Author: Margaret Evans

  “People just don’t have high expectations from an actor with a band. The goal is to always surprise them.” – Gary Sinise Before Lt. Dan there was Tom Joad, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  I’m standing in line at the discount ticket booth in the middle of the maelstrom that is New York City’s Times Square circa 1990. This is the last stop on a long theater weekend in the Big Apple and once again we’re hoping to score some of the hottest tickets in town, the Steppenwolf Theater Company’s production of “The Grapes of Wrath.” A few nights before we paid a ridiculous amount of money for a spectacularly forgettable evening with “The Phantom of the Opera.” I believe Andrew Lloyd Weber actually negotiated a deal with the city making this a requirement for all out of town visitors back in the day. There was no Sarah Brightman and no Michael Crawford, but each audience member was actually assigned a personal souvenir vender, as I recall.   The next day was no better as once again tickets to the Steinbeck show disappeared faster than free hair mousse at a Flock of Seagulls reunion concert. I was eventually talked into an off-Broadway show billed as “The next Rocky Horror Picture Show!” A couple of those words were right. It was a horror show for sure. Two decades later and I still can’t quite erase the memory or find a meaning. I am only left with the “Why?”  “Off Broadway” was way too close to Broadway for this little bit of theatrical Ebola. Come to think of it, Ohio would have been too close.

Dancing Dogs Yoga  will celebrate National Yoga Month by providing new students one free week of yoga with a Yoga Month Card, available on www.yogamonth.org, and with YogaFest 2010, a weekend of totally free yoga for new and existing students, on September 25th and 26th. YogaFest 2010 will kick off on Saturday, September 25th at 9am with Weekend Zen, a class for all levels of students, followed by Yoga Fusion at 11am, a mix of yoga and pilates.  After lunch, try All Levels Alignment Yoga at 1pm, and Taste the Nectar, an Anusara Yoga Inversions practice from 3-5pm, followed by a wine tasting for all practitioners 21 and over.

The 16th Annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival will be Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2 at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort. This popular event brings thousands of residents and visitors alike to celebrate local wild-caught shrimp, great music and local restaurants. Partnering with the SC Shrimper’s Association, Main Street Beaufort, the event organizer, is diligently working to execute another successful event. Restaurants including Plums, Southern Graces, Gilligan’s of Beaufort, Sea Eagle Market & Catering, Barbara Jeans, Bricks on Boundary, Emily’s, and many more will be competing for the coveted Silver Cup Award as well as Best Shrimp Dish, Best Presentation, Best Booth Decoration, and People’s Choice. Restaurants are required to use fresh, local, wild caught shrimp. Other activities that make this event a success are the popular shrimp heading competition and children’s shrimp peeling competition. Last year’s inaugural Rubber Shrimp Race, organized by Sea Island Rotary Club of Beaufort, will return this year as well. A children’s area, craft market, and live entertainment will round out the weekend. Admission into the park is free. Food & drink tickets are sold for $1 each. Food booths sell food items from 2 to 7 tickets, soft drinks & water are 2 tickets, beer 3 tickets, and wine 5 tickets.