By Terry Shirley

It is hard to pick just one memory, but I would have to say being a Pirette. As a young girl growing up in Beaufort, I always dreamed of being a Pirette, an ambassador for the Beaufort Water Festival. When this dream came true in the mid 70s, I was thrilled. Being a Pirette was made even more special because I was able to serve in the capacity with many of my friends — it was awesome! The Beaufort Water Festival has been a part of Beaufort’s history for more than 50 years. I was fortunate to have been a small part of that history.

By Susan Malphrus Kopanski
There are so many wonderful memories I have of growing up in Beaufort, but one of my favorites was the summer of 1965 when I was 7 years old. It was the Beaufort Water Festival and my family would spend the entire day on Saturday at the water front on Bay Street.
We would watch the parade, have a picnic lunch and maybe take a nap under a big oak tree. Then we would watch the Blue Angels perform over the water while we ate boiled peanuts — my favorite! My mom made matching red, white and blue outfits for my three sisters, my brother and myself — very patriotic. In the late afternoon, we went swimming in the river, clothes and all. I love living in Beaufort. There is no other place I’d rather live.

<em>Beaufort Then &amp; Now: This moment in Beaufort’s history is an excerpt from the book “Beaufort ... Then and Now,” an anthology of memories compiled by Holly Kearns Lambert. Copies of this book may be purchased at Beaufort Book Store. For information or to contribute your memory, contact Holly at lowcountrymemories@hotmail.com or beaufortmemories@gmail.com.</em>