Bluffton’s renovated Heyward House throws itself a grand party

On a recent gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I joined a large crowd at the Heyward House to celebrate the renovations and the cutting of a beautiful ribbon adorning the front steps. There were food trucks, craft beers, and to top off the fun, Lowcountry Boil, Bluffton’s favorite band, belting out bluegrass tunes on the porch.

Fran Heyward-Bollin , who grew up in the house, Donna Huffman, Anthony Barrett and Lisa Sulka were all on hand to give all of us a little background on the history of the house and the work of the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society.

Many of the Heyward relatives — some had traveled from different areas — were on hand to help celebrate this wonderful day. The Heyward House is Bluffton’s official welcome center and offers all sorts of information about the Bluffton area. So stop in to see what is new and interesting in our town and take a peek at the beautiful newly refurbished “digs.”

Art center sparkles

A wonderful addition to Bluffton’s art scene is the brand spanking new Bluffton Boundary Community Arts Center on Boundary Street. The center held a lovely opening reception last Saturday and it was chock full of beautiful artwork by many local artists. Delicious food and beautiful flowers were the work of Geist Ussery, served up with great entertainment by Beaufort’s Phillip E. Griffin..

The gallery was founded under the watchful eye of Cappi Harrell and Nathaniel Pringle, and the non-profit A Call To Action, a group that will help with the upkeep of the space and provide educational and cultural opportunities for our community.

Artists showing their work include Amiri Farris, Diane Dunham, Brad Mole, Saint (James St. Clair), Lynn Hicks, Laurie McCall, Gabe McCall, Joey McCall, Brenda Singleton, Kevin Perrenoud, Hank Herring, Neil Lax and Antonio Burns.

The gallery hours for the present are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The artists will also be a part of the Arts and Seafood Festival in October.

Dear Mr. Denevan. Please visit us

Jim Denevan is a sometime chef and an artist who creates massive temporary land art.

He uses natural materials to create very large-scale drawings in sand, on ice and soil. He works mainly in California but his commissions have taken him to many parts of the world.

The company he founded in 1999 is called Outstanding in the Field. The group travels in a rehabbed bus that includes sleeping quarters for eight, cubbies for work items, and lots of outlets to recharge electronics.

Each summer, this self-taught chef boards his bus and travels throughout the country, and, at the drop of a hat, stages wonderful elaborate dinners in farms and parks, on beaches and even on ice. He wants to free us all from celebrity chefs and the limited atmosphere that restaurants offer.

Using ingredients that are sourced locally along the way, wonderful dinners are served up to the lucky attendees.

I am hoping someone can possibly convince Mr. Denevan to journey to Bluffton next summer. We have bounty to source from the May River, divine vegetables from Cahill’s Market, Pierce Giltner to create signage, the Simple As Pie Ladies to whip up fresh tarts and pies and last, but not least, Geist Ussery to coordinate it all.

Palmetto Bluff ....what are you waiting for? “Fun in Your Mouth” sounds spectacular to me.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Bluffton’s renovated Heyward House throws itself a grand party."