Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Hunting Island lighthouse

Friends of Hunting Island are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the historic lighthouse on Hunting Island near Beaufort this weekend with free admission to the park Saturday and Sunday.

This celebration truly has something for everyone; there will even be a pig pickin' Thursday at Boondocks restaurant, 1760 Sea Island Parkway, St. Helena Island. For more information and a schedule of the weekend's events, visit www.friends-of-hunting-island-sc.org.

• The Lowcountry Master Gardener's Educational Tour of Gardens will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event. Proceeds support Master Gardener projects, and tickets may be purchased at the garden gate and Markel's Card and Gift Shop.

• Some of you may remember Claudine Dallam, the charming French lady who at one time owned The Sippin' Cow. Claudine's husband is a master craftsman who works on building high-end houses. After Claudine sold the Cow, she and her husband moved to New York state to work on a house there.

Well, fate stepped in and the Dallam duo has been called back to Bluffton at the behest of well-known architect Matt Taylor, who was given the go-ahead to design a house in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island.

Recently, Claudine came by to see me and let me know of her plans here in Bluffton. She is a very accomplished chef and is very creative in the kitchen, and has started a personal chef service. If you would like to know more call 315-664-0184. I will write more about the Matt Taylor team because they are all very interesting.

• The Isaiah Davenport House Museum is presenting the living history program "Yellow Fever! Savannah's Epidemic of 1820."

The 50-minute performances will be held Friday and Saturday evenings throughout October. During this epidemic, a full tenth of the population of Savannah died, while thousands left the city. The Davenport House is at 324 E. State St. in downtown Savannah. Call 912-236-8097 for information and reservations.

• Speaking of Savannah, the Telfair and the Jepson Center for the Arts will host a wonderful exhibit called "Dutch Utopia" through Jan. 10.

"Dutch Utopia" focuses on 43 American artists who lived and worked in Holland between 1880 and the start of World War I. During that time, hundreds of artists traveled from the United States to Holland to paint and study the art of Dutch Old Masters.

The exhibit is being held at the Jepson Center for the Arts at 207 W. York St. Call 912-790-8800 for information.

Babbie Guscio is the social columnist for The Bluffton Packet. She can be reached at The Store on Calhoun Street.