Hilton Head Monthly Connecting the Lowcountry 
THE CHURCH OF THE CROSS ROOTED IN THE PAST, EMBRACING THE FUTURE
On June 27, The Church of the Cross marked 165 years since construction began on its eye-catching, Gothicstyle building on the edge of the May River in Bluffton.
The historic church survived not only the burning of Bluffton during the Civil War, but also the hurricane of 1898 and other storms over the years.
HHI GETS NEW ART STUDIO
Sonja Griffin Evans has opened a new art studio and gallery bearing her name at 32 Palmetto Bay Road Suite10A. Her paintings, mixed media art and handmade jewelry are influenced by Gullah culture. Griffin Evans is an internationally acclaimed artist who was born and raised in Beaufort.
In the Bible’s first creation story in Genesis 1, human beings are commanded to care for the Earth and all living things.
A group of members at Lowcountry Presbyterian Church are taking those words to heart, making it their mission to do what they can to protect and clean up the land that humans have polluted for hundreds of years.
SALLY MURPHY’S NEW BOOK RECOUNTS EARLY CONSERVATION EFFORTS
People have always told Sally Murphy that she should write a memoir.
After all, as a biologist and environmentalist with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources, she spent three decades getting a lot closer to the endangered species than most people. She was among the first to document threats — like shrimp nets — to the state’s turtles, and successfully advocated for mandatory turtle excluder devices that helped them escape the nets.
POCKETS FULL OF SUNSHINE HELPS DISABLED ADULTS LIVE FULLER LIVES
Blake Gannon enjoys swimming, going to the movies, listening to music and working on his computer. He loves his cat Suki, and his eyes light up when his younger sister, Whitaker, walks in the room.
The 27-year-old Hilton Head Island man is intelligent, organized and able to stay on task mentally for long periods of time, according to his parents, Andrea and Chris Gannon. But Blake’s autism makes communicating difficult and hinders his ability to live and work independently.
THREE LOCAL BOYS COMPLETE EAGLE SCOUT PROJECTS
Becoming an Eagle Scout requires dedication — plus a certain amount of time and maturity. For three Lowcountry teens, it also required a significant amount of sweat.
Jake Lopko and brothers Andrew and Matthew Sherbune all set out to achieve the highest possible rank in scouting, and all three chose to do their community service projects outside.
FUSION FIT BLUFFTONKICKS OFF WORKOUTS
Fusion Fit Bluffton is a new group training program of 45-minute workouts that encompass strength, metabolic training, and movement to help people burn fat and boost metabolism, lose weight and get lean, toned and fit. The small group, strength-training based workouts are offered at Move Fitness in Bluffton and Wellness Institute Physical Therapy in Okatie.
MORTEN SOLBERG BRINGS NEW DIMENSION TO LOWCOUNTRY SCENES
Every time Morten Solberg and Terri, his wife of 44 years, go out for dinner, he pulls out a pen and sketches something on a piece of paper. And then he leaves the drawing for someone else to discover.
Those who find his sketches in the restaurants of Bluffton and Hilton Head Island might not know how lucky they are: Solberg is a wildlife painter and abstractionist of considerable renown, both in the United States and abroad. His works — done in watercolors, oils and acrylics — sell for thousands of dollars.
LOCAL ARTISTS SAY AREA COULD DO MORE TO SUPPORT CREATIVITY
Candace Lovely has painted at some pretty impressive addresses — like the First Lady’s Garden, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.
The nationally recognized Impressionist painter was commissioned by Barbara Bush to create her official portrait at the White House during George H.W. Bush’s presidency.
But despite her successes, Lovely recently turned to the community for help when she fell on hard time— and says her situation is an example of the struggle facing artists in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton who are trying to make a living.
TRIPLE THREAT
When it comes to achieving goals, Rachel Stratton is a big believer in balance: “I like to get things done so I can be ready for what’s coming next.”
And she’s certainly getting things done. In just the past few months, she has shared the stage at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina with Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy and earned two awards from the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including the People’s Choice Award, for her “What’s in Your Water?” project, examining whether containers marketed as BPA-free truly are.
