Meet the woman behind the inspirational sign that has Beaufort-area drivers honking
It’s just a simple piece of wood, some paint and a little bit of colorful chalk, but at a time when the coronavirus has turned daily life upside down, the sign in Cindy Lamprecht’s Beaufort yard has become a community builder.
“Thank You First Responders,” it read for a few days.
“Happiness is an inside job! #SCSTRONG.”
“Happy Easter. HE IS Risen #SCSTRONG.”
“I just did it because everybody seemed down,” said Lamprecht, who lives on Parris Island Gateway.
She said that, when she found herself with some extra time at home — her hours as an assistant service manager were cut at Stokes Toyota because of COVID-19 — she decided to do something creative to thank first responders. Her daughter, one of her three children, is a paramedic for Beaufort County.
Cindy and her husband, Tom, who works for the S.C. Department of Transportation, primed and painted a 6-foot by 8-foot piece of plywood and mounted it in the yard of their rental house. Then, Cindy got to work decorating it with chalk.
“I just decided to do something that people would like, and it worked!” Cindy said.
The couple actually were surprised by the community’s energetic response.
“People just kept honking all day long,” Cindy said.
“I was at work and a customer came in and said, ‘Have you seen the sign on Parris Island Gateway?’ she recalled, with a laugh. “That’s my house!” she said.
Cindy goes out with a bucket of water, washes off the sign and posts a new inspirational or entertaining message about every other day. So far, a message referencing Netflix’s “Tiger King” docu-series seems to have been the most popular.
“HONK IF YOU BELIEVE CAROLE BASKIN KILLED HER HUSBAND,” it read.
“We just never expected how many people would honk,” Cindy said.
One neighbor told Cindy she drives by every day to see what the sign says as a way to break up the loneliness of social distancing. Several others have stopped to call out suggestions.
A more recent sign offered a message of solidarity after tornadoes destroyed homes and killed five people in Hampton County.
The Lamprechts moved to the Lowcountry from Wisconsin a year ago. Besides her work at the car dealership, Cindy has written four Christian historical romances.
“We just love Beaufort,” Cindy said. “We wanted to do something that would lift people’s spirits.”
Update: Even those who don’t drive through the area can see Lamprecht’s sign on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/beaufortchalkboard.
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
