Mother of the ‘queen’ recalls prom season in Bluffton
The past week was spent at many high school proms. That meant searching for the perfect dress or tuxedo and preparing to really fluff it up for all of the merriment. What a whirl of activity. I saw so many wonderful photographs of promgoers, and everyone looked beautiful and so handsome.
When my children were in high school, there was also lots of excitement, but it was a little less costly.
Our children had to earn most of the money for their big night, which they did at the various jobs they had. Our daughter Tat found her prom frock for $15 at the Nearly New Consignment Shop. It was a long purple dress made of silk faille, and she looked very regal in it. On the night of the prom her date arrived to pick her up, and we took many pictures of the couple inside and out overlooking the marsh. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think she would leave us as a mere mortal and return home having been chosen the Prom Queen and her escort the Prom King. I kept that purple dress for several years before donating it back to charity hoping that luck went with it. After all, it was fit for a queen.
‘The first foodie’
PBS has a series called “American Masters” documentaries. A recent one celebrated a very revered culinary icon. “James Beard: America’s First Foodie” celebrates this culinary trailblazer, cookbook author and TV personality. Today Mr. Beard’s influence is certainly felt more than ever. As early as 1938 he was spearheading the idea of “farm to table.” He was a champion of regional cooking, using ingredients that were nearby and very fresh. His mother ran a boarding house in Portland, Ore., and it was there his love of food and cooking began. Later, after moving to New York, he became a pioneer in America’s culinary landscape.
It became a great honor to be invited to his home in Greenwich Village to join in a delicious meal and fabulous conversation. After Beard’s death, his house became the home of the James Beard Foundation, whose mission it is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse and sustainable for everyone.
Each year the foundation selects the best chefs from around the country for the “Beard Award,” which is for chefs what the Academy Award is for the movies. Chefs are also invited to cook at the Beard House for other luminaries in the cooking world, and that, too, is quite an honor. The winners have been chosen for this year, but if you are a “foodie” who is interested in the award, look it up on the internet.
Remembering the war
Are you interested in World War II?
If you are, there is a book you might like to read. “With The Old Breed” is an account of a person from Mobile, Ala., serving as a Marine in the Pacific Theater.
Eugene Bondurant Sledge dropped out of college to enlist in the Marines after Pearl Harbor. He kept notes written during the war on pieces of paper tucked into a small Bible he carried. This book shows us what our brave soldiers went through so that we are able to live life the way we enjoy today. This book is not for the faint of heart so be forewarned. It does not gloss over the terror and horror of battle and, most of all, the soldiers’ survival.
‘Dreaming of home’
Family Promise of Beaufort County invites you to their “Dreaming of Home Gala” that will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 11.
The fun event is at the Hampton Hall Clubhouse on Hampton Hall Boulevard in Bluffton.
Join this wonderful group celebrating the vision “that every child will have a home.” Tickets are $90 each and include entertainment, beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres, and live and silent auctions.
Call 843-815-4211 or email minervafamilypromise@gmail.com.
It takes a village (festival)
The 39th annual Bluffton Village Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 13.
Do not miss this wonderful family-oriented event that is chock-full of pleasures for everyone. It is a marvelous place to buy your dear mama a glorious Mother’s Day gift.
For information, call 843-815-2277.
Babbie Guscio is the social columnist for The Bluffton Packet. She can be reached at The Store on Calhoun Street or at thestoresc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Mother of the ‘queen’ recalls prom season in Bluffton."