Family Photographer in Johns Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – The 15^th annual Feeding of the Multitude event was held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Haut Gap Middle School on Johns Island.

Twenty-four separate church congregations came together as one to feed neighbors on the Johns and Wadmalaw Islands.

“We don’t want anyone on these islands to go hungry,” Feeding of the Multitude outreach coordinator Easter Laroche said, “so the purpose of it is just to ensure that the residents of Johns and Wadmalaw Islands are given a hot Thanksgiving meal.”

A hot Thanksgiving meal that residents like Lisa Pitts said she is extremely grateful for.

“Since I’m on a fixed income,” Pitts said, “I think it’s good that the community helps people in need have a thankful Thanksgiving.”

In the generous and giving spirit that embodies what Thanksgiving is all about, many who drove through the line came to pick up items for other families.

“It’s people that can’t get here to get a bag,” Marcia Brown said, “so I said let me just come down and get a bag. If it’s somebody that needs a turkey or need a thing, I hand it to them and say, ‘Here, Happy Thanksgiving.’”

“I know I got a gift card so I can take it to a family,” Doris Bright, pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church said, “and I have a bag of groceries to take to a family. Coming to see this is marvelous that we’re doing the work of Jesus Christ. To go to those who can’t come to us.”

With more than 1300 meals handed out Saturday, organizers said they are blessed to be able to help so many community members ahead of Thanksgiving.

“The smiles on their faces and the interaction and the fun,” lead organizer Claudia Boyce said. “Everybody is having fun today, and that’s what the Lord wants, he wants us to be joyful and we are joyful. So, it’s a great day.”

Volunteers said this year’s event is one of the biggest and most successful they have had in the past 15 years.

NORTH CHARLESTON — A man provided Charleston County deputies with a different name before he took off running across several lanes of a major road and jumping from an overpass.

Kelvin Cole, 56, died Oct. 28 after being struck by multiple cars on Interstate 26. Investigators later determined he had active arrest warrants from Charleston County’s Family Court and the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

Cole, who lived and worked as a welder in Johns Island, was riding in the passenger seat of a car when a deputy stopped it for alleged traffic violations. The car’s 31-year-old driver was ultimately given a warning.

Attempts to reach Cole’s family Nov. 2 were unsuccessful.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office released an incident report Nov. 2, several days after Cole’s death. It provides new details on what preceded the moment he ran from the deputy.

Deputy Tanner Buller was patrolling around 10:30 p.m. near Stall and Mazyck roads in North Charleston when he noticed a white SUV swerve several times from its lane, the report states. The driver also failed to use a turn signal when changing lanes.

Buller, who has worked in law enforcement for five years, had a deputy-in-training with him during the stop. He flipped on his blue lights and the SUV pulled over onto the Ashley Phosphate Road overpass, which sits atop I-26.

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Buller spoke with the car’s driver through the passenger-side window. The driver denied he had been drinking, but Buller wrote he could smell marijuana and alcohol coming from the vehicle’s passenger side. The car’s passenger, later identified as Cole, told the deputy his name was Raymond Brown.

Buller had both men get out of their car so he could search them. The driver admitted he’d smoked marijuana earlier in the day, the report states.

When Cole exited the car, Buller saw a beer can near the passenger seat. Buller found Cole’s driver’s license and noticed it did not match the name he’d provided the deputy.

Buller tried to detain Cole “but he pulled away and fled on foot” across Ashley Phosphate Road, the report states. The deputy chased Cole while trying to avoid traffic.

He repeatedly asked Cole to stop but the man “eventually jumped over the guardrail,” the report states. Buller saw Cole’s hands “grabbing the rail for a brief period” before he appeared to let go and fall onto I-26, the report states.

Buller never drew his weapon, said Andrew Knapp, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. The deputy remains on duty. In addition to conducting its own internal review, the Sheriff’s Office also requested State Law Enforcement Division investigate the incident, Knapp said.

Investigators searched Cole’s name in a federal database and found he had an active warrant with the probation department, as well as three bench warrants with Charleston County’s Family Court.

