• Sky’s the limit for local recreational RC airplane pilots 14A
• Drums the hook to get youth interested in finding purpose 22A
• Vietnam veterans lunch bunch finds kindness on menu 26A
• Sun City woman gets historic print from anonymous donor 29A
• IrishFest weekend features parade 31A
After a five-year hitch in the Marine Corps working in electronics, Joseph Babkiewicz went to work for Nextel Communications, the company that invented push-to-talk phones.
Electronics wasn’t his first choice as a Marine, but his recruiter persuaded him that he could go into law enforcement later while learning something new and expanding his opportunities.
When 9/11 took place, Babkiewicz was living in Connecticut, and Nextel needed a volunteer to go to New York and set up a portable cell site down at Ground Zero.
“I instantly raised my hand and went down there for five days. When I was down there, I saw the way law enforcement and the firefighters were working, and what they did to help people. That was something I wanted to get into, something I always had an interest in,” he said. “But after seeing that, I (thought) that’s what I want to
do for the rest of my life. Their dedication and putting themselves aside for the good of other people. That is truly who I am. That’s the way my dad raised me. And I knew that law enforcement or even firefighter was the route.”
Babkiewicz has 20 years’ experience in law enforcement, a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, and a master’s in criminal justice and public administration. He joined the Bluffton Police Department in 2008, stayed for 13 and a half years, took a year off, and, out of a pool of 75 applicants, became the new chief as of Dec. 29, 2022.
The year away from law enforcement work gave Babkiewicz a different line of work experience, working for Pulte Homes coordinating the building of houses in the Malind Bluff neighborhood.
“It was something completely different. I’ve always been interested in construction,” he said. “It’s a great company and great people working there, but I remember coming home
after six months and telling my wife I missed law enforcement. This is not me, this is not who I am.”
The break also gave him a chance to
think.
“It was kind of good to get away
Please see CHIEF on page 10A
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“As spring approaches, it’s a time of renewal and growth, a time to shed the old and embrace the new. The world comes alive again after a long, cold winter, with trees and flowers budding, birds chirping, and the sun shining brighter and longer each day.
“Spring is a season that inspires us to take action and try new things. It’s a time to clean out the clutter in our lives, both physical and emotional, and make room for new experiences.
“With spring comes a sense of renewal and rejuvenation, and the energy to tackle new challenges. It’s a time to get outside and be active, to take advantage of the longer days and warmer weather.
“Spring is also a time of growth and learning. Just as the flowers and trees are starting to bloom, we can also take steps to grow and
develop ourselves. Whether it’s learning a new skill, taking a class, or pursuing a new hobby, there’s always room for growth and improvement.”
You might wonder why I set off the above paragraphs with quotation marks. It sounds like something I would write, doesn’t it?
Quotation marks typically indicate someone else wrote it – and that is true in this case. But it wasn’t a “someone.”
It was crafted by an AI chatbot.
Recently, I engaged for about an hour one evening with ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model created and trained by Open AI, a research lab in San Francisco.
The company launched in 2015, and in 2020 began training GPT-3 in a number of (human) languages, using datasets and information from across the internet.
In December 2022, the company launched a free preview of the current product, which responds to prompts in what they call “natu-
ral language,” meaning natural to humans. In addition to the information that trained the chatbot, the program “learns” from human interaction.
This “disruptive” new technology has taken off like wildfire. One metric being used is the time it takes a new “thing” to reach 100 million users. For the standard telephone, it took 75 years, while the mobile phone took just 16 years to reach that mark. It took Netflix 10 years; Twitter, 6 years; Facebook, 2 years; Instagram, 30 months; Tiktok, 9 months. Chat GPT took just 2 months to reach the milestone.
I’m a little late to this AI party, but I couldn’t resist after I heard someone describing how smart the bot seemed, and how quickly it responded to prompts or questions.
I was leery at first. I asked a few benign questions, starting with “Do you have a name?” (“I am ChatGPT,” it replied.)
I asked for “10 bullet points to help the general public understand AI.” It responded in less than a minute, with the 10 points numbered and in complete sentences. (No. 5. “AI is not infallible and can make mistakes, especially when the data it is based on is biased or incomplete.”)
And THEN! I pasted into my chat window the text of one of my columns from last year, along with a prompt: “Learn the style of the following article and use this writer’s style to write a 500-word article about spring.”
And that, dear readers, is what you see above, edited only for space. It took the bot 2 minutes to “write” 450 words.
Now, don’t worry! I won’t be using my new friend to write all my columns from now on, but what a fun way to be entertained and help it learn for an hour or seven.
Try it and see for yourself. After all, as Chatman wrote above, spring is a time “to take action and try new things.”
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Our neighbor, Babbie Guscio, who so rightly is on the Wall of Honor in the Town of Bluffton, has come up with yet another eccentric event. She is one of the most creative people I know. I believe she must wake up every morning thinking of unique events for our town.
Therese Donlan Lee
Oswald Mikell
Lindsay Perry
John Riolo
Lindsay Roberg
Gwyneth J. Saunders
Cinda Seamon
Larry Stoller
Lisa Sulka
Mark F. Winn
Tim Wood
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For more information, contact: Kevin Aylmer PO Box 2056, Bluffton, SC 29910 843-757-9507, 843-757-9506 (fax)
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All contents are copyrighted by Lowcountry Local Media Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. All submissions must include name, address and phone number. The Editor reserves the right to edit or reject any material, including advertisements. The Bluffton Sun does not verify for licenses, endorse nor warrant any advertised businesses or services. The opinions and views expressed in the editorials are not necessarily those of the Editor and Publisher. Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Old Town Bluffton Merchants Society.
She started the Bluffton Village Festival, also known as Mayfest, many years ago. After our beloved Oscar Frazier passed away, she wanted to spearhead the Bluffton BBQ Festival.
So, of course, when she called me recently, I knew her head was spinning on something new to do in the town.
The inaugural Bluffton Buzzard Day will take place March 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Martin Family Park. This will be a fun day totally focused on our young residents and families.
Our very own Jevon Daly, a well-known entertainer, took on the challenge of writing a “Buzzard Song,” which he will perform with some young Bluffton Buzzards. There will be a Pin the Feathers on the Buzzard game, a Bluffton Buzzard strut contest, and a Dress Like a Buzzard contest. All are invited
to get creative and bring your own Bluffton Buzzard Picnic.
If your interest hasn’t been piqued yet, then I suggest that you make your way to Historic Bluffton on this day and take a look.
By now you must be wondering why buzzards? Here is a little background. In 1985 when George Heyward was Mayor of Bluffton, he proclaimed the buzzard to be the official town bird. He rode in the Christmas parade on top of a garbage truck in a buzzard costume, to declare this new honor.
The story I have been told as to the reason for his proclamation was that there was a resident who lived near the Oyster Factory who sued George personally for working to keep the native business open, because, the resident said, the factory was a nuisance and drew buzzards.
To make a point, George then made the buzzard the town bird and went as far as to get stationery printed to make it somewhat official.
Mayor Heyward did so much more than serve as our mayor for eight years, as he was a teacher and has worked with hundreds of young people during his career.
He loves Bluffton, and pluff mud is in his veins, so it is quite appropriate to have so many new residents learn a little about Bluffton from back when no one knew about the town. Google him and you will find interesting articles on his life and his family.
Buzzard Day is just another reason we live and breathe our Bluffton state of mind.
Lisa Sulka is the mayor of the Town of Bluffton. lsulka@townofbluffton.com
To the Editor:
It has been said, a good attitude is a virtue. Just what is attitude? Webster’s definition states, “attitude is a manner of acting, thinking or feeling that shows one’s disposition, opinion or mental set.”
Taking it a step further then, a good attitude means having a positive way of thinking and perception of situations. Further, a positive attitude means being optimistic about issues, about interactions with others and about yourself, while remaining hopeful, seeing the best even in difficult times
and generally having an encouraging affect among those around you.
It can be said, good results come when working in a positive environment.
“You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
That said, a positive attitude is a desirable personality trait in life. Surprisingly, here are a few not so obvious suggestions for all of
us that can contribute to this positive trait: avoid gossip, be more friendly and humorous, take real breaks from serious situations, focus on long-term vs. short-term solutions, listen to relaxing music, and – my particular suggestion – love one another.
Lowcountry neighbors, if needed, if desired, in a minute, you can change your attitude and in that minute you can change your entire day (and life) as well as that of others, for the better. It’s your call.
With this feature, we seek to capture a glimpse of what you and your neighbors have to say about a variety of topics, issues, events –
and just plain fun questions. You might see us anywhere around town, with notepad and camera, randomly seeking out folks
who are willing to participate. If we find you, we hope you will want to respond.
At Wright Family Park, we asked:
“An epic feast is being held in your honor. What’s on the table?”
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The United States Supreme Court ruled in late January that service members must file Veterans Affairs claims within one year of separation, or they will not be eligible for retroactive payouts, per federal statute, 38 U.S.C. § 5110(b)(1).
The Jan. 23 ruling in Arellano v. McDonough put even more importance on veterans knowing the disability claim process or seeking help in filing their claim.
“The statute sets out detailed instructions that explain when various types of benefits qualify for an effective date earlier than the default,” wrote Justice Amy Coney Barrett. “Congress did not throw the door wide open in these circumstances or any other.”
A quick summary of the case: Adolfo Arellano was discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1981 and suffered from a severe mental health condition connected to his service. Thirty years after his discharge, Arellano applied for Veteran Affairs benefits.
Effective on the date the agency received his claim, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him benefits, however denied retroactive benefits dating back to when he was discharged from the military.
going to the DMV seven times and how frustrating and cumbersome the process would become.
Here are a few tips to get ready for your claim:
• For five minutes, forget your military training, and don’t be a tough guy/ gal. Everything adds up, so list as many ailments, aches and pains as possible.
• VA Math – Service members’ affectionate name for the Combined Ratings Table to calculate your combined VA disability rating. The VA assigns percentages to each medical condition, but 100% is not the magical number. It’s closer to 210%. Don’t question how!
• Collect all medical records and evidence (such as doctor and hospital reports); this includes both military and civilian (if any) documentation.
• You should also attach any copies of your DD214 or separation documents.
• Gather all dependency records (marriage and children’s birth certificates). You can get extra compensation for your family, and your spouse can continue to get benefits after you pass away.
The military always taught you to have a battle buddy, shipmate, etc. Do not go at this alone! Here are a few advocacy groups to help you file your claim with the VA:
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With the Supreme Court upholding the one-year requirement, veterans being discharged must understand and file a claim before the end of the one-year grace period. Veterans who have not applied can’t wait! The sooner you file, the quicker you will begin to get compensated.
The VA disability process is confusing and bureaucratic. It is in the veterans’ and their families’ best interest to seek assistance. You must gather as much information as possible and submit a complete packet the first time. Imagine
• Beaufort County Office of Veterans Affairs’ mission is “to assist the Beaufort County veteran population and their dependents in obtaining their fullest Department of Veterans Affairs and state of South Carolina benefits.” They can be reached at 843-255-6880.
• Many national organizations can also help, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion.
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1:00 - 3:00 p.m. - After lunch, join us for a health fair! RSVP by March 24
CHIEF from page 1A from here for a year to be an outsider looking in and saying, ‘Okay, what would I do differently if I ever get the opportunity?’ From that aspect, I think it helped kind of refresh me, and then get me back into this,” he said.
A few months later, Babkiewicz heard about the opening for a new police chief, and wanted to have a conversation with his wife before he applied, but even before he could discuss it, she knew he wanted to apply for it. With her blessing, he did, and was ultimately hired
“I love this department. I love this community. And I love law enforcement work, the work of law enforcement officers and what it represents,” he said. “It’s rewarding in so many different ways.”
Babkiewicz said his predecessors have laid the groundwork for programs that he would like to see expanded.
“Chief Price had her focus on the mental health and well-being of our officers. She did a great job with that. We’re looking at various other things that we can add on to what she’s already implemented here. Chief Chapman really focused on the community partnership and the community outreach programs,” said Babkiewicz. “We have such an amazing community that we just want to continuously build and serve our community in various ways. It’s really just kind of implementing into our culture, where it’s not just a select few going out and being a participant in these outreach programs. It’s the entire department with this entire belief that that is our priority. Our priority is keeping this community safe, but also serving the members of this community as well.”
The Bluffton Police Department and the MLK Observance jointly hosted a community open discussion in late
Januaray, following the murder of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop.
“After that meeting, I met with our advisory committee, and one of the things that we discussed that we take for granted for is ‘Do people know what to do when they’re stopped by a police officer?’ One thing we’re going to focus on in March is, we’re going to team up with our driving schools to include an instructional blog saying, ‘Hey, this is what you do if you’re stopped. These are what the officers expect,’” said Babkiewicz. “We don’t want people to be nervous or anxious when they’re stopped. Anytime somebody feels like that they’ve been profiled or anything like that, we encourage them to call us and we’ll look into it, because that’s not going to be tolerated here at this department.”
He believes community policing is a major component of law enforcement.
“Community policing is really building a partnership with our community in order to improve the quality of life within the entire town of Bluffton, and it’s not just with our residents. It’s with our businesses as well as visitors that come here,” Babkiewicz said.
He said when the officers are walking in Old Town Bluffton, they’ll frequently greet people from out of town, and talk to them about some of the places they might want to visit.
“When we talk about the Bluffton State of Mind, you want to give visitors that impression that this is the place to be, and it starts with our law enforcement officers,” he said. “I tell them that every single day, you have an opportunity to have some type of impression on somebody. Make sure it’s a good one, because we sometimes see the worst of the worst, but that’s your opportunity to make a situation better.”
Babkiewicz said the best thing about police work is there is something new every day. The hardest thing is dealing with the ups and downs that it comes with.
Some wounds don’t heal quickly. That’s why our physician-driven, multi-disciplinary healthcare team at St. Joseph’s/Candler specializes in the advanced treatment of acute and non-healing wounds. Smart care that focuses on a whole-body approach to wound healing, including state-of-the-art hyperbaric chambers that utilize pure oxygen to speed up the process, with no physician referral required. Expect the very best when it comes to healing complex wounds. All conveniently located in the heart of our community.
At St. Joseph’s/Candler, we keep the healing close to home.
WE LOOK AFTER THE LOWCOUNTRY.
CHIEF from page 10A
“You have to have a good work-life balance. For me, I rely on my faith to help keep the ups and downs even and neutral. But it’s being able to go home after experiencing some of the difficult things that officers face each and every day, and trying to have a normal life at home. It’s very difficult,” he said. “You know, there’s been books written about emotional health for law enforcement officers. But I think if you have that good balance, and then like I said, for me, faith is going home and just being able to put the job aside while you’re at home, so you can enjoy your family and you can enjoy your kids. So you need help, you need to have good sidekick – and by ‘sidekick’ I mean for me, my wife – somebody that you can go and talk to, and open up and have conversations with. One, so that they’re understanding but also, two, to kind of allow you to vent about other things that you experience.”
One of the initiatives to come in the
near future is a community survey that will influence the department’s strategic plan.
“We want the community to have a voice in what we do. We want their viewpoint and we want them to have a say in how we move forward as an agency. I think that’s important,” Babkiewicz said. “Sir Robert Peel was the creator of policing as we know it today. He always said ‘The community is the police and the police are the community,’ and it’s something I believe in.”
Babkiewicz said he wants citizens to “view this department as their own, and I want them to say ‘this is where we want our department to be in the next five years.’ That can be some of our guidance for how we’re going to move forward as an agency.”
Gwyneth J. Saunders is a veteran journalist and freelance writer living in Bluffton.
On a field outside of Ridgeland, flights take off twice a week – weather permitting. The windsock on the other side of the runway indicates wind conditions. The flightline has space for plenty of parking for pilots and visitors.
The runway itself is not long enough to accommodate much in the way of full-sized aircraft but it will certainly serve for takeoffs and landings by members of the Jasper County Remote Control Flyers.
According to its website, club members fly balsa models and foamies, electric, nitro and gas multirotors, helicopters and FPVs – an RC vehicle that is controlled from the pilot’s point of view, such as drone.
The members come from Beaufort and Jasper counties, and most have been flying remote control airplanes for decades, even as long as 80 years, like Ed Van Bernum, aka Ed One, who is 92.
“I like the flying part of it. I used to enjoy
the building. Now we have a thing called ‘ARFs – Almost Ready to Fly.’ They’re made in Vietnam and made in China,” said Van Bernum. “We buy a huge box, then you just take a finished airplane out, install your engine or your radio and go fly it – whereas I used to spend the whole winter in Connecticut building a new model.”
Van Bernum said he has owned about 25 planes and has crashed 24.
“That’s how they end,” he said. “Every model has an expiration date, and sooner or later when that date comes up it becomes a pile of balsa.”
Van Bernum took flying lessons, while some of his cohorts actually owned and flew planes for work or pleasure.
Ed Seigler, aka Ed Two, began flying radio control in 1968 when he was in college. Between 1981 and 2004, he dropped the remote control for the real thing, flying a Piper Arrow, a Cessna Skyhawk and a 72 Mooney, followed by building a Van’s RV 6 kit plane.
FLYERS from page 14A
“In 2004 I sold my airplane and got back into radio. I’ve been there ever since,” he said. “I probably enjoy building as much or more than I do the flying part.”
Van Bernum said remote control aircraft can stay in the air about 15 minutes but most of them are flown for around eight minutes.
“The battery powered airplanes are limited by the battery size. Because these engines are burning gasoline, they’re actually pretty efficient, surprisingly efficient,” said Seigler. “And the electric airplanes will only fly for about five minutes, six minutes. Typically, some of them, if you throttle them back, you don’t push them too hard, they’ll go for 10, maybe 12 minutes.”
Marty Dardani was also a pilot and has been a member of the club for about six years. He started in the mid-1950s flying control line planes.
“It’s a different aspect. It’s the building of the model. And the models were quite a bit different in style,” Dardani said.
With control line flying, the plane is attached to two lines that are connected to a handle held by the operator. Once the engine is started, the operator controls the plane’s movements by turning the handle.
Since his control line days, Dardani has had more than 100 models.
“I love the building,” he said. “There are a number of us that get involved with kits or scratch-building. You design the parts, take
a bunch of flat pieces of balsa, and plywood and things of that nature, create airfoils, beautiful pieces of art. We try not to crash them after putting in hundreds of hours into building time.”
Bill Siegel was flying drones before he joined the club. He’s trying to get his colleagues to fly them, too, but in the meantime they have taught him how to fly the RC planes. He’s added the drone’s capability of carrying a camera to his aircraft, providing the club with aerial views of the runway field while giving himself some valuable information about his aircraft’s flying qualities.
“I can take it home, put (the video) on my computer and see what it did right or wrong,” he said.
Siegel has built 30 or 40 drones and currently has eight. He said he started flying planes three years ago when he joined because of the huge variety of options to explore.
“These guys all like to fly weed eaters –you know, weed-eater engines with all this noise up there. I fly all electric, so I’m trying to convince them to do more electric,” Dardani said. “We have this nice battle going on.”
Along the flightline is the largest aircraft on the field: a Frozen Pizza Red Baron biplane with 114-inch wingspan, weighing 55 pounds and gas-fueled.
Please see FLYERS on page 20A
A BRAND NEW
“Birdability” birdwatching tours at Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge will be offered free of charge for mobility challenged individuals from 8:30 to 10 a.m. each Tuesday March 21 through May 16. This partnership between the Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges and Hilton Head Audubon offers an opportunity to ride a 15-seat electric shuttle with a bird guide to look for both migrating birds and nesting egrets and herons present during the spring on Pinckney Island. Passengers do not have to leave the shuttle during the tour. The golf cart was purchased to expand accessibility at Pinckney, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
“Birdability” focuses on removing barriers to access for birders with mobility challenges and disabilities or other health concerns.
The diverse habitats at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge attract an abundance of wildlife throughout the year, providing excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. The refuge bird list contains over 250 species. During spring migrations, warblers and other migratory song birds are common among the live oaks and in the shrub/scrub habitat. A variety of raptors, shorebirds, and wading birds call the refuge home year-round. Pinckney Island NWR is one of the best places in South Carolina to see breeding yellow-crowned night herons.
