Fall brings all sorts of fun and festivity to the Lowcountry. Here are some
highlights…
You’re Invited to a Public Art Exhibition at Honey Horn
The Lowcountry is blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes and a myriad of majestic creatures. We relish the expansive salt marsh and are continually grateful for the sight of Bottlenose Dolphins and Great White Egrets. We are stewards of our environment, because we appreciate all that is beautiful in our backyard.
Our outdoor canvas is impressive. And thankfully, our community is rich with residents eager to make our surroundings even more magnificent through the creation of public art. The Lowcountry is about to be awed by a unique event coming to Hilton Head Island, which is sure to inspire thousands and complement our innate appreciation for our native soil.
Presented by the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and bestowed upon residents and tourists through its Public Art Fund, the inaugural Public Art Exhibition will be held at the picturesque Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn September through December, 2011, and will showcase large-scale, outdoor sculptures amidst the natural beauty of Honey Horn.
A nationally-recognized jury of five was selected to review over 300 pieces from all over the world. The sculptures were required to meld with the look and feel of Hilton Head Island and integrate well with the natural environment. In addition, artists were reminded of the outdoor elements associated with the Lowcountry while creating their pieces of work.
Twenty sculptures were chosen, which include a variety of abstract, literal and modern works. They will be placed along the scenic path surrounding the main house at Honey Horn. The Coastal Discovery Museum, which teaches the public about the natural history and cultural heritage of the location, is the ideal setting for this notable public display of art.
The exhibition will begin Sunday, September 25 and continue through the month of December. Docent-led tours and educational outreach events by the artists will be offered in conjunction with the event. And best, a sculpture-based curriculum is being offered to the Beaufort County School District and other local youth programs.
Carolyn Torgersen, Vice President for Marketing and Communications for the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, explains, “We want groups of people and students who have never seen large-scale art before to enjoy this exhibition.”
The event is free and open to the public during the Coastal Discovery Museum’s hours of operation, Monday through Saturday 9am-4:30pm and Sunday 11am-3pm. Additionally, the exhibition will run in conjunction with annual events like the Chili Cook-Off and the Concours d’Elegance.
The Public Art Exhibition is not only a juried show of fine art, but it is also a competition. On 
Thursday, November 10, the public art committee of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry will announce one piece as the winner. The Community Foundation will purchase the sculpture and place it at a site pre-approved by the Town of Hilton Head Island, making it public art for generations to come.
There will also be a Gold, Silver and Bronze People’s Choice award, chosen by the public via voting mechanisms on the website, www.hhipublicart.org or on-site at Honey Horn and sponsored by Alston + Bird, an Atlanta-based law firm.
There are many people to thank for bringing this opportunity to the Lowcountry. In addition to Alson + Bird, the Coastal Discovery Museum and Concours d’Elegance, the Community Foundation would like to acknowledge The Greenery, Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head Island as its Platinum level sponsors; CareCore National, Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Spinnaker Resorts as its Gold level sponsors; Morris & Whiteside Galleries, Hilton Head Monthly and Hudson’s Restaurant as Silver level sponsors; and Sea Pines Resort, Wood + Partners and World Design Marketing as Bronze level sponsors.
The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry established the Public Art Fund in 2006 with a goal to bring art into the public realm and introduce it into the lives of the community, engage and uplift the viewer, add to civic pride and enhance the unique place that is Hilton Head Island.
Many residents are familiar with the Charles Fraser “Walking the Alligator” piece installed at Compass Rose Park, which was the first piece commissioned and purchased through the Public Art Fund.
The Public Art Exhibition is sure to be an event remembered for years to come. Its mission is to be a significant, internationally-recognized platform for outdoor sculpture, while educating and inspiring community members and visitors to Hilton Head Island. The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry encourages you to attend this once in a lifetime event. You’ll be glad you came.
About the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry:
The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry was founded in 1994 with the proceeds of the sale of the nonprofit Hilton Head Hospital.
Since that time, they have expanded to cover a four-county area of the Lowcountry – Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties.
CEO and President of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is Denise K. Spencer, who reports to a Board of Trustees, currently chaired by Ernst Bruderer.
More than 200 individuals, families, groups, businesses, and nonprofits have established funds at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, which has given more than $30 million back into the community and beyond.
They provide personalized philanthropic services through a culture of openness and accessibility that makes it easy and comfortable for all segments of the community to feel connected to their community foundation.
The focus is local. They closely monitor community needs, opportunities, and resources and connect them to create positive results in the community. The Community Foundation is a local organization staffed by people from the community and led by a local Board of Trustees with an in-depth knowledge of the issues that shape the community.
As a community leader, they have the ability to make connections and work with others, donors, community organizations, government, other local funders, etc., to augment resources to effectively address community issues.
