Shrimp festival offered merriment for neighbors - new and old

If any of my fellow Blufftonians missed the fun at the recent Bluffton Shrimp Festival, oh my goodness I am sorry, because you could have danced and dined with and shared merriment with neighbors old and new.

The music supplied by “The Chiggers,” “Souls Harbor” and the “Horan Brothers Band” was a delight.

There was such a wonderful array of food celebrating that little critter that we all love - the shrimp. A rather new star on the Bluffton gastronomic horizon - Simple as Pie - served up the most beautiful pies freshed baked for the occasion. The shop even have “mini pies” prepared with as much love as their bigger kin. The lemon merengue beauties were delicious and my favorite.

There was fun for the children, too, and friendly four-legged friends on leashes were, as always, welcome.

The ebullient Geist Ussery was squiring his adorable mother Nellie around the fun. They were celebrating the birthday of his charming mother born Reinalda LaLoma, 79 years ago on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. If you met Nellie, you’d know the apple did not fall from the tree. She is such a charmer. Geist tooled off on his golf cart with his entourage later in the evening, heading home to rest up for a whole weekend of birthday celebrating.

If you would like to learn more about these fun parties go to blufftonsunsetparty.com.

BBQ festival set Aug. 27

The first Oscar Frazier BBQ Festival will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, August 27 at Oscar Frazier Park.

For vendor or competition information call 561-452-3703 or 843-290-1741.

This will be a love fest of great tasty fun for all of us, live music and lots of wonderful tasty vittles.

Bring lawn chairs and a big appetite.

Have you tickled a rat today?

Recent studies on the lowly rat have come up with some amazing facts. Among them is that rats love being tickled. Who knew?

When they are tickled they chirp.

It was also discovered some are optimists and others are pessimists. This was found out by putting them in a more interesting environment than just a bare cage.

Now if we could just figure out how to tickle all of the mean spirited people in the world. Think of the possibilities.

Protecting kids from a bad world

I was wondering what parents tell their children when they ask about the terrible news that is a constant these days.

The children in our family are still too small to understand the trials the world is going through. How and what will we tell them if they suddenly ask about an event they heard that happened somewhere?

We can only hope that the world will right itself before too long and that we will be able to answer their questions on a bright note if need be.

I guess there is always a Disney World retreat for an escape - maybe a room in Cinderella’ss Castle. I must say I am quite fond of the turret.

What’s a ‘Trumpkin?’

I found a newly coined word - “Trumpkin.”

I think it means someone who has drifted over to the Trump camp because they see no other choice. I only saw the word once but it has intriqued me.

Excursion focuses on dolphins

Every Wednesday through August, you can take a Dolphin Research Excursion on the May River, leaving from the dock in Bluffton , from 10 a.m. until noon.

The excursion is offered by the Coastal Discovery Museum and studies communications between resident dolphins in our May River.

Marine biologist Captain Amber Kuehn will share what has been about learned about these fascinating creatures.

Cost is $55 per person , children over 10 years old are invited too.

For reservations call 843-689-6767, ext.223..

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Shrimp festival offered merriment for neighbors - new and old."