TIME, TRADITION, AND COMMUNITY
The Right Combination For a Perfect Beaufort Holiday Weekend
For over 30 years, the Beaufort community has been gathering downtown to celebrate the Holiday season for what has evolved into a time-honored treasure – Beaufort Holiday Weekend. The City of Beaufort hosts the 3 days of events, as part of its community events series but there is interesting history as to how the enduring holiday celebration has evolved over time. The thread that pulls together the events is a blend of hard-working volunteers, local organizations, and people committed to preserving and honoring tradition.
Lise Sundrla, Executive Director of Beaufort Hospitality Association recalled how the signature Friday night celebration, Night on the Town, is rooted in an event developed in 1986 by Phyllis Kennedy and Mainstreet Beaufort. Lise, who once worked as Director of Mainstreet in the earlier years of the event, said the focus at that time, was on bringing loyal shoppers downtown by invitation, to celebrate the holiday season with their favorite merchants. During her time at Mainstreet, Lise enhanced the event by adding a tree lighting ceremony, entertainment, and other activities which began to draw bigger crowds. Later, along with the Beaufort Lions Club, she worked to create the Beaufort Christmas Parade.
Lions Club member Pat Harvey Palmer remembers when the parade ran along Ribaut Rd before moving to the downtown route. “In those years, I dressed up as the lion and walked the route greeting the crowd,” she said. The lion became the leader and for the past 15 years, Ms. Palmer has organized and managed the parade. Club members serve as marshals and manage the line up and flow of the event. The Sunday afternoon parade has always been a crowd pleaser with hundreds of locals from businesses, non- profit organizations, churches and schools participating.
No tradition in Beaufort would be complete without an event on the water. The Beaufort river and Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is the host site for the Lighted Boat parade. Elaborately decorated boats and small watercraft cruise past the seawall promenade in a dazzling display of lights set to music. Like the others, this event is successful because of the efforts of another local community group – America’s Boat Club of Beaufort, (formerly Beaufort Sail and Power Squadron). The club, which has been assisting with the organizing and management of the boat parade for the past 12 years, work with volunteers from Beaufort Water Search and Rescue, solicits participants, and organizes the route and juried competition and awards celebration.
Holiday Weekend is truly a community endeavor. The skills, expertise and talent integral to the success of each event, is homegrown and genuine display of the heart of the community and desire of so many to ensure this important tradition lives on for generations.