In addition, Hilton Head Audubon publishes a list of accessible birding locations on and around Hilton Head at hiltonheadaudubon.org/birdability. For the tours, guests may bring their own binoculars or use those provided. You must register to participate, at coastalrefuges.org/pinckney-tours.
ONLY ONE STEP AWAY
FLYERS from page 16A
Victor Stoykovich has had the Red Baron for 10 years, but has been flying for all of his life. He usually flies it for about 10 minutes but at the moment it is being cranky, he said, because it has been sitting a while. Other members offer what they can to help, but the biplane remains stubborn.
Stoykovich alternates between working on the mechanism in the fuselage, trying to turn the propellor and getting down on the ground to work under the plane.
John Hensley, a private chef, is one of the newest and youngest members, and said on the ground is the normal position for a lot of pilots trying to get their planes in the air. He’s been a member for about a year, thanks to a gift from his wife.
“I just needed a hobby to get into, and my wife had bought me a plane. I enjoyed flying it and found these guys in the field. It was perfect,” said Hensley. “It keeps us all out of trouble. This is really, really good group and you don’t have to go to the bar or anything like that.”
He started with one plane and now has a total of 11, including the one that crashed that morning. It’ll go back up again, Hensley said, “when I get my nerves back. We hopefully got the adjustments right on it. It just didn’t have enough lift on it.”
Hensley said he lucked out with joining this group after checking out others in the area.
“They’re very helpful and they’re very supportive. And they’re very welcoming. With these guys it felt like home,” he said. “It’s a fun place, and this is actually a pretty small group today. When it gets really packed out here, there’s planes all over the place. And unfortunately, there’s always planes that go down as part of it.”
Dennis Rief is not one to shy away from crashes.
“I do a lot of crashes because I do a lot of crazy stunts. I gotta take this little guy that’s on the table and do a lot of stunts,” he said.
Rief had just fueled an Ultra Stick, the first kind of plane he learned to fly. He began in his late 30s and has “a bunch of planes,” but only brought three to the field.
The second plane was a Mustang and the third was a Crusader, otherwise known as an Ugly Stick.
“It’s a challenge to do certain things in
the air. Stunts and landings and takeoffs are really a lot of fun, especially the landings,” said Rief.
He loves the mechanics, setting up the planes and putting all the equipment in it. Holding up the Mustang, he removed a piece from the top of the fuselage to reveal the battery compartment, the receiver and the wires that control each of the moving parts. His radio can control up to 10 model airplanes, so he can select the one that goes with the Mustang.
No two planes were alike on the flightline. Jess Haynes, the youngest member present, had three, one of which was a good-sized model of a P-47, a plane that flew in the European Theatre during World War II. He’s been a member for six months and has taken to flying like a duck to water, earning the admiration of the more experienced flyers for his skills.
Armand Klinger was a navigator in the U.S. Air Force, retiring after 20 years. He’s been flying since he was about 10 years old and has had an “uncountable” number of planes.
On the plane table was his Extra 300, an electric model of an actual aerobatic plane frequently seen at air shows. He called it a “foamie” because of its special rubberized foam body, which makes it pretty tough and very lightweight – about 4 pounds. It carries a gyro inside, which helps stabilize the plane even if it is windy.
As it flew, he expressed some concern over the battery’s strength, saying it wasn’t putting out as much power as he thought it should.
“When they get to be about 2 years old they start losing their strength,” Klinger said. Sure enough, when he put it back on the table and examined the battery, it was beginning to swell and was dated five years ago.
By late morning, Stoykovich was still not getting any response from the Red Baron. Seigler said a few days later that by the time he left, the plane was still on the ground.
“Engine problems are fairly normal,” he said. “Typically, at least one person has an engine problem when we are out there.”
For more information on the Jasper County Remote Control Flyers, visit JCRCflyers.com.
198 Okatie Village Dr. Suite 105
Next To Sun City Food Lion
843.707.1750
CALAMARI NONNA ROSA $14
CALAMARI FRITTI $12
ANTIPASTO $18
BRUSCHETTA $9
EGGPLANT ROLLATINI $11
MOZZARELLA FRITTI $9
GLUTEN FREE FOCACCIA $5
ZUPPA DI FAGIOLI Our house made soup with white beans, spinach and cherry tomatoes $6
CREAMY POMODORO
Basil Soup $6
SPAGHETTI VONGOLE $23
SPAGHETTI COZZE $21
PASTA POMODORO $15
Open 6 days per week
Tuesday thru Sundays
Open 4:00PM to 10:PM
SPAGHETTI POLPETTE $17
RIGATONI SAUSAGE & PEPPERS $20
LA PUTTANESCA $20
MATRICIANA $20
GNOCCHI SORRENTINA $20
PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE $20
RIGATONI ALA VODKA $20
LASAGNA $20
MANICOTTI $20
GARDEN $5
CAESAR (anchovies available upon request, add $1.50) / $6
CAPRESE $12
PEAR AND GORGONZOLA $14
PROSCIUTTO & MOZZARELLA $14
ADDITIONS
Chicken $7 Shrimp $8
All of our entrees come with a side of angel hair pasta, gluten free options available.
POLLO PARMIGIANA $21
POLLO MARSALA $23
POLLO LIMONE $21
POLLO FIORENTINA $23
VEAL PICATTA $25
VEAL MARSALA $25
VEAL SALTIMBOCCA $25
VEAL PARMIGIANA $24
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA $21
SIDES
Pollo $7 Shrimp $8
Vegetable of the Day $5 Spinach $5
Sausage and Peppers $7 Polpetta $6
TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY SPECIAL
CANNOLIS
ALL SURFACES
On a chilly Saturday morning in February, seven young people, accompanied by their teacher, all bundled up in hoodies with matching T-shirts on top, lined up with their drums to play for a gathering crowd at Historic Mitchelville Park on Hilton Head Island.
The event, in honor of Black History Month, was Freedom Celebration Day, which recognized Beaufort’s Robert Smalls and his place in American history.
The young folks were part of the opening entertainment for the day. But these children are more than drummers in a line.
They are part of a nonprofit organization called COIN – an acronym for Changing Our Image Now.
The organization was founded by L.J. Bush, son of longtime Bluffton leaders Leon and Laura A. Bush, to mentor young people and encourage them to find their purpose in life, and to help their parents find ways
to assist their children on that journey. The group serves young people from Bluffton and Hilton Head Island.
“We are trying to put these kids in front of different opportunities,” Bush said. “Drumline is the hook to get them interested. Then
we expose them to other opportunities.”
The drumline is led by Keith Cross, teacher and mentor, a transplant from Ohio just four years ago.
Bush and Cross met playing basketball. “He asked me, ‘In a perfect world, what would you want to do?’ And I said, ‘Have a music school and a drumline.’”
Bush replied, “I have some kids.”
The drumline got its start with 5-gallon buckets upside down on a picnic table, said Keith Cross, the music director. Then they moved to drum pads, which had more resonance.
Then, the group was invited to play for a Crescendo event last October, and they really needed to come up with drums, Cross said. He and Bush found a woman in Florida who had drums to share. “This lady in Fort Lauderdale said her school had closed because of Covid, and she had no use for the drums,” Bush said. “She had exactly what we needed.”
Bush drove to Florida and picked them up.
Please see DRUMS on page 24A
21 days
treatments reduce
substantially
are properly licensed and trained, working under strict rules and regulationsL.J. Bush, center, helps his students set up their drums before a drumline performance Feb. 4 at Mitchelville for a Freedom Celebration Day event. PHOTOS BY LYNNE COPE HUMMELL
DRUMS from page 22A
The group practices most Sundays at Bluffton Community Center.
But playing drums is just part of the equation for the students. They are involved in other programs offered by COIN and learning from other experiences.
“We took them to the African American Civil Rights Museum in Atlanta,” Bush said. “The parents have been very supportive, and they go on trips with us.”
One of those parents, Connie Whitehead, has high praise for Bush and for COIN. She has three sons, 9-year-old twins Camden and Kendall and 14-year-old Dominic, who play in the drumline.
“I just want to acknowledge how much work L.J. and Keith are doing,” she said. “The time they spend – it’s just their passion.”
Whitehead said beyond the fun, the meetings for parents are extremely helpful.
“We have gotten information about scholarships and how to get ready for college,” she said. “It has lifted a burden for us, about how to get three boys through college. It has been eye-opening.”
Bush said that getting information to parents is a big part of what COIN does.
“We try to get families the information they need to help them be successful,” he said.
The organization offers personal development and coaching programs, seeking to help young people elevate themselves. The philosophy, as posted on the COIN website, states: “We believe an essential component
of COIN is cognitive restructuring. It is used to counter negative perceptions based on a history disconnection from the constantly changing Lowcountry.”
The goal is to “Break the generation of social and economic poverty cycle by finding sustained career opportunities for 100% of COIN students each year.”
Alandria Kennedy, 17, a senior at Hilton Head Island High School, said being part of the drumline and COIN has been beneficial to her in various ways, including helping her build confidence.
“I wrote a song and performed it for the first time at the Black Lives Matter program at school,” she said.
Cross said his long-range goal is to someday have a fine arts school that offers summer clinics and a camp.
“It will be a place where kids can come and learn and have fun with their friends,” he said. “They can be part of a community that is doing positive things.
In line with that dream is to grow the drumline.
“We hope to grow to so many that we have to go buy more drums,” Bush said. “Our target is 25 If we get to where we need more instruments, that would b a good problem to have.”
Drumline is open to anyone between about age 5 to 18, he said, and free to join.
For more information, visit changingourimagenow.org.
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TUES MAR 7TH NOON
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TUES MAR 21ST NOON
MON MAR 27TH 6PM
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By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR
A group of local Vietnam veterans that has met monthly since April 2017 – minus a year from Covid – has unexpectedly experienced far different treatment than they did when they came home.
Jim Jensen, who organized the Lowcountry Vietnam Vet Luncheon, said they were surprised three times during a luncheon by strangers.
“On two separate occasions the ‘Young Families of Hampton Lake’ paid for the entire luncheon, and made cookies for all,” he said. “On another occasion, a much younger patron at the bar nearby paid for the entire group’s luncheon. Community support outside the group has been phenomenal, unlike 50-plus years ago when we returned to the States.”
Jensen, who is an Army veteran, got the luncheon idea from friends in Florida and California who had their own groups.
The group began slowly at Southern Barrel Brewing but quickly outgrew the space as a monthly scheduled event. They moved the luncheon to Backwater Bill’s at Hampton Lake as word spread via the Nextdoor app, the Vietnam Vets Only Facebook group and word of mouth. The average attendance is about 34, ranging from 20 during the holidays and as high as 49 last month.
“The only qualification to join is to have received a Vietnam Service Ribbon,” said Jensen. “It’s a low-key luncheon with no formal agenda. There have been only two guest speakers, there are no officers and no dues.”
Both Jensen and member Steve Robillard, who retired from the Navy after 30 years, say the primary attraction for them is the camaraderie among all the services for having the common thread of “boots on the ground” experience.
“That’s the primary use, not only for me, but I think for all of the guys that do attend,”
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VETERANS from page 26A
said Robillard, who is also commander of the Dennis J. Becker American Legion Post 205 in Bluffton. “And of course, I take the opportunity to promote the Legion.”
Many members, who come from all over Beaufort County, also belong to the Legion, which is extremely active in the community and offers a more formal group heavily involved with community service. It’s the informal atmosphere that draws them to the vets’ luncheons.
“It’s a social thing. We share stories,” said Robillard.
“And it’s not the funny stuff, but the weird stuff that happened,” Jensen said. “They’re in that comfort zone where they can share their experience and not judge.”
If Jensen gets RSVPs from fewer than 35 members, then the attendees order off Backwater Bill’s menu. More than 35 and the club puts on a buffet. Some will come early to chat and others will stay around a little after the meal is over, which usually lasts about 90 minutes.
Jensen said he finds new members when he wears his Vietnam ballcap around town and sees another vet. The group includes Army, Navy Marine Corps and Air Force veterans and after a few lunches, they seem to group themselves, he said.
“The New York guys sit together, the helicopter pilots connect, and there’s always free-flowing conversation,” said Jensen. “Whenever a guy comes for the first luncheon, we give them two minutes to introduce themselves: branch of service, hometown, where they were. I think after a while, there are certain groups that kind of sit with each other each time, and they’ve developed friendships over the last five years.”
Vietnam veterans who earned the service ribbon and who are interested in joining the group may contact Jensen at jensen.jg@ gmail.com.
The print of artist Don Troiani’s “The Diehards” is being auctioned off by the Sun City Lowcountry Civil War Round Table group. Membership chair Ed Flannigan and President Sandi Schroeder discussed possible charitable causes the funds could support.
By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR
Sun City resident Sandi Schroeder had no idea what to expect when she returned home, but after a surprising call on her car phone she was intrigued.
“An unknown individual offered me a print by Don Troiani of the Battle of 2nd Manassas from Aug. 30, 1862,” she said.
The caller wanted to donate it to the Sun City Lowcountry Civil War Round Table group – of which Schroeder is president.
The professionally mounted and framed print was dropped off at her garage, so she never met the donor. The print itself measures about 24 inches by 31 inches, is numbered as 6/25, and is signed by the artist in pencil in the lower right corner immediately under his signature in the painting.
“Since receiving it, I have discovered that it does have potential value, and I would like to see it auctioned off for a good cause and, of course, bring recognition to our group,” Schroeder said. “Several individuals who have seen it have expressed an interest in bidding on it.”
Troiani is renowned for his detailed and
accurate paintings from the Civil War and the American Revolution. Born in New York City, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and New York City’s Art Students League.
The highly detailed painting – titled “The Diehards” – depicts the Louisiana brigade, alongside an unfinished railroad line. Many men were out of ammunition from the Union army’s assault on their position. By throwing readily available rocks and boulders, they were able to hold their position until reinforced by a Virginia brigade.
Schroeder said the print will be on display at the March 22 and April 24 meetings. Anyone wanting to see the print and bid on it may stop by the meeting room at Hidden Cypress between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. on those days.
Ron Roth, author and former director of the Reading Public Museum and the Nebraska Museum of Art, is a frequent local presenter on the Civil War in the Lowcountry. He will be the guest speaker at the LCWRT’s May 16 meeting when the winner will be announced.
At the mid-February meeting of the Beaufort County Community Services and Land Use Committee, committee members held an Executive Session and decided to move forward with negotiations regarding the purchase of land known locally as the Cooler tract – for the County’s proposed consolidated law enforcement center.
The purchase of the roughly 97 acres, currently owned by the Cooler family, for law enforcement purposes would leave a proud family legacy, as they share four generations of family members who have dedicated their lives to law enforcement and emergency response services.
“This facility has been envisioned for almost two decades,” said Eric Greenway, county administrator. “When the land became available, the County saw this as a great opportunity to consolidate the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office departments in a central location that can be built with minimal environmental and traffic impact.”
The committee’s decision moves the discussion of negotiations forward, allowing the County to continue their due diligence while developing a conceptual site plan, creating a facility that will bring many law enforcement departments under one roof.
Departments at this point include the DNA lab, Sheriff’s administration, the evidence locker, and Emergency Management. When completed, it’s estimated to house more than 250 employees in almost 200,000 square feet of office space.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for County Council to do what is necessary to keep the quality of life that we enjoy in this county,” said Council Chairman Joe Passiment. “What residents need to know is this plan will
also spare the property from being developed for housing in an already extremely congested area. It will satisfy the needs of all of our citizens for the quickest response to public safety from law enforcement. It also satisfies the desire of the Greenspace program to control development where possible and will allow the consolidation of many law enforcement departments into one location. That, in turn, will better serve residents and free up additional facilities to be used by the County for other purposes.”
At the Feb. 27 meeting of County Council, the first reading was given. The timeline moving forward on this project includes second reading and public hearing at the March 13 Council meeting; and a third and final reading and public hearing at the March 27 meeting.
“I am excited to hear the recent news and wanted to thank County Council for their foresight in choosing to move forward with the purchase of the tract of land located in Beaufort County, on Hwy. 170, commonly known as Cooler’s Corner,” said Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner. “It may interest you to know that this property was considered more than 20 years ago as an excellent and prime location to build a Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Headquarters and public safety training facility.” Tanner said the location will offer “easy and efficient deployment of resources and personnel and is convenient and accessible to our other law enforcement partners throughout Beaufort County, and the public we serve.”
In the future, a public meeting will be held so the stakeholders and members of the public can review the conceptual site plan and overall project and ask questions.
Internationally renowned tennis professional
Stan
By Lynne Cope Hummell EDITOR
Often considered the harbinger of spring in the Lowcountry, the 38th Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off at 3 p.m. March 12 on Pope Ave., marking its 38th year of fun and festivities.
The parade is the highlight of the newly established IrishFest weekend, which begins the previous evening with a concert of Irish music.
On March 11, at 4 p.m. the second annual Irish Concert will be held at Lowcountry Celebration Park, featuring The Fenian Sons and Boston Police Gaelic Column Pipe & Drum.
This event is free and open to the public. Food trucks will be onsite, and beverages will be available for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit and enjoy the music.
The parade is expected to draw upwards of 30,000 spectators and participants of all ages from around the region.
This year’s Grand Marshal is an international sports phenom who now lives on Hilton Head Island. But non-sports fans
are likely to know him more for his Adidas sneakers than for his remarkable career.
Stan Smith, ranked among the legends of tennis, received his official sash in a ceremony Feb. 15 at Reilley’s Grill & Bar on the island’s south end, long known as parade headquarters.
As Grand Marshal, Smith will ride near the front of the parade. Following behind him will be past Grand Marshals and other dignitaries, including elected officials from the town and state.
Smith is from Pasadena, California, and moved to the island in 1971 to serve as the touring tennis professional for Charles Fraser’s Sea Pines Company. He has won the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Davis Cup, among his career 37 singles championships and 53 in doubles. He has been a No. 1 tennis player in the U.S., and No. 1 in the world, and was named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
He retired from tennis in 1985 and stayed here on the island. He and Margie, his wife of 48 years, raised their four children here. Though he has traveled the world, he said,
Please see PARADE on page 32A
“Every time I come across the bridge after traveling, I breathe in that salt air and know I’m home.”
In 2002, Smith opened Smith Stearns Tennis Academy with fellow tennis standout with B.J. Stearns. Their programs coach and prepare motivated young athletes for a career in tennis.
Smith’s local volunteer efforts include the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head, including service as chair of the capital campaign to build the Gumtree Road facility 30 years ago. He was a trustee for the Heritage Classic Foundation, serving for a time as chair of the scholarship committee. He has long been a supporter of Hilton Head Volunteers in Medicine and of the Children’s Center.
Adidas named a green and white tennis shoe for Smith in 1973. Since then, the company recently announced, more than 100 million pairs have been sold. “I think I have 120 or so pairs in my closet,” Smith said. He wore a green pair to the sashing ceremony. Scheduled to march in the parade are six pipe and drum bands, including Boston Police, Charleston and U.S. Border Patrol.
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In addition, the U.S. Navy Band will march in our parade for the first time, and an Irish rock band from Boston, The Fenian Sons, will return for the second year. Several area high school bands and performance troupes will participate as well – for a total of 13 confirmed bands.
Local businesses, schools and nonprofits will be represented with colorful floats, cars, trucks, boats and other vehicles, along with local and state dignitaries.
Attendees line both sides of the one-mile route down Pope Avenue from the Coligny area to the USCB campus on Office Park Drive. Those seeking a place to park are encouraged to look for business areas that are closed on Sundays, such as banks and office parks.
Volunteers are still needed for various duties, including owners of convertibles to drive dignitaries down the route. For more information about all events, including how to enter a business, group or nonprofit in the parade, visit hiltonheadireland.org. To volunteer, click on the Volunteer tab at the top of the page.
*Total purchase value must exceed $500 or more on select furniture for offer to be valid. For one time use only and sales associate prior to time of sale
*Total purchase value must exceed $500 or more on select furniture for o er to be valid. For one time use only and can’t be used with any other o er or discount. This o er must be presented to sales associate prior to time of sale.
