Roof Repair in Beaufort, SC

Penn Center’s annual Heritage Days Celebration is a four-day affair focusing on St. Helena Island’s Gullah-Geechee culture and community. It’s said to be one of the longest running festivals in the Southeast, and the event’s parade has long been a centerpiece of the festivities.

Controversy flared in 2024 when changes to the parade route left parade goers concerned for their safety. As the 41st annual Heritage Days parade steps off Nov. 8, it will follow the same route used last year, with an accommodation intended to allay the concerns of marchers and spectators.

“Our fundamental focus is that we have to consider everyone’s safety. Period. We have to coordinate with the people who are involved with the community’s safety,” said David Mitchell, chair of the Penn Center Board of Trustees.

Until 2024, traffic on U.S. Route 21/Sea Island Parkway was stopped in both directions for the duration of the parade. In 2024, parade marchers shared the Sea Island Parkway with automobile traffic, following a decision by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to keep the busy roadway partially open during the parade.

It was an unpopular decision, and dozens of residents gathered at a Beaufort County Council meeting a few weeks later to make sure that message was heard loud and clear.

"The decision not to close the road to traffic threatened the safety of everyone in the parade. This was unacceptable,” said Deloris Pringle, who was at the time, the chair of the Penn Center Board of Trustees.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner defended the decision as both safe and a necessity for the high-traffic thoroughfare.

"This area has grown so much over the years," Tanner said. "It's not realistic to close the highway for hours.”

While the parade route was only separated from traffic by a line of orange cones last year, cars will be parked in the median of U.S. Route 21 to form a barrier, offering an added layer of protection for those marching.

The parade will start at 9 a.m. from intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Halifax Drive. It will proceed west, turning left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and continuing south to the Penn Center.

The westbound lane of Sea Island Parkway will remain open to auto traffic during the parade, with deputies and troopers from S.C. Highway Patrol managing two-way traffic in the single open lane of the roadway.

Founded in 1862, the Penn School was one of the first schools established in the U.S. to educate formerly enslaved people. It operated until 1948, when the state took over responsibility for education. The Penn School transitioned into the Penn Center, which continued as a central resource for residents of St. Helena Island. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Penn Center five times in the 1960s, finding refuge there while also meeting and strategizing with other civil rights leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The annual Heritage Days Celebration has been held since 1981. The event was a successor to "Harvest Days," held yearly from the early 1900s until 1948, when Penn School closed.

Since its inception, Penn Center’s Heritage Days Celebration has grown from a single-day event to four days of song, food, performances, seminars and more. Attendance numbers in recent years have topped 10,000.

Looking for a new spot for your morning pick-me-up?

A new drive-thru coffee chain is coming to town.

Ellianos Coffee, a Southeast-based coffee chain known for its efficient drive-thru model, has announced plans to expand into South Carolina with a three-store development agreement in Beaufort.

The company has also signed a one-store development agreement in Clover, just south of Charlotte, marking its official entry into the Palmetto State – and its seventh state overall with locations either open or in development.

The next nearest Ellianos Coffee location for Beaufort residents is in Statesboro, Georgia, but the brand will soon bring its coffee, smoothies and breakfast items to the Lowcountry – all served through a drive-thru window.

What does Ellianos Coffee offer?

The brand serves a variety of espresso-based drinks, seasonal favorites like pumpkin spice beverages, smoothies, and signature creations such as the Caffè Dolce Freezer.

Customers can also expect a menu that includes food items like bagels, muffins, sweets, and sandwich options — along with vegan, “guilt-free” or low-calorie selections, plus a kids’ menu.

To view their full menu, click here.

Ellianos locations are typically compact – usually no bigger than 800 square feet – and are designed for quick service and efficient sales. The company emphasizes community connection and says it strives to focus on smaller towns and close-knit neighborhoods where franchise owners often live and work.

While exact locations and opening timelines for the Beaufort and Clover stores have not yet been announced, recent Ellianos openings, such as the newest North Carolina shop, have taken about five months from construction to opening.

For locals familiar with drive-thru coffee spots, Ellianos may remind some of 7 Brew, which has a location at 1553 Fording Island Road and another in nearby Pooler, Georgia.

About Ellianos

Founded in 2002 by entrepreneurs Scott and Pam Stewart, Ellianos was born after the couple took a trip to the Pacific Northwest and discovered the growing popularity of drive-thru coffee stands. Inspired by the concept, they brought the idea back to their hometown of Lake City, Florida.

