Beaufort and St. Helena parades will celebrate military and culture but disrupt traffic
Two popular parades that traditionally draw big crowds in the Beaufort area will celebrate the nation's veterans and history this weekend — and also require the temporary rerouting of local traffic.
The Penn Center Heritage Days parade on St. Helena Island is one. It's on Saturday. The other is Monday's Veterans Day parade in Beaufort.
Here's the details if you want to attend the parades — or avoid them.
Veterans Day parade
Beaufort's annual Veterans Day Parade returns Monday to Boundary and Bay streets where it's expected to draw thousands of spectators in the military-minded community that's always eager to honor those who serve.
The parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Veterans Day, honors veterans who served in the various branches of the military. It is particularly popular in Beaufort and Port Royal, which are home to three military installations: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and the Naval Hospital in Port Royal and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
"We are a military town and we are loaded with veterans," said Pat Harvey Palmer of the Beaufort Alliance Club, the unit organizer of the parade, which is sponsored by Beaufort County Office of Veterans Affairs .
Of Beaufort County's population of 187,000, 11.1% are veterans , compared to 8.4% for South Carolina, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The parade is so popular that residents often scope out their favorite sitting spots along the parade route hours in advance, Harvey Palmer said.
"Everybody has their spot," Harvey Palmer said. "There are there early with their lawn chairs and a cup of coffee and waiting for the parade to start."
The parade begins at the corner of Adventure and Boundary streets. It proceeds down Boundary toward Bellamy Curve and onto Carteret Street before reaching Bay Street and concluding on Bladen Street.
As of Thursday, 45 to 50 units had signed up to participate and the final deadline to submit parade applications is Friday. For more information, contact Beaufort County Veterans Affairs at 843-255-6880.
Heritage Days
The three-day Penn Center Heritage Days Celebration , which honors Gullah Geechee culture, began Thursday.
On Saturday, the Heritage Days Parade will begin at 9 a.m. From 8:45-10 a.m., Sea Island Parkway will be reduced to a single lane. Beaufort County Sheriff's Office deputies will be conducting traffic control during the parade. And from 8:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be closed to all vehicle traffic.
