<b>Island Girls Night Out&nbsp;</b><b>being held March 23</b>

Island Girls Night Out, an opportunity to socialize, win prizes and meet new friends, will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at For The Birds and Gardens on 1002 Bay St.

This free event is sponsored by The Island News. Businesses that would like to book an IGNO can call Irene Goodnight at 615-243-4684.

<b>Gullah/Geechee offers&nbsp;</b><b>documentary showing</b>

A new program called the Gullah/Geechee TV &amp; Movie Club at Penn Center will launch with the documentary "Reconstruction: The Second Civil War" at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 23. A second part will be held on Thursday, April 27.

The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and Penn Center are partnering to host a series of movies at the St. Helena Branch Library. &nbsp;

These monthly gatherings will take place at 6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month.&nbsp;

Each showing will involve dialogues and links to additional educational resources for each film or TV broadcast.

The public is welcome.

For more information, email GullGeeCo@aol.com or call the History, Art &amp; Cultural Programs Department at Penn Center at 843-838-2432.

Visit www.gullahgeecheenation.com.

<b>Symphony orchestra&nbsp;</b><b>to present program&nbsp;</b>

The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra will hold “Hurray for Hollywood!” and “Bravo Broadway” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

There will be music from “Les Miserables,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “West Side Story.”

Performances will be held at Sea Island Presbyterian Church at 81 Lady’s Island Drive.

Tickets are $40; $15 for students. Tickets can be purchased at www.beaufortorchestra.org or by calling 800-595-4849.

<b>Arts council to&nbsp;</b><b>celebrate winners</b>

The Beaufort Arts Council and Adams Outdoor Advertising will host a public reception from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 23, to congratulate the 2016-2017 ArtPop Beaufort winners.

The event will be held at the Port Royal Sound Foundation’s Maritime Center, located at 310 Okatie Highway in Okatie.&nbsp;

In partnership with Adams Outdoor Advertising and ArtPop, the Beaufort Arts Council held its second annual ArtPop Beaufort program, a program that promotes local artists' work through available media space.&nbsp;

The 10 winners of the 2016-2017 ArtPop Beaufort Program selected by a jury of seven include: David Shipper, Nancy Adams, Mary Lester, Zach Grether, John K. Crum, Julie Jones, Michael B. Karas, Eve Miller, Sandy Dimke and Michael Reibel.&nbsp; Their winning artwork can be viewed on billboards throughout Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties.

Visit www.beaufortartscouncil.org for additional information on the winners and images of their submissions. &nbsp;

For more information, visit email artpop@artsbft.com.

<b>Friends of Fort Fremont&nbsp;</b><b>to hold oyster roast</b>

Friends of Fort Fremont is hosting its annual oyster roast from 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Port Royal’s Live Oak Park.

There will be a silent auction, oysters, appetizers, dessert and live music. Guests should bring beverages and chairs.

Tickets are $30 per person.&nbsp;

Visit fortfremont.org for more information on tickets.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<b>Women's Conference&nbsp;</b><b>set for March 25</b>

A women's conference entitled "Blooming for Christ" is planned for Saturday, March 25, at Red Dam Baptist Church in Hardeeville.&nbsp;

The event, which is free and open to the public, is geared for women ages 13 and up, and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the program will wrap at 3 p.m.&nbsp;

Keynote speakers will be Sandy Lore during the morning session beginning 9 a.m. on the topic "In the Garden - Genesis 2.8," followed by Fayth Lore during the afternoon session with a message of "Whatsover a 'Daughter' Sows - Galations 6:7-10."

Door prizes and favors will be given throughout the day. A nursery will be provided for children 3 and under.&nbsp;

RDBC is located at 488 Red Dam Road. For more information, call 843- 784-6083, email info@reddambaptistchurch.org.

<b>Tour Fort Fremont&nbsp;</b><b>on March 25</b>

Friends of Fort Fremont is offering its free monthly docent-led tour on Saturday, March 25.&nbsp;

The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Helena Branch Library, where guests will see a scale model of the 1898 Fort Fremont and learn its history and then travel to Land’s End to see the remains of the fort today.&nbsp;

For more information, visit fortfremont.org or call the library at 843-255-6486.

<b>Musical program&nbsp;</b><b>coming to Fripp</b>

The Fripp Island Friends of Music will hold an upcoming program featuring singer-songwriter Kathy Tugman and her trio.

