Church hosts annual Thanksgiving Dinner
The Parish Church of St. Helena will host the 32nd Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner and Community Service on Thanksgiving Day at 507 Newcastle Street, Beaufort. The Community Thanksgiving Service will be held in the 299-year-old Parish Church at 11 a.m., where worshippers will gather to first give to thanks to the Lord. Following the service, dinner and fellowship will be served across the street in the Parish House. All are welcome. Dinner will be served from noon to 2 p.m. Take away meals are available from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for those who want to carry meals to the elderly or home-bound. The dinner is a gift to the community with admission being a smile and a thankful heart.

Noted leaders discuss Beaufort’s history
Brought to you by Leadership Beaufort Alumni Association and Cosponsored by Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Beaufort Leadership History will be held Wednesday, November 30, 5:30 p.m. Social, 6 p.m. program at the Beaufort Arsenal. Cost:  Free. A noted historian and the city’s current mayor will join longtime former Mayor Henry Chambers in a discussion of Beaufort leaders past and present at a free Leadership Beaufort Alumni Association forum Nov. 30.   Larry Rowland, history professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, and Mayor Billy Keyserling also will participate in the event. The panel will discuss the history of Beaufort’s leaders.  Keyserling, a former state legislator and city councilman, has been mayor since 2008. Chambers was mayor from 1969 to 1990, and his tenure included conversion of the city’s run-down waterfront to the public park that now bears his name. Rowland is an authority on local and state history and is one of the authors of the 1996 book “The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina: 1514-1861.” RSVP appreciated for planning purposes but not required.  Information: Contact Charlotte Gonzalez, LBAA secretary, at 843-575-2366 or  charlotte.gonzalez@yahoo.com.

Chamber holds annual Legislative Reception
When:  Thursday, December 1, 6 - 8 p.m.
Where:  Historic Beaufort Arsenal, 713 Craven Street, Beaufort
Cost:  $35 for members, $70 for non-members
What: The Annual Legislative Reception provides an opportunity for chamber members to networking with local and state elected officials.  The chamber will present our 2012 Legislative Agenda to our elected officials.  Additionally, our state legislative delegation will have an opportunity to discuss their goals for the upcoming legislative session. Please RSVP to Amy Kaylor at amy@beaufortsc.org or 843.525.8524.

Garden Clubs plant trees for Arbor Day
The Beaufort Council of Garden Clubs, in collaboration with the City of Beaufort, will be planting Golden Rain Trees in the newly named Neils Christensen Park at Pigeon Point on Arbor Day,  December 2 at 10 a.m.  The trees are to honor Arbor Day as well as to mark the historic 300th anniversary of Beaufort.
Also, on December 10 at noon at the National Cemetery, the national organization of Wreaths Across America will be placing wreaths.  The Beaufort Council of Garden Clubs has donated to this worthwhile project for the past few years and will continue placing wreaths at the National Cemetery honoring our veterans this year. For more information, call Cecile Dorr at 843-838-2781.

‘Pocahontas’ will be performed at BHS
“Pocahontas” will be performed by The Gingerbread Theater at Beaufort High School Auditorium.  A talented group of young actors bring to life more than just the legend of a princess. They bring to life a story of a young girl who stands up for what she believes in and does what was right, even when it is difficult to do so.  Performances are Saturday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m.  Tickets are $3.  For more information, please call 322-2152.

Fripp Friends of Music brings back pianist
Fripp Island Friends of Music brings back pianist Thomas Pandolfi.  Julliard graduate Pandolfi, a leading interpreter of George Gershwin, will perform selections from Liszt, Chopin and Gershwin. Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. at Fripp Island Community Center, Fripp Island. The cost is $20 a person; $10 for students. Free Fripp pass at gate. Attendees are invited to join the artist at a catered event after the performance. For details www.islc.net/friendsofmusic/ or call 843-838-6655.