At the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, the mission is strengthening community by connecting people, resources, and needs. They strive to fulfill this mission every day.
The Farmers Market at Pick Pocket Plantation
Farmers Markets are more than a venue to purchase fresh produce and locally made crafts. To me, a Framers Market needs to have heart and soul. It needs a likeable ambiance with friendly faces. It needs to fulfill a purpose.
And the Farmers Market at Pick Pocket Plantation has all of these! Held every Tuesday from 2pm-7pm, this Farmers Market is jam packed with all sorts of neat items. It’s got everything from veggies, fruits, southern spicy treats, fried peanuts, baked goods, breads, fresh pasta and fish. There are also vendors who provide prepared and catered foods as well as local crafts and handmade products.
Located at 93 Trask Farm Road, Pick Pocket Plantation, owned by John Keith, is just minutes from downtown Beaufort and has all the charm of an historic, working-class farm.
Pick Pocket Plantation was the first acreage owned by the Trask family, which began a truck farming empire of thousands of acres across Beaufort County. The historic plantation home and surrounding grounds now comprise more than 15 acres, located in the center of Burton between the intersections of US 21 and SC 170.
The property now boasts nine historical buildings, including the beautifully restored plantation home. Period antiques bought in Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia from major dealers can be found throughout the home and property, making the venue an attractive spot for vendors and consumers alike.
The farmhouse is noted for its distinctive architectural style, unusual exterior board siding, wrap-around porches and cupola or widow’s watch. Guests of the Farmers Market can also enjoy a tour of the home for only $7.
I spent the last two weeks perusing and tasting a myriad of items at Pick Pocket’s Famers Market, most of which is all organic or chemical-free. I met the owners of Lee Bees who sell all natural honey and herbal skin care products made from the bees wax. I spoke with Theresa Green and Cleveland Brown of Joseph Fields Organic Produce based on John’s Island. I sampled some of Lee Lambert’s Blackeyed Pea Dip and Red Heat Relish from his Great Food Co-op out of Lobeco. And I tasted delicious Gourmet Comfort Cookies by Tara Noberini.
Additionally, I smelled the unique flavors of Healin’ Treasures’ natural hair and skin products and admired the owner’s original ethnic art and bottle trees. I laughed with Adriano Rota, who owns Castra Rota Gourmet Foods based out of Hampton and makes historically authentic breads and cheeses; he also sells goat milk for those who are lactose intolerant. I chatted with Mike Gibson of Early Branch who makes savory boiled peanuts and offers them in a green tobasco sauce. I met Alfonso Tyler and Gene Mouzon, farmers from Jasper County and Debbie Alexander who makes candles and bath products with over 50 fragrances.
I was in heaven. Everyone was so friendly, and the aura was a pure delight. Pick Pocket Plantation is simply a magnificent venue for a Farmers Market. Children can ride horses and get their faces painted while parents shop and chat with neighbors and friends. For an enjoyable Tuesday afternoon while running errands across town, take a minute to stop by Pick Pocket for an experience you won’t forget.
ABOUT THE PICTURE ABOVE
John Keith, owner of Pick Pocket Plantation, has a special recipe for his homemade ice cream. He invited me to the warming house on the property. There, with his granddaughter, Tiffany, I watched him prepare the batch that would be churned by a refurbished John Deer engine. It was old-fashioned, and it was fun!
He started with a mix purchased from Amish country in Holmes County, Ohio. He poured 6 cups of sugar, 2 1/2 gallons of milk, 5 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 cans condensed milk and 3 tbsp. vanilla into an old-fashioned stainless steel milk jug and stirred it. He let the batch settle overnight. And, the next morning, I came back to watch Keith churn his ice cream.
I have never tasted something so yummy! It is a must-buy at the Farmers Market. When you ask for a cup, tell Mr. Keith Wendy sent you!
The Annual Fall Book Sale is Here
Beaufort is eager to welcome back one of its favorite events Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25, the popular Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale. Held annually under the pavilion at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, the sale benefits the Beaufort, Lobeco and St. Helena branches of the Beaufort County Library, hit terribly this year with budget cuts.
Chaired by Geni Flowers, the book sale is a labor intensive event. Last year, the sale raised $24,000 thanks to the hard work of the Friends of the Library, area Boy Scouts and numerous volunteers.
Fred Wilson and Dave Peterson organize volunteers year-round to collect the books. The sale begins with just one box in the Library lobby. As books are collected, volunteers take them to the Friends of the Library room upstairs and categorize the books into 28 genres. Then, they price the books and pack them in boxes.
Over 550 boxes with an average of 30 books per box have been collected, and the Friends of the Library want to thank the community for their donations throughout the year. The Friends are very proud of the quantity (and quality) of the books collected.