Tugman has amassed a buffet of music, including spirituals, lullabies, jazz, popular tunes, and, in her latest release, “Love Song Nineteen,” gritty, “bluebilly” music.&nbsp;

The event will be held at 5 p.m. March 26, at the Fripp Community Center, 205 Tarpon Blvd.&nbsp;

Tickets at the door at $25 for adults; students are free.&nbsp;

Visit www.frippfriendsofmusic.com or call 843-838-1777.

<b>Letters For Hope&nbsp;</b><b>to be held March 26</b>

A letter writing campaign expressing concerns over the replacement for the Affordable Care Act will take place from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 26, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Lowcountry, 110 Malphrus Road in Bluffton.

Letters For Hope is a letter writing campaign with the primary goal to voice concerns to politicians in a constructive and compassionate manner through hand-written letters.&nbsp;

Limited writing supplies, including paper, pens, envelopes and postage, will be available.&nbsp;

This event is family friendly. Parents are encouraged to bring children.&nbsp; Worksheets with tips on how to write a letter, along with addresses for local politicians, also will be provided.

Register by calling 843-415-3490 or e-mailing info@lettersforhope.org.&nbsp;

Visit www.lettersforhope.org.

<b>Lectures focus on history&nbsp;</b><b>at upcoming events</b>

“The History &amp; Art of Cigar Making” will be held from 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at the Santa Elena History Center at 1501 Bay St. in Beaufort.

The speaker will be Cuban-born Juan Carlos Jiménez, who from his own factory in the Dominican Republic has been producing handcrafted Cuban seed cigars for the past 20 years.&nbsp;

Tickets are $10.

Also at the center:

• “Fort Fremont: Homeland Security at the Dawn of the 20th Century” will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Santa Elena History Center at 1501 Bay St. in Beaufort.

Fort Fremont was a Spanish-American War era fortification on the shores of historic Port Royal Sound in Beaufort. Fort Fremont closed the book on a 350-year history of coastal fortifications in Beaufort, beginning with the establishment of French and Spanish forts on Parris Island in the&nbsp;16th Century.&nbsp;

This lecture will highlight the strategic significance of Port Royal Sound and discuss the history of Fort Fremont in the context United States security concerns at the dawn of the 20th Century.

Tickets are $10.

• “Review of the Book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25.&nbsp;

The book “Sapiens” by historian Yuval Harari explores the history of humankind. &nbsp;

Dr. Andy Beall reviews the anthropology, science, social development, and economics Harari includes in his work.

Tickets are $10.

• On Saturday, March 25, the center invies the public to meet Eliza Lucas Pinckney and discover how she developed indigo on her father’s plantation and created a profitable industry for South Carolina planters.

For tickets, visit santa-elena.org/calendar-of-events.

<b>Fort Frederick topic&nbsp;</b><b>at March 27 event</b>

Beaufort’s oldest tabby ruin excavated to tell the story of British occupation “The Inevitable Evolution of Fort Frederick,” a Telly Award-winning documentary about the archaeological investigation of&nbsp; Fort Frederick on the grounds of the Naval Hospital will be the topic of Dinner &amp; a Lecture sponsored by Historic Beaufort Foundation.

The event will be hold on Monday, March 27, at the Verdier House, 801 Bay St. in Beaufort.&nbsp;

The story of the excavation of the oldest tabby structure in South Carolina will be presented by archaeologist/photographer Meg Gaillard of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust Program.

A wine and hors d’oeuvre reception begins at 5:30 p.m.; the program will be from 6-7 p.m.

Admission for members is $15/$25 per member/couple. Nonmember admission is $20/$30 per person/couple.&nbsp;

Call 843-379-3331 to make reservations. Reservations for Saltus River Grill’s special for lecture ticket-holders may be made by calling Saltus at 843-379-3474.

<b>Woman talk about books&nbsp;</b><b>at upcoming series</b>

Following are some upcoming events related to “Women of Carolina: A Let’s Talk About It Series.”&nbsp;

These events are sponsored by the Pat Conroy Literacy Center.

• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30

&nbsp;Julia Eichelberger (College of Charleston) discusses Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees,” the national best-seller that became the subject of a major motion picture.

• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13

Valinda Littlefield (University of South Carolina, Columbia) discusses Dori Sanders’ “Clover,” the Lillian Smith Award-winning first novel from the upstate peach farmer
turned author.

All discussions will be held at the main branch of the Beaufort County Library at 311 Scott St., Beaufort.&nbsp;