30, 2023
T
T he Pe r fe c t Va l en ti ne :
~ Bridal Showers & Parties ~
~ Getting Ready Bridal Beauty Party ~
~ Employee or Client Appreciation ~
~ After Golf Outings ~
~ Any Reason at All for Spa Day with Friends ~
By Tim Wood CONTRIBUTORWhen the shingle was first hung at 960 William Hilton Parkway in 1973, The Greenery might have appeared like every other dime-a-dozen landscaper. Ruthie and Berry Edwards were determined that their company would be anything but typical.
Their vision began with a couple of pickup trucks and a six-pack of employees that bought into their goal to do something different than just cutting the grass that never stops growing. The Edwardses wanted to hire the most knowledgeable and experienced landscaping and gardening staff in the area and motivate them to think bigger for their customers.
The economy goes up and down, and Mother Nature cooperates with the vision more some years than others, but that mission has stayed consistent, making The Greenery a foundational force in the growth of the Lowcountry service economy.
The company is celebrating two epic achievements this year: the 50th anniversary of the company and the 20th birthday of its employee stock ownership plan. Before his retirement, Berry set up the plan to give his loyal crew true financial skin in the business they had helped develop and grow. By 2007, The Greenery became a 100% employee-owned company.
“Above all else, we value the people that make up The Greenery,” said their son Lee Edwards, the company’s CEO. Lee grew up in the business, but more than that, he saw his parents’ passion for people and the rewards that can be achieved in fostering a collaborative culture.
“From the commercial and residential sites to those in the offices, garden center and gift shop, The Greenery is composed of more than 800 dedicated individuals that have led to our success day in and day out.”
Edwards was begrudgingly quoted here.
As proud as he is of his family and the
Som eth ing spec ia l for the person you love !
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S om et h in g spec i a l for t he person you l ove !
Give th e g if t of re laxa tion for Va len tin e ’s D ay.
Gi ve t h e g i f t of re l axa ti on for Va l en ti n e ’s D ay.
We specialize in hosting groups for half day or all day spa treatments or social gatherings. Plan your spa party or rent the Ivy Beauty Bar for a private event. Stop by for a tour or email or call our concierge team at info@whispercreekspa.com.
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1196 Fording Island Rd., Bluffton | 843.960.0100
1196 Fording Island Rd., Bluffton | 843.960.0100
(Between Burnt Church and Malphrus Rds.)
(Between Burnt Church and Malphrus Rds.)
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BS, University of South Carolina, JD, University of Dayton, School of Law, 2020 Hilton Head Island Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program Graduate
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GREENERY from page 33A
milestone, he wanted the spotlight to shine on the people who have driven the decades of success.
“That’s what drew me to The Greenery. It’s not just words. They set out every day to show their gratitude to their people,” said chief technology officer Janet DeNicola. “I worked for another landscape company that was more of the ‘mow, blow and go’ operation. I’ve been here 15 years and every step of the way, I’ve seen there are no ceilings for me here.”
DeNicola began in branch operations, then was promoted to director of business development before heading up the company’s tech backbone.
“You see a hybrid culture here that is very difficult to create, let alone maintain. This is a mom-and-pop, family-owned business, but we’ve stretched to become a major corporate player in the industry,” she said.
The Greenery is ranked No. 30 in the U.S. landscape industry, a stratosphere normally reserved for conglomerates backed by private equity groups.
“There is this thirst to innovate here. This is a male-driven industry, not many women at the corporate level, but there have never been limits for me here,” DeNicola said. “We’re proud of the diverse makeup of our team, but for me, it’s be-
cause you are only defined by your passion and your follow-through here. It was once unheard of for women to be operating zero-turn mowers, but here, if that’s your goal, there is a path to achieve any next level.”
A buy-in to a focus on safety, quality and to going above and beyond for the client are the base of every Greenery team member. Director of Workforce Development and Safety Jerry Ashmore came to the company 22 years ago, drawn by the almost cult status the company had achieved. He began with The Greenery just as the Edwardses were finalizing their ESOP rollout.
“When you have skin in the game, you care more, period. You attract good people and you keep them. We’re working for each other here, from top to bottom, because we know as the company grows and expands, the opportunities just keep coming,” Ashmore said. “We have people driven to evolve how we serve our clients. It’s exciting to work on some of the country’s most beautiful properties and to rise to the challenge of making them even prettier.”
Regional manager Miles Graves has helped lead the charge into new markets
GREENERY from page 34A
like Jacksonville, Amelia Island and Daytona in Florida and Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina. While every city has its unique makeup and landscape challenges, the drive to thrive born on Hilton Head is the blueprint.
“What’s driven my passion is the pursuit of greatness. I’ve had a competitive spirit and love nothing more than creating the most gorgeous striped lawn or a jaw-dropping floral display,” Graves said. “We create a vast amount of beauty for the community, but it will never be perfect. That’s the nature of nature, but it doesn’t mean we don’t try for that perfection and we love giving it a go.”
The keys to achieving those stunning landscapes year after year are similar to how the company continues its upward trajectory. The companies that get stagnant forget to water the garden. As hard as we tried to avoid nursery cliches, DeNicola was willing to indulge my analogy.
“There is a 401k with matching from the company. It doesn’t sound sexy, but there are not many companies with retirement funds or pensions in today’s corporate world,” DeNicola said. “It sounds cheesy, but those are the nutrients to growing and maintaining a vibrant team.”
The Greenery works with its partners to test and improve the newest innovations in both in-the-field technology and clean energy and backbone software that can improve efficiencies in managing the business.
“Things like robotic mowers and battery-operated equipment, they aren’t taking jobs, they’re allowing us to concentrate
our attention on other needs,” DeNicola said. “There is a low barrier to entry in this business, you buy some equipment and sure, anyone can ‘mow, blow and go.’ Planned health care, spraying, irrigation, a five-year plan to develop and maintain the plants as they grow more mature. The more efficient we can become, the more we can focus on the complexities that make us stand out.”
Nature is never the same. Ashmore said that is why the attention to the Edwards’ original vision persists and drives every decision in the company. It’s at the core of The Greenery becoming one of the largest and most respected landscaping companies in the Southeast.
“People are our greatest asset. The workforce challenges may change, the business climate may change, but we are consistent on attracting and keeping innovators on our team,” Ashmore said. “We’re always ready for the next curveball Mother Nature throws at us because we have the team with the knowledge and experience to adapt to any challenge.”
It’s what has folks like DeNicola, Graves and Ashmore excited for the next 50 years ahead.
“It’s fun. I enjoy working with our team and our clients,” Ashmore said. “When you know you’re part of a winning formula from the first-day employee to the CEO, it frees us all up to just dream up the next great plan, to create world-class beauty with every landscape.”
Tim Wood is a veteran journalist based in Bluffton. timwood@blufftonsun.com.
A native South Carolinian, Lynne hails from the capital city of Columbia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of South Carolina. She moved to Hilton Head Island in 1984 for a typography job, not even realizing there was a beach. The next year, she met Amos, the man who would become her husband and soul mate. They married in 1990 on one of the beaches they discovered. A frequent crosser of the bridges to Bluffton, Lynne worked at the local daily for nine years and has been with the Sun since 2009. While her job is editing, she also enjoys writing, and is confident there is a novel in her head somewhere. ENJOYS: Waterfalls, good coffee, hanging out with the fam.
By Amy Coyne Bredeson CONTRIBUTOR
Every year, the Pat Conroy Literary Center hosts March Forth to commemorate the anniversary of the beloved Lowcountry author’s death. The seventh annual March Forth is planned for March 4-5, with a preview event March 3.
“Pat passed away on the fourth day of March 2016,” Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt said. “But ‘March Forth’ was also his final message to us – to continue on ahead. So we do so in Pat’s memory.”
Haupt said people will literally be marching forth on a nature walk at Penn Center, but they will also be marching forth in a figurative sense.
“It is the marching forth in continuation of Pat’s legacy through discussions inspired by major themes of his writing life: storytelling, education, conservation, inclusivity and the family dynamic, to name a few,” Haupt said. “When we do all of that well – which we always do – you can feel both the presence and absence of Pat Conroy at our March Forth. It’s always a magical event.”
March Forth is a joint effort of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Storybook Shoppe, the Port Royal Farmers Market, Catering by Debbi Covington, and the Beaufort High School and Beaufort Academy chapters of the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization. A grant from the nonprofit South Carolina Humanities helps with the cost of putting on the various events.
A free preview of March Forth will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. March 3 at NeverMore Books in Beaufort. New York Times bestselling novelist De’Shawn Charles Winslow will sit down with Haupt to discuss his new book, “Decent People.” He will sign copies of his book after the discussion. Seating is limited. Reserve your spot by calling 843-812-9460.
Children are invited to a free Teddy
Bear Picnic Read-Aloud from 9 a.m. to noon March 4 near the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market. Light snacks will be provided.
As part of March Forth, the public is encouraged to visit the York W. Bailey Museum at Penn Center between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. March 4. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. Discover Darrah Hall, which is part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, at Penn Center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. March 4. Admission is free.
At noon, South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet and novelist John Lane will speak and sign his books, “Still Upright and Headed Downstream” and “Coming into Animal Presence.”
A conversation with New York Times bestselling nature-themed mystery novelist Megan Miranda will take place from 1:20 to 2:20 p.m., followed by a book signing. Miranda is the author of “The Last to Vanish” and her forthcoming novel, “The Only Survivors.”
At 2:40 p.m., former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker, with the help of student readers, will give a poetry reading and discussion, followed by a book signing. Amaker is editor of “Colors Wash Over Me: Poems by Lowcountry Students,” and author of a forthcoming “Hold What Makes You Whole.”
The festivities will continue March 5 with check-in at 10:30-11 a.m. at Penn Center. MacArthur Fellowship honoree, environmentalist and author of “Sparrow Envy” J. Drew Lanham, along with author John Lane, will lead a nature walk of Penn Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A book signing will follow.
For more information on the Pat Conroy Literary Center, visit patconroyliterarycenter.org.
Mike Daly always knew he was merely a star orbiting in her galaxy. He was a blue-collar guy with a creative flair who somehow caught the attention of Marilyn Deluca in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
The two connected after she came to a rehearsal of one of Mike’s early guitar-player gigs in Kelly’s Band. That began a mutual infatuation, two teens who knew they wanted a journey far beyond the Philadelphia suburbs. But it wasn’t until their dreaming landed them in the Virgin Islands that Mike bore witness to the voice that changed his life.
“It’s 1976, we’re off the map, built a house in the rain forest, I’m working at the post office down there, she’s nursing Jevon and Gav and she starts singing Fleetwood Mac and it just stops me in my tracks,” he said. “It’s just absolutely stunning. I’d never heard her sing before and I knew I always wanted to hear
her sing from that moment on.”
Mike had no formal training but had a passion for bass guitar and enough friends to connect him to local bar owners looking for musical acts.
“(Our daughter) Kelci was born in 1977 and that next year, we formed a band named Groundsea,” he said. “We played Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, some blues. And Marilyn – she was a dynamo off the stage, but behind a mic, it was just magical from Day One. The minute people heard her, the place was on fire with energy and applause and people crowding in off the street.”
Groundsea became the celebrated rock band in St. Thomas, packing bars like Larry’s Hideaway and Fat City on Back Street, a musical hot spot equally famous for even locals getting routinely mugged in the daylight.
Longing to be closer to family, the family of five moved back to Bryn Mawr. There,
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they formed Nell and the Do-Rights and started to mix a little harder edge into the repertoire, adding some Rolling Stones into the play list.
“We’re just owning these college bars. She was just so dynamic, so charismatic. She mesmerized you with the short skirt and the voice,” Mike said.
Son Jevon remembers the first time he saw his Mom on stage rehearsing before a show.
“I knew we were a different kind of family, but man, to see her, to see the physical swagger. Even in rehearsal, she just dominated the room,” Jevon said.
Longing for a change of scenery and warmer temperatures, the Dalys were on the move again in the early ’80s, this time to Hilton Head Island. With this move, their reputation preceded them a bit.
“We had folks speaking up for us to get in doors early on, but again, when Marilyn started singing, it was magic,” Mike said. This incarnation was known as Holly Hilton and the Rockets. Marilyn would sport a tennis skirt and all whites, giving off an air
of innocence that was shattered the minute she began gyrating on stage.
The scene could get raucous and alcohol-fueled at places like Amadeus above New York City Pizza or the White Parrot at the old Holiday Inn, but Mike said his better half almost enjoyed that chaos.
“Nobody could shake her. She was intimidating and inviting all at once. People knew it was her room and not to mess with her,” he said.
Mike picked up keyboard player Tommy Beaumont by stealing him from a band that played regularly atop the Hilton Head Inn. They added drummer Dave Ennis, a former high school and Air Force marching band player and HVAC guy on the island that Mike called the best in-the-pocket session drummer he’d ever seen.
“Dave passed away recently. We just loved him and he added so much to the vibe,” Mike said.
“Holly Hilton” and company played at the Shelter Cove open-air stage in 1985, playing pop hits, adding in Blondie and The Police to their classic formula that packed the
Fourth of July show. They were the last band to play Shelter Cove before Shannon Tanner started a three-decade run with a “bit tamer show,” Mike said with a smile.
The band evolved into The Techniques, a late-’80s mix that garnered groupies like long-time island music scene regular Sammy Long – just one of many that say Marilyn was one of the most dynamic performers to ever play these parts.
“We didn’t do original songs, we took extreme pride in being the best bar band out there,” Mike said. “Her phrasing, her cadence, she made every familiar song her own in a different way every night.”
The couple rocked the island consistently until one beach show in 1988, where after another raucous crowd got the best show she had in her, Marilyn turned to Mike and said, “This is it. I’ve had it.”
Jevon said growing up in that glow was “so many things.”
“She’d drive us to school and tell us, ‘You know we’re the coolest family in this school, the hippest by far, right?’ She gave us confidence we didn’t know was there.
But there was also hearing your friends say, ‘Your mom is so cool. I just jammed with her backstage.’ That’s a big shadow, but my mom, she had no other gear except cool. She loved Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Lenny Kravitz. I remember her singing songs from ‘Mama Said’ and thinking, ‘How does she know all the words to every song already?”
The Dalys played a handful of shows as a family, but it was more a novelty than a next chapter – Mike and Jevon estimate the family played 10 shows total together.
Jevon and Gavan played in the high school band, and became the trained musicians in the family. By their early 20s, they were the house band at Hinchey’s, playing with Ben Vaught as The Daly Planet in the mid ’90s “thinking we were pretty damn cool.”
And then Mom would come in after working a restaurant shift.
“And we’re like, ‘Oh, shoot (edited for family publication). We thought we were owning the joint and then she’d say, ‘Let
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Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists has added boardcertified physician assistant Lauren Ackley, PA-C, to its clinical team, enhancing and expanding surgical care for residents north and south of the Broad River.
The Little Rock, Ark., native earned a Master of Science
A World Book Day Celebrity Gala to benefit Libraries for Kids will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. April 22 at Martin Family Park, 68 Boundary St. in Bluffton.
Cocktail attire is suggested.
Music will be provided by The Chiggers, the 2020 recipient of the Readers’ Choice best local band award.
There will be a celebrity or local hero with his or her guest at each of the dinner tables. Celebrities will have pre-assigned seats but ticket buyers will not, which means that after ticket buyers choose a table, the celebrities will find their table number and join them.
The following is a list of local celebrities who have made a commitment to attend.
• Arthur V. Martin, Ph.D., 2021 Nobel Peace Prize finalist
• Cassandra King Conroy, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author
• Dr. Bobbi Tenwolde, first woman born and raised in Bluffton to become a family practice doctor (member of the first graduating class USCB-Bluffton; has done medical mission work in Africa and in the U.S.)
• Chief Bruce Kline (Lady’s Island), Twotime winner of an award for best firefighter,
a hero who has risked his life to save others.
• Sallie Ann Robinson, Gullah chef, author, tour guide, TV personality, sixth-generation native Daufuskie Islander, and former student of author Pat Conroy
• Pat Branning, award-winning Southern cookbook author
• Dennis Stokely, celebrity hairdresser who traveled with Paula Abdul and who continues as “stylist to the stars”
• John Warley, award-winning Southern author and Citadel graduate
• Robert Gwaltney, award-winning debut Southern author, advocate for early childhood literacy, and vice president of Easter Seals North Georgia
• Monty Jett, renowned local radio personality, announcer, and emcee for 40-plus years
• Ken Francis, South Carolina children’s author
• Dana Ridenour, retired undercover FBI agent and award-winning author
• Susan Beckham Zurenda, award-winning Southern author
• Capt. Woody Collins, popular retired
Please see LIBRARIES on page 40A
in Physician Assistant Studies in 2022 from University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, graduating second in her class, and a Bachelor of Science in biology, magna cum laude, in 2019 from University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
At the practice, Ackley will assist the general surgeons in both the operating room and the clinic, evaluating surgical patients before and after their procedures, as well as patients referred to the practice from the emergency department and hospital floors.
CALL 843-524-8171 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
Ackley joins general surgeons Drs. Deanna Mansker, Schilling Nechtman and Stephen Sisco; and vascular surgeon J. Chadwick (Chad) Tober.
MARILYN
me play one with you.’ And she would literally own the place,” Jevon said. “She hadn’t played a gig in months, maybe years and it was always the same, slayed it. And then we’d have to follow that and realize we weren’t the kings we thought we were.”
Jevon remembers a ’90s road trip, their only return to Bryn Mawr, just after he and Gav had cut a CD with Jeff Franklin.
“I put it in and my mom is just laughing. We were a different thing – we were skateboarder dudes, punk rock and original lyrics and funkiness,” he said. “We think we’re bad asses and she smiles and says, ‘These songs are so out in left field, how do you guys come up with this stuff?’”
Just three years later, Marilyn Daly died from brain cancer in 1999 at the age of 47.
day with Lowcountry Boil playing Southern bluegrass.
Jevon went from “faking it on raw talent” to a more seasoned professional playing with Mike Kavanaugh in JoJo Squirrel and the Home Pickles, as well as a 20-year-run in the heavy metal rockers Silicon Sister.
“People would especially say to me, ‘Oh if she could have seen you play with Silicon.’ I wish she’d seen me take what she instilled in me and just take off to Mars with it,” he said.
Jevon wishes his daughters, shy but budding musicians themselves, had the presence and the daily dose of confidence from their grandmother, who would be 71 this year.
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“It was hard. We all go through those phases of rebellion and childishness with our parents. I had just hit that zone where I had become her friend,” Jevon said.
There was no YouTube back then and few recordings remain. Gavan has a recording of a classic Old Post Office performance that the family plans to remaster and share with the public.
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The legacy lives on. The sound has evolved. Jevon has a very distinct yet indefinable lane, Gav has become a renowned tattoo artist, and father and sons have become one of the more beloved bands of the
“People, you need to hear this woman. The voice, it could haunt us if we let it because we miss her so much,” Jevon said. “But it just brings her back, gives me a shot of confidence knowing where I came from.”
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local boat captain, former owner of restaurants bearing his name, and author of a 310page coffee table book about the 100-year history of lowcountry shrimping, “Where Have all the Shrimp Boats Gone?”
• Michel Dion, retired Canadian ice hockey goal tender (WHA and NHL) who played for Indianapolis Racers, Cincinnati Stingers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Libraries for Kids International, a local 501(c) (3) nonprofit established in 2018 by Bluffton resident Roy Austin, who saw terrific needs of children while on a trip to Kenya.
The mission Libraries for Kids International is to help rural schools with limited or no access to the internet or electricity establish libraries.
The organization is currently focused on schools in rural Kenya, and there is a waiting list for other countries.
Rural schools only receive $5.50 per student per year from the Kenyan government. Villagers must fund and build their
own school buildings. Textbooks are usually shared – about five books for 40-50 learners. Reference materials are not provided at all.
The $5.50 is for all expenses, including desks, pens, chalk, blackboard, building maintenance, and for a school cook and watchman.
