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THE LIGHTS OF DOVE STREET
By Paul Beckler
On a tiny, sandy street on Hilton Head Island, a tradition was born 19 years ago. It started with a string of lights and now involves more than 50 households.
It benefits The Deep Well Project, known for its charitable assistance throughout the island. Today, donations of money, food and toys are being collected each year by a dedicated and hard-working band of merry elves who volunteer at the donation drop-off point at the Rita's Italian Ice in the oceanside parking lot at Coligny Plaza.
Here are other things you should know about the festive display:
LIGHTS
The event is known as the Dove Street Festival of Lights. It is a quasi-artistic creation of tiny light strings that squirrel their way through gnarled oak branches hovering over the street only to bury themselves in the bushes below.
A home-grown technique of "swagging" by arranging the lights in large loops creates a fairy tale atmosphere as the display seems to dance high above the Spanish moss to the delight of passersby.
SOUND
Imagine the entire Glee Club of the Miami University of Ohio arriving in busloads, lining both sides of Dove Street, serenading residents with holiday songs that would make Rudolph's nose light up. It happened one year. The students even ate all the snacks prepared for them ahead of time. Come to think of it, even the wrappers were missing. Could Santa have been in the party?
Or think of other occasions of impromptu caroling by residents and visitors, being conducted by the likes of a character from a Dickens novel.
ACTION
"Will you marry me?" a young lad asks of a fair maiden after both walked the length of Dove Street only to stop right next to the bushes concealing a Dove Street decorator.
An instant decision was necessary: Either shout "congratulations" or continue hiding. An uncomfortable silence was kept, and the maiden said, "yes."
TO ALL A GOOD LIGHT
The festival, now involving countless numbers of family, friends, organizations and businesses, keeps us all aware of our ability to make small contributions that help others feel good, especially in light of these economic times.
And just like building sand castles only to have them wash away with the tide, the lights of Dove Street constantly re-invent themselves. They are never the same but have always been there to warm the hearts and brighten the spirits of those who choose to walk or drive by.
And that is what makes it all worthwhile.
HELPERS
Paul Beckler shares a list of some of those involved in the community effort:
• About 60 volunteers from The Deep Well Project work at "the well" at Coligny Plaza, where people are to drop off nonperishable food items, money and toys to be distributed by the private, social services agency.
It is set up at Rita's Italian Ice, in the oceanside parking lot of Coligny Plaza.
A committee made up of Deep Well and Dove Street folks, and others, help organize this charitable arm of the Deep Well Festival of Lights.
We thank all those who make this happen, because it keeps traffic flowing on Dove Street.
• "Holly Jolly" Julie Jilly is our entertainment coordinator for the local groups that sing at the well at Rita's Ice.
• Market Street Cafe has provided items enabling the volunteers to serve coffee and tea at "the well."
• Radio Free Dove Street made its debut this year on a low-frequency FM station (107.5) with a three-block radius. It features information, music and commentary. The transmitter arrived as a bag full of tiny parts and one of our supporters, Nick Nickels, assembled it with soldering irons and magnifying glasses.
• Woody LaMar has decorated his free shuttle going between Coligny Plaza and Dove Street, which is new this year. We bought an adapter at Radio Shack to hook up to an external battery which enables him to run LED lights along both sides of his uniquely decorated rooftop.
• The Hilton Head Preparatory School cheerleaders did a commercial that's airing seven times a day through Dec. 26 on WHHI-TV. That's new this year. It is sponsored by Piggly Wiggly at Coligny Plaza and Coligny Hardware. The ad was created by Leslie Richardson and Cathy Goodell. The cheerleader coach is Grey Gons. Leslie wrote the cheers. It was filmed in the side yard of Insty Prints.
• Sunbelt Rentals has donated a lift truck to help hang lights for more than a week several years in a row which normally costs $280 a day.
• Anderson Integrated Marketing created our Web site: www.DoveStreetLights.com. It also provided tools enabling us to manage it ourselves. Chris Mireles is the vice president of client services there.
• The National Honor Society at Hilton Head Island High School and Programs for Exceptional People helped us get the decorations up. They also are scheduled to help us take them down in January. One of our neighbors, Peter Hadfalvi, baked a nice carrot cake for them to munch on, and there was enough for all three days they were here.
• PEP has designed and sells Dove Street holiday cards.
• Serteens, the youth component of the Sertoma Club, had many volunteers in past years hanging lights on our street. Most have gone off to college.
• Island Ideas supplied the backing for our mini-posters that are distributed to hotel concierge desks and other island locations to help spread the word. Bob Stevenson even came in on a Sunday to do this.
• Ben Ham, a local large-format photographer, has taken Dove Street photos that have been used in posters, postcards and promotions.
• Yostie the Puppeteer is a regular at "the well" and can be seen at least once a year performing on Dove Street.
• A special Santa often appears four of five nights. A Frosty Snowman also has made several appearances.
• Many residents incur an additional $150 in electrical costs per home for the season.
• Our grandkids dress up in costume and use animatronic motion to blend into the scenery. We have to explain that it is virtually impossible to get decorations like that at the store.
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