Johns Island Library May Happenings

John’s Island Library, located at 3531 Maybank Highway, is a branch of Charleston County Public Library (CCPL). The library not only contains books, newspapers, music, and movies, but it also has a meeting room that you can reserve, computers you can use, and a plethora of activities for young and old.

Highlights of May events are:

  • Stop Motion Animation Class for Teens – May 4
  • Photo Editing Basics for All Ages – May 6
  • Paint a Flowerpot for Children – May 8
  • Pokemon Trading Day – May 9
  • Lego Club for Tweens – May 16
  • Sea Islands Book Club for Adults- May 19
  • Read With a Therapy Dog – May 30
  • Storytime for Children – various dates

These are just a few of the exciting classes that are being offered. Click here to see other available events.

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit: ccpl.org)

2026 Chow Town Food Truck Rodeo Schedule

The 2026 TOSI Chow Town Food Truck Rodeo series is just around the corner! The lineup of vendors scheduled for the summer can be found here.

All events will be held from 5:00-8:00 pm at Town Hall, 2001 Seabrook Island Road. Below are the 2026 Chow Town dates:

May 27
June 17
July 8
August 5

–Submitted by the Town of Seabrook Island

(Image credit: townofseabrookisland.org)

Seabrookers Are Reading

If you’re reading this, it’s safe to guess you’re fond of books, reading, and being transported to different times, places, experiences, and viewpoints. We invite you to check out what others are reading and share your recommendations for favorite titles with us.

The Poet’s Game
by Paul Vidich
Alex Matthews thought he had left it all behind: his CIA career, the viper’s den of bureaucracy at headquarters, the deceits of the cat-and-mouse game of double agents, and the sudden trips to Russia, which poisoned his marriage and made him an absentee husband and father, with tragic results. But then the Director came asking for a favor. Something that only Alex could do. (2025; Fiction)

The News from Dublin
by Colm Toibin
Here’s a brilliant collection of nine short stories, many never before published, set across Ireland, Spain, and America–about the complexities of family, longing, loss, and love. (2026; Fiction)

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey
In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, bestselling author John Grisham and Centurion Ministries Founder Jim McCloskey share ten harrowing and impeccably researched true stories of wrongful convictions. (2024; Nonfiction)

Penitence
by Kristen Koval
Penitence is a sweeping debut novel that follows the lives of two estranged families in rural Colorado after an unimaginable tragedy forces them back together. (2025; Fiction)

Anatomy of an Alibi
by Ashley Elston
Camille needs an alibi. Aubrey agrees to give her one. A tense, feverish thriller about two women’s lives that are forever intertwined when a murder threatens to expose them both. (2026; Fiction)

The Calamity Club
by Kathryn Stockett
The author of The Help returns with a bold, big-hearted novel about a group of unbreakable women, fighting for what’s rightfully theirs–and the power of friendship to change everything. (2026; Fiction)

London Falling
by Patrick Radden Keefe
From the bestselling, prize-winning author of Say Nothing, a powerfully compelling account of a family devastated by the apparent suicide of their nineteen-year-old son, only to discover he had created a separate identity which drew him into the dangerous international criminal underworld underlying London’s glittering surface. (2026; Nonfiction)

The Doorman
by Chris Pavone
Chicky Diaz is everyone’s favorite doorman at the Bohemia, the most famous apartment house in the world, home of celebrities, financiers, and New York’s cultural elite. As Chicky changes into his uniform for tonight’s shift, he finds himself breaking a cardinal rule of the job: tonight, he’ll be carrying a gun, bought only hours earlier, before he had any idea what’s about to happen at the Bohemia. Tonight in the city, enemies will clash, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be revealed–and lives will be lost. (2025; Fiction)

Queen Esther
by John Irving
Irving’s 16th novel returns to the setting of The Cider House Rules. The story begins in the early 1900s at an orphanage in Maine, where Dr. Larch takes in three-year-old Esther Nacht, a Viennese-born Jew orphaned after her father dies at sea and her mother is murdered by anti-Semites. Considered unadoptable because of her heritage, Esther eventually finds refuge with the Winslows, a fiercely secular and philanthropic New England family. The story follows Esther’s lifelong journey of gratitude and survival. (2025; Fiction)

That Last Carolina Summer
by Karen White
As a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creek near her Charleston home. Plagued throughout her life by mysterious dreams and always living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Addie, Phoebe eventually moves to the West Coast, as far from her family as possible. This is an unforgettable story about the unbreakable bonds of family and the gift of second chances. (2025; Fiction)

