How Old Town Bluffton is getting into the holiday spirit

Our recent Christmas parade in Bluffton was once again a wonderful treat.

Congratulations to Mary O’Neil, who was chosen to lead the fun as grand marshal. Mary works hard to help make Bluffton a wonderful place to live.

The delightful Rodney Vaughn, aka Bluffton Jack, will offer his fun “Home for the Holidays” candlelight walking tours in Old Town through Dec. 22. The tours give the public an insight into how long-ago Bluffton celebrated this beautiful season with each other. You will learn about traditions here and how they have been passed down through the years.

Tour times are 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and reservations are required. To book a tour, call 843-717-2175 and fall in love with Bluffton and Bluffton Jack.

Speaking of Christmas, every fire department in Beaufort County has a special Santa drop box so that area children can easily send a letter to the North Pole and good old Saint Nick. Every fire station in Bluffton has one.

Letters will be accepted through Dec. 15, so children should get busy and write their lists. Make sure to put your child’s name and address on the envelope so Santa Claus knows where to send a personal message back. What fun!

The Society of Bluffton Artists Holiday Boutique will be open through Dec. 22 for your Christmas shopping. All sorts of unique and charming artworks are offered for sale. So stop by the gallery located at 8 Church St. to see all of the goodies. Hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Call 843-757-6586 for information.

Learning French, seeing Piaf

When we were small, my mother had a lady come to our house to give us French lessons.

There were three words that did not mean the same thing but sounded somewhat alike.

They were:

▪  Coquette: A woman who is a flirt and tries to gain the attention of men.

▪  Croquette: A small food comfort roll made of meat or fish and fried.

▪  Croquet: A game played with small wooden balls and wooden sticks.

For some peculiar reason, it took forever for me to get them straight, much to our teacher’s chagrin. I was actually more interested in the black beret our teacher wore jauntily placed on her hair, which she dyed a bright orange.

Some years later, when I was at school in Europe, I went to see Edith Piaf sing in person.

I could not believe my eyes! There before me was my old french teacher reincarnated. Edith Piaf had the same orange hair and the same waifish look without the beret. The coquette had finally come to life.

Trump as artist

A sketch that President Donald Trump drew in 1995 recently sold at auction for $16,000.

He drew the Empire State Building with a black marker in 1995 for a charity auction and, at that time, it sold for $100.

Another small sketch he made of the Manhattan skyline sold last July for $29,000.

I found this interesting because I doodle all the time, too, but I really doubt if any of my scribbles will be snatched up by Sotheby’s Auction House.

Can you dig it?

The Beaufort County Extension Service is accepting applications for its 2018 Clemson Master Gardener Training in Beaufort.

Classes begin Jan. 23 and are held weekly from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Beaufort County Extension office at 18 John Galt Road in Beaufort.

For information or an application, call 843-255-6060.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 9:13 AM with the headline "How Old Town Bluffton is getting into the holiday spirit."