FOUR DECADES OF THE WHISTLERS

story by MEGAN THIBAULT MORRIS                           photos by SK SIGNS, DESIGNS, & MARKETING

The Beaufort Water Festival is in its 66th year — a tried and true Beaufort tradition for locals and visitors with a range of sporting events, nightly entertainment, and family fun for ten days in July. The Festival has evolved and grown over the years, and what started out as an idea to celebrate the shrimping season with a fun community event is now a premier festival in the Southeast.

The longest-running and most unique entertainment act of the Beaufort Water Festival is celebrating its 40th year in 2022. The Whistlers is a five-man (or woman) group that also came together from an idea that has evolved over time. In 1982, the Commodore and crew planning the 26th Festival wanted a special way to entertain the crowd during Lowcountry Supper, and thus The Whistlers were born.

Each year on the Thursday of Festival week, the crowds file into the park, stopping by dinner stations with Frogmore Stew, a legendary Beaufort meal served by the local Rotarians. As plates piled high become empty and the crowd is pleasantly packed, attention turns to the stage for the night’s show. It brings smiles and laughter to those in the audience, but perhaps the biggest laughs come from the red-and-white-clothed group of Past Commodores as they watch the scene unfold.

Five Whistlers, donning costumes they cannot see out of, take the stage to put on an unforgettable dance to their classic theme song. Crowds can expect an exciting performance from start to finish and a memorable solo from the lead Whistler — the trumpeter. After the song ends, each Whistler is unveiled to the audience, and everyone sees which Past Commodores were chosen to be a Whistler that year. With their stomachs painted into silly characters with hilarious outfits, those five lucky Past Commodores put their pride aside to continue the long-standing tradition.
“The Whistlers are a very important part of the Water Festival. We joke that The Whistlers are world famous, and we even talk about going on a World Tour, but in reality, we are lucky to make it through a 2-hour prep, rehearsal, and performance one time a year,” says Craig McTeer, the 45th Commodore. “But we love it!”

Craig holds the record for most Whistler performances and is no stranger to the trumpet position. Working more behind-the-scenes is Frank Plair, the 40th Commodore, and he leads his colleagues in preparation for the evening. Yes, The Whistlers are painted and dressed each year by fellow Past Commodores, and while it takes at least an hour to prepare, many special memories are made.

“I like to call myself the Whistler Picasso, painting big lips and silly faces,” jokes Frank. “Sure, we take it seriously, but then again, we all take having fun very seriously.”

This year, festival-goers will again enjoy The Whistlers show, in addition to the night’s other performers, who keep the entertainment going from suppertime until the gates close. The acts feature fantastic local artists Katie Godowns, Chris Jones, and Nashville Recording Artist Mike Ponder with the Steel Rail Express band. The stars of Beaufort will fill the park with great live music, the meal is sure to be delicious, and The Whistlers will undoubtedly give their best performance yet — after all, they have been practicing for forty years!