The Golden Boy
by Patricia Finn
After an involuntary retirement from his high-flying Hollywood career, Stafford Hopkins has retreated to a luxury estate on Maui, along with his wife Agnes, both grimly resigned to life in a paradise where neither feels fully at home. Stafford is ready to retreat into himself, too, when a letter arrives with shocking news. Stafford has been named guardian of four children he didn’t know existed. Slyly funny and deeply moving, this is a captivating debut about love, mercy, and second chances. (2026; Fiction)

The Keeper
by Tana French
On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Arknakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she’s dead in the river. In a close-knit small town, a death like this isn’t simple. It comes wrapped in generations and it splits the town in two. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends here now, and he owes them loyalty, but his fiancée Lena wants nothing to do with Arknakelty’s tangles. As the feud becomes more vicious, their settled peace starts to crack apart. (2026; Fiction)

Continue reading “Seabrookers Are Reading”

TOSI Happenings for the Week of May 4


NEWS YOU CAN USE

Beach Rules – Peak season beach rules are now in effect.

Disaster Awareness Day – The Town of Kiawah Island will host Disaster Awareness Day on Friday, May 29, from 10:00 am to noon at Kiawah Island Town Hall, 4475 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. Click here for more information.

Chow Town Food Truck Rodeo – TOSI’s Chow Town Food Truck Rodeo is back for summer 2026. Happening once a month, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, food trucks from various local vendors will take over the Town Hall parking lot.

2026 Town Grant Program – The Town is now accepting applications for funding from the 2026 Discretionary Grant Program. For more information about the Discretionary Grant Program, or to download a grant application form, please click here.

Business License Renewal – The deadline for TOSI business license renewal was April 30, 2026. Renewals after April 30 are subject to late penalties. Click here for more information.

TOSI Monthly E-newsletter – To stay up-to-date with town communications, sign up for the e-newsletter by clicking here.

MEETINGS

To stay up to date on meeting dates and times, visit TOSI’s calendar located on its homepage.

There are no meetings scheduled for May 4-8, 2026.

-Submitted by the Town of Seabrook Island

SIDOGS Celebrates 20 Years of Happy Dogs on the Beach

This year marks a special milestone for Seabrook Island—20 years of being a dog-friendly beach community.

What began as a one-year trial in 2006 has become a defining part of island life, made possible by a shared commitment to responsible dog ownership, respect for our environment, and a community that values the simple joy of dogs on the beach.

To celebrate, the Seabrook Island Dog Owners Group (SIDOGS) invites all residents to join us for a special anniversary gathering:

Yappie Hour – 20th Anniversary Celebration
On the beach between Boardwalks 1 and 2
Thursday, May 21
5:30 – 7:00 pm

This will be a relaxed potluck, BYOB beach party:

Bring a dish or snack to share
Bring whatever you’d like to drink (no glass on the beach)
Water will be provided for both humans and dogs
Come with or without a pup—all are welcome.

We will also be collecting donations for Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary, continuing SIDOGS’ long tradition of giving back.

Was it Brie or was it Cheddar? Learn how a stolen piece of cheese helped spark 20 years of happy dogs on the beach. Read the full SIDOGS history here.

-Submitted by Lisa Hand for SIDOGS

Charleston Greek Festival May 8-10

Become Greek for the Weekend, May 8-10, 2026, when the 55th Annual Charleston Greek Festival returns. Lowcountry residents and visitors are invited to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Race Street, to feast on Greek dishes, from salads and moussaka to roasted lamb, gyros, and pastries. Sample Greek wines and beers. Enjoy performances of local Greek dance troupes. Take a guided tour of the church. Stroll through the arts and crafts booths located on the church grounds.

Continue reading “Charleston Greek Festival May 8-10”

SIAG Memorial Day Arts and Crafts Event May 23

The Seabrook Island Artist Guild (SIAG) is proud to present its Memorial Day Weekend Art and Craft Show—an exceptional opportunity to explore and experience the creativity of talented local artists and craftsmen.

Join us on Saturday, May 23, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm for a day of art, inspiration, and community. In the event of inclement weather, the show will be held on Sunday, May 24, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. A weather decision will be made one to two days before the event.