Today, Ellianos operates 33 locations in Florida, 28 in Georgia and 11 in Alabama. The company recently opened its first North Carolina location in the Charlotte area last summer and has additional stores in development in Mississippi and Tennessee.

With more than 70 locations already operating or in development, the brand states that it is continuing to strengthen its footprint across the Southeast.

To learn more about this new coffee chain, click here to visit their webpage.

The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee have released the 2025 South Carolina School Report Cards, offering an in-depth look at academic achievement, student progress, college and career readiness, and school climate.

Across the state, the number of schools earning an overall rating of “Good” or “Excellent” increased from 549 to 623.

How SC school report cards are determined

The South Carolina School Report Card ratings reflect how well schools are helping all students meet the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate – the statewide measure of readiness for college, careers and citizenship.

The state’s goal is for every child to graduate college, career, or military ready, and that by 2030, at least 75% of students at or above grade level.

The breakdown of ratings is as follows:

Numerical scores in each of these ratings differs by grade level:

Here’s how Beaufort and Jasper County schools fared in 2024-2025 ratings and each school's score:

Beaufort County School District

According to Candace Bruder, spokesperson for the Beaufort County School District, 91% of schools received a rating of excellent, good, or average, with no schools listed as unsatisfactory, in the latest report.

Beaufort County’s elementary schools showed strong results, with five schools rated excellent, six rated good, six rated average, and one below average.

Excellent (61–100 points):

Good (53–60 points):

Average (42–52 points):

Below Average (34–41 points):

Notably, Port Royal Elementary School rose from below average last year to excellent in 2025 – a three-level increase.

Bluffton, Lady’s Island, Red Cedar, Beaufort, and Mossy Oaks Elementary Schools each improved by one level.

Middle schools across Beaufort County earned a mix of ratings, with one school rated excellent, three rated good, five rated average, and one below average.

Excellent (56–100 points):

Good (48–55 points):

Average (36–47 points):

Below Average (29–35 points):

At the high school level, Beaufort County schools scored with one excellent, three good, one average, and one below average rating.

Excellent (67–100 points):

Good (60–66 points):

Average (51–59 points):

Below Average (40–50 points):

Jasper County School District

The Jasper County School District showed a range of performance across its campuses, with most schools rated at the average level with only one school performing as unsatisfactory:

Average (42–52 points):

Below Average (34–41 points):

Average (36–47 points):

Below Average (29–35 points):

Below Average (40–50 points):

Unsatisfactory (39 and below):

Schools not included in these rankings include:

To learn more about South Carolina School Report Cards, click here.

Fourteen Beaufort and Jasper County food businesses received B grades in October health inspections conducted by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. No locations received C grades this October.

Here is a rundown of the restaurants that received the lowest ratings:

Albany Grocery: 539 Keans Neck Road, Dale

Albany Grocery had a routine inspection on Oct. 30 and scored an 82% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

A re-inspection is required within 10 days, but had not occurred as of Nov. 3.

Country Club of Hilton Head: 70 Skull Creek Drive, Hilton Head Island

The Country Club of Hilton Head had a routine inspection on Oct. 30 and scored an 80% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

A reinspection is required within 10 days, but had not occurred as of Nov. 3.

Daufuskie Crab Company: 256 Cooper River Landing Road, Daufuskie Island

Daufuskie Crab Company had a routine inspection on Oct. 2 and received a 78% (B) rating. Issues noted by inspectors included:

Daufuskie Crab Company was reinspected on Oct. 10 and scored a 100% (A).

El Super Market: 33 Sherington Drive, Bluffton

El Super Market had a routine inspection on Oct. 16 and received a 81% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

El Super Market was reinspected on Oct. 22 and scored a 99% (A).

Grays Hill Hispanic Grocery: 2706 Trask Parkway, Beaufort

Grays Hill Hispanic Grocery had a routine inspection on Oct. 13 and scored a 79% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

Grays Hill Hispanic Grocery was reinspected on Oct. 22 and scored a 100% (A).

IZU: 30 Plantation Park Drive #208, Bluffton

IZU had a routine inspection on Oct. 8 and scored an 84% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

IZU was reinspected on Oct. 17 and scored a 100% (A).

