Port Royal Farmers Market Lunch &amp; Learn
The Lunch and Learn series will hold its final class of the 2011 season on Saturday, October 1, at the Port Royal Farmer’s Market. This free, open air class, will begin at 11:30 a.m.  Master Gardener Sandra Educate will conduct a class on Lasagna Gardening. Nope, not pasta, but a no dig, no till, no kill method of starting a garden bed. Lasagna gardens overcome the problems of poor soil, poor drainage and soil preparation.  Come to the big oak tree behind the Master Gardener table and be sure to bring a folding chair and a market basket to hold the locally grown produce and flowers. Classes will resume next spring.

YMCA kicks off Puppy Plunge this Saturday
To kick-off this year’s Puppy Plunge event, all canines are invited to take a dip in the YMCA outdoor pool at no cost! The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 1st from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and will continue on the first Saturday of each consecutive month. Following the FREE kick-off event, the cost is only $5 per canine and all proceeds benefit the “Learn to Swim” program at the Y!  “As soon as we close the outdoor pool for the summer, we open it up for the dogs!” says Mike Bostwick, CEO of Wardle Family YMCA. Canines of all breeds and sizes are welcome to attend. Humans are not permitted to swim in the Puppy Plunge. For more information, call 843-522-9622.

Freedom from Smoking series of classes held
The next session of Freedom from Smoking classes begins Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at LifeFit Wellness located at 989 Ribaut Road in Beaufort. This is the American Lung Association’s program to help people who want to break their tobacco habit and is considered the “gold standard” in smoking cessation programs. The classes last for seen weeks and have eight sessions where you learn your own smoking pattern, and how to deal with triggers and urges before you actually quit smoking! The cost of the program is $60 and preregistration is strongly recommended due to limited space. Please call 522-5635 to secure your seat soon. Kitty Parker CRT/RCP is the program facilitator.

Free notary public training for county
Secretary of State Mark Hammond is offering a free regional notary public seminar Tuesday, October 4 for all Beaufort County and surrounding county notaries and those interested in becoming a notary. Notaries public hold an important position of responsibility. It is critical to understand the duties and responsibilities of notaries under South Carolina law. Once commissioned as a notary public, it is the responsibility of the notary to maintain a level of training necessary to perform the duties of the position as required by law. This seminar will address state laws governing the duties and responsibilities of notaries. The unauthorized practice of law will also be addressed in a joint session with a representative from the South Carolina Bar. Attending a Notary Public seminar is not required — the seminar is a public service of the Secretary of State’s Office. You may register for the seminar at www.surveymonkey.com/s/7TQLRZG or by emailing rdaggerhart@sos.sc.gov.  Please state your name, the location of the seminar you wish to attend, and a telephone number. The seminar will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Black chamber of commerce to meet
The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) will hold a public meeting on Thursday, October 6, at its office at 801 Bladen St., at 11 a.m. The purpose of the meeting is to give the public an opportunity to become acquainted with a proposed Rural Development Project on 711 Bladen Street in Beaufort consisting generally of BCBCC new office space, training facilities, business incubators for new small businesses, showroom for local artists and a meeting facility. Citizens will have the opportunity to comment on such items as economic and environmental impact, service area and other alternatives.

Give blood at American Red Cross Blood Drive
The next Carteret Street United Methodist Church-sponsored American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2011 in the Fellowship Hall from noon until 6 p.m. ARC blood is distributed locally and around the world, wherever and whenever needed.   To make an appointment please, call 1-866-611-7137 or log onto www.givelife.org.  For the 1-866 number, after you get an answer press 2 (Option 2) for a Savannah-based operator. For questions, please call Merle Hoagland (522-2073) or e-mail merle13@embarqmail.com.
All Pro Dad will host Dad’s Day Breakfast
All Pro Dad will host its next Dad’s Day Breakfast on Friday, October 7 at 7 a.m. in the Coosa Elementary School Cafeteria.  Team up with other Coosa Elementary dads and kids for a quick, before-school breakfast and 45-minute program of fatherhood and family topics. This month’s topic is about “being humble.” All area dads and their kids are invited to attend this free event.  Space is limited so please RSVP to www.allprodad.com/dd/2508. Breakfast to be provided by Chick-fil-A.  For more information, please email Mike Mashke at mmashke@cbcnationalbank.com.