Writing workshop explores memoirs
Treat yourself to a break from the stresses of the season with a relaxing, toes-in-the-sand sort of experience. Join fellow writers for an Afternoon of Memoir on Sunday, December 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. We’ll use author Natalie Goldberg’s (“Writing Down the Bones”) method of timed writing practice to springboard creating chunks of memoir that you can then weave into a story based on memories for yourself, friends and/or family members. You can even roll your creation, tie it with a ribbon and sneak it into stocking as a gift from the heart. Bring a favorite notebook or journal, several just-right pens and a desire to spend a couple of hours in your creative, nurturing right brain in my sunlight-filled home at 72 Bostick Circle in Battery Point. The cost is $35 per person. I am a freelance writer workshop leader and writing coach. Memoir is my best-loved genre. For more info, contact Katherine Tandy Brown at (843) 379-5886 or ktandybrown@gmail.com.

42nd Senior Citizens’ Tea will be at MCAS
The 42nd Senior Citizens’ Tea hosted by the Officers’ Spouses Club of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort will be held at the MCAS Officers Club on Sunday December 11 from 1 to 3 p.m.  The Tea, a favorite event for local senior citizens is an afternoon of fun, food, entertainment and holiday cheer.  All senior citizens are welcome and there is no cost to attend.  Limited transportation is available.  Join us for this time honored tradition; RSVP by November 30 to Kate Jindrich at (843) 476-6948 or katejindrich@yahoo.com for reservations and information.

Photo With Santa Fundraiser at studio
Captured Moments Photography at 1402 King Street in Beaufort is hosting a three day ‘Photo With Santa Fundraiser’ to benefit HELP of Beaufort. Bring your little ones to the studio on December 12, 13, or 14 from 3 to 7 p.m. and have their photo taken with Santa Claus himself.  Who needs a drive to the shopping mall this year? Cost per sheet is $20, and portions of the proceeds benefit HELP of Beaufort. Please call Captured Moments Photography at 843-379-0223 for more information.
Drop off locations for Toys for Tots campaign
• Once again this year, Ballenger Realty is a drop-off location for the Toys For Tots campaign.  Please bring your new, unwrapped toys which will be distributed as Christmas gifts to the Lowcountry needy children between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Ballenger Realty, 613 Carteret Street.  There is ample parking on the side and back of the building.
• You can also drop off your toys at Merry Maids, 829 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort, SC  29906, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 522-2777.

Groups offer weekly bereavement meetings
BEREAVEMENT GROUP
When: Every Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Where: Summit Place of Beaufort
1119 Pick Pocket Plantation Drive
Beaufort, SC  29902
Tidewater Hospice and Summit Place have joined together to offer a weekly bereavement group. This free forum will provide help to people who have experienced a loss and would like support and information associated with grief and bereavement. This is a group for those who have experienced a death of a loved one.  Participants will explore, within a trusting and nurturing environment, their reactions to loss, learn about the grieving process, develop strategies for coping and begin to integrate this change into their lives in order to move forward.  For more information, contact: Marie James, MA, Tidewater Hospice at 843.757.9388.

Beaufort Writers meet
Beaufort Writers meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Lady’s Island Airport Conference Room. The next meeting will be December 13.

Beaufort Belles chorus welcomes new members
The Beaufort Belles, a ladies chorus, will begin rehearsing for their annual spring show on Monday, January 9, 2012.  They meet every Monday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room at the Baptist Church of Beaufort on Church St.  Questions call 524-1888, 838-5787 or visit www.beaufortbelles.com.

Beaufort Business Alliance to meet
The Beaufort Business Alliance, a division of BNI (Business Networking International), is currently accepting applications for new members. BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world and this is an exclusive one business per industry networking group. The Beaufort Business Alliance offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals. Meetings are every Tuesday afternoon from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on the third floor of the Beaufort Town Center (above Moe’s &amp; Jimmy John’s). Contact: Joel Iacopelli at 843-524-6954.