Monday, June 3, 2013

SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY – on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Just before a full Carolina moon illuminated the old sea islands strung along our coastal area, a young girl from St. Helena Island near the small, historic town of Beaufort, S.C., took center stage in Los Angeles, California to win the title of “American Idol.”  The tall, 23-year old African American with a powerful voice, natural beauty and a quiet dignity, captured the hearts of thousands who followed her journey to the title.

Her name is Candice Glover, the first born of Carole and John Glover of St. Helena Island.  Her middle name should be “Perseverance”.  It was her third try at the title, this girl who never gave up her dream, who honed her powerhouse voice in the Oaks True Holiness Church, who grew up in a modest home on a dirt road bordered by a forest where wild blackberries grew and the smell of fresh pine and jasmine permeated the air.  It was here she was nurtured and influenced by the rhythms of life that pulsed in the marshes and streams, where her courage grew with the ebb and flow of the tides, who ended up on a stage with Aretha Franklin and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson.

Before the big win in Los Angeles, she flew home for a gala “Homecoming” in Beaufort, once called the “Newport of the South”, where there was a parade in her honor. Venerable antebellum homes with huge oak trees trailing weeping moss graced a true old south background for the cameras that came from Los Angeles to follow the newly minted star.  She gave a concert there for hundreds of fans.  One nearby mansion had been the setting for “The Big Chill”, now a cult film, one of many motion pictures filmed in the area where directors and producers love Beaufort’s soft light.  It is currently for sale for over $4 million.  Why not?  People come from all over the world to this area (especially to Hilton Head Island) to pay millions of dollars for a small piece of what Candice grew up with.  Pluff mud is probably in her DNA.  It is in mine; I am also a native of the Carolina Lowcountry.

She worked on Fripp Island, renting golf carts and scooters, traveling to work through the tiny hamlet of Frogmore, not far from Penn Center, where Dr. Martin Luther King held strategy sessions early on.  Part of the Gullah Geeche Cultural Heritage Corridor, this area was accepted as a National Heritage Area by the U.S. Department of the Interior.  It is the only one of 49 National Heritage Areas that specifically deals with African American history.

The road that is traveled here, leading to Dataw Island and Fripp Island, was once so deserted that exuberant teenagers would park their cars on the shoulders where wildflowers grew, turn up their radios and dance in the empty lanes.  They then continued on to the beach at Hunting Island State Park, climbed up tall sand dunes (now washed away) and slid down from the top toward the ocean.  The beach was bordered by a Palmetto forest which was the setting for war scenes in the film “Forest Gump”.  The shrimp boat scenes were shot in St. Helena Sound.  In certain areas of these old sea islands one can still find small wooden cottages with shutters painted blue, to keep “haints” away.  A Dr. Buzzard lived here and worked his voodoo magic.  If you believe, as many do, that Candice Glover has magic in her voice, she comes by it naturally. Then suddenly, she was singing the National Anthem at The Capital in Washington, D.C. for the Memorial Day Celebration! Proud, we feel so proud of her.

Toward the end of May, before summer set in, the annual Hilton Head U Savannah Equestrian Exposition, presented by Equus Ventures, LLC and chaired by a name etched in racing halls of fame, the great jockey Eddie Maple, who rode the famous racehorse Secretariat to victory (among many others) was held at Rose Hill Plantation.  White tents lined the sides of the playing field flanked by urns of flowers and hanging baskets filled with colorful blossoms.

Dr. Sandy Termotto (the Founder and President of Equus Ventures) was on the announcer’s stand describing the various equestrian events and later, a polo match.  Iva Welton, a petite dynamo who was responsible for placing the Gothic-Revival style Rose Hill mansion on the National Register of Historic Places and the Marketing Director for the event, watched from the VIP tent where a buffet of delectable edibles was arranged, the linen-covered table decorated with flowers.

Nearby was the Maples tent (Eddie and his wife, Karen, run the Rose Hill Equestrian Center).  Eddie greeted fans who were seeking his autograph or just wanting to shake his hand, always calm, friendly and well-mannered.  At the Termotto tent, Sandy’s wife, Linda (she with the beautiful eyes) charmed friends and guests and made sure they enjoyed a gourmet repast.  Interesting guests here were Dr. John Clements and his wife, Lyne.  He is a member of the Scottish American Military Society and was wearing a kilt!  There is always something unusual to see at these fun and exciting events that contribute so much to local charities.

To contact Diann: diannwilk@roadrunner.com

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