<b>Beaufort High to host winter dance &amp; concert</b>

The Beaufort High School Dance Department presents their Annual Winter Dance Concert on Thursday and Friday, December 10th and 11th at 7:00pm in The Arts Center at Beaufort High School. This year’s concert includes “Clara’s Dream, the Nutcracker with a Twist” along with student and class choreography. The performance will blend classical, contemporary, jazz and hip hop. Tickets are $7.00 general admission with children 5 and under free. For more information, contact the BHS Dance Ensemble at Teresa.baker1@beaufort.k12.sc.us or 843-322-2000.

<b>Therapy dog chapter holds certification test  </b>

Beaufort Chapter No. 229 of Therapy Dogs International will host a therapy dog test from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at BayView Manor, 11 S. Todd Dr. in Beaufort. To take the test, dogs must be more than one year old and must have attended a TDI pre-test clinic. Fee for the test is $10 per dog, and each dog requires a separate entry form. Dogs also must have a completed vet form, which will be sent to handlers when their completed registration form is received. Space in the test is limited. To see the test requirements, go to the TDI website, www.tdi-dog.org. To register for the test or for more information, contact Lynn Stratton at TDI229Beaufort@gmail.com or 843-522-0798.

<b>Act-So Program closes enrollment on Dec. 30</b>

The next scheduled meeting will be at the Upper Crust Restaurant located at 97 Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island on Saturday December 12 at 1 p.m. The enrollment period for the Act-So Program is still open. Applications will be accepted until December 30, 2015.

<b>Candice Glover to present Gospel Concert</b>

The Thumbs Up Children’s Learning Center will present “A Christmas Gospel Concert featuring Candice Glover and Friends” on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. The concert will be held at the Battery Creek High School Performing Arts Center in Beaufort and will include guest choirs: the Battery Creek High School Choir and the MLK Community Choir. Advance tickets sales are $35 (general seating), and a limited number of VIP tickets for $75 (include both reserved seating at the Gospel Concert and a December 11th Dataw Reception). All proceeds will benefit the Thumbs Up Educational Fundraising Campaign to support tuition and transportation costs for at-risk students in the after-school and summer programs. Tickets may be purchased Monday-Friday in-person or by mail from Thumbs Up, Inc., 914 Hamar St., Beaufort and the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce. Tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 4 p.m. for $35 the day of the concert.  For more information, call (843) 379-8882 or email: thumbsupbft@islc.net.

<b>USCB offers a series of chamber music</b>

The USCB Center for the Arts is the place to be at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, for a USCB Festival Series Chamber Music Concert. Listen to the suave grace and conversation of Mozart’s Duo for Violin and Viola, K. 423. Savor the dark colors of Gustav Mahler’s teenage Piano Quartet in a minor. Gasp at the nonstop clamor, high octane intensity, and brilliant virtuosity of American John Musto’s Piano Trio (1998). And be brought back to earth with the dramatic story telling and lush, impressionistic warmth of Fauré’s Piano Quartet in g minor. There is something for everyone. Depart with Mozart! Holler for Mahler! Greet Musto with gusto! Hooray for Fauré! Tickets start at $42. Call the office or purchase them online at www.uscb.edu/festivalseries.

<b>YMCA opens winter sports registration</b>

Registration for youth and adult basketball is now underway at the YMCA of Beaufort County. Youth basketball (age 3-12) registration is open until Dec. 29 with games starting January 4. Cost is $55 per person for Y members and $70 for non-members. Adult (age 18+) basketball registration is open until Dec. 21 with games starting Jan. 11. Cost is $40 per person for Y members, $50 for non-members, and teams are $250.

Registration for our Cheerleading Clinic (ages 4-10) is also underway at the YMCA through Jan. 3, 2016. Class is once per week for 5 weeks starting Jan. 3, 2016. Cost is $ 50 for Y members and $ 70 non-members. Class size is limited. Register for any of these programs at the YMCA located at 1801 Richmond Ave., in Port Royal, online at ymcabeaufortcounty.com or call 843-522-9622.

<b>Reserve your seat at the Legislative Luncheon</b>

Reserve your seat or table at the Legislative Luncheon on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at the Callawassie Island Club sponsored by the Beaufort County Association of Realtors, Lockheed Martin, and South Carolina Lowcountry Tourism Commission. Registration and networking begins at 11:00 a.m. and the program will begin at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $35 for members, $50 for non-members. A formal lunch will be served. Individual seats and tables of 8 or 10 are available. RSVP today by calling 843-525-8500 or emailing Valerie@BeaufortSC.org.

<b>Retina specialist to speak in Hilton Head </b>

Peter Liggett, M.D., a Hilton Head retina specialist, will conduct an educational seminar on macular degeneration from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13th, at the Country Club of Hilton Head at Hilton Head Plantation. The seminar will take place before the Lions Club luncheon. The public is invited to attend the seminar and the luncheon. To register for the seminar, call Heather Bragg at 843-415-3490 or RSVP at www.hhmr.org/lionsclub. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided during the seminar. Separate registration is required for the luncheon. To gain entry into Hilton Head Plantation, attendees only need to tell the plantation security guard that they are attending Dr. Liggett’s presentation.

<b>Save the date for a special event on Jan. 30</b>

A special event of the Beaufort Arts Council, The Harlem Renaissance, is being held January 30, 2016 at Tabby Place from 7 to 11 p.m. This event recognizes the unique cultural contributions of African-Americans and the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. All proceeds will benefit the Beaufort Arts Council’s programs and services. Enjoy the music, dance, food, silent auction, cash bar, and extraordinary entertainment when you join us for the Harlem Renaissance. Tickets are available at the Beaufort Arts Council at 2127 Boundary Street in Beaufort or online at www.beaufortartscouncil.org.

<b>History Museum announces new exhibit  </b>

The Beaufort History Museum announces a new exhibit comprised of striking, evocative photographs of St. Helena Island and the Beaufort area which portray the historic sea islands as they were over a hundred years ago and through much of the early to mid-20th Century. The exhibit, titled “A Place Called Home,” and based on a book of the same name, features the work of lifelong St. Helena Island residents and authors Sonny Bishop and his daughter, Elizabeth Bishop Later. It tells a story of growth, change, adversity, and the meaning of “home”. “A Place Called Home” will run through January 31. Tickets are available at the Visitors Center on the first floor of The Arsenal at 713 Craven St. in downtown Beaufort, at a cost of $5 per person, $4 for seniors and free for children and active duty military.