Beaufort Writers meet
Beaufort Writers meets every second and fourth Tuesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Lady’s Island Airport Conference Room. The next meetings will be Tuesday, October 11 and 25.

Lunch and Listen series sponsored by library
To get ready for the opening of the “New Harmonies” exhibit, the Beaufort library, USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, and the Friends of the Beaufort County Library have teamed up to present Lunch and Listen, a special music series featuring local musicians. These one hour lunchtime music performances will be held in the USCB Center for the Arts auditorium, 801 Carteret St. All Lunch and Listen music performances are free and open to the public. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and performances will last from noon to 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch or purchase one at Outtakes Cafe next door to the Performing Arts Center. Upcoming performances are:
• Monday, October 10, guitarist Craig Washington will play his favorite jazz selections on electric guitar.
• Monday, October 26th will feature Kirk Dempsey, of Dempsey Farms, performing soul stirring blues on harmonica and guitar.

AGLOW Area Team has annual conference
South Carolina AGLOW Area Team is having its annual Leadership Development Training Conference on Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Quality Inn at Beaufort Town Center. Speaker will be Joy Green of Florida who serves as the U.S. Director for the Southeast Region giving oversight to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. For cost or additional information, contact Gloria Gourdin at 843 407-6667 or scaglowareateam@yahoo.com.

Get tickets today for fall Auldbrass tour
Tickets are on sale now for the 2011 Auldbrass Plantation Tour in Yemassee held on November 5 and 6.. Tickets are $85 per person and there will also be a picnic lunch available at Tomotley Plantation for $15 per person. Although Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 projects during his long and prolific career, Auldbrass in Yemassee is the only plantation among them. It is also one of the largest and most complex projects he ever undertook. Wright had an unusually intense commitment to Auldbrass, and worked on it, off and on, for over twenty years, from 1938 until his death in 1959. On Saturday, November 5, the Land Trust is excited to host Eric Lloyd Wright (the grandson of the famed Frank Lloyd Wright) during a Special Lecture Event at the USCB Performing Arts Center in Beaufort.  Tickets for the Lecture Event are $50 per person. All tickets can be purchase via our website at www.openlandtrust.org (80% of the ticket purchases are tax deductible.) Any questions, please call the Open Land Trust office at 843-521-2175.


PaddleFest 2011 will be at Hunting Island
WHAT: PaddleFest 2011
WHERE: Hunting Island State Park, Lagoon, Parking Lot J
WHEN: Saturday, November 5, 1 p.m., start time
REGISTRATION: 11 a.m. Race Day at Hunting Island State Park
DESCRIPTION: 3 and 6 mile kayak, canoe, outrigger canoe and stand up paddleboard races which begin and finish in the Lagoon near Parking Lot J. All events will start together.  There are categories (kinds of boats) and divisions (age groups) for everyone! Awards ceremony and cookout will follow the events at Parking Lot J.
REGISTRATION: In person at Higher Ground, 2121 Boundary Street, Suite. 101, Beaufort, or www.active.com.
CONTACT: Tim at Higher Ground, 843-379-4327, or Dinah at 843-252-4820 Email: higherground@hargray.com, dinahbrock@me.com or visit www.HigherGroundBeaufort.com and www.active.com.

Historical society holds Fall Speaker Series
The Beaufort County Historical Society is pleased to announce their Fall Speaker Series.  All meetings are held at noon at the Beaufort Yacht &amp; Sailing Club, Meridian Rd., Lady’s Island. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend free. On Nov. 10 Kristine Dunn Johnson will speak on her book “No Holier Spot of Ground: Confederate Monuments and Cemeteries of South Carolina” and the history of the Beaufort U.S. National Cemetery. For more information, contact Pamela Ovens at sail@singlestar.us or call 843-785-2767.