Hilton Head News

A pianist from South Korea won the 2019 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Chaeyoung Park was the first-prize winner, followed by Jakub Kuszlik of Poland in second and Anna Han of the United States in third. Medalists were Arisa Onoda of Japan, Yi-Yang Chen of Taiwan and Yuchong Wu of China. 

Pet owners and dog lovers are invited to join the Hilton Head Humane Association at 8:30 a.m. April 27 for the nonprofit group’s annual Dog Walk on the Beach fundraiser at Coligny Beach. This year’s event marks the 22nd time that people and a small army of dogs will take to the beach to raise money for the shelter. The walk is a great way for your four-legged family members to make new friends or to reconnect with old friends from the shelter.

A 300-apartment complex has been suggested for the Hilton Head Christian Academy Campus after the school moves off of Hilton Head Island in 2020.

Charleston-based Spandrel Development Partners filed an application with the Town of Hilton Head Island to change the property’s zoning to allow for residential development and proposed six buildings up to 55 feet tall, parking and amenities on the 13.8-acre site. The buildings “could include a mix of apartments from 500 square feet up to three-bedroom units of about 1,800 square feet,” according to the application. Wood + Partners representatives estimated rents would be $1,200 a month for a studio and $2,400 for a three bedroom, though rents have not been finalized. 

The Breeze trolley service will operate significantly later this season, according to executive director of Mary Lou Franzoni.

Trolley service resumed April 1 on Hilton Head with a significantly later schedule than last year. Trolleys run 1-10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 1 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Lincoln Continental has been selected as the Honored Marquee for the 2019 Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance. The event will take place Nov. 3, the final day of the twoweekend celebration that is the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival. 

The April issue of Southern Living magazine includes lots of love for Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Beaufort. Hilton Head was named The South’s Best Beach Town 2019 in the magazine’s third annual crowd-sourced South’s Best Awards. Hilton Head won the title last year as well; its beaches, wildlife and Gullah community — which the magazine called “one of the great American cultures” — were cited as factors for the win.

SoundWaves, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s new rehearsal and performance venue in the Coligny area, soon will have a new performance lighting system thanks to a new lease with the Town of Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Island said goodbye to historian Lou Benfante on March 9. Benfante was best known for his efforts to preserve, protect and showcase the history of Hilton Head at the Heritage Library’s History & Ancestry Research Center. As board president of the nonprofit group, he helped create the Revolutionary War History Park planned for the land around St Luke’s Parish Zion Chapel of Ease Cemetery, scheduled to break ground in 2026.

One of the best thing about where we live is how giving our community is. Has your business or organization given back to the community? Submit your photos to editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com for this section. Space is limited.

PLAID ABOUT READING PROGRAM EXPANDS TO CHARLESTON

Now in its ninth year, the Heritage Classic Foundation’s annual Plaid About Reading program, presented by Future Scholar, has has hit a record number of entries. Twenty-one elementary schools from Hilton Head Island to Charleston participated in the Plaid About Reading program Feb. 4-15 for a chance to win Heritage tickets and money for their schools and to meet PGA Tour golfers. The lighthearted scholastic competition gives area elementary school students in grades kindergarten through fifth a chance to win $500 for their school, $150 for their class, tickets to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing and the chance to meet a professional golfer at Coca-Cola Youth Day, held the Tuesday of tournament week.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO MONTHLY

Hilton Head Island residents shouldn’t spend too much time looking for new Mayor John McCann at Town Hall. His sparse office, dominated by a meeting table and the emblem of his beloved New York Yankees emblazoned on the wall, signals that the mayor does not plan to spend much time there.

“I’ve only used this office twice in two months,” McCann, 78, said recently. “I want to be out there as much as I can.”

Low-cost Allegiant announced early Tuesday that it plans to add nonstop flights from Savannahto two more cities starting June 6. The seasonal flights will connect Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport to Albany, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island.Introductory fares will be as low as $49 each way, according to a news release from Allegiant.

After two orange alligators were spotted in Bluffton last month, local residents worried that the alligators’ carrot color were a sign of pollution. But experts at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources said the unusual hue was probably due to alligators hibernating somewhere near rust, like by an old drainage pipe. Alligators typically emerge from hibernation in February. Once they spend some time away from the source of the rust, their coloration will fade back to normal.

Turn off your lights at 8:30 p.m. March 30 for an hour to express solidarity with environmental conservation efforts around the world. Earth Hour was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Since then, it has grown to include events in more than 180 countries and territories worldwide. People who participate often host candlelit dinners, go stargazing, throw Earth Hour parties or simply switch off their lights for an hour. Learn more by following the hashtag #Connect2Earth.

The widening of Interstate 95 from Yemassee to Georgia will include six additional driving lanes to alleviate road congestion. State transportation officials approved the project, which will cost more than $1 billion, with work expected to begin in 2023 at the earliest. Additionally, more than $25 million in funds will be allocated to fixing 30 roads in Beaufort and Jasper counties. The 10-year SCDOT plan will be funded by a 2017 statewide gas tax increase.

Hilton Head Island Town Council recently named 13 local residents to serve on the new Hilton Head Island U.S. 278 Gateway Corridor Committee. The committee will work with the South Carolina Department of Transportation as it plans improvements along U.S. 278 from the intersection of Moss Creek Drive to the intersection of Spanish Wells Road.