Soft Shell Crab Festival returns to Port Royal in April
All are invited to the 16th annual Soft Shell Crab Festival on Paris Avenue in Port Royal on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Local chefs will be serving favorite soft shell crab dishes as well as a variety of other festival foods.
In addition to a Classic Car Show from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., attendees can enjoy a Kids Zone featuring affordable rides for a variety of ages, face painting and balloon animals by local favorite Tux the Clown.
A variety of craft vendors will line Paris Avenue. Bikers Against Bullies will also be in attendance.
Live music will include Frogmore Stu playing from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., The Blues Boys performing from 1-2:30 p.m., and Bootless from 3-5 p.m.
The Rotary Club of Beaufort will hold its annual crab race on Battery Creek, with a top prize of $40,000 to one possible winner and 10 chances to win $5,000. More information about the 2019 crab race is available at www.portroyalcrabrace.com.
For more details or inquiries about the Soft Shell Crab Festival, please visit www.oldvillageportroyal.com or call (843) 986-2211.
Spring activities at Hunting Island State Park
There are fun, interesting and educational activities every day hosted by Park Ranger and Lowcountry Master Naturalist Megan Stegmeier.
Mondays: Secrets of the Salt Marsh, 4 p.m.
Tuesdays: CCC Video, 1 p.m.; Beach Walk, 3 p.m.
Wednesdays: Alligator Talk, 11 a.m.; Stepping Stones, 2 p.m. (April 24)
Thursdays: Interpretive Lighthouse Tour, 10 a.m. (April 25); CCC Video, 1 p.m.; Feeding Frenzy, 3 p.m.
Fridays: Fish Printing, 2 p.m. (April 19); Full Moon Lighthouse Climb, 8 p.m. (April 19)
Saturdays: Creatures of the Night (owls, raptors, bats), 2:30 p.m. (May 11, 25); Easter Egg Hunt, 9 a.m. (April 20)
For a description of these programs and a complete calendar of activities, go to southcarolinaparks.com/hunting-island and click on “Programs & Events.”
All are invited to attend these free events, though there is an entry fee to Hunting Island State Park and reservations are needed for lighthouse programs.
For more information, call 843-838-7437 or go to the Friends of Hunting Island website and the Facebook page: FOHI Sea Turtle Conservation Project.
Tour the Hunting Island Lighthouse
The Friends of Hunting Island will present a tour of the historic Hunting Island Lighthouse at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 25. Reservations are recommended by calling 843-838-7437.
There is a $2 fee and visitors must be 44 inches tall to climb the lighthouse. Keeper Ted and guides will discuss the history of the only lighthouse in South Carolina open to visitors.
Of special interest this month is the Friday, April 19, Full Moon Lighthouse Climb at 8 p.m. Fee is $10 per person. For pre-registration, call the Nature Center at 843-838-7437.
Port Royal hosting Air Show After Dark
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Beaufort County, the Town of Port Royal, and the Chamber’s Military Enhancement Committee, is proud to host Air Show After Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 27.
This free event following Saturday’s MCAS Beaufort Air Show will feature meet-and-greet time with the Blue Angels and other air show performers, musical selections by the Parris Island Marine Corps Brass Band and a fireworks display to end the evening. The festivities will be hosted at the Port of Port Royal.
Food will be available for purchase at an eclectic mix of food trucks on site. Port Royal neighborhood restaurants will also be open as normal.
Tour historic Fort Fremont
Travel back in time to the 1890s and the Spanish American War at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 27,
at the St. Helena Branch of the Beaufort County Public Library at 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island. Learn the history, see a scale model of Fort Fremont as it stood in 1898 and take a guided tour of the remains of the fortifications. The tour lasts approximately two hours. No reservations are necessary and it’s free and open to the public..
For more information, call the St. Helena Library at 843-255-6487 or visit fortfremont.org.
Women’s Coastal Skills Clinic at Hunting Island
An exclusive outdoor experience designed just for women, this three-day workshop, to be held April 26 to April 28, will expand knowledge of the Lowcountry while teaching useful skills. Learn about the lighthouse, cast netting, salt marsh kayaking, shell fishing and more.
The clinic costs $250 and is limited to 30 women, ages 16 and up.
Register early by calling 843-838-7437. Reservations are required.
Sleeping accomodations are your responsibility. Make reservations to bring your tent/RV by calling 843-838-2011.
Sea Island Center hosting Spirit Jam Monday, April 22
Saint Helena Island’s Sea Island Center, a multi-purpose venue for concerts, plays, storytelling and other events, will host a Spirit Jam Monday this month. Local musicians, singers and friends are invited to come out, have fun and share their music at this free event.