Cole was the defendant in an ongoing child support case filed in 2016, court records show.

He was placed on a year of probation in February 2020 after pleading guilty in Charleston County to a forgery charge. Cole’s probation sentence would not be terminated until he paid all associated fees, said Anita Dantzler, a department spokeswoman.

Cole owed nearly $2,500 to the department, records show.

A windowless white cinderblock building looked lifeless at 1:22 p.m. on a recent Friday afternoon, though a parking lot full of cars suggested otherwise.

After unsuccessfully trying to enter through a locked front door, I wandered to the right side of the single-story structure, opening the door to a cozy room full of people and the scent of fresh fried fish.

One couple sat down with their basket of flounder, french fries, hush puppies and coleslaw at a table by the fireplace, while three women across the room laughed as a tower of Jenga pieces fell to the floor. Most, however, crowded around the bar, or canteen, as it’s called at the PFC Ralph H. Johnson USMC American Legion Post 147 on James Island.

Established in 1919, The American Legion is a wartime veterans service organization with over 3 million members. Post 147 is one of about 12,000 American Legion posts across the country. Membership is open to veterans who served during wartime periods. Spouses and family members of those who served during wartime dates are eligible to join the American Legion Auxiliary or Sons of The American Legion.

But membership isn’t a requirement to come enjoy Friday Seafood Lunch at The American Legion Post 147.

“We’re glad to bring people in and, as I say, take care of veterans and their families, and veterans and their friends, if it comes to that,” said Post Commander Steve Driscoll, a Marine Corps veteran who worked in education for 48 years. “On a given day we’ll almost always have 100 if not 115 folks coming through the door.”

The bang for your buck is unmatched at Post 147’s Friday Seafood Lunch — a basket of flounder, french fries, hush puppies and coleslaw costs just $9. Add shrimp, oysters or both for an additional $3 each.

Beyond just the price, the group of volunteers churning out 100-plus orders of fish every Friday knows what they’re doing in the kitchen. Close your eyes, take a bite and you might feel as though you’re at a trendy new Lowcountry fish camp.

In this welcoming environment, people want to learn your name — whether it’s the volunteer chefs, four staff bartenders or canteen manager Tina Baugh, who has worked at Post 147 for 11 years.

Baugh and Driscoll both recounted the origin story of Friday Seafood Lunch, which started with a group of five members who garnered the nickname the Weenee Boys. Sam Brown, Jim Churchill, Trip Compton, Pat Clute and Mike Garvin, the post’s first kitchen crew, started serving hot dogs on Fridays as a way to fund improvements to the post. Hot dogs were traded for seafood in 2014, and years later, the meals were opened to the public, with 100 percent of proceeds going right back to Post 147.

“We opened up to the public and they were very receptive,” said Baugh, who took a short pause during our interview to tell one of the bartenders a customer’s regular drink order (Canadian Mist Whisky, cherry juice and sweet vermouth). “All we’ve got is that one sign out there.”

“We’ve picked up over time maybe 10, 15 members that way, which is always good,” added Driscoll. “The more members you have the greater chance you have of impacting change.”

Legionnaires participate in community activities and work with the students at four local high schools. They also support one another, welcoming newcomers with open arms.

Members of Post 147 now have a new canteen to gather in thanks to Friday Seafood Lunch and other meals that are open to the public, including Wednesday and Thursday lunch, Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast.

Improvements include a raised ceiling, updates to the bar and the addition of a Purple Heart memorial, marked by a gorgeous stained glass window from the American Military Museum, which closed and never found a new home.

“They seem to like it a lot because it’s more open,” Driscoll said of the upgrades, completed in September. “It’s improved the service and certainly the ambiance.”

The atmosphere is quite nice, I concluded while dipping the last bits of flounder in a small pool of Texas Pete hot sauce.

Go see for yourself next Friday from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., when Driscoll will holler “last call for seafood!”