Beaufort residents will be pleased to know that the sale is a three-day event. Though the Friends have put set hours on the sale, Boy Scouts will be monitoring the books overnight. So, you can literally come any time of day or night to peruse the various hardbacks, paperbacks and other media.
And this year, the sale is sure to be better than ever. The event will include a silent auction, which will feature several dozen books of distinguished rarity, value and condition. Dave Peterson, chair of the silent auction, researched the market value and determined a reasonable minimum bid for the books, most starting at $15. The auction will begin at 10am Friday, September 23, and end at 3:30pm on Saturday, September 24. You need not be present to win.
Additionally, the Friends of the Library would like to emphasize the non-profit and educators give-away at the conclusion of the sale at 4pm on Sunday, September 25. Anything left over will be given to those in need. They simply ask that interested parties bring their own boxes to pack their books.
The Friends of the Library would like to thank the City of Beaufort, a joint partner of the event, and general Warehouse Company for their continued support. They would also like to thank Palm and Moon and Common Ground for donating bagels and coffee to the volunteers helping with the sale.
Of course, there are many people to thank for this wonderful community event. Flowers explains, “It really takes a village to pull this together.”
If you are interested in volunteering for the sale, namely helping move books from one location to another, please email Flowers at geniflowers@gmail.com.
Flowers has been the Chairwoman of the event for 9 years, and Wilson and Stevenson have worked together on the sale for at least 20 years. They have seen the sale grow immensely since its early days and are very proud that the sale has become such a popular event.
From 10am to 12 Noon on Friday, members of the Friends of the Library will get a sneak preview of the books. For a mere $10, visitors may become members and gain access to the preview as well. Public Hours are: Friday, 12 Noon-6pm, Saturday, 10am-6pm and Sunday, 12pm-4pm.
Please come and support the Beaufort County Library by attending the Fall Book Sale. Who knows, you may find that classic you’ve been waiting for!
New Verdier House Exhibit Features Unsurrendered Civil War Flag from Beaufort
The “unsurrendered flag” carried by Beaufort’s Civil War militia will be the showpiece of a new exhibit opening at the Verdier House, 801 Bay Street, September 16th, in observation of Beaufort’s tricentennial and the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
The exhibit, “The Beaufort Artillery: Guardians of the Lowcountry Since 1776,” was developed by Historic Beaufort Foundation and curated by Ron Roth. Artifacts and memorabilia owned by HBF, the former Beaufort Museum and the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will illustrate the history of the unit which was called to fight in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War and World Wars I and II. It was eventually absorbed into the S.C. National Guard and is the antecedent of the Beaufort unit.
The BVA flag, which hasn’t been seen in Beaufort for 115 years, was badly damaged and deteriorated when it was given to the Relic Room in Columbia in 1896 by the unit’s second Civil War captain, Dr. Henry Middleton Stuart. It has been in storage since then.
The flag, designed and sewn by the women of Beaufort, was presented to the local militia on George Washington’s Birthday in 1858. War clouds were gathering and the women used the occasion to present the BVA with its “colors” for use in anticipated battles with the North.
Sacred to the troops, “colors” were carried as rallying points and inspiration to follow into battle. Seriously damaged during the Battle of Port Royal Sound, the flag was mended by BVA soldiers who carried it through the rest of the war. At the surrender of BVA troops in 1865, one of the soldiers wrapped himself with it instead of giving it to Union forces, thereby claiming it was unsurrendered.
Restoration of the flag was sponsored by HBF and Gen. Richard H. Anderson Camp #47 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Many of its members trace ancestral ties to the BVA. The Gen. Stephen Elliott Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and private individuals also contributed to the restoration.
Among numerous other items to be displayed are a presentation sword that honored Dr. Stuart’s successful reorganization of the unit in 1878 and a portrait of Gen. Stephen Elliott that also left Beaufort to be housed at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA, until it was returned by Beaufort Museum volunteers in 1971.
The exhibit will be open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission is $10 per person and includes a tour of the Verdier House if desired. Admittance for schoolchildren is free. For additional information or to arrange a group tour, call 843-379-6335.
A special lecture and gallery tour will be presented by Ron Roth, curator of the exhibit, Monday, September 26th as part of HBF’s Dinner & A Lecture series.
Roth’s talk, Undaunted Valor: Stephen Elliott and the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery, will examine the BVA’s role in the Civil War under the leadership of its legendary captain, Elliott.
Roth was director and CEO of the Reading (PA) Public Museum and director of the Museum of Nebraska Art before moving to Bluffton. He was a seasonal historian for the Gettysburg National Military Park, and a licensed battlefield guide. He is currently vice president of the Civil War Roundtable of the Lowcountry.
For more information, please call Maxine Lutz at the Historic Beaufort Foundation at 379-3331.