The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 22 at 876 Sea Island Parkway, the green building next to Red Piano Too.
Spirit Jam is a family-friendly, alcohol-free gathering for the local community to enjoy sharing their artistry and talents in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. No registration necessary. For more information, call Jane Caffrey at 732-259-1935 or Evelene Stevenson at 843-271-2478.
Next Beaufort Drum Circle is Thursday, April 25
All are invited to share some good vibes with the Beaufort SC Drum Circle. The Drum Circle gathers every second Monday of the month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and every fourth Thursday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Thursday, April 25 drum circle will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Contemplative Garden in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort.
Everyone is welcome to attend this family friendly event. No experience is necessary. Please bring a chair, a friend, and maybe an extra drum or hand percussion instrument if you have one to share.
For questions or to join the mailing list, email beaufortscdrumcircle@gmail.com or contact the Facebook page “Beaufort SC Drum Circle.”
Royal Pines holding community sale
Royal Pines will be holding a community yard and garden club sale on Saturday, April 27 from 8 to 11 a.m. The rain date will be Saturday, May 4.
YMCA to offer CPR classes
The Wardle Family YMCA, located at 1801 Richmond Ave in Port Royal, offers CPR classes for community members on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon on the following dates in 2019: May 11, June 8, June 22, July 20, August 17, September 7, September 19, and November 23.
Cost is $35 for this YMCA-certified course and those interested need to register at the Y as space is limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Questions? Contact Lou Bergen, Aquatics Director to register for this class. Call the Y at 843-522-9622 or visit beaufort-jasperymca.org
YMCA Puppy Plunge
YMCA’s Puppy Plunge will be held from 9-11 a.m. on the third Saturday of the month (weather permitting) at the Y outdoor pool (1801 Richmond Ave., Port Royal). Pups can splash, swim and play in our safe, enclosed outdoor pool area. The cost is $10 per pup and all proceeds benefit the Y’s Learn to Swim program, which teaches local children and adults to swim at a reduced cost or for free. Dogs must be well-behaved, current on all required vaccines and leashed until inside the pool area. Owners must be present at all times and humans are not permitted to swim in the Puppy Plunge. Visit beaufort-jasperymca.org or call 843-522-9622 for more information.
Get moving with Beaufort Track Club
Join the Beaufort Track Club at the Beaufort High School track from 6:30-7:30 p.m. each Tuesday night for an open community track workout. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts are posted each week to ensure that you are getting the workout that you need.
Visit the Facebook page “Beaufort Track Club” for more information.
Alligator talk at the Port Royal Sound Foundation
Join the Port Royal Sound Foundation for its Tuesday Talk series and learn all about local alligators from 5:30-7 p.m. April 30 at the Port Royal Sound Foundation Maritime Center in Okatie.
Tom Murphy, a wildlife biologist with more than 40 years of experience working with alligators, will present information on the research he has conducted while working for S.C. Department of Natural Resources. He’ll talk about how alligators function in their environment and relay information on his recent work with alligators inhabiting golf course ponds.
RSVP is required for this event. Tickets a $5 per person, free for those under 16. Call 843-645-7774 for more information.
Lowcountry Ladies Luncheon
The next Lowcountry Ladies Luncheon will be back in Bluffton on May 3 at the Oak Terrace at Rose Hill. The Luncheon event is intended to help support local women owned businesses and to help women network in effort to grow personally and professionally.
Registration is now open, and seating is limited. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online at Register lowcountry-ladies-luncheon. Interested vendors are to contact Laurie Brown at laurie@auntlauries.com for pre-approval. Vendor display tickets are $45 and include lunch. Vendor spots typically sell out, so register early.
Birthday for the Birds coming to Port Royal
The Town of Port Royal will celebrate the 7th Birthday for the Birds from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 4.
This one-of-a-kind event showcases Beaufort County’s wonderful natural resources, the Port Royal Rookery and Wetlands, along with the incredible wildlife within.
Representatives from the Fripp Island Wildlife Department will be onsite as they showcase many inhabitants of the wetlands including alligators and other species. Master Naturalists will be there to escort you educationally through a tour of the boardwalk through the wetlands, answering any questions.
There will be a Scavenger Hunt, wildlife tattoo stickers, local school children’s artwork, a Birthday Cake and did we mention Kazoos to play in the background as you tip your bird hats?
For more information or to volunteer, call Kate Hamilton Pardee at 508-221-7355 or email garyh2otreatment@gmail.com or capecodh2o@comcast.net.
