Bluffton Village Festival scheduled Saturday

Thirty years ago, locals ambled along Bluffton's tree-lined Calhoun Street during the first Bluffton Village Festival, which featured artists, Lowcountry food and family entertainment.

The scene will be much the same Saturday, except there will be about 90 stands instead of the 15 that Calhoun Street hosted in 1978, said organizer Babbie Guscio.

"It hasn't really changed much," she said, "just more people in attendance now."

Guscio, who put together the first festival, has organized the gathering each year since. Guscio, who relies mostly on word-of-mouth to advertise the event, said her biggest concern is getting people to show up.

But even that doesn't seem to be a major worry.

She expects between 8,000 and 10,000 people to flock to Bluffton on Saturday. By comparison, about 200 people showed up for the first festival, Guscio said.

Bluffton's second-biggest community event -- behind the Christmas parade -- draws many of the same people year after year, Guscio said. One of the things that keeps them coming back are the shrimp salad sandwiches.

Using 200 pounds of shrimp, ladies from The Church of the Cross will make about 1,000 of the tasty treats. They're likely to sell out quickly.

The festival also provides an opportunity to buy that last-minute Mother's Day gift. Guscio said vendors will be selling a variety of items that could make mom smile, including hand-painted clothing, wooden art, pottery, silks, linens and antique lace.

Shuttle buses will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to pick up festivalgoers

at the Bluffton Village and the Shults Road Oscar J. Frazier Park parking lots. Shuttles will drop them off at the Heyward House.

The rain date is Sunday afternoon. But Guscio urges folks to attend even if they feel a little drizzle.

"We never really canceled it for rain," she said, "unless it's downpouring all day."