I’m fairly certain you’ll be glad I sent you.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The 33rd Holiday Festival of Lights is back and as bright as ever.

It features over 2 million lights and more than 700 displays.

Guests are invited to drive along a three-mile stretch of colorful blinking bulbs and get out of the car for more holiday experiences.

"There's two areas in the park, Winter Wonderland and Santa's Village, and there's a lot more to see in those areas such as gift shops, Santa will be here in a few weeks. We have marshmallow roasting, food, all kinds of other great things that you have to experience while you're here," said Sarah Reynolds, Public Information Coordinator for Charleston County Parks.

Reynolds says almost 6 million people have come to the event since it opened in 1989.

She says it takes the staff more than an hour to turn on the displays.

"We have some really unique light displays, and you know, some iconic Charleston imagery that are reflected in the light displays here. So it's a really beautiful, really amazing event to drive through," Reynolds said.

Many people say they were ready to get into the holiday spirit. That’s why they attended this season’s debut.

"Every year is something different, and it just always makes people so happy," returning visitor Alexandra Yakobleba said.

Parks and recreation officials say there are more lights this year and you can buy tickets to see the displays from a dragon boat tour.

You get to dry you get to paddle next to like some of the light displays and so it's a really unique opportunity to see those light displays up close," Reynolds said.

Tickets can be bought online in advance or at the gate.

But they’ll be slightly more expensive on busier evenings.

"We have identified peak nights and regular nights at the Festival of Lights. So if you come on a regular night, you're going to be paying a lower admission rate for your vehicle. So we encourage everyone to check out our website, check out the calendar and try to come on a regular night if you can. And we're also offering advance ticket purchases so you don't have to buy your ticket at the gate," Reynolds said.

"Whoever is seeing this, you have got to come out here," Yakobleba said.

If you didn't make it opening night, the festival will be open each night from 5:30 to 10 p.m. through December 31st.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Proposed upgrades to an intersection on James Island appear to be concerning some neighbors.

Charleston County’s recommended plan requires removing two grand oak trees at the intersection of Camp Road and Fort Johnson Road, an act that some James Islanders deem unnecessary.

Tuesday, the James Island Board of Zoning Appeals will meet to review the request to remove the trees.

According to a local advocacy group, they are 150-year-old grand oaks.

The town of James Island said removing the trees is needed in order to move forward with the intersection improvements, one councilman is wondering if there is any way these trees can be saved.

The intersection of Camp Road and Fort Johnson Road is one of the four areas on James Island that Charleston County has determined needs safety improvements. The first two Grand Oaks that line Camp Road are the trees in question.

One proposed plan for the intersection adds a turning lane, taking out many of the trees. But, the option the county recommends is a compact roundabout, only removing two trees.

James Island Councilman Garett Milliken said that’s still too many. He said the trees are perfectly healthy Grand Oaks and taking the first two trees could set the precedent for taking more in the future.

But he acknowledges the intersection improvement project must go forward.

“I believe that both goals can be realized. I do believe that nothing is carved in stone here with respect to the plans. And I feel that if the engineers can find a solution to saving these trees, that solution can carry over to other projects,” Milliken said.

However, James Island Mayor Bill Woolsey, said he disagrees.

He said they will continue to review the intersection with the county, making sure there is no way to avoid taking the trees.

For now, he said he thinks this plan is best for the town.

“This relatively small traffic circle is the best option. And if we have to sacrifice two trees of the over 40 on the road, I just think that is the responsible thing to do,” Woolsey said.

The county provided a statement saying they recommend this option because it saves more trees than the other options they provided and improves the safety of the intersection.

“Charleston County Public Works recommends the construction of an urban compact roundabout at Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road to improve the safety of the intersection. This type of roundabout will save as many Grand Oak trees as possible and require the acquisition of the least amount of right of way,” the County said in a statement.

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion with the town of James Island regarding the intersection plan and tree removal, you can email kcrane@jamesislandsc.us.

Today’s meeting starts at 5 p.m. For a link to the agenda, click here.

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