MC helps Village Festival rock

The 38th annual Bluffton Village Festival was a smashing success. I saw so many people having a fun time - and to me that is what this wonderful event is all about.

Mike Covert, current president of the Bluffton Rotary Club, is a wonderful emcee. Mike was master of ceremonies for the much loved pie eating contest and he did a masterful job. He has a great voice perfect for his role. Thank you to the Bluffton Rotary Club for another swell time.

The cats will play

Sally Dionne is an adorable person who also happens to have a really green thumb. Sally has such success with everything she grows it is astounding. I have been the recipient of several herbal tussie mussies she has put together for me. Sally even includes catnip for my furry friends.

I have tried to grow catnip but to no avail. I took the herbs home and called the cats into the room. The catnip was placed on the floor and the fun began. You have never seen such amazing moves , stretches and lurches. Then in a few moments it was all over because there was nothing left of the beloved catnip. The felines were off to snoozeville, I guess to sleep it off. Thank you Sally. It was such a fabulous treat.

A floating classroom

Amber Kuehn grew up in Bluffton on the May River, has a Master’s Degree in marine biology and is in charge of the Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Protection Program, a very important job.

Amber is also the captain of the Spartina, a custom 25-foot floating laboratory she pilots in area waters that teaches about the importance of our ecosystem. The tours are a great way to learn about our marshes and its creatures.

To book a tour on the Spartina with Captain Amber, go to www.spartinacharters.com, call 843-338-2716 or email SpartinaCharters@gmail.com and get ready for some great fun.

Find your voice

Do you like to sing? There is a new choral group forming in Bluffton. A singing placement meeting will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 23, at St. Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist’s Bluffton campus, 39 Persimmon Street, Suite 203 and 204.

Of course singers must have experience singing in a choral ensemble - not just in the shower - and be able to read music. The group will perform in concerts in December and May.

Rehearsals begin in Bluffton the end of August.

For more information email LCABluffton@gmail.com or call 843-812-1174.

Let’s save the elephants

To discourage poachers of ivory, Kenya has seized and burned some 105 metric tons of ivory taken from more than 6,000 dead elephants. It was the largest burning of ivory ever undertaken of the valued commodity.

The poaching is driving the elephant to extinction on the African continent. What an enormous challenge this is to the conservation groups trying to preserve wildlife habitats and this magnificent animal.

Beware purloined merchandise

In Savannah, there is an outbreak of plant thefts.

Expensive shrubbery is being stolen from the fronts of houses and businesses. In some cases they even take the pots, too. The purloined plants are being sold, some of them to unsuspecting homeowners by door-to-door sellers who are the thieves.

I remember about 10 years ago, a person was going around selling antique furniture he said belonged to his late grandmother. It turned out he had stolen the furniture from his ex-girlfriend after a fight. A very nice policeman came around and explained the whole situation and all of the goods had to be given back.

Fortunately, I only paid $20 for a stool. Since that day I have never bought anything from a person I do not know. Quite often someone comes by to offer things, and, of course, I decline. Be careful. Sometimes things are too good to be true.

Snails by mail

I have several friends who love to eat snails.

Snails are rather like cooked oysters in texture. I think my friends really love the garlicky butter they sop up with the crusty bread offered with the little critters.

If you would like to try some of the hard to find treats, there is hope.

You can order some via the web from the “Snailman” at his website potironne.com., sold in their shells or without them, in tins. Bon appetit !

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 10:37 AM with the headline "MC helps Village Festival rock."