The organization has created libraries in more than 3,000 schools in Kenya, impacting around a half-million children in less than four years.
But this is just the start. Each new shipping container will create libraries in 250 additional schools and make a positive impact on the lives of approximately 56,000 more students.
Tickets for the gala are $150 each, which includes drinks, dinner and dancing, and are available on EventBrite.
Specialty cocktails are provided by Tito’s Homemade Vodka.
For more information, visit libraries4kids. org. To make a donation by check, make it payable to Libraries for Kids and mail to P.O. Box 1013, Bluffton, SC 29910.
Memory Matters, the nonprofit agency that provides services for those with dementia and their families, has announced a fourpart speaker series that addresses overall brain health but also important information for caregivers who are taking care of a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementia.
“This is a series that we hope can reach and help as many people in the community as possible, whether they are a caregiver, interested in Alzheimer’s and dementia, or want to learn more about what they can do to better their own brain health,” said Jill Horner, Memory Matters executive director.
The first session will be a presentation from Dr. Paul Mazzeo of Coastal Neurology. He will be addressing “Memory & Aging,” covering the spectrum from normal to dementia.
This will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. April 20 at Encompass Health, 107 Seagrass Station Road in Bluffton.
On May 20, Dr. Jill Trumble from St.
Joseph’s Candler Neurology will be available for “Ask the Neurologist” from 10 a.m. to noon at the Memory Matters building, 117 William Hilton Pkwy. on Hilton Head. She will answer questions, address concerns, and provide a wide range of information to caregivers who need it. Safety concerns and falls are always a worry of caregivers. This is the topic for the third session, from 10 a.m. to noon June 7 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 38 St. Gregory the Great Drive in Bluffton. This program will be a panel discussion from various experts in the field of providing care for those living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia. Scheduled are professionals from Lowcountry Council of Governments and from Bluffton Fire Department, a geriatric care manager, and an elder law attorney.
The last session, June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon, will be a cooking demonstration from Chef Kim Baretta. She will discuss “Simple Suppers – Eating Healthy for Two.”
It can be difficult to make healthy meals
for just two people, especially when you are caring for a loved one. Chef Kim will provide recipes and tastings of great, easy meals that your loved one can make with you.
This session will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Hilton Head Island, 540 William Hilton Pkwy.
To attend all four sessions, the cost is $40, or $20 each for individual sessions.
A June 21 concert, featuring the Evolution
Big Band, will complete the series. For more information and to register, visit mymemorymatters.org.
Founded in 1997 on Hilton Head Island, Memory Matters is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that provides compassionate memory care and optimizes brain wellness through education, programs and support for individuals, caregivers and our community.
Jenna Spencer, one of the country’s top leaders in the area of Delegation Master and the founder of Delegation Work, will be the featured speaker at an event March 23, presented by the Hilton Head Area Home Builders Association and open to the public.
Spencer will bring her insights, strategies, and practical, easy-to-implement tips to help people delegate more effectively to the audience. She will offer listeners the opportunity to learn some of the secrets to delegation mastery from one of the country’s proven masters of delegation.
The event, “Having it All Without Doing it All: How Effective Delegation Can Build Your Business – and Change Your Life,” will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. March 23 at the Palmetto Electric Community Room, 1 Cooperative Way in Hardeeville.
The event will offer attendees the opportunity to learn how to overcome the fear of delegating that many people have which often holds them back from growing their businesses, and learn some effective delegation strategies that can enable people to take back their time and change their lives.
Attendees will leave with practical, easy-to-implement tips that they can begin putting in place immediately that can help them master delegation in both their business and personal lives – and help them improve their quality of life both at work and at home through effective delegation.
Spencer is the visionary behind the creation of the unique virtual assistant matching service AssistPro – which, under her leadership, has grown more than 50% each year since its founding, and was recently named to the annual prestigious Inc. 5000 list.
Through the creation and growth of AssistPro – and after seeing firsthand how effective delegation helped her hundreds of clients not only gain back their time but grow their businesses – Spencer is bringing her passion for showing the world another method of delegation learning so that anyone can learn to delegate more
effectively.
She is a sought-after speaker for her expertise in issues surrounding entrepreneurship, leadership, management and delegation mastery, and has been featured in numerous local and national media outlets on the topic of effective delegation.
“Spencer brings a truly unique perspective to the topic of delegation, based on her front row seat to seeing how delegation has made such a tremendous difference in the lives of her many clients over the years,” said Meg James, executive officer at the HHAHBA. “We are excited to have her speak here at HHAHBA and share her insights with both members and the general community, and help people learn the important role that delegation can play in growing their businesses – and enhancing their quality of life in every way.”
Tickets are $15 each for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets for the local event, visit hhahba.com.
For more information about Spencer’s work, visit delegationworks.com.
St. Luke’s Anglican Church will host its new March Lenten Lunch Series, a new speaker series, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays in March at the church, 50 Pope Ave. on Hilton Head Island,
A complimentary soup and salad lunch will be provided to participants by Truffles Cafe and served in Kronz Fellowship Hall. Donations are welcome to cover costs, and childcare is available upon request.
In the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, at the service for Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22), which is the start of the observation of Lent, we read: “Dear People of God: The First Christians observed with great devotion the day of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting ... We are then invited, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance, by prayer, fasting, and alms-giving; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy
In this spirit, the community is invited to join us as we welcome speakers from all over North America to help us observe a holy Lent. The theme, “Hope in the Shadow of the Cross,” will help participants reflect on how Jesus’ death and resurrection reveal both the depth of our need and security of our hope.
The speaker lineup includes:
March 1: The Rev. Andrew Pearson, interim executive director of Rwanda Ministry Partners will be our featured guest speaker. Rev. Pearson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies/ Sociology from the University of Virginia and a Master of Divinity from Oxford University. Rev. Pearson, an Anglican priest, has pastored churches in South Carolina and Alabama. He now lives, with his wife and three daughters, on a farm in his native Virginia. In addition to farming, Andrew assists the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda in the areas of strategy and development.
March 8: This second week, the Very Rev. Dr. Bryan Hollon, Dean President of Trinity School for Ministry, will be the featured speaker. Rev. Hollon holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Baylor University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller
Theological Seminary. He’s the author of “Everything is Sacred: Spiritual Exegesis in the Political Theology of Henri de Lubac” as well as numerous book chapters, journal, and magazine articles. Dr. Hollon was ordained a priest in the Anglican Church in North America in 2015.
March 15: The featured speaker for the third session is Dr. James Wood, Assistant Professor of Ministry at Redeemer University. Rev. Wood holds a Ph. D. in Theology from University of Toronto, a Th.M. in Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. Dr. Wood has worked as an associate editor at First Things Magazine, a PCA pastor in Austin, Texas, and a campus evangelist and team leader with Cru Ministries at the University of Texas at Austin.
March 22: The Rev. Nick Lannon will be featured the fourth week. Rev. Lannon
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Hilton Head Preparatory School has announced the Bakala Scholars Program, a competitive merit scholarship designed to attract excellent students from all parts of the community. The program aims to provide opportunities for the very best students to attend Hilton Head Prep, regardless of their ability to afford tuition.
Established by a generous, multi-year gift from the Bakala Family, the scholarship offers recipients the opportunity to receive up to the full cost of tuition for each year they attend Hilton Head Prep through graduation. Partial scholarships starting at $5,000 are available for all finalists, and financial aid is available for additional demonstrated need beyond the initial scholarship.
The program is open to students in both middle and upper school, with up
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is Rector of Grace Anglican Church and is a graduate of the University of Arizona, having studied Communications and Religious Studies, and of Trinity School for Ministry with a degree in Systematic Theology and Ethics. Ordained in 2007, Nick has pastored churches in Jersey City and Denville, New Jersey; and Louisville, Kentucky. Rev. Lannon is author of “Life is Impossible...and That’s Good News.”
March 29: The featured speaker, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mumme, Professor of Theology at Hillsdale College, previously taught at Concordia University Wisconsin (2014-2021) and Westfield House in Cambridge (2012-14). Working in systematic theology and in the history of doctrines and ideas, his research focuses primarily on ecclesiology, Martin Luther and Reformation studies, and theology and society. Mumme is co-editor of “Feasting in a Famine of the Word of God” (2016), “Luther at Leipzig” (Brill, 2019), and “Church as Fullness in All Things” (Lexington/Fortress, 2019).
to five finalists being selected for the Middle School Scholars Program and up to eight finalists being selected for the Upper School Scholars Program. Criteria for selection includes demonstrated academic excellence, an unweighted GPA of 3.7 or higher, an excellent record of character, potential for leadership, and potential for a positive impact in the school community. The application process for the 2023-24 school year begins with the completion of the Hilton Head Prep admissions application, with transcripts and recommendations, by April 1.
Finalists will be notified by April 15 and winners will be announced by May 1.
For more information, visit hhprep. org, call 843-671-2286 or email admissions@hhprep.org.
About Saint Luke’s Anglican: The mission of Saint Luke’s Anglican on Hilton Head is “To know Christ and to make Him known.” The vision of the church is that as a family of believers, its parishioners will continue growing in the love of Jesus, sharing the joy of worship, and serving the community and beyond.
On Oct. 22, 2022, the Rev. Dr. John D. “Jady” Koch was instituted as the seventh rector of St. Luke’s Anglican Church. Rev. Koch is a graduate of Washington & Lee University (2000) and Trinity School for Ministry (2007). He earned his Doctorate in Systematic Theology at the University of Humboldt in Berlin, Germany, in 2014.
Having served in churches in Berlin, Vienna and in Louisville, Kentucky, Rev Koch is excited to have been called to Saint Luke’s Anglican and has been implementing new programs since his arrival.
For more information and to register, visit stlukeshhi.org or call 843-785-4099.
• The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing is looking for additional Standard Bearers to volunteer at the 2023 event April 10-16. Youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who are familiar with the game of golf may apply at trusteventsolutions.com/event/49/home.
First, click “Register Here,” then select “Standard Bearer” as your volunteer type. From there, fill out your information and complete the form. The Standard Bearer program is free and those selected will receive a tournament logoed hat. Registration closes on March 10.
Parental permission will be required in order to participate and more details are to follow. For more information contact Skylar Jewell at Sjewell012@gmail.com.
• The Bluffton Democratic Club will meet at 6 p.m. March 2 at Blue HQ, 39 Persimmon St., Suite 201, in Bluffton.
Special guest speakers will be members of WREN, the South Carolina Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network. Melissa Moore
and Kenya Cummings will speak about advocacy and community organizing.
The club will also celebrate South Carolina’s selection at the Democratic National Convention as the First Primary State in 2024.
The meeting is free and open to the public.
• “First Children in S.C. School Desegregation,” a presentation by Dr. Millicent Brown, will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. March 4 at St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church, 20 Pope Ave. on Hilton Head Island.
Dr. Brown is an educator, author, civil rights leader, and activist. She is co-founder and project director of a national initiative, Somebody Had To Do It Project, to identify the “first children,” like herself, to desegregate previously all-white schools.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, email standrewbythesea@gmail.com
• The next monthly meeting of Liberal Men of the Lowcountry will begin at noon March 8 at the Country Club of Hilton Head.
Guest speaker is Richard Hammes, current president of the group, speaking on behalf of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Dr. Hammes will provide information and detailed data regarding gun safety and gun violence state and nationally, information about MOMS, what we are doing to push back, and what members can do to help.
Cost for the luncheon is $27. Non-members who are considering joining the organization are welcome to come, but they must email bew_50@hotmail.com before March 7.
• Wine Down Wednesday for a Cause will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. March 8 at the Village at Wexford.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Second Helpings, the local nonprofit food
rescue and distribution network striving to end hunger in the Lowcountry.
Participating merchants will offer wine tastings, special promotions and in-store demos. Live music will play in locations around the center.
Tickets are $15 per person, available in advance at villageatwexford.com. Limited tickets may be available on day of event.
• The monthly Palm Trees & Pistons car show will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. March 11 at Sea Turtle Marketplace on Hilton Head Island, in the parking lot of the former SteinMart store.
The show will feature vintage, antique, exotic, muscle and unique cars owned by area locals. Any car owners who would like to display their vehicles are welcome to bring them for show and tell, and to meet others of like mind. There is no cost to participate. The show is held the second Saturday of each month and is free and open to the public.
Dr. Gary Heller has joined our practice as a general dentist! A native of Kingsport, TN, Dr. Heller attended the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Dr. Heller’s upbeat and welcoming personality, along with his depth of experience, make him the perfect addition to our ROC Star team!
Dr. Heller’s arrival enables us to better serve our patients and contribute more to our Lowcountry community.
• Palmetto Quilt Guild will meet March 16 at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road.
Social hour begins at noon and the meeting starts at 1 p.m.
Guest speaker is Mia Koerner, who will be speaking about antique quilts. Guests are welcome.
• Lowcountry Legal Volunteers needs volunteers. The organization is seeking individuals with legal experience such as retired or active attorneys, paralegals, legal secretaries, and administrative assistants.
An introductory meeting will be held at 11 a.m. March 21 at their office, 108 Traders Cross in Okatie.
The nonprofit organization offers free legal services to individuals in our community by providing free legal counsel and clinics for qualifying low-income residents in Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties. Members assist clients with custody matters, securing child support, parental visitation, divorce, clinics for uncontested divorce, wills and power of attorney, as well as eviction defense and other housing matters.
Pre-registration is recommended by calling 843-815-1570. For more information, visit lowcountrylegalvolunteers.org.
• The Bluffton Library will host two special programs in March.
The third free SC Law Talk, Estate Planning and Execution, will be held March 22 from 10 to 11 a.m.
A South Carolina Bar Association volunteer attorney will provide a brief topic overview, followed by a Q&A period. Part of the mission of the SC Bar is to uphold the integrity and honor of the legal profession, to promote legal education and services, and improve the administration of justice in the state.
Register by calling 843-255-6503.
On March 25, join Carol Lobdell from 2 to 4 p.m. for “Talley-Ho! Horses & Fox Hunting in Jane Austen’s England.” Lobdell will discuss the origins and development of the sport, its role in English society in the Regency years, and the sport’s activities today.
No registration is required for this event. For more information on these and other programs at the Bluffton Library, call 843255-6503.
• Area members of Delta Delta Delta are invited to the local chapter’s next meeting to be held March 27 at The Culinary Institute of the South, 1 Venture Drive in Bluffton. Following an 11:30 a.m. Meet and Greet, attendees will order from the Bistro Modern American Experience menu. Food will be prepared and served by graduating culinary students.
A tour of the new facility will follow. Reservations are required by calling 843290-9016.
• The Lowcountry Alliance for Healthy Youth will host a community forum on child and adolescent mental health and wellness March 27, starting with registration and refreshments at 5:30 p.m., at Bluffton High School Auditorium, 12 H.E. McCracken Circle in Bluffton.
Featured speakers are Anna Kirkland, Ph.D. and Alexis Garcia, Ph.D., both of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The event is open to the public. CEU credits are available for nurses, social workers, counselors, and therapists. For more information, email lcalliance4healthyyouth@gmail.com.
• The Deep Well Project will celebrate 50 years with the premiere of a film, “Looking Back. Moving Forward,” from 5 to 7:30 p.m. March 28 at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.
The film features personal recollections of Hilton Head Island and Deep Well’s history and evolution over the past 50 years.
A panel discussion will follow, with Morris Campbell, Betsy Doughtie and David Lauderdale, and moderated by Andrew Davis of WSAV-TV.
Tickets are $100 each, and proceeds benefit Deep Well. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artshhi.org.
Just 17 months after making one of the biggest splashes in Bluffton business history, the indoor karting complex in Belfair Village is evolving, leaving the K1 Speed franchise and changing its title to reflect its movement toward a more well-rounded family-fun experience.
The new signs reflect the name change to Indy Karting and Amusement, as Paul and Nikki McBride have sold the business to an Indiana-based investor group that plans to use the 45,000-square-foot Bluffton complex as an incubator for fun innovation, with hopes to use the location as a blueprint for further expansion.
General manager Colleen McBride and the current staff will all remain in place to make the transition to Indy Karting and renovate the location to reflect both a more fine-tuned experience for karting enthusiasts and a wider range of activities for families and visiting tourists.
“We’re excited about the future and the possibilities of this new team and the com-
mitment they’re making to Bluffton as the core of their hopeful expansion,” Paul McBride said. “This was a dream for my Dad (Dennis) and I, for our whole family. That we were able to bring indoor karting to the Lowcountry, to give families other options beyond the beach, it has been an honor. We can’t wait to help build what’s next.”
McBride is excited about the new investment group and their dedication to providing the most professional karting experience in the country, while also committing to expand the businesses’ entertainment options.
All current gift cards and multi-race passes will still be honored at Indy Karting, as the new ownership will use the same ClubSpeed reservation and customer management system. One change patrons will see in the near future is the elimination of membership fees – a K1 Speed requirement – in favor of a new frequent visitors club.
“We heard quite often, especially from tourists, that having to pay a membership fee just to race was a cost that didn’t make sense, especially when it may their only visit
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there. And we agree,” McBride said. “So this will give that plan to visit more often a club option that will offer discounts on racing, food and our new amusements.”
Details for the new club are being finalized and will be announced when the company launches its revised website.
One of the changes that was already in motion and has been completed is the addition of axe throwing via the Axecitement end grain projected target system. The activity replaces the VR arena previously located next to the track entrance.
There will also be four duckpin bowling lanes added near the complex entrance. For those unfamiliar with duckpin, it is shorter (nine inches vs. 15 inches), slightly thinner and lighter than a ten-pin equivalent. The game is played more similar to candlepin, with three rolls per frame. The ball is drastically smaller – bigger than a candlepin ball but more similar to the size of a softball. The lanes are the same size as ten-pin.
This variety of bowling is gaining popularity, as you don’t need special bowling shoes (wear your sneakers) and it’s much more
tailored to the casual bowler. Duckpin franchises like Pins Mechanical Co. are the latest trend, with the nearest duckpin experience currently at Moodright’s in Savannah.
There is also a plan to add a kiddie track for toddlers and newbie racers.
Diehard racers are also in for exciting changes. The racing will still be the centerpiece of the facility and the experience. In fact, the Indy Karting team is elevating the karting precision with the purchase of a new line of karts.
The karts are coming in from CRG, one of the most respected kart makers in the world and among the winningest karts on professional circuits. The CRG karts will solve some of the issues raised by both amateur and more seasoned riders over the past year and a half.
The cart is made with dual motors on the left and right side of the kart, electronic braking and a 100 amp battery that will stay charged for far longer periods of time than the previous karts. The CRG can also be adjusted from an adult to a junior kart easily, allowing Indy Karting to eliminate two lanes
worth of karts in the future and to ensure smoother races with less total karts continually switched in and out because of lower battery life.
The new karts will also feature a hard compound tire and the race track will be refinished with an epoxy that mimics asphalt more than concrete.
The CRGs will also be equipped with the Heads Up monitor system in the steering wheel column, allowing for riders to watch a pre-race safety video and to see their lap times and race position on their screens as
they race.
An additional feature will also bring the cool factor and entice Mario Kart fans to try the track. The karts will be equipped with combat karting, with holographic power-ups along the race course that will give racers advantages and obstacles to face just like the Nintendo classic.
“It’s hard to list all the details this team has addressed. There are just so many improvements coming,” McBride said. Complex officials are targeting early summer to get all of the new equipment, attractions and improvements in place. But McBride said that the evolution will be continuous as the Indy Karting team tries new ideas in Bluffton.
“They are karting pros, have race professionals as part of the team, and I think the Lowcountry is going to be the beneficiary of being this company’s laboratory for new concepts,” McBride said. “We’re disappointed to be out of the day-to-day but thrilled that our staff is on board and ready for what’s next.”
Tim Wood is a veteran journalist based in Bluffton. timwood@blufftonsun.com.
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By Tim Wood CONTRIBUTOR
So much news to share. Some newcomers to welcome.
Chic-Fil-A opens second Bluffton location: Dreams have been answered. Most of you probably didn’t even know it was in the works, but Chic-Fil-A has opened on the USCB campus off U.S. 278.
