Edisto set to ring in the holidays with seasonal favorites
Edisto Island, S.C. — The Edisto Island and Edisto Beach communities are revving up for the holidays, starting with an event celebrating the history of this treasured coastal destination in the South Carolina Lowcountry, followed by a return of the island’s late in the year traditional festivities.
On November 16 at 7:00 p.m., Mary Elliott, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, will cover the importance of preserving family artifacts, documents, and photos that reflect Edisto’s history. This presentation, which will be held at the New First Missionary Church, located at 1644 Highway 174, is part of the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society Lecture Series and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.edistomuseum.org.
A prelude to the upcoming holidays will showcase Bergen Baker and James Barnett, who will return to Edisto for their third annual musical performance on Saturday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, located at 1589 SC-174, Edisto Island. “THIS LOVE”, a musical concert, will feature classical selections from Italian and German opera as well as American musical theater and cabaret favorites. Dessert and refreshments will be served during and after the performance. A free will offering will be collected at the door, with proceeds benefiting the Good Samaritan Free Clinic on Edisto.
Thanksgiving weekend brings two special open house shopping events featuring plentiful gifts for holiday giving. The Edisto Museum Annual Open House and Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, November 24. More information is available at www.edistomuseum.org.
The same day, With These Hands Gallery Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturday, November 25, the Giving Tree will be unveiled. All proceeds from ornaments sold on the tree will be donated to Edisto United, whose holiday mission is to help families and children in need this season. For more information, visit www.withthesehandsgallery.com.
The weekend after Thanksgiving also brings the return of the Flowers Seafood Annual Oyster Roast. This traditional event, now in its fifth year, will be held on Saturday, November 25, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. For more information, call Flowers Seafood at 843-869-0033.
To celebrate the Christmas season, Trinity Episcopal Church will host “An Edisto Christmas” on November 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This first annual event will present holiday entertaining and décor ideas, a marketplace with goods for sale, a silent auction, and a luncheon reception featuring food and holiday music. Tickets are $40/each and can be purchased at With These Hands Gallery or by calling 843-869-3337. Proceeds will benefit the Edisto Island Home Mission Team and the Edisto Island Food Pantry.
On December 2 from 4 to 8pm, Oysters, Cocktails and BBQ, presented by Edisto United is set to warm up the season. Live music, cocktails, oysters and barbecue, as well as raffles and giveaways are in the lineup at Bay Creek Park (beside The Marina at Edisto Beach). Tickets are available in advance at McConkeys Jungle Shack & With These Hands Gallery. For more information, visit www.edistochamber.com.
On Sunday, December 3, the Edisto Community Chorus will offer an evening of Christmas music starting at 7:00 p.m. The annual concert will be held at the Edisto Beach Baptist Church, located at 414 Jungle Road on Edisto Beach.
The Edisto Community Weekend Christmas Celebration is planned for Friday, December 8. Starting at 12 noon, the “Holiday Market and Mingle” at Bay Creek Park will feature live music, arts and crafts vendors, baked goods, and much more. From 1 to 3:30 p.m., a Holiday Nature Crafts Class will be held. Edisto Rocks will be there to assist all who want to paint and hide their own rock, which has become a big social media trend. The Christmas tree lighting, followed by the boat parade, will close out the robust day.
Happy holiday festivities will continue Saturday, December 9, with the 27th Annual Edisto Christmas Parade. The parade will start at 2:00 p.m. at the 600 block of Palmetto Boulevard along Edisto Beach and end at the Pavilion, near Edisto Beach State Park. Santa will be available after the parade at the Pavilion dining room to visit with all the children. For additional information, visit www.edistochamber.com.
Later on Saturday at 6pm, the Annual Edisto Auction will be held at Ella and Ollie’s Restaurant, 21 Fairway Drive. The event will again benefit local teen Riley Davis, who has been struggling with a debilitating illness, and her family. The restaurant will offer a pig-pickin’ barbeque, and cash bar. A robust live and silent auction is also on deck. The event is sponsored by the Edisto News. For more information, contact the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867.
Set in a rare, sparsely-developed corner of the world, Edisto, with its vast green spaces, ancient live oaks, wide open marsh views, and quiet, pristine beach, offers a coastal island experience uncommon today among Eastern seaboard communities. Visitors and residents alike enjoy a slower pace of life, coupled with a broad range of year-round recreational activities, all set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This is the coastal island destination that is said to offer its own “state of mind…any time, any season.” For more information, please call the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867 or visit www.edistochamber.com.
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