry strong again. Sign at www.shopmorelocal.org

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