This is a bit different than you’re used to. No drive through here, this is walk-in customers only. The restaurant is located on the north side of the Campus Center building with designated customer car and golf cart parking.
The new location opened Feb. 8 and is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The restaurant will employ about 25 USCB students to start and will be overseen by Charlie Gancio, USCB’s Director of Auxiliary Services.
New General Store on Hilton Head: There is a new mercantile at the gateway of
Hilton Head Island. Jarvis Creek General Store has opened at the corner of U.S. 278 and Spanish Wells Road.
The store is already spotlighting plenty of local vendors, including grab-and-go Boar’s Head sandwiches from Avocado Bleu, popcorn from Palmetto Kettle Corn, ground coffee from Hilton Head Island Coffee Roasters, dog treats from Diddybiteya, and craft beers from Lincoln and South.
Beer enthusiasts have already hailed the shop as a new hot spot, thanks to their variety of offerings. The store takes over a building that was previously a law office, but long-time locals that have stopped in have said the locale used to be a diner and donut shop back in the day.
JCGS plans to have a steady lineup of food trucks on site, including La Barria Loca. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 to 6 p.m. Sundays.
New boat club enters market: Destination Boat Club of the Carolinas has secured
“At Pinnacle, we want our patients to feel like they are part of our family and we strive to treat them that way from the first time they visit. We pride ourselves on the customer experience. It is important to always keep up with the latest advances, but our practice uniquely separates the gimmicks from the options that produce results. It is our philosophy to listen first to our patients’ goals and then help guide them to the treatments and procedures that will help us all work toward that shared goal. Your inner and outer you should be in harmony.”
UPDATE from page 49A
boat slips at Hilton Head Harbor Marina and plans to begin operations in March. The company has established locations at Lake Wylie in South Carolina, and Lake Norman, Wilmington and Outer Banks in North Carolina, and a newly opened locale in Savannah – all of which can be reserved anytime. They also have reciprocal privileges in Key West, Naples, Fort Myers and Cape Coral in Florida.
The company is currently running 50 percent off sign-up specials in Hilton Head and Savannah. Go to destinationboatclubscarolinas.com for more information.
May River Mattress opens: A new mattress company has opened in the Target plaza between Starbucks and Honey Baked Ham. May River Mattress Company (1060 Fording Island Road, Suite B, Bluffton, 843-836-2337, mayrivermattress.com) and is offering the best sleep products from industry leaders like Serta, Beautyrest, Stearns & Foster and Tempur-Pedic. Owner Charlie Taylor opened the doors in December and
has already gotten involved in giving back to the community through involvement in events like the recent DJ’s Day of Giving.
Old Town doors opening: We’ve mentioned the business names coming into the Promenade, but now, we have some open doors to report.
Kelly Caron Curated has taken over the corner spot of the first retail building at 6 Promenade St. with a grand opening set for March 2. The store is the first brick-andmortar location for the lifestyle brand extension of the popular Lowcountry interior designer. The store will offer resort wear including dresses, kaftans, tops and shorts, fashion accessories from footwear to earrings and homeware such as trays, coasters, coffee table books, stemware, lamps, tables and mirrors.
Next door, Dillard-Jones Builders has taken over the spot temporarily held by Absolutely Perfect.
Wine Time Bluffton is taking over the former Ben & Jerry’s location with Robert
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• House calls are offered to homebound patients living in the 29909 and 29910 zip codes.
• Telehealth visits are also offered for established patients.
40 Okatie Center Blvd., Suite 215 Bluffton, SC 29909
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and Lauren Bazemore opening up the wine bar and charcuterie bar on March 10. WTB has introduced their general manager, Kevin, who has more than 25 years of experience in the food and wine industry – including a number of master level certifications from the Wine Scholar Guild and a diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London.
Beyond the retail offerings and the bar, officials promise a place to come and learn about different wines, and a commitment to give back monthly to local non-profits.
Budding restaurant owner Brian Behnke hopes to be the next one on the grand opening list. His team is prepping the modern raw bar Crudo in the former Corks location at 14 Promenade St.
“We are getting close, we’re very excited to welcome the public in. We just need to get the permits and all the details to open the doors,” said Behnke, who is hoping to open by mid-March. The Minnesota native has lived in the Lowcountry for 23 years and previously ran restaurants in Minne-
apolis before his work as a wine and spirits distributor rep.
For the less informed, crudo is a dish of raw fish or seafood, typically dressed with oil, juice and seasonings. Behnke offered 167 Raw as a comparison for what diners can expect. The menu will be 80% to 90% seafood with seating for 42 diners and 15 at the bar. A collection of craft beers will be available, with more focus on craft cocktails and the wine selection. Crudo has a wine preservation system that works with carbon dioxide pumped into the bar area. Once bottles are opened, the CO2 is pumped in the bottle, keeping the wine and champagne fresh for 28 days.
The dress code will be business casual with no hats, tanktops or gymwear allowed. Behnke said Crudo will offer a Sunday four-course supper and Monday night wine specials. Lunch will be served Thursday through Sunday. For more information, visit crudobluffton.com.
Tim Wood is a veteran journalist based in Bluffton. timwood@blufftonsun.com.
At our hospital, we create rehabilitation programs that are specifically designed for each patient’s needs, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery. It’s why so many people and their caregivers choose us. And why we are the trusted choice of a growing number of medical professionals.
• Michele Morton, a Lowcountry entrepreneur who has built and grown six businesses over the past 27 years, has joined Pay Proudly, the Bluffton-based credit card processing company.
Morton will lead strategic business and people development. In this role, she will contribute to Pay Proudly’s organizational, sales and people development to expand the reach and depth of their credit card processing solutions, support and culture.
Morton, who has held a number of key business leadership roles throughout the Lowcountry, has most recently served as a strategic growth consultant at Trevally Group, and has worked for midsize wireless tech organizations for more than 15 years.
Prior roles include director of people for Growth Tools in Nashville, Tennessee, and founder of Market Street Inn in Charleston.
Pay Proudly is a Bluffton-based credit card processing company that provides its merchants with local support and an opportunity to give back to the community.
For more information, visit payproudly. com.
• Joseph Nowicki has been hired by Savannah Surfaces as the logistics/warehouse manager at their headquarters in Hardeeville, South Carolina.
Nowicki brings several years of operations and logistics experience. Previously he managed logistics operations for Macy’s, Lowe’s and Home Depot. He earned his BBA in International Business from the University of North Florida.
As the logistics/warehouse manager, Nowicki will oversee the company’s interior tile and exterior hardscapes warehouse and
stone yard operations. He will also manage all driver personnel to better receive, load and deliver quality products to our customers.
Savannah Surfaces is a provider of quality surfacing across the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire.
• Two new staff members have joined Memory Matters.
Michelle Frink is the new program director. She has nine years of experience working with families in need of medical and memory assistance.
Most recently Frink worked at NHC Health in Bluffton as the director of social services.
She will be working with families who are interested in enrolling in the Memory Matters Day program or need assistance with resources outside of the organization’s purview.
She will also be leading the Day Program team to ensure our participants are receiving engaging activities and care while their
caregivers receive much needed respite. Diashay Brown is the new activities coordinator for the Day Program. She will be leading daily exercises, activities and social interaction with participants. Brown comes to Memory Matters with an extensive background in memory care. Most recently she worked at Thrive Senior Living in the Memory Care Unit on Skidaway Island, Savannah.
Memory Matters is located at 117 William Hilton Pkwy. on Hilton Head Island. For more information, visit mymemorymatters. org.
• Marc Saurborn, CFA has assumed the role of Chief Investment Officer at Dividend Assets Capital, an independent wealth and asset manager. He will also become a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Saurborn joined DAC in 2022 as director of research and investment strategy with more than 25 years of experience in investment research and portfolio management.
Prior to DAC, he was the chief investment officer of the Legacy Foundation, where he managed investment and retirement portfolios for employees at the University of Virginia. He was a co-founding partner of Patrumin Investors, an independent investment advisory firm that specialized in dividend growth investing.
Troy Shaver, DAC’s chief executive officer and current chief investment officer, will pass the duties and responsibilities of the CIO role to Marc. He will remain CEO, continue to serve on the Investment Committee and focus on his portfolio manage-
ment activities.
• Yuri Kennedy has been promoted to sales manager of the Bluffton Office of Moul Realtors, located at 1132 May River Road.
Kennedy joined the brokerage in 2021. As the No. 1 sales agent for the past two years at the brokerage, he has mastered his craft of real estate sales and demonstrated his dedication to his clients by recently obtaining his South Carolina brokers license, the highest level of education available to a real estate agent.
• StoneWorks was recently awarded a prestigious national Pinnacle Award by the National Stone Institute (NSI) for a project the company completed at a Palmetto Bluff home. They were recognized in the Kitchen/Bath category.
Competing against natural stone professionals from around the country, “this highly coveted award is given to projects
whose beauty, creativity, ingenuity, and craftsmanship exemplify professional mastery in the use of natural stone in commercial and residential applications,” according to the NSI website.
One unique feature of the project was the full height quartzite backsplash. The Mont Blanc Quartzite was also installed on the kitchen island with a waterfall edge. The stone’s cool white background, accented with charcoal veining.
The project required an intricately measured and cut fit for the full height backsplash around the range hood all the way up to the ceiling. Two book-matched slabs were required with a precise layout, in order to match the veins on the center seam, as well as the waterfall mitered panels in the kitchen.
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 countries.
We all know what Bubble Wrap is. When we move, we use it to protect furniture and other valuables while these items are in transit. So what do I mean when I say “Bubble Wrap your money”?
Let’s consider a couple of questions you can ask yourself:
Q. When I am no longer here, if I could, would I want to leave my assets to my loved ones in a manner that protects these assets from lawsuits and divorce claims?
A. You can. South Carolina law provides that if assets are left in trust for the benefit of a loved one, and the trust includes a “spendthrift provision or clause” or “discretionary provisions” for distribution of assets, then the trustee of the trust cannot be compelled to distribute funds to a creditor.
There are a few minor exceptions, such as you cannot avoid your responsibility to support a minor child, but in large part, this kind of planning can go a long way to making sure your money does not blow away in the winds of frivolous lawsuits or creditors claims.
If you leave assets free of trust, they can become commingled with the assets of your in-law, which could expose them to loss in divorce.
Q. Does this limit my loved one’s freedom over the funds in any way?
A. No, not really. If a child, for instance, is the trustee of their own trust, then they are both the trustee and the beneficiary.
If they are the sole beneficiary and
they are the trustee, then the trust is a beneficiary controlled trust. As such, there is no limit on control, no restrictions on what the funds may be used for or how the funds are invested or spent.
But if the child is sued or becomes involved in a divorce, the funds in the trust you created for your child will be protected. The key here is to recognize that the funds will be protected from loss.
This is the kind of insurance everyone should have. It can be put in place when you plan your estate. The beauty of this kind of insurance is there are no monthly premiums, no exclusions, and no threat of lapse.
With the rate of divorce at or near 50% in the United States, planning to leave assets to loved ones in a manner that keeps it in your family and prevents it from being lost to predatory spouses or in-laws in a divorce is more important than ever.
So, we know that Bubble Wrap is good to protect furniture and other valuables when we move, and now we know the same result can apply to your money when it is left to your loved ones.
Aside from avoiding unnecessary probate costs and delay, and minimizing or avoiding federal estate taxes and maximizing the income tax deferral on retirement plans, your planning should take advantage of the law which permits you to, in effect, Bubble Wrap your money.
For your loved ones, divorce and creditor protection should be part of every good estate plan.
F. Winn, J.D., Master
By Jada Gaines CONTRIBUTOR
In today’s economy, who doesn’t love to save when you can? We’re all guilty of wanting to cut corners on some of life’s expenses.
However, when it comes to certain professional planning, such as creating an estate plan, you shouldn’t take that gamble because there can be many costly and unintended mistakes made.
If you needed surgery, would you try to be your own surgeon? Would you perform your own root canal? The likely answer to both questions is “no.”
There might be various companies that offer online do-it-yourself legal documents which allow you to click and download forms in the comfort of your own home, but just because you can do so online, doesn’t mean you should.
Here are a few reasons to reconsider engaging in DIY estate planning:
1. Applicable law conformity: Just because the forms that you may find on the internet claim to conform with the laws applicable to your state, that is not always the case. Each state has its own specific laws that apply to estate planning. These laws and processes vary from state to state.
Keep in mind that it’s important not to discount a lawyer’s opinions and expertise in exchange for a quick Google search.
Estate planning attorneys are well versed in the complexities of estate law and can guide you to choosing and drafting documents which best fits your goals and needs.
Estate plans are not a “one size fit all.” An online generic DIY estate planning platform does not allow for you to receive
Please see LEGAL on page 55A
LEGAL from page 54A
the benefit of having a consultation with an attorney who will address the pros and cons of documents, the long-term affects, how the documents function in various situations, and review all the potential risks associated with your documents and specific situation.
2. Inaccurate, incomplete, or contradictory information:
If you attempt to fill out an online questionnaire that is supposedly set to generate your DIY documents, then you could possibly select the wrong option or leave out important information that would ultimately prevent your DIY documents from accomplishing your goals.
Similarly, if you have the option to fill in or add additional information, that information might contradict other parts of the automated DIY documents.
Do you know which portion may prevail or if the contradicting sections will both be declared invalid?
3. Changing life circumstances:
DIY documents don’t typically plan for the “what if” situations, especially as it
pertains to your distributions to your beneficiaries. Who will receive a beneficiary’s inheritance if that individual has predeceased you.
What if one of your beneficiaries has accumulated a lot of debt or receives government benefits? As opposed to some computer program, an experienced estate planning attorney will be able to help you think through and plan for potential changes with the goal of designing a plan that prevents unintended results that could frustrate or disrupt your estate planning goals.
Remember, you get what you pay for, and the ultimate cleanup of the mistakes made with DIY documents is much more costly. Sometimes its even too late to rectify the mistakes.
Don’t fall into the trap of a DIY estate plan that might give you a false sense of security. Speak with a qualified estate planning attorney today.
Jada L. Gaines is an associate attorney with Elder Law & Estate Planning Center in Bluffton. hiltonheadelderlaw.com
Isabel Brodersen, PA-C, has joined the clinical team at Beaufort Memorial Express Care & Occupational Health, bringing nearly four decades of experience as a physician assistant, including more than 12 in urgent care, to the practice.
Brodersen joined Beaufort Memorial after three years as a physician assistant at an urgent care clinic in the area. Previously, she worked in the same capacity in clinics in Middletown and Newington, Connecticut, providing a full range of both urgent and primary care services to patients of all ages and serving on the front lines of COVID-19.
She has also held high-level clinical, administrative and preceptor positions at
several institutions, including Yale New Haven Hospital Newborn ICU and University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute, where she was named Preceptor of the Year for excellence in teaching.
The Connecticut native earned a Master of Science from the Child Health Associate/ Physician Assistant Program at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (now CU Anschutz Medical Campus) in Denver and completed a postgraduate residency in newborn services/neonatology at LA County/University of Southern California (now LAC + USC Medical Center) in Los Angeles. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry/pre-med from Texas Woman’s University in Denton. Beaufort Memorial Express Care offers walk-in care for acute but non-life-threatening illness and injury at three locations. For information or to book an appointment, visit BeaufortMemorial.org/ExpressCare.
By Jordan Haire CONTRIBUTOR
While filling cavities and performing crown restorations are a big part of my day, more patients continue to ask for aesthetic improvements to their smiles. I love this part of my work because I can combine the science of dentistry with the art of design.
Whether improving a patient’s current smile or designing a new smile, my goal is to achieve the most natural appearance possible. For some patients, I find that Botox is an excellent complement at the final stage of a smile transformation.
Since it was first approved by the FDA in 1989 for medical therapy and in 2002 for cosmetic therapy, Botox has become the most widely researched and studied treatment of its kind. I rely on its safe, easy and quick effectiveness in delivering amazing results to my patients.
As a dentist, I have years of extensive training on the nearly 20 muscles that work together to form facial expressions like smiles, raised eyebrows and pouts.
I get to know my patients’ expressions extremely well from our interactions during routine check-ups, which bring us literally face-to-face. This helps me administer Botox in the best places and yield the most natural results.
In addition to being experts in the head
and neck region, dentists are taught to achieve balance and symmetry in everything we do, whether it’s a simple filling or full mouth rehabilitation. We focus on the smile in relation to our patient’s face, not just the teeth within their mouth.
I also use Botox as a medical therapy to treat patients experiencing teeth grinding or clenching, known as bruxism. Pressure from bruxism can cause gum recession and headaches and can increase tooth pain or sensitivity. Bruxism can also lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, which cause tension headaches, neck and shoulder pain, tired or tight jaw muscles that
cannot open or close the mouth completely, among other issues.
Depending on where a patient’s pain originates, I inject Botox into the masseter muscle, which is responsible for chewing, or into the TMJ directly. In the same way it relaxes facial muscles to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, the Botox injection releases the muscles and reduces tension. Most patients experience little discomfort during the procedure and are so thankful for the much-needed relief. Results are expected one to three days after injection but can take up to two weeks and can last 90 to 120 days. Whether for cosmetic enhancements or medical therapy, I invite you to talk to your dentist during your next routine check up to see if Botox is right for you.
Jordan Haire, DMD is a dentist in practice with ROC Dental Group on Hilton Head Island.
If you or your loved ones have not had previous experience with making decisions for someone who is very sick, you need to know it can be difficult to navigate – especially if you attempt it on your own.
You should also know that help is available, right here in your community, to you and your family. In fact, there are two kinds of care for those who are nearing the end of life, no matter their age: hospice care and palliative care.
Hospice care is comfort care, focused on managing a patient’s symptoms and keeping the person comfortable. This type of care is important when you or your loved one are no longer seeking curative treatment for an illness or condition that is terminal.
The bottom line to consider is, if treatments were given, will this disease go away? If not, then it’s time for hospice care.
Hospice care is provided by a team of professionals for the person and the family, usually in the home – whether a house, apartment or assisted living, or sometimes in a hospital.
When a hospice care facility is available, some patients opt to stay there for round-the-clock care. In our area, Caroline’s Cottage is available for inpatient hospice.
Typically, the team includes the hospice medical director, often in coordination with a person’s primary care physician; a registered nurse; certified nursing assistants; social workers; a chaplain or other spiritual counselor; speech or physical therapists when needed; and bereavement counselors. In addition to
professionals, trained hospice volunteers are available to give caregivers a break, or to simply sit with a patient and offer company.
Once on hospice care, a patient is provided with medications, supplies and durable medical equipment, such as a hospital bed. Family members may receive emotional support and counseling, along with the patient.
There are many myths when it comes to hospice. Electing hospice care does not mean that hope is lost and there is nothing else to do. In fact, some people on hospice care live longer than expected once symptoms and pain are managed.
Hospice patients may still see their primary care doctor, eye doctor, dentist and others. They might feel like going to dinner or traveling.
Hospice care is free. It is covered by insurance, including Medicare. A non-
profit hospice does not charge insured nor uninsured patients or their families for care.
Palliative care is similar to hospice care in that it focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress caused from dealing with serious illness. The team works with a patient’s doctor while the person continues to seek curative treatment. There is no time restraint. What the advantage to having palliative care? What happens if you have pain or symptoms at 2 a.m.? You call the palliative care team for support at 2 a.m. They can come to your home to help manage the symptoms. This is added support so you can sleep easy, knowing help isn’t far away.
Lindsay Roberg is the president/CEO at Friends of Caroline, a local nonprofit hospice and palliative agency. fochospice.org
Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists has added another board-certified physician assistant to its clinical team, enhancing and expanding surgical care for residents north and south of the Broad River.
Joining the practice is Lauren Ackley, PA-C, who assists its general surgeons in both the operating room and the clinic. She evaluates surgical patients before and after their procedures as well as patients referred to the practice from the emergency department and hospital floors.