This year’s event will be held on the green in front of the Seabrook Island Real Estate Company, located at 1002 Landfall Way, just outside the gate. This convenient and welcoming location makes it easy for our neighbors from Kiawah Island and Johns Island to join us for this special event.

Continue reading “SIAG Memorial Day Arts and Crafts Event May 23”

WineLines: Wine Quotations

Finding fun quotations about wine is easy, like looking for hay in a haystack. Wineries have them on their notice boards. Cocktail napkins with wine witticisms abound. On a more serious note, many classic authors have also written about wine. Let’s start with William Shakespeare (“sack” corresponds to modern sherry):

  • “Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young and makes weariness forget his toil.” (Merry Wives of Windsor)
  • “If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them should be, to forswear thin potations and to addict themselves to sack.” (Henry IV)
  • “Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.” (Henry VIII)
  • “A man cannot make him laugh – but that’s no marvel; he drinks no wine.” (Henry IV)
  • “What three things does drink especially provoke? Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.” (Macbeth)

Shakespeare was not alone in generating some great quotations about wine, and featuring characters who loved their wine. Here are quotes from some other great authors; it’s no accident that several are French, since the French may have had the most practice at drinking wine:

  • “Ah, bouteille, ma vie, pourquoi  vous videz-vous?” (Moliere) Translated “Oh bottle, my life, why do you empty yourself?”
  • “One should always be drunk. That’s all that matters .. But with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you choose. But get drunk.” (Charles Baudelaire)
  • “In vino, veritas.” (Pliny the Elder). Translation: “In wine, there is truth.”
  • “La vie est trop court pour boire du mauvais vin.” (French proverb). Translation “Life is too short to drink bad wine.” The Wine Guys say “Amen”
  • “Wine is bottled poetry.” (Robert Louis Stevenson)
  • “Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” (Joan Collins)

Other famous people also needed to make their opinions on wine heard:

Continue reading “WineLines: Wine Quotations”

Bootleggers Bash to Benefit Seabrook Employee Assistance Fund

Join us at the Bootleggers Bash
Thursday, May 14

Step back in time for an unforgettable evening at the Bootleggers Bash benefiting the Seabrook Island Employee Assistance Fund on Thursday, May 14 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm in the Atlantic Ballroom. 

Enjoy speakeasy-style fun featuring:

  • Chef Dan Doyle’s signature and bountiful food stations – to include  raw bar, fish station, chicken supper club station, steakhouse carving station, classic hotel sides and vegetables, speakeasy canapé table, dessert parlor
  • Live entertainment
  • Complimentary spirits tastings
  • Live auction, raffle, and surprises throughout the night
  • 1920s attire is encouraged (but not required).

Thanks to your generosity, 50 employees have already been assisted, totaling $137,000 in support. We are proud to share that SIPOA employees are now eligible for funding, and we have established the Nancy Beaudway Memorial Scholarship Fund to further invest in our community’s future.

Help us continue to grow this impact by attending the Bootleggers Bash – all proceeds support the dedicated employees who make Seabrook Island so special.

Tickets are selling quickly! Purchase tickets and learn more about sponsorships at The Fund at SI.

Come for the bash. Stay for the heart behind it.

-Submitted by The Seabrook Island Employee Assistance Fund

Charleston Airshow Saturday, May 2

The Charleston Airshow is coming to Charleston Harbor this Saturday, May 2. This is the first time in over a decade that the Blue Angels will perform over the waterfront. The show is free, open to the public, and no tickets are required.

Practice flights take place on Thursday, April 20, and Friday, May 1.

To find out more about times, parking, and public viewing areas, click here.

Please note that there will be significant traffic and congestion beginning late in the morning on Saturday, May 2, in downtown Charleston, on the Mount Pleasant waterfront, and along routes near the Ravenel Bridge.

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit: City of Charleston Newsletter)

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic Annual Golf Invitational June 16

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic is pleased to announce that its 19th Annual Golf Invitational will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at the Cassique Course at Kiawah Island Club.

A limited number of spots remain for the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic’s 19th Annual Golf Invitational at Cassique on June 16. This event sells out quickly, so don’t miss the opportunity to play a challenging course while supporting a meaningful cause. Registration is available for both teams and individual players.

Click here for full details and registration.

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic provides a free medical home to uninsured adults across the Tri-County area, serving more than 1,200 patients, many of whom work in hospitality, landscaping, and construction across the Barrier Islands.

-Submitted by Lori Leary

(Image credit: BIFMC)