I am so proud to be the Mayor of a city that so adeptly pulled off the Candice Glove Homecoming on such short notice. And I want to express my thanks to at least some of the hundreds of people who, in three short days, seamlessly assembled a series of complicated events that under normal circumstances would have taken months to plan and execute.

[caption id="attachment_11128" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSCF3790.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-11128" alt="Mayor Keyserling presents Candice Glover with a “key’ to the city on stage at the American Idol concert last Saturday in downtown Beaufort. The key is made out of indigenous Bull Rush grass from a local basket weaver." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSCF3790-300x200.jpg" width="300" height="200" /></a> Mayor Keyserling presents Candice Glover with a “key’ to the city on stage at the American Idol concert last Saturday in downtown Beaufort. The key is made out of indigenous Bull Rush grass from a local basket weaver.[/caption]

First, I want to thank <b>Candice Glover</b> whose humble presence and magnificently “huge” voice has brought sunshine not only to her hometown but to the millions in front of whom she has performed.

I would like to thank the <b>Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce</b> for taking the helm and promoting and coordinating the event.

I would like to thank the <b>Water Festival Team</b> for investing their talents to assemble the stage, lights sound and manage the complicated logistics for the concert.

I would like to thank the <b>Pat Harvey Palmer and Lions Club.</b>

I would like to thank and commend <b>Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy and his officers, Beaufort County Sheriff PJ Tanner and his deputies and Chiefs Sammy Negron of the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department and Chief Bruce Kline of the Lady’s Island-St Helena Fire Department</b> for their contributions.  Also <b>Port Royal Mayor Sam Murray and his City Council </b>for “sharing” some of their capable law enforcement staff to complement the public safety team. It is my undersanding that with this team of officers and firefighters in place, there were no incidents and no accidents during the parade and concert.

I would like to thank <b>Governor Nikki Haley</b> for coming to Beaufort to be in the Parade and for designating the day as Candice Glover Day in South Carolina

I would like to thank <b>Mark Robertson</b> and his colleague from 98.7 Radio for agreeing, on very short notice, to be the unscripted Masters of Ceremonies.

I would like to thank <b>Beek Webb and the Beaufort County Open Land Trust</b> for letting the Elliot House be used as a staging area for Candice, her family, the governor and the producers of American Idol.

I would like to thank the literally hundreds of volunteers who did what needed to be done when it needed to be done.

And perhaps even more importantly, I would like to thank the people of Beaufort and the surrounding areas for participating.

Thank you, Beaufort. I am honored and proud to be your mayor.