The Little Rock, Arkansas, native earned a Master of Science in physician assistant studies from University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, graduating second in her class. She
also holds a Bachelor of Science in biology, magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The youngest of seven children and the only girl in the family, Ackley credits a brother’s career in medicine for sparking an early interest in becoming a PA. Her work as a patient care technician in the ICU during PA school and beforehand as an anesthesia technician further inspired her passion for in-patient care and general surgery.
Ackley joins general surgeons Dr. Deanna Mansker, Dr. Schilling Nechtman and Dr. Stephen Sisco; vascular surgeon Dr. J. Chadwick (Chad) Tober; and physician assistants Laura Livergood Kaiser, Anna Grace Stoddard and Annsley Troxell at the practice. She sees patients at the Beaufort Memorial Okatie Medical Pavilion, 122 Okatie Center Blvd. North, and the Beaufort Medical Plaza, 989 Ribaut Road, Beaufort.
The South Carolina Nurse Retention Initiative (SCNRI) will hold a community celebration March 26 in honor of local nurses and the success of the SCNRI.
The event, Friends of Retaining Our Nurses (FOR Our Nurses), will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Belfair Clubhouse, 200 Belfair Oaks Blvd. in Bluffton.
Russell Baxley, president and CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, will be the keynote speaker.
SCNRI was launched in 2021 to provide financial aid to attract and retain recent BSN and ADN nursing school graduates who continue to work in Beaufort and Jasper counties.
The celebration, which is open to the community, was created to thank all who have supported the work of the SCNRI in incentivizing the Lowcountry’s graduating nurses to choose and then remain employed in our area, helping to increase the supply of nurses
to improve the availability and quality of health care in the Lowcountry
Performing at the event will be Evolution Big Band, Bluffton’s hometown AllStar Big Band featuring 17 of the top jazz musicians in the Lowcountry; and a special performance by Stephanie Nakasian, known as one of the world’s leading jazz singers and a prolific recording artist.
“We are so grateful to everyone in the community for their support of this initiative to retain nurses in Beaufort and Jasper Counties,” said Bob Elliott, co-founder of SCNRI.
Since its founding, the SCNRI has succeeded in achieving a 75% nurse retention rate in Beaufort and Jasper counties and has positively impacted the lives of 11 nurses who are recipients of this financial aid who are now working here.
Tickets are $85 per person and are available at scnri.eventbrite.com.
Chronic neck and nerve pain are among the most common problems addressed through spine surgery, and Beaufort Memorial is now offering a breakthrough, same-day procedure to alleviate neck pain and improve mobility.
Called cervical disc replacement surgery, this FDA-approved procedure removes a damaged disc and replaces it with an artificial disc.
“The result of stress, poor posture, increased screen time and other factors, cervical disc pain may begin in the neck, but can quickly radiate across the shoulders
and down the arms,” said Dr. B. Andrew Castro, Beaufort Memorial board-certified and fellowship-trained spine surgeon. “The source of the problem is the discs between your vertebrae, the structures that absorb all of that shock, strain and pain.”
The cervical disc replacement begins with a small incision on the front of the neck. State-of-the-art technology allows the surgeon to then access the spinal column through this incision, removing the problem disc and replacing it with a cervical disc prosthesis. This artificial disc is inserted between two healthy vertebrae, which anchor it in place. The precision engineering of the disc replacement gives almost the full range of motion of a healthy disc.
“Most cervical disc replacements are done as an outpatient procedure,” said Dr. Castro, who performed the first cervical disc replacement surgery last month at Beaufort Memorial and is currently the only
surgeon in the county offering the procedure. “There’s very little downside, very little blood loss, and you can usually be home the same day.”
Before this procedure was available, the preferred method for treating this chronic pain was a process called fusion. During spinal fusion, a surgeon inserts material between the two spinal bones, connecting both bones together, minimizing movement between them and reducing stress on the nerve.
“With fusion, you’re immobilizing the vertebrae with a plate, which requires a hard collar for four to six weeks after the surgery,” said Dr. Castro, who sees patients at BOSS Orthopaedics in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Beaufort. “You can take pressure off the nerve roots and spinal cord, but it results in diminished movement because of the immobilization of the vertebrae. Also, the segments above and below are exposed
to extra load.”
While he has seen countless patients benefit from this advanced technique, Dr. Castro cautions that it is more suitable for some patients than others.
“There are certain conditions in the neck – trauma, tumors, spinal cord compression – that would make a disc replacement less ideal for that patient,” he said, noting that cervical disc replacement is more suitable for younger patients whose discs have not seen a lot of degenerative changes.
“It’s designed for a relatively healthy disc which has a herniation,” said Castro. “But for those who fit the bill, this cutting-edge procedure can give people suffering chronic neck pain a new lease on life, with shorter recovery and a greater range of motion.”
To learn more about treatment for neck pain, visit BeaufortMemorial.org/NeckPain.
Lowcountry resident Barry Kaufman is a freelance writer.
You might have already received your Covid vaccines, but don’t forget about the shingles vaccines. An estimated 98% of adults in the United States have been infected with the chickenpox virus and are at risk for shingles.
Did you know that shingles can occur only in people who have had chickenpox? After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate.
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: The first sign of shingles is often
burning or tingling pain, or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the body. After several days or a week, a rash of fluid-filled blisters, similar to chickenpox, appears in one area on one side of the body. Other symptoms may include fever, headache, chills and upset stomach.
Q: Can shingles be passed on to others?
A: Yes, a person with a shingles rash can pass the virus to someone who has never had chickenpox if it enters their respiratory system or gets on their mucous membranes. The person will develop chickenpox, not shingles. The person must come into direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash during the blistering phase.
Q: How do you know when to see a doctor?
A: Contact your doctor promptly if you suspect shingles, but especially in the following situations:
• The pain and rash occur near an eye. If left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage.
• You’re 50 or older, which increases your risk of complications.
• You or someone in your family has a weakened immune system (due to cancer, medications or chronic illness).
• The rash is widespread and painful.
Q: What is the treatment for shingles?
A: Starting antiviral medicine in the first few days can help your rash heal faster and be less painful. So, if you think you might have shingles, see your doctor right away. Also, good home care can help you feel better faster. Take care of any skin sores and keep them clean. Take your medicines as directed.
Q: Can anything be done to prevent shingles?
A: Two vaccines may help prevent shingles – the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine
and the shingles (varicella-zoster) vaccine. However, the vaccines are used only as a prevention strategy and are not intended to treat people who currently have the disease.
Q: Who is at risk?
A: While anyone who’s had chicken pox is at risk, the older you get – the higher your risk. This is because your body can’t defend itself against the virus that causes Shingles as well as it could when you were younger.
While shingles isn’t a life-threatening condition, it can be very painful. Early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications. If you think you may have shingles, call your dermatologist.
Dr. Oswald Lightsey Mikell, certified by the American Board of Dermatology and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, is the owner of Dermatology Associates of the Lowcountry.
Noses are complicated because they have so many parts, each influencing the other parts. There are two bones and four main cartilages, not counting the septum with its bones and cartilage, which separates one nostril from the other and which also influences the shape of the nose.
If you are considering changing yours, consider the following:
Step 1: Decide what you do not like about your nose. Is it too long or short; do you have a hump: is it crooked; is the tip too wide and flaring: are the bones too wide in the upper half of the nose; does the tip point down? Can you breathe well through both nostrils? Discuss all of this with your plastic surgeon so you can come together with the procedure that meets your goals and discuss what is achievable.
Do you want an improvement but still retain ethnic heritage? Be as specific as possible when discussing this.
Step 2: Discuss the plan with your plastic surgeon and have the surgeon show diagrams as to how the possibilities will be achieved. Are cartilage grafts, usually taken from the septum, needed for creating more nasal tip projection or for filling in certain
depressions seen in crooked noses?
Your plastic surgeon will point out certain aspects of your nose that you might not have noticed, such as a retracted columella (the skin strut that separates the nostrils). The columella should be parallel with the outer rim of the nostrils. A retracted columella allows the tip to droop and may make the upper lip look too long, and it reduces the
attractiveness of the nose.
Step 3: Discuss the post-operative course and care and what to expect. Typically, if the nasal bones must be “broken” (an incorrect term, as they are cut with an instrument called an “osteotome”), there will be a splint on your nose for a week to keep the bones in place. Much of the swelling will subside in two to three weeks, but there will still be some swelling that will last for a year, although the nose should look significantly improved by the end of the month.
It’s important to know that about 10% of all rhinoplasties require some adjustment or small procedure when all of the swelling has subsided, and the nose can be properly evaluated. Sometimes the adjustment can be as simple as an injection of long-acting fillers.
By Mathew T. Epps CONTRIBUTOR
The once-weekly injectable pharmaceutical semaglutide is an FDA-approved drug designed to treat Type II diabetes and obesity.
In March 2021, the New England Journal of Medicine identified at 68-week follow-up that the drug conferred an average of 15% decrease in weight and an improvement in cardiovascular health when paired with diet and exercise.
However, the rapid weight loss among semaglutide users is often accompanied with a facial appearance now termed “Ozempic face” (Ozempic is one brand of the drug).
Semaglutide depletes fat stores within the face, resulting in a gaunt or hollow appearance – in other words, the Hollywood elite using this drug feel that their physique looks fantastic, but their faces looked aged.
The gaunt Ozempic face appearance can be treated using hyaluronic acid (HA) based dermal fillers injected in the temple, cheek and piriform sinus (the small area of shadowing beside to the nostrils) to restore the volume lost and fill sagging skin. This method of using dermal fillers in multiple areas is often referred to as a “liquid facelift.”
The goal should be to gracefully enhance the existing volume, not to overfill. Additional filler can always be layered to achieve increased fullness at any time. Moreover,
dermal fillers are precise, predictable and safe.
Many patients have been very satisfied with this approach. It is important to note that most dermal fillers last between 12 and 18 months.
Other injectable products such as Sculptra stimulate volumization over a series of injections spaced months apart. Results can be good, but variable, with effects lasting 24 months on average.
For patients who have experienced
significant weight loss that are weight stable and desire a more long-lasting treatment, a well-tolerated minimally invasive outpatient procedure called Facial Fat Grafting is an excellent option.
In this procedure a patient’s own adipose cells, typically from the abdomen, are made into nano-fat particles that are then injected into the hollow-looking areas of the face. Patients can expect an improvement in the texture of the skin as well through a theorized stem-cell like effect.
Ultimately, the way to begin the process of facial rejuvenation and the best approach for restoration of a youthful and natural appearance is first through an aesthetic consult with a plastic surgeon or an experienced aesthetic provider.
Mathew T. Epps, MD, MS, DABS is a plastic surgeon, triple- fellowship trained in facial, eyelid, and breast surgery. matheweppsmd. com or info@dreppsmd.com
Happy hour is often a time to sit back, relax and enjoy the company of others, but for one group of Sun City neighbors, “happy hour” has taken on a whole new meaning.
What began as a way for neighbors to socialize during Covid lockdown is changing lives far beyond just one driveway. That’s because this happy hour is distinctly different from any other in town!
“Whenever I have foster kittens, they become a focal point of the gathering,” said Sharie Benoit, a foster mom for Palmetto Animal League rescues. “The neighbors and the kittens benefit from cuddle time.”
Sometimes they even have dog friends join the gatherings.
“One neighbor dog often checks to see if I have kittens when she is out walking,” said Benoit. “She is always disappointed when
there are no kittens.”
Fostering has been a way of life for Benoit since 2014, when she agreed to bottle feed her first litter of orphaned kittens. She understands that socialization is a key component to raising highly adoptable kittens.
“It is good to get the kittens out in fresh
air with new sounds, smells and experiences,” said Benoit. “It also helps to have different people play with them.”
Benoit and her neighbors bring beverages and snacks to share, but the best thing they share is their support for each other and the kittens.
“These sweet little kittens have had a rough start,” said Benoit. “PAL’s foster program allows them to move toward a happy, healthy life.”
Benoit fosters year-round for PAL, whenever her schedule permits. She provides the love and PAL provides everything else.
“I have had cats all my life and they have given me so much comfort,” she said. “Each homeless kitten has the potential to bring
unlimited joy and love to their forever home. They just need to be given a chance.”
Kitten season is already underway at PAL. Please help us shower spring kittens with all the essentials and a great start in life. Visit PalmettoAnimalLeague.org and click on Kitten Shower to send supplies directly to PAL via Amazon. Or you can bring a gift to our Kitten Shower from noon to 2 p.m. March 11 at the PAL Adoption Center, 56 Riverwalk Blvd. in Okatie. Guests will enjoy refreshments, kitten-themed activities for kids, and a chance to explore volunteer opportunities with kittens.
Your special Kitten Shower gift, donated online or in person, will help homeless kittens grow healthy and strong as they prepare for adoption.
Lindsay Perry is the marketing coordinator for Palmetto Animal League. PalmettoAnimalLeague.org
By Abby Bird CONTRIBUTOR
I cannot believe I still have two wonderful dogs for adoption. While they do have some specific requirements, they are sweet, loving dogs.
As a local rescue foster, I have been involved for years in assisting in the placement of dogs. Some are difficult due to behavior issues or background and others are easy with pretty much no issues. I never know what I am going to encounter.
I work with select area groups and am particular about what dogs I can take, as they have to fit in with my pack and various circumstances. (I am NOT available for people to call and offer me their dogs!)
A year ago, on behalf of Grateful Golden Retrievers of the Lowcountry, I agreed to foster three dogs from a hoarding situation. The dogs found in outside pens on a large
property were fed, but other than that had not had any care or experience with people. They were not spayed/neutered or had had no vet care.
These dogs were all mixes used for breeding and included – as far as we know – Golden Retrievers, Labradors, poodles and Great Pyrenees. These adults and puppy mixes were totally unsocialized with people but great with dogs. The puppies, of course, were easily placed.
One of the dogs I took in was a Lab/ Pyrenees mix who was, contrary to all expectations, very drawn to people. Other than extensive medical expenses, this one was highly adoptable. We found a wonderful home with someone who had adopted a dog previously from the rescue.
The other two were a completely different story. Fearful of people, couldn’t be touched, they ran and hid and shrunk and retreated at approach or any attempt of contact. They
were not crate or potty trained and had never experienced living in a home.
These two are different dogs today – still skittish with new people but warming up.
Saylor, the female, about 3 years old, possibly a Golden Pyrenees mix about 50 pounds, loves to be rubbed, brushed and will take treats from hand. She is crate trained.
Red, a male, loves touch and treats, is also crate trained. He is 3 years old, 55 pounds, and also Golden Pyrenees mix.
They both can be very affectionate and will lick your hands. They have come a long way and will only get better with the right patient owners.
Saylor and Red are learning Sit, Down and leash walking. They need a fenced yard and, if they are adopted separately, will need another dog buddy. They are a bonded pair but can be adopted separately.
If you are interested, visit the rescue group’s website ggrlc.org for application and more information. If you want to meet them, contact me directly as they are local.
These loving dogs need to be in a home. Check them out. They could be your next family members.
Abby Bird is owner of Alphadog Training Academy. AlphadogTrainingAcademy@ gmail.com
What are some of the things you would like to be able to do anytime? These days, we can pretty much do anything at any time of the day. (Regrettably, perhaps!)
Do you need to place an order for something? Your favorite online store is open. Are you hungry? You can order a pizza (or burgers, or anything that can be “dashed” to your door) just about all day and all night long.
Can’t sleep at night? You can still watch TV or stream any show or movie you can imagine, until the sun comes up. Banking after hours? Sure! Just get online or call. And if you’re a real go-getter, you can even access your 24-hour gym any time you want.
In all seriousness, everything seems to be available literally all the time. Why should it
Now, I know what you might be thinking: “I couldn’t play the piano at any hour of the day or night; it would bother my neighbors / wake up the kids / send the dog howling.” But I’m here to reply: “Yes, you could!”
Hybrids aren’t just for cars anymore. A hybrid piano would allow you to do just that: play the piano without bothering the neighbors, waking up the kids, or sending the dog howling. It would also allow your kids to play without bothering, waking, or causing YOU to howl. You might say, “That sounds like a keyboard.” But a hybrid piano is an entirely different species of instrument.
A hybrid piano can actually be approached in two ways by a manufacturer. One way is to start with a traditional
Please see FAMILY on page 66A
Both sorrow and joy are constantly rapping at the door to encourage and arouse man to awaken spiritually. He is then very often freed for a few seconds from the trivialities of everyday life, and in happiness or grief vaguely senses his affinity with the spirit pulsating through all that lives.
FAMILY from page 65A
acoustic piano and add electronics. The second way is to start with a digital piano (a high-level keyboard) and add acoustic parts to it.
Let’s look at the first way. A hybrid acoustic piano starts with the full meaning of a “real” piano and adds digital components. With the touch of a button and a slide of the pedal, a fully acoustic piano becomes fully digital – Haydn’s instrument becomes Herbie Hancock’s.
Immediately at your fingertips are found a full and almost unimaginable range of sounds, midi capabilities, recording capabilities, and Bluetooth.
Additionally, “there’s an App for that,” as they say! And of course, the “anytime” part of our example means that your acoustic piano becomes silent with the use of headphones, but doesn’t lose the touch or feel of the acoustic piano that it is.
The second way a hybrid piano is constructed is in the reverse approach. A manufacturer will take one of its high-level keyboard models and incorporate acoustic materials. This means wooden parts.
The wood on a piano makes the sound resonate, reverberate, “sing,” if you will, and transfers the energy of the keys to the sound of the notes.
A hybrid digital piano might have components like a wooden soundboard, wooden keys, and wooden hammers, to enrich the tone of the music and the touch of the action.
The keyboard will, of course, have its inherent ability for a myriad of sounds, recording capabilities, streaming capabilities, and programs. And, of course, headphones for that “anytime” capability. Hybrids aren’t just automobiles, they’re instruments, too! And while they couldn’t order any late-night pizza for you (yet), they could indeed hook into your TV sound system and stereo broadcast your favorite movie’s soundtrack while you watch a midnight flick.
– Abd-ru-shinJennifer Herrin is the co-owner of Kawai Piano Gallery by Herrin in Bluffton. jennifer@kpgbyherrin.com or kawaipianogallerybyherrin.com On Valentine’s Day, members of the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 205 and Post 205 delivered bagels and Valentine chocolates to firefighters and other personnel at Bluffton Township Fire Department Station 1. The members thanked the firemen for all their help both to the Legion and to the Community. Pictured are members of the BTFD as well as Auxiliary and Post members. COURTESY AMERICAN LEGION POST 205
By Therese Donlan Lee CONTRIBUTOR
Do you see life as an adventure? How are you embracing your happiness? It’s been said that we have to search for happiness or do something to get happiness. Maybe, up until now, your days and weeks have been planned out hour by hour (maybe even minute by minute), including lots of searching and doing – forgetting about using your imagination, leaving little or no room for spirit or spontaneity – certainly little or no room for questioning your thoughts.
Do you know what happiness looks like on you? Think of happiness not as something to have, rather something to be. How creative is your imagination?
I am suggesting today that we might allow room for a “holy shift,” an opportunity for our adventurous spirit to create possibilities for us to know of more happiness.
Unity teachings remind us that nothing outside of ourselves can create happiness. It’s an inside job. You and I have a choice. We get to choose. Always and in all ways our attitude and consciousness allow for us to have eyes to see, regardless.
Material things do not make us happy. I
think we might all agree that searching for happiness can lead to disappointment rather than adventure.
Every time I choose to engage my adventuring spirit, allowing myself to be spirit-led, I can actually see happiness right where I am.
“How?” you may ask. Because I choose to see it as so. This practice acknowledges God is everywhere present. In these moments, I yield to the flow of life. I let it be.
In Unity, we use the Bible as a roadmap in learning about the evolution of our
Christ-consciousness. Scripture tells us, “To become as a little child,” in the book of Matthew.
Affirm with me, “The Kingdom of Heaven is right here, right now.”
When was the last time you believed it as so and actually got excited about an upcoming situation and chose to turn it into an upcoming adventure to be excited about? When did you last draw forth your childlike intrigue, wonder and awe?
