Hilton Head Monthly Connecting the Lowcountry 
MAR. 17
PARADE DAY
ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION HEADING TO HILTON HEAD STREETS
David Lauderdale, senior editor and columnist for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, is the grand marshal for the 36th annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Cost to participate in the parade are $400 for businesses; $200 for nonprofit organizations. The parade starts at 3 p.m., Pope Avenue, south end of Hilton Head Island. www.hiltonheadireland.org or Bill Harper at 843-616-3604.
ST. ANDREW BY-THE-SEA UMCSERVING HILTON HEAD, BLUFFTON & THE WORLD
The day is about to dawn, and hundreds make their way at 7 a.m. to Coligny Beach to see the sunrise on Easter morning and to hear Good News from the pastors at St. Andrew By-The-Sea. For over 40 years, the church has provided the community with a place to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection as the sun appears across the ocean’s horizon. This year, at 7 a.m., St. Andrew will hold a new sunrise service at the Bluffton Oyster Factory Park by the May River where the church also hosts Christmas Eve under the Stars.
Mitchelville Preservation Project will present “The Women of Mitchelville” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 2 during its annual Freedom Day program, in partnership with the monthlong Gullah Celebration on Hilton Head Island. This program is part of a series focusing on the untold stories of the people of Mitchelville and their experiences during the Reconstruction Era. It will include a follow-up to the BBC series “The Hidden Dawn of Freedom” by Peter Jackson with an in-depth conversation between a descendant of Mitchelville and a descendant of Gen. Ormsby Mitchel and a performance by the renowned Marlena Smalls. Mitchelville is a testament to the perseverance of people who struggled to gain independence and went on to become a thriving community on Hilton Head.
The biblical story of Joseph and his famous coat will come to life Feb. 13-17 during Hilton Head Preparatory School’s performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
Don’t miss the Hilton Head Seafood Festival, a family-friendly, week-long culinary and cultural tourism event featuring top chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, local seafood, artisans, live music and more. The 12th annual Seafood Festival, hosted by the David M. Carmines Memorial Foundation, raises money for the Coastal Discovery Museum, Island Recreation Scholarship Fund, Waddell Mariculture Center, Port Royal Sound Foundation, Gullah Heritage Museum and Medical University of South Carolina.
FEB. 2
BLUFFTON ROTARY ANNUAL OYSTER ROAST: All-you-caneat fresh roasted local oysters, homemade chili, bratwurst, hot dogs, and our famous hand-cut fresh fries, plus live music by The Chiggers. $35. 5-8 p.m., Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, Bluffton. www.townofbluffton.sc.gov.
Sea Pines Montessori will mark its 50 years as an island institution with an anniversary Golden Gala from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. The school was the first Montessori program established in the state of South Carolina and was founded by Mary Fraser, wife of Sea Pines developer Charles Fraser.