Jinya Ramen Bar: 95 Mathews Drive, Suite F3, Hilton Head Island

Jinya Ramen Bar had a routine inspection on Oct. 1 and scored an 85% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

Jinya Ramen Bar was reinspected on Oct. 3 and scored a 100% (A).

Maria’s Mexican Kitchen: 330 Robert Smalls Parkway, Beaufort

Maria’s Mexican Kitchen had a routine inspection on Oct. 14 and scored an 80% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

Maria’s Mexican Kitchen was reinspected on Oct. 29 and scored a 98% (A).

Ryan’s Famous Pizza & Subs: 14 Savannah Highway, Suite 9, Beaufort

Ryan’s Famous Pizza & Subs had a routine inspection on Oct. 27 and scored an 81% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

A reinspection is required within 10 days, but had not occurred as of Nov. 3.

South Carolina Yacht Club: 10 Yacht Club Drive, Hilton Head Island

South Carolina Yacht Club had a routine inspection on Oct. 7 and scored an 82% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

South Carolina Yacht Club was reinspected on Oct. 9 and scored a 100% (A).

Station 300: 25 Innovation Drive, Bluffton

Station 300 had a routine inspection on Oct. 29 and scored an 84% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

A reinspection is required within 10 days, but had not occurred as of Nov. 3.

El Nuevo Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill: 1008 Fording Island Road, Bluffton

El Nuevo Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill had a routine inspection on Oct. 27 and scored an 83% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

El Nuevo Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill was reinspected on Oct. 28 and scored a 100% (A).

Williams Meals on Wheels: 10 De Gullah Way, St. Helena

Williams Meals on Wheels was first inspected on Oct. 17 and scored an 88% (A). The facility had a follow-up inspection on Oct. 24 and scored a 95% with a B letter grade for repeated violations. Those included:

The facility was reinspected once more on Oct. 28 and scored a 100% (A).

Waffle House #2017: 471 Independence Boulevard, Hardeeville

Waffle House was first inspected on Oct. 23 and scored a 94% (A). It was reinspected on Oct. 30 and scored a 95% with a B letter grade for repeated infractions, which included:

A reinspection is required within 10 days, but had not occurred as of Nov. 3.

What the grades mean

Inspectors give restaurants a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for various infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score in a reinspection.

The grade scale is as follows:

In Oct., the SCDA recorded 282 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores, and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 28 in Jasper County.

The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food-grade decals include a QR

How to request an inspection

If there is an establishment for which you wish to request an inspection, you can submit a concern to the SCDA by filling out this Food Safety Complaint Form.

To learn more about how the grading system and inspections work, click here.

Take a look up to the heavens on Wednesday and you’ll see the second supermoon of the year light up the sky over Beaufort, SC. November’s beaver moon will be the next full moon and it will be the second supermoon of 2025, making it the biggest full moon of the year, illuminating the sky for several nights.

The moon will be at it’s fullest starting on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 8:19am.

The November full moon will orbit closer to Earth than all the other full moons this year so far, making it a special supermoon that will appear the biggest, brightest and most golden of 2025, giving stargazers a special sight to remember.

It will be the second of three supermoons this year. The three supermoons in 2025 will occur on October 6, November 5, and December 4. The first was the Harvest Moon. The next two are the Beaver Moon, and the Cold Moon, respectively.

The November full moon has been referred to as Beaver Moon. The phrase comes from a number of Native American and European customs and mythology.

One theory is that beavers construct dams and stockpile food in November in order to get prepared for the winter. Beavers were also trapped in November so that their thick, winter-ready pelts could be used to make warmer clothing, according to NASA.

In addition, the near coincidence of this full moon with perigee will result in a dramatically large range of high and low ocean Any coastal storm at sea around this time would almost certainly aggravate coastal flooding problems at high tide, or, in the case of a strong wind pushing the water offshore, it would create a very low water situation at low tide.

Supermoons by definition happen “when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee,” according to NASA.

“During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 251,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth.”

Supermoons in general appear 17% bigger and 30% brighter than when the moon is at its farthest point away from Earth, according to NASA. Supermoons are slightly bigger and brighter than most full moons, too. Just because it’s bigger and brighter doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll see it unaided, so binoculars may give you a better view.

You’ll be able to step outside and enjoy the view with the supermoon brightly illuminating our early autumn evening sky.

Enjoy the view, Beaufort, SC!