As you and I set the mindful intention to be willing to live adventurously, moment to moment, day to day, we open ourselves up to experiencing the spontaneous flow of life which allows for us to call forth our enthusiasm and imagination for our adventure-filled thrill in living in this now moment, right here, right now.
Rev. Therese Donlan Lee is the senior minister of Unity Spiritual Center on Hilton Head Island. revthereseunityhiltonhead@gmail.com
Our mission is to provide free medical care to the uninsured to ensure no one in our community goes without access to quality health care.
Orientation sessions held the 3rd Thursday each month • 3:00PM-4:00PM For Every 4 hours of donation time 20 people receive services. Bluffton Location: 29 Plantation Park Dr., Building 600 • Bluffton SC 29910
By John Riolo CONTRIBUTOR
Spring comes early to the Lowcountry and it is time to think about getting our yards and gardens ready, reviving our old plants and shrubs that might have been hit by frost, and adding new plants and shrubs.
If you are like me, you want to do as little as possible in your yard. I like to enjoy the outdoors and watch the birds – from the majestic Great Blue Heron and other herons, egrets and songbirds to the tiny hummingbirds at our feeder. There are also the playful squirrels that seem to always be frolicking in the trees and shrubs.
However, to enjoy these creatures who visit our yards and gardens does take some planning and a little effort on our part.
Living here in the Lowcountry since 2009, I have learned a great deal from trial and error. Like many residents in this area, we
had a lawn irrigation system that was always needing repair. We could never get the timing right as to when it should turn on or off and aimed at only the areas we wanted to be watered.
In addition, water was getting more expensive and water shortages becoming more common in Beaufort County. Fortunately, we realized that if we went with only native plants that are adapted to our climate, we
would not need our irrigation system nearly as much.
Native plants do quite well with our local amount of rainfall most of the time. And native plants attract more birds. Of course, in summer hot spells, we do need to do some selective watering. However, with many non-native plants, more extensive watering or more care is required.
Not only are some plants non-native, but they are also invasive. They adapt all too well to our climate, are very prolific, and crowd out native plants.
The list of invasive plants is long, but one common element is that they contain rhizomes, or creeping rootstalks. Rhizomes
grow horizontally, which is why they spread so fast and far.
Bamboo is an excellent example of good intentions gone wrong. Initially, it makes clear and attractive borders. But the plants can spread rapidly and mature bamboo is very difficult to contain or remove.
Many invasive plants begin as ornamental plants that look good but have unintended consequences.
The South Carolina Native Plant Society (SCNPS) encourages control and, where possible, eradication of invasive vegetation. However, once they are in your yard, eradication and control can be easier said than done.
For a more complete list of plants to avoid, visit scnps.org/education/invasive-species.
John Riolo lives in Moss Creek and is past president of the Nature Club of Moss Creek. john.a.riolo@gmail.com
Almost daily I get calls from angler friends of mine who are going stir crazy because they just want to wet a line but can’t get out there.
Believe me when I say I get it, but as much as I want to go, there is a list of things I need to do before I drop a stack of cash on gas on an inshore or offshore trip.
Out on the water is not the place to realize that several pre-season boat tasks were put on the back burner. Ignore those chores, and that long-awaited trip ends up being a disaster.
One thing I know is outboards hate to sit idle over the winter months. Even when I know I am not going to fish for a month or two, I religiously hook up my engine flusher to a hose, start my outboard and let it run for 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a bit of a pain in the rear but in the long run it will prevent a ton of problems and money.
Another engine saver is to change the oil in the foot of your outboard before you start fishing hot and heavy. Sitting idle in cold weather can break down the oil in the lower unit on your outboard. If you are even mildly mechanically minded, you can change that oil yourself in less than 30 minutes.
Though not absolutely necessary, I remove the engine cowling and lightly spray the engine with Corrosion X, and at the same time spray the panel where all the electrical
connections are located.
Salt air can do a number on electrical connections and Corrosion X is great stuff and can be found at most tackle shops or marinas.
Even after these few things are done, there is no point heading out if you haven’t addressed your rod, reel and tackle box. One thing I see over and over again that drives me nuts is how so many fishermen simply throw their rods and reels in a corner after their last use.
Every time I come in, I tighten the drag down and lightly spray down both the rod and reel with fresh water and mist them with Penn Rod & Reel Cleaner.
Once that is done, then comes the most important part. Before putting the reel away,
loosen the drag almost all the way. It doesn’t matter if it is a spinning reel or an open face offshore reel. If you leave the drag tight, it wears down the two plates and instead of a silky-smooth drag it becomes jerky or, even worse, becomes frozen.
Imagine going through all the expense to go fishing and hooking into the fish of a lifetime – but that fight is over in seconds because you didn’t back off the drag the last time you put up that reel.
Now is also the time to change out the line on your reels. I may fish more than most but on average I swap out line on my most-used reels five or six times a year. On my inshore spinning reels, I prefer 30-pound test braid, and for my conventional offshore reels I prefer 40- to 60-pound test monofilament,
depending on the size of the reel.
As for leader material, this is where I don’t skimp. More expensive than monofilament, fluorocarbon leader is worth the extra money. For my inshore spinning rods, 20-pound test fluorocarbon will handle about any fish that swims in our inshore waters. When bottom fishing offshore or cobia fishing, my leader choice is 50- to 60-pound test fluorocarbon.
To help you face fluorocarbon sticker shock, understand that you get a lot of bang for the buck because, in most cases, all you need is a relatively short leader. One spool goes a long way.
Lastly if you run 20 to 50 miles out regularly, and especially if you have only one engine, there’s one gadget might just save your life one day. The ocean can change faces in the blink of an eye, an engine and all your electronics can quit – leaving you feeling pretty darn lonely in that big ocean. That is where a small handheld Spot X two-way satellite messenger allows to you to text and receive texts no matter how far away from shore you are.
An added bonus is when you text, it displays your latitude and longitude to whomever you text. Costing around $250, it is a small price to pay if it saves your life.
Collins Doughtie, a 60-year resident of the Lowcountry, is a sportsman, graphic artist, and lover of nature. collinsdoughtie@icloud. com
This column is inspired by one written by Tom Henz in the Jan. 18 issue of the Bluffton Sun, suggesting it is better to work out less than more. It makes great sense, especially if one understands the science behind conditioning.
Why would people over-exercise? The answer is not physiological, but psychological, perhaps relating to the thought of “no pain, no gain.” But the physiological truth is that conditioning is not how much stress is put on the body, but how the body reacts to the stress put upon it.
I like to use the inoculation analogy. Inoculations put a harmless amount of a disease into the body, which reacts (homeostasis) to meet it by building up defenses (antibodies, etc.) to prepare for more of the disease. This is true of the way our bodies react to all
forms of stress.
Exercise stresses the body, both generally and specifically, depending on the activity involved. The idea is to give the body enough for it to react without giving it too much, from which it can’t recover and adapt, which is DIStress.
Thus, exercise conditioning consists of stressing the body, letting the body react, stressing again a little more, followed by another period of adaptation, etc. The key is not so much the stress as the degree of adaptation that permits increasing amounts of stress.
Obviously, some people can adapt better and faster than others because of age, diet, genetics, etc. My annual New Year’s fitness recommendations (regular and gradual) in the Jan. 4 issue of this newspaper are a simple example of how this can be done.
Top athletes can exercise every day, even two or three times a day, because their bod-
ies have been trained to respond and adapt more quickly. In fact, the art of coaching
is to be able to stress athletes close to the breakdown limit without going over the line, eventually backing off enough to enable peak performance at some desired time.
But most of us, especially seniors, need more recovery time for our bodies to be able to respond adequately without breaking down. This takes time and a commitment to regular exercise.
Conditioning is both a science and an art. Sometimes we (and our coaches) can overdo the stress we put upon ourselves. We can also underdo it, too, which slows progress, but as long as we understand and enjoy the process, its rewards will be well worthwhile. As always, I invite you to find out for yourself.
Dr. Bob Colyer of Bluffton is an actively retired college professor, coach, and author of “Swim Better: A Guide to Greater Efficiency for Swimmers & Instructors,” directed primarily to non-competitors. bobcolyer@yahoo.com
Every four years the rules of golf are updated. In 2019, there were many major changes.
Now, in 2023, there are five key changes that really don’t pertain to the recreational golfer. One change pertains to players with disabilities. Another has to do with putting your handicap on a scorecard. Now most players use electronic scoring.
The next change has to do with replacing a damaged club. You can now replace a club during your round if it isn’t damaged through abuse. Another change has to do with a ball dropped that is “at rest” and then moves into a penalty area.
As you can see many of these changes don’t pertain to the recreational golfer.
The USGA always talks about growing the game, and yet the rules might be hurting the
game’s future. I think the rules should be for “competitive” amateurs and professionals.
Adam Gerlach, golf professional at Sun City Hilton Head, runs more than 200 competitive golf outings a year. Those players must have official handicap indexes. Their handicaps should be established by playing by the rules of golf.
However, it is believed that the majority of recreational golfers don’t play by the rules –mainly because they don’t know them. Also, many of the rules slow down the recreational golfer and slow play is a real problem in golf. (By the way, there is no such thing as “winter rules.”)
Below are suggestions that can make the game more fun for recreational golfers and also speed up play:
• Tee off on the forward tees until you are able to score double bogey or better.
• Tee up the ball in the fairway until you have enough skill to play it as it lies.
• Allow a mulligan once each nine holes.
• Out-of-bounds and lost balls should be played like a lateral water hazard and dropped where you think it was lost. Stroke and distance are severe penalties and slow down play.
• If you can’t find your ball in three minutes, just drop another ball in the general area that you lost it and take a penalty stroke.
• Get free drops from trees, roots and rocks.
• Move your ball if it lands in a divot or in someone’s footprint in a bunker.
• Once you score “double par” on a hole, pick up and go to the putting green. If you are not holding up the group behind you, practice your putting.
• Play continuous putting unless your ball is in someone else’s line.
All these suggestions will speed up play and make the game a lot more enjoyable for the recreational golfer.
The key to playing good recreational golf is keeping up with the group in front of you. If you can’t keep up with them, then you are playing too slow.
Dr. Jean Harris is an LPGA Master Professional and teaches at local golf courses. jean. golfdoctor.harris@gmail.com; golfdoctorjean. com
Distracted driving is an increasing problem. Surprisingly enough of all the crazy and dangerous things people do while driving, kids in the car account for 12% of distracting activities.
When traveling at approximately 55 mph and you look back for just a second to check on a child, you may have traveled as much as 75 feet with your eyes off the road.
Many parents say they feel obligated to address problems with their kids right away – calm fussy babies, break up fights, etc. But that can be dangerous.
So what can you do?
Set up car rules for the kids. Let them know that if they drop something during the ride, you will not be able to pick it up for them until you pull over and stop the car. Have snacks pre-packaged and ready to go should they need food during the ride. Have books and games easily accessible to them so you don’t have to assist in getting them to the kids.
Ask kids how they think you should drive. Ask them what they think a good driver is and if they consider you a good driver.
Do they think you pay attention to signs and people walking or on bikes? Do you
wait while people cross the street? Ask them what they think might make you a better driver.
Ask kids if they know why parents might take their eye off the road – is it to use their phone, to put on makeup, or maybe the kids are fighting and the parents are trying to break it up? Ask your children to remind you to keep your eyes on the road if they see you doing something other than driving.
Share the facts with older kids: Drivers using cell phones are four times more likely to have a crash. Nearly 80% of all crashes were due to the driver not paying attention in the last 3 seconds before the incident.
You can even create a demonstration at home. Have a child ride a bike around obstacles (like a trash can or boxes) that you have set up, and ask them what could happen if they weren’t paying attention or they looked away for a second. Could they have hit these items?
Remind them they are traveling pretty slowly on a bike, but a car moves very fast. This might help them understand the importance of paying attention while driving.
Enlist your kids in the process of safe driving and you will all enjoy a safer ride.
In our previous article we discussed four steering factors that we are paying close attention to as we look to the year ahead for real estate in the Lowcountry. Here are some others that we find equally pertinent.
Market Pixelization: From 2020 to 2022 and from coast to coast in the U.S., the real estate market reflected pretty much one distinct color: red hot! But as interest rates increased in 2022 and buyers backed away from paying ultra-premium prices, the color of different markets began to change and vary from one another … thus, pixelization began.
We expect that this variation will become increasingly evident from market to market, both nationally and locally. Sub-factors such as affordability, taxes, insurance, rentability, POA dues/offerings,
density, traffic, property condition/age/updates, and many others are likely to serve as the basis for greater buyer discrimination in the coming year.
Lowcountry Climate: Punctuated by the unprecedented rains out West and the deadly snowstorms up North this winter, we suspect that already-established migration trends from those locations into the Southeast will gain momentum in 2023. Time and time again when we interview people who have moved to this area, we hear how the Lowcountry is distinctive, given its moderate seasonal changes, its year-round outdoor offerings, and predictable climate. If the Southeast is the primary target for buyers this year, we believe the expanding Lowcountry is in the crosshairs. Workforce Housing. Due to inflation, rising interest rates, skyrocketing property values, and long-term rental rates over the past few years, housing affordability in the
Lowcountry is a real problem. In a market area so dependent upon tourism, the continued shortage of available employees is already having a negative impact on many businesses, resulting in limited hours/days of operation, services, etc.
The Lowcountry is having to play “catchup” on this issue as it works to create and facilitate near and long-term solutions, and we’ll all be watching closely to see what steps may unfold, including the news in early 2023 about some exciting office-to-residential conversion opportunities on the south end of Hilton Head Island!
Rent vs. Buy. This long-lived debate that most of us have faced at one time or another, especially at the time of considering the purchase of your first home, is quite challenging at the moment. The “perfect storm” is at hand with high interest rates, high rental rates, and high resale values,
making the decision a tough one no matter what.
Expanded lending options have emerged over the past year, which are helping tip the scale toward buying for those who qualify and who would rather see their monthly payments work toward their own equity growth. Until/unless rental rates settle, we expect to see the pendulum swing toward buying vs. renting. With some 55 million people currently comprising the 28- to 38-year-old demographic, we know the rent vs. buy debate is a lively one across the country.
If you missed it, you can read through the complete article of 2023 Steering Factors in the Annual Market Analysis at CollinsGroupRealty.com/2023-2.
Chip Collins is the broker-owner of Collins Group Realty. chip@collinsgrouprealty. com or collinsgrouprealty.com
Sun City Hilton Head home situated on a large cul-de-sac lot. With a wooded backdrop, you’ll love the park-like setting. Interior features include office/den, formal dining area, Great Room w/gas fireplace open to Carolina Room; kitchen w/granite countertops, under counter lighting, prep island, walkin pantry; split floor plan w/large master suite w/separate shower, jetted tub, walk-in double closet; guest bedrooms each w/full baths; laundry room w/cabinets; wood floors in main areas, ceiling fans, smooth ceilings; extended screen patio; extended garage, permanent stairway to storage; permanent hurricane protection. — Hilton Head MLS #: 429435
Conveniently located Camden close to activity fields & Hidden Cypress Clubhouse. Open floor plan with living area, slider to Carolina Room; kitchen w/panty open to the dining area w/bay window; small office area between kitchen & garage; master suite w/bay window, walk-in closet, bath w/raised vanity, walk-in shower; guest bedroom adjoining full bath. Nice courtyard entry w/brick pavers. Patio overlooking the wooded lot. This home awaits your personal touches at a very reasonable price. A great opportunity to own
Sun City Hilton Head home situated on a large cul-de-sac lot. With a wooded backdrop, you’ll love the park-like setting. Interior features include office/den, formal dining area, Great Room w/gas fireplace open to Carolina Room; kitchen w/granite countertops, under counter lighting, prep island, walkin pantry; split floor plan w/large master suite w/separate shower, jetted tub, walk-in double closet; guest bedrooms each w/full baths; laundry room w/cabinets; wood floors in main areas, ceiling fans, smooth ceilings; extended screen patio; extended garage, permanent stairway to storage; permanent hurricane protection. — Hilton Head MLS #: 429435
Conveniently located Camden close to activity fields & Hidden Cypress Clubhouse. Open floor plan with living area, slider to Carolina Room; kitchen w/panty open to the dining area w/bay window; small office area between kitchen & garage; master suite w/bay window, walk-in closet, bath w/raised vanity, walk-in shower; guest bedroom adjoining full bath. Nice courtyard entry w/brick pavers. Patio overlooking the wooded
430981
843-540-0205 |
While we have had some cold days this winter, home sales have been nice and warm. And it looks like sales will heat up this spring, with lots of out-of-state buyers getting ready to move to the Lowcountry.
The reason that spring is almost always the best season to sell your home is because that’s when the largest number of home buyers begin actively searching for a new home.
So, while it’s still a seller’s market, and if you know where you want to live, now is a great time to sell your home.
And since we are still more in a seller’s market than in a buyer’s market (there are a lot of very much in-demand neighborhoods here in Bluffton), there’s a good chance that you can sell your home for a hefty price.
Even with the cost of everything going up (taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities,
lawn care, pest control, etc.), I have found that our buyers from up North still see this area as a “very affordable place to live.”
Here are some things to do to make your home stand out from the competition:
• Make your home interior sparkle and shine. Wash the windows, polish the mirrors, let the sunlight in and do spring cleaning to make your home more inviting.
• Showcase the landscaping. Clean the yard, trim the bushes, cut the tree limbs, and tidy up the lawn to show off the exterior of your home.
• Beautify your home exterior. Remove debris from the roof, clean the gutters, and power
wash the driveway for a favorable (outside) first impression.
• Set out attractive fresh smelling flowers. Buyers like colorful flowers that suggest the first signs of spring (especially after a long Lowcountry winter). Psychologically, yellow flowers create feelings of happiness.
• Clean and polish the floors. A high gloss on your hard floors makes a lasting impression, as does sparkling ceramic and clean, attractive carpeting.
• Utilize lighter accent colors. Soft spring colors for linens, throws, towels and pillows will lighten and brighten a room.
• Use full color flyers and professional photography. If a picture is worth a thousand words, make sure your print and online advertising is as attractive as it can be – and then flaunt it.
Larry Stoller is a broker and Realtor with Real Estate Five of the Lowcountry. Larry@ RealEstateFive.com, RealEstateFive.com
SPORTS CARDS WANTED: Vesci Sports Cards, specializing in pre-1972 baseball, football and basketball cards. Looking for personal collections. Cash paid for cards. Hilton Head resident Jim Vesci 215-266-2975 jdvescisr@gmail.com
SEEKING AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT in the Hilton Head office of a faith community. Work 20-24 hours/week divided over 3 to 4 days. Must know Microsoft Word and Excel. Salary negotiable. Contact janiceHfradkin@gmail.com.
CLASSIFIED ADS WORK! CALL 843-757-9507
YOUR AD HERE CAN REACH 25,000 households and businesses from Moss Creek to Sun City to Callawassie Island. Promote services, sell goods, announce a yard sale, buy a house, sell a house, find a job, find employees, ask for help, offer help! Ads starting at $28 for 40 words. 843-757-9507.
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‘All
Hilton Head Christian Academy
March 23-25
• See page 3B
March 1-April 2
Second annual Beaufort County High School Regional Art Competition, USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret St., Beaufort. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. March 1. uscbcenterfor thearts.com or 843-521-4145
March 2-5
“Guys and Dolls Jr.,” by Main Stage Community Theatre at Seahawk Cultural Center at Hilton Head High School, 70 Wilborn Rd., Hilton Head Island. 7 p.m. March 2, 3 and 4, and a 2 p.m. matinee March 5. Tickets $25 adults, $15 students, $5 for 8 and under. Mainstagecommunitytheatre.org or 843-689-6246.
March 3
“Mitchelville” focus group, 1 p.m. at Hilton Head Public Library, 11 Beach City Road. Panel discussion in advance of world premiere of Aurin Squire’s play. Discussion with Hilton Head native islanders, members of Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, with production team of Lean Enemble. Free and open to public.
