<b>Holiday home tour celebrates Catholic education</b>

Beaufort's Homes for the Holidays fifteenth annual tour of homes will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20, and will include St. Peter's Catholic Church and school prior to five private homes along nearby Burckmyer Beach.

Special attention this year is in celebration of the school’s 25 years of educating Catholic and families choosing a faith-based education for their children.

Local interior design experts and florists will participate in what is now one of the region's most state-of-the art home tours.

Designers include Scout Southern Market; Hollyhocks; Sweet Bay ALL on Bay; Tober Floral, WED; and McGlynn Sadler Designs.

A festive Christmas atmosphere includes refreshments and music to spark the season.

Tour times are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday with parking only at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Tickets can be purchased downtown at designers on Bay Street, at the church and on tour days.

<b>Christian women’s group to hold holiday lunch</b>

The Lowcountry Christian Women's Connection Christmas Luncheon and Holiday Jubilee will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Hampton Hall Clubhouse.

The guest speaker will be author, singer and comedienne Tempe Brown, whose topic will be " Putting the Puzzle of Life Together Without the Box Lid!"  Her CDs and book, “The Little Dirt People,” will be available for purchase. Lunch is $25 and must be prepaid by Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Make checks payable to "CWC Bluffton" and mail to Irene Cusato, 7 Nesting Lane, Bluffton, SC 29909. For more details, call 843-705-7604.

<b>Habersham to host </b><b>classic car show</b>

An Antique and Classic Car Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Market Place in Habersham. The event will benefit Thumbs Up, an educational center providing a one-on-one homework assistance and tutoring approach for disadvantaged children in Beaufort. The event will include cars of yesteryear, live music, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Admission and parking are free.

<b>Arts Council offers open call for artists</b>

The Beaufort Arts Council/Mather Academy will host an open call for it December gallery show, Holidays in the Lowcountry.

The Beaufort Arts Council is inviting all novice and professional artists of any medium to submit up to five winter- and/or holiday-themed pieces by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28, at 916 Port Republic St. in Beaufort. The exhibit will run throughout December. Visit www.beaufortartscouncil.org, call 8433-379-2787 or email infor@artsbft.com.

<b>Holiday hilarity </b><b>on tap with </b><b>‘Christmas Belles’</b>

Coastal Stage Productions returns for the holiday season with the holiday comedy “Christmas Belles.”

It's Christmas-time in Fayro and the Futrelle Sisters are trying to keep the Tabernacle of the Lamb's Christmas Program from spiraling into chaos. Things are not looking too promising, but the feuding sisters find a way to pull it together.

“Christmas Belles” will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20, at The Shed Event Venue, 809 Paris Ave., Port Royal; and at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at Main Street Theatre, 3000 Main St., Hilton Head.

Tickets are $15 for students (18 and under) $18 for adults in advance, $20 at the door. Visit www.brownpapertickets.com or call the box office (including for group pricing) at 912-656-1598.

<b>Latin Music Festival to be held at </b><b>Shelter Cove </b>

The La Isla Latin Music Festival has been rescheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, at Shelter Cove Community Park, 39 Shelter Cove Lane, on Hilton Head Island. The festival was originally intended as a celebration of Latino Heritage Month, but had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew.

This festival is expected to welcome more than 6,000 guests from all over the region. Entertainment will consist of four Latin music bands of varying genres, two folkloric Latin dance groups, professional salsa instructors and lessons and a couples’ dance competition.

There will be more than 50 vendors offering Latin food from Mexico to Argentina, Latin beers, margaritas, sangria, Cuba libres, and plenty of treats for the kids.

There will also be a massive kids zone, climbing walls, bungee jumps, a magician, arts and crafts, face painting, sweets, and nonprofits and many businesses excited about reaching out to the Latino community. The festival’s feature event is the Miss La Isla Community Pageant.

This year’s selected Miss La Isla nonprofits are Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse (CODA), Health Community Project, supervised by the Lowcountry Immigration Coalition, Mercy Mission in Jasper County, supervised by Catholic Charities, The Children’s Rehabilitation Institute of Teleton USA and The Literacy Center. For more information, call 843-681-2393.

<b>Bluffton book fest </b><b>coming Nov. 19</b>

The first Bluffton Book Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, in historic Old Town Bluffton.

The day-long event will feature author presentations, book signings, children’s activities, raffles and a “taste of Gullah” with more than 30 local authors in attendance.

All proceeds from the Meet the Authors VIP Party and raffles will benefit The Literacy Center along with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

<b>History museum to hold dinner, lecture</b>

The Beaufort History Museum, in partnership with the Beaufort County Library, will present Native American Myths, Poetry &amp; Trickster Tales from 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30.

November is Native American Heritage Month. This interesting and entertaining talk will transport you to a magical past through the poetry, myths and trickster tales of Native Americans.

The lecture will be held at the Beaufort Branch Library at 311 Scott St. It is free to the public but donations will be accepted. Registration and updates on future history lectures in the series can be found at beauforthistorymuseum.com.

<b>Meet the Authors </b><b>party set for Nov. 18 </b>

Join fellow book lovers for a Meet the Authors VIP Party from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at Hilton Head BMW, 1230 Fording Island Road in Bluffton.

The event will feature authors Nick Chiles, Ellen Malphrus, Denene Millner and Sarah Pekkanen. There will also be a Lowcountry barbecue, beer and wine and an opportunity to talk one-on-one with the guest authors. A ticket purchase automatically enters you into a raffle for an opportunity to win a three-night vacation at any Sandals Resort.

All proceeds will benefit local adult and family literacy programs.Visit theliteracycenter.org/events/vip-party-tickets.

<b>Santa Claus coming </b><b>to farmer’s market</b>

Santa Claus is coming to town … to the Port Royal Farmers' Market to be exact.

This holiday season Smile for Santa, a new event sponsored by The Beaufort Garden Club, will take two photos of kids and pets with Santa Claus during the first three Saturdays in December at the Gazebo at the Port Royal Market. The events will be held from 9 a.m. to noon.

Kids and pets will have two photos taken with Santa when they visit him in the Gazebo. These holiday photos will then be emailed.

The suggested donation is $5, cash only. Donations will benefit charities and/or civic beautification projects that the Beaufort Garden Club supports, such as the Coastal Conservation League, the Open Land Trust, the National Cemetery, Garden a Day and various scholarships.