March 3-5
March Forth, commemorating passing of Pat Conroy on March 4, 2016, with programs on themes of his writing and teaching, including social justice inclusivity, conservation, etc. Schedule at patconroyliterarycenter.org.
Through March 5
Student Art Exhibit at Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA), 8 Church St. Bluffton. Featuring student work from three Bluffton high schools. sobagallery.com or 843-757-6586
March 7-April 8
“Art + Quilt = Art,” exhibit by Art Quilters of the Lowcountry at Art League of Hilton Head, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. March 8. Free and open to public. artleaguehhi.org or 843-681-5060
March 16-18, 23-25
“Mitchelville,” original play, world premiere, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Talkbacks March 17, 19, 24, 26. Tickets at leanensemble.org or 843-715-6676.
March 17-18, 24-26
“Young Frankenstein,” Sun City Community Theatre, 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. matinee Sunday. Tickets $23 SCCT members, $26 general admission at suncitytheatre. org or Magnolia Hall, Magnolia Hall Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 9-11 a.m., or by calling 843-645-2700.
March 18
Country & Cocktails, 5:30 p.m. cocktails, 7 p.m. auction, 8 p.m. concert by Two Way Crossing. Themed event with jeans and boots. Benefit for and at Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head. Tickets starting at $175 through Feb. 24. Artshhi.com or 843-868-3945, ext. 305
March 18
Story, Song & Poetry, an Evening of Words and Music, 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 110 Malphrus Road, Bluffton. Featuring Bill Newby, with contributions by others. Free, donations welcomed. UULowcountry.org
March 23-25
“All Shook Up,” by Hilton Head Christian Academy Theatre Department, 7 p.m., plus matinee at 2 p.m. March 25. Tickets $12 students and seniors, $18 adults. hhco.org
March 23-April 8
Savannah Music Festival, 34th season, cross-cultural musical event, with artists in classical, contemporary, Americana, blues, jazz, funk, pop fusion and more. Tickets available now, starting at $31, for various venues around Savannah. Savannahmusicfestival.org or 912-525-5050.
March 31
“A Mozart Celebration,” Hilton Head Choral Society’s annual Spring Concert, 7 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head. Accompanied by members of Charleston Southern University Music Department faculty and alumni. Tickets at hiltonheadchoralsociety. org, 843-341-3818 or tickets@hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.
April 1-May 6
Bluffton 8th Grade Juried Art Show, featuring student art from Bluffton schools, on exhibit at Bluffton Library. People’s Choice voting through April 29. Artist Awards reception May 4.
April 15
“Happy Together,” cabaret and dinner show by the Sun Tones, women’s four-part a cappella chorus, at Pinckney Hall in Sun City. All of your favorites, sung in Barbershop style. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets $35 per person, available at Magnolia Hall Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 9-11 a.m. or by phone at 540-842-5709. Cash or check only.
“DANNY BOY”
As the most sought-after Irish Tenor of his generation, Emmet has performed in over 80 cities across the US and Canada, recently making a sell-out solo concert debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall to rave reviews. In 2017, he signed a major recording deal with Sony Music and his debut Irish Album Emmet Cahill’s ‘Ireland‘ went straight to #1 on the World Music Billboard charts.
“IRISH EYES ARE SMILING”
“HOW GREAT THOU ART”
“BRING HIM HOME”
“MUSIC OF THE NIGHT”
AMONG MANY MORE
Hilton Head Christian Academy’s (HHCA) award-winning theater department will present “All Shook Up,” inspired by the songs of Elvis Presley and based on the book by Joe Dipietro, March 23-25 at the school’s Performing Arts Center in Bluffton. Tickets will be on sale at hhca.org.
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” “All Shook Up” follows a small Midwestern town that is thrown into a frenzy with the arrival of Chad (Christian Becker), a good-looking, motorcycle-riding roustabout, who rides from town to town with a guitar on his back, blue suede shoes on his feet, and a song in his heart.
Repressed by their conservative mayor, the town comes alive again under Chad’s influence. Lovers meet in one zany night that will change the town forever. “All Shook Up” is a rocking, heartwarming tale about following dreams, opening up to love, and the power of music.
Directed by HHCA Theater Director
Michelle McElroy Cox, with musical direction by Cynthia Cullen and choreography by Jamal Edwards, the cast is led by senior Christian Becker (Chad) and junior Millie Gilbreath (Natalie). It also features 34 HHCA 8th-12th grade cast members, including Briana Williams, Connor White, Audrey Atkins, Eli Taylor, Emma Kate Dalzel, Charlie Peirce, Maya Norcross, Jack Mau, and others.
“With Elvis classics like ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ ‘Hound Dog,’ ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ and ‘Don’t Be Cruel,’ we decided to build a special thrust stage, transforming our Performing Arts Center, bringing the action even closer to the audience,” Cox said.
Showtimes are March 23, 24, and 25 at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on March 25 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for students and seniors and $18 for adults and will be available at hhca.org.
Hilton Head Christian Academy is located at 3088 Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton.
Revel in the songs Linda Ronstadt brought to life so beautifully, performed by the Linda Ronstadt Experience. Vocalist Tristan McIntosh (2016 American Idol finalist) takes you on an emotional ride of purity, power, and heartbreak as she soars through these songs as though they live inside her.
BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE!
“YOU’RE NO GOOD”
“WHEN WILL I BE LOVED”
“THAT’LL BE THE DAY”
“BLUE BAYOU”
AMONG MANY MORE
The Hilton Head Choral Society cordially invites the community to “A Mozart Celebration” annual spring concert on March 31 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway.
Join this celebration of arguably the greatest musical mind in modern history –Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
On this magical evening, the Hilton Head Choral Society will be accompanied by members of the Charleston Southern University Music Department Faculty and CSU Alumni to perform Mozart’s setting of the Coronation Mass and select numbers from some of his most famous operas including the Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan Tutte.
The crowd-pleasing orchestral pieces will consist of solos, duets, small groups, as well as full chorus participation.
Albert Einstein described Mozart’s music as a “reflection of the inner beauty of the universe.” The members of the Choral Society feel that concertgoers will definitely agree.
“We feel honored to perform these arrangements by such a prolific and influential musical composer,” said Dr. Dustin Ous-
ley, artistic director of the Choral Society.
“Broadening the Mozart musical experience for our audience through the presentation
of these beautiful pieces will be a treat for everyone in attendance.”
For the health and safety of all, ticket holders will be subject to any COVID-19 policy established by either Hilton Head Choral Society or First Presbyterian Church at the time of the concert.
Tickets are available online at hiltonheadchoralsociety.org. For more information or for assistance placing your ticket order, call 843-341-3818 or email tickets@hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.
Hilton Head Choral Society is open to people who love to sing and who enjoy good fellowship. The Choral Society is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Dues are charged to partially cover musical expenses. The primary source of financial support comes from ticket sales, donors, program advertisers, concert sponsors, and grants. The Hilton Head Choral Society is a member of Chorus America, a national organization promoting the art of choral singing.
The month of March is known for “madness” and what better way to enjoy it all than to participate in all that Coligny Plaza has to offer.
The madness kicks off March 10 with two shows by Jevon Daly at Coligny Theatre.
Reminiscent of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” this program of performances will feature a 4 p.m. kid-centric storytelling adventure, followed by an 18-plus adults-only show at 8 p.m.
In recent years, Daly has gained tremendous in-person (from his post at Coligny Center Stage) and online popularity with kid’s songs like “Sharks Are Our Homies.” The entertainer said that he identifies with performers like Bob Saget who gained notoriety for family-style entertainment on “Full House,” all the while harboring a sense of humor that was rarely put on display.
These two shows will provide him with the opportunity to showcase all the fun he has to offer. Tickets are available for each show at ColignyPlaza.com/events – but be careful not to get them mixed up!
Children will not be admitted to the adult
performance.
Also, annually, Coligny hosts its own March Madness competition, pitting all of its shops and restaurants against one another in a friendly, bracket-style competition encouraging fans to vote for their favorites!
Voters are asked to support their favorite merchants in each bracket level as they proceed through the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and onto the Championship. Brackets will be updated after each round of voting. Follow the action on Coligny’s Facebook page or sign up for their email newsletters.
Make sure to follow your favorite store’s social media pages to enjoy some competitive light-hearted ribbing among the merchants. 2022 resulted in Piggly Wiggly’s stunning upset over the Frosty Frog, which held back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.
Who will emerge victorious in 2023? That’s up to voters to decide. With each vote, fans will be entered to win a $250 gift card to anywhere in Coligny.
Voting begins the third week in March. Learn more, and play along, at ColignyPlaza. com/Events.
CHICKEN PARMIGIANA 17
Breaded chicken breast topped with marinara and mozzarella cheese, served over a bed of spaghetti
HERB CRUSTED GROUPER 22
Fresh grouper filet with herb crust served with seasonal vegetable (GFR)
SHRIMP AND CLAM SPAGHETTI 22
Jumbo shrimp, and chopped clams in a white wine reduction and a touch of marinara over a bed of spaghetti
NEW YORK STRIP STEAK 26
12oz. char grilled New York strip steak served with baked potato
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE 16
Tender semolina pasta tossed in homemade Bolognese sauce
AMERICAN BURGER 14
Blend of certified angus beef, short rib and brisket, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on a toasted brioche bun
HONEY GARLIC SALMON $25
Wild caught salmon sauteed with a honey garlic sauce served with jasmine rice
HOUSE REUBEN 14
Sliced corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing on marbled rye
ANGEL HAIR AIOLI 13
Angel hair mixed with fresh garlic and herbs mixed with evoo and topped with parmesan cheese
CALIFORNIA BURGER 15
Blend of certified angus beef, short rib, and brisket, applewood bacon, avocado, provolone cheese, and tomato on a toasted brioche bun
GREEK SALAD $14
Mixed greens, feta cheese, red onions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and olives served with white balsamic (GF)
Students of Hilton Head Island Elementary School will present “Aladdin, Dual-Language Edition” March 24-25 at the school’s Red Auditorium, 30 School Road.
This musical adventure will engage both Spanish- and English-speaking audiences while promoting the importance of cross-cultural understanding.
This bilingual adaptation of “Aladdin, the Musical” features the Academy Award-winning score from Disney’s animated classic with lyrics in both Spanish and English.
When choosing this year’s Spring Musical, Helen Ashton (director) and Michelle Cramer (musical director) were excited to discover this dual language version of “Aladdin,” which reflects the multicultural composition of their student body (which is 54% Hispanic) and highlights the importance of appreciating and respecting other cultures.
Nearly half of the 45 third, fourth, and fifth graders in the cast are either first- or second- generation Americans, representing
nine countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico,
Peru, and Venezuela. The cast is led by fifth-graders Sebastian
Zambrano-Giraldo as Aladdin, Maria Contreras Mora as Princess Jazmin, Aaron Metropolis as Jafar, and Flynn Carstens as Genie.
The description of the play gives an idea of how and why it was created: “Disney’s Aladdin Dual Language Edition features a revamped plot that creates dramatic necessity for the bilingual script. Our story begins centuries ago, when the royalty of Agrabah spoke one language, and the citizens another. Communication is impossible without translation ... which is controlled by the evil vizier, Jafar. When the rebellious princess, Jazmin, and a delinquent street rat, Aladdin, meet in the marketplace, they find something special in one another. Together, they work to transcend language barriers and, with a little magic, help create a better future for themselves and for Agrabah.”
Performances will be at 6:30 p.m. both days, and 2 p.m. March 25. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and are available at the door.
Monday
Tuesday
“Young Frankenstein” is a rollicking comedy with a barnstorming parody of songs such as “Putt on the Ritz,” “Roll in the Hay” and “He Vas My Boyfriend.” Sun City Community Theatre brings this fun production to the stage March 17-26.
The music is memorable with some songs being entire cast numbers and orchestra conducted by Art Hanson, directed by Eileen Waite, produced by Carolin Collins and choreographed by Hinda Klinghoffer and Patricia Beers.
Company members will be “Puttin on the Ritz” with this adaptation of the highly successful 1974 film of the same name. A cast of 27 will perform this musical and pay tribute to this longstanding classic.
The production adaptation is set in Transylvania and follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, played by Robert Adams, to Transylvania to explore the laboratory he has inherited from his late grandfather. Rumor has it that outrageous experiments – to bring the dead back to life – were performed
there.
He is soon joined by his fiancé, Elizabeth, played by Laurel Murray, who gives him a loveless sendoff wishing him well; his inept assistant, Igor, who assists only himself, played by Jay Leonardi; Inga, a yodeling lab
assistant with a degree in science, played by Mary Ellen Beckman; Frau Blucher, the girlfriend of Dr. Frankenstein’s grandfather, played by Carol Dines; and the “Monster,” who hides from people and acquires human characteristics, played by Mike Morris.
The production take place at Magnolia Hall, 118 Sun City Lane in Sun City. There will be five performances, at 7 p.m. on March 17, 18, 24 and 25, and 2:30 p.m. matinee on March 26. Tickets are $23 for Sun City Community Theatre members and $26 for general admission.
Tickets may be ordered online at suncitytheatre.org or at the Magnolia Hall Box office, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between 9am-11am or by calling 843-6452700 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Experience this outstanding musical comedy. This show has all the panache of the screen sensation with a little extra theatrical flair. Young Frankenstein is scientifically proven to be monstrously good entertainment!
The Sun City Community Theatre was established as a nonprofit club within Sun City Hilton Head Association in 1999 and is open to the public.
A play born on Hilton Head Island and based on the island’s long-ago history, “Mitchelville” will make its world premiere March 16 on the same island. Additional performances continue through March 26.
When a young man tries to save his Gullah family home, he dives into the history of his family lineage, the Civil War, and the first town of Black freedmen in America. “Mitchelville” is a story about learning from the past, saving for the future, and keeping a tradition going.
Written by Aurin Squire (television’s “Evil,” “The Good Fight,” “This is Us”) and directed by Cezar Williams, “Mitchelville” features Malik Ali, Reginald Barnes, Nate Entz, Trevor Latez Hayes, Philip Kershaw, Lean Ensemble member Katherine Nora Leroy Lawson and Courtney Thomas.
The play was commissioned by Lean Ensemble Theater.
A preview performance will be held March 16 at 7:30 p.m., with additional 7:30 p.m. performances March 17-18 and 23-25, and 2 p.m. matinees March19 and 26.
Talkbacks will follow the March 17, 19, 24 and 26 performances.
Tickets are available at leanensemble. org, or by calling 843-715-6676 or emailing info@leanensemble.org.
Student, first responder and active military discounts and group rates available. Rush tickets go on sale at the box office 30 minutes prior to a performance. Visit leanensemble.org for up-to-date information.
The Heather Pierson Duo will perform at Music on Malphrus, 110 Malphrus Road, in Bluffton at 7 p.m. March 4. General admission is $25. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Heather Pierson is a pianist, singer/songwriter, songleader and performer whose inspiring live performances and growing catalog of releases delve into Americana, blues, New Orleans jazz, vocal chants, instrumental piano, and folk.
Best known for her ease at the piano and her bell-tone vocals, her songs and musicianship embody joy, honesty, playfulness and a desire to share from the heart. In more than 20 years on her own record label, Vessel Recordings, she has released 14 albums and several singles of original music.
Defying genre and classification and yet fully embracing all musical styles, Pierson is an artist who speaks the language of music in as many dialects as her abilities will allow. Her life’s work is to share her love of music and her gratitude for life with others – one song, one heart, and one mind at a time.
For more information, visit uulowcountry. org or email MusicOnMalphrus@gmail. com.
Entries submitted for the Society of Bluffton Artists 29th Judged Show will be on exhibit March 6-April 2 at the gallery, 6 Church St. in Old Town Bluffton.
An opening reception and awards ceremony will take place 4-6 p.m. March 8. The events are free and open to the public.
The exhibit features local artists in acrylic, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, watercolor or 3D.
These events are free to attend and open to the public.
The judge for the show is Eve Miller, a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a member of the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies.
Miller is also a signature member of the Pastel Society of Spain and Fellow Maxima Cum Laude at
the American Artists Professional League.
Her works have been featured in numerous publications and she presently exhibits her work in three international juried exhibitions in France. As an art instructor and mentor, she conducts workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Her goal is to share how to communicate the beauty one finds in landscape by utilizing the elements of design. Her goal is to establish a spiritual connection between herself, the painting and the viewer.
Artists can pick up unsold artwork at the end of the show from 9 to 11 a.m. April 3 at The SOBA Art School.
For more information, visit sobagallery.com or call 843-757-6586.
Accurate Lithograph
Ace Roofing
American Wood Reface
Barbers of the Low Country
Belfair Fine Wines & Spirits
Benchmark Physical Therapy
Bishop Eye Associates
Boshaw Law Firm
British Open Pub
Captain Woody’s
Cheers Liquor
Club Car of Hilton Head
Edward Jones - Bill Sauter
Elite Physical Therapy
ENT & Allergy Partners
EXACT Flooring Experts
Food Lion
Four Seasons Sunrooms
Georgia Eye Institute
Golis Family Jewelers
Harbor Point Dentistry
Hargray
Hilton Head Lexus
Hilton Head Regional HC
Hughes Dental Group
ICON Superstore of SC
Jack Frost Vanilla Extract
Jersey Mike’s (Okatie)
Katie O’Donald’s Irish Pub
Kelca Counters, Inc.
Lang 72 Degrees
Low Country Golf Cars
Low Country Periodontics
Lowcountry Presbyterian
Mark Winn
McKENZIE Insurance Svs
MedicareQuick
Mi Tierrita
By Sandro ViragSusan Brock began dancing in 2008 at a ballroom in Charleston. As she became more involved, she enjoyed attending the dance parties but couldn’t always find a babysitter. So her son Mitchell would attend the dance parties from time to time, and eventually attended all of Susan’s performances over the next 13 years.
Moss Creek Village Furniture
Off-Island Chiropractic
Okatie Ale House
Optim Orthopedics
Palmetto Electric Coop
Quality Golf Cars
Raymond James
Salty Dog Bluffton
Sauls Funeral Home
State Farm-John Mallet
Stokes Toyota Hilton Head
The Alliance Group Realty
The Bedminster Group
The UPS Store
Vaux Marscher Berglind
We Care Family Dentistry
Weichert Realtors
Wooster Dental Care
Mitchell was a shy kid, and didn’t have a lot of confidence, so when Susan offered him dance lessons he said “no.” He had other hobbies anyway – golf, computer programming, and even took karate at one point.
In 2019 they moved to Bluffton and Susan picked up ballroom dancing again after a few years off. When Mitchell finished college, he was back in Bluffton and looking for something else to do besides his own business – creating 3D digital models and game assets.
Susan invited him to attend one of her private lessons and that’s when Mitchell realized this was something he now wanted to try. Mitchell always felt he could move well and picked up things easily, so they started attending the group dance class together.
Mitchell and Susan had always done a lot together and refer to each other as “best friends,” so dancing together was comfort-
able right from the start and they continue to learn about each other in different ways. They focus together on learning steps and patterns and work hard on creating signals with each other so Mitchell can become a strong lead. Even though Susan has been dancing for years, Mitchell has wasted no time in catching up, as Susan will take the time to repeat steps until Mitchell has mastered them.
You never know at what point in your life something like dancing will take hold. And even if you don’t take it to a high level, the experience will create forever memories. It is such a different dynamic when family members dance together – for example, brother and sister, father and daughter, husband and wife.
Many of these partnerships go on to a higher level of dancing. Many national champions are family members.
Dancing is a great way to reconnect, especially after a time period of going different ways. Because you have to lead, follow, listen, learn, and memorize, it’s a unique way to come back together with loved ones.
Wendy Steed has joined Pluff Mudd Art Gallery as an exhibiting artist. Enchanted by the beauty and culture of the Lowcountry, Steed enjoys painting
landscapes, native birds, and capturing the essence of the island experience. She paints with watercolor, pastels and mixed media and has exhibited in many art
exhibitions in Pennsylvania and Hilton Head Island. See Steed’s work and the works of the other 19 local artists at Pluff Mudd, 27
Calhoun St. in Bluffton, open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit pluffmuddart.com or 843-757-5590.
