Rodel Gonzales and James Coleman Highlight the Endangered Arts Spring Show on Hilton Head Island

June 26th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Hilton Head Art, Hilton Head Community Events No Comments »

 

A Rodel Gonzales original oil of a Lowcountry pelican called 'A Reflective Gaze'.

A Reflective Gaze.  Rodel Gonzales, original oil 26 x 30

 

The Hilton Head Endangered Arts Gallery

  

Endangered Arts is my favorite art gallery on Hilton Head Island. Julie and Clay Rogers own and run the gallery that they started in 1994. It’s called Endangered Arts because everything they sell is signed and numbered, a limited edition or an original. When the art sells out, it’s gone!   They sell magnificent art from about 25 different artists that includes paintings, glass and sculptures. James Coleman, Rodel Gonzales and Steve Barton were featured at their Spring Show on June 20 and 21, 2008. Barton paints colorful Caribbean scenes on ‘wavy’ canvasses.  Rodel Gonzales and James Coleman paint the lowcountry.  At the show, I had the pleasure to talk with them about their lowcountry art.  

 

Rodel Gonzales Captures the ‘Mood’ of Hilton Head

 

Rodel Gonzales has captured ‘the mood’ of Hilton Head so well that his paintings have been featured on the covers of many HiltonHead Island magazines. 

Rodel Gonzales has become a popular Hilton Head artist.

Rodel Gonzales at the Endangered Arts Gallery

“The mood of Hilton Head” he says, “is unique. It’s different altogether from that of Big Sur, Malibu or Hawaii. That’s why my lowcountry wildlife and nature scenes are very different from the tropical pieces that I mostly painted before I discovered Hilton Head’s natural beauty and began painting it. Hilton Head Island has its own character and beauty with the marshes, the blue herons, the egrets - even the color of the water.  The colors are different from the ones in Hawaii - different shades of green. It’s a challenge for me to create a Hilton Head palate or mood. I love to discover the possibilities”. 

 

Rodel Gonzales has captured the 'mood' of Hilton Head Island with this original oil painting, Stillness of the Night.

Stillness of the Night.  Rodel Gonzales, original oil

The possibilities for Rodel’s lowcountry paintings have been outstanding. He paints Hilton Head wildlife with brilliant realism and amazing detail. However, some of his work is looser and more ‘painterly’. He says, “Painterly means that you don’t over paint it. It’s the very first interpretation of what you saw – your first instinct. It’s like hearing the hit songs. You know them right away. See those    clouds?  I capture the essence of them, paint their shape and color and then I leave them. I don’t keep going back over them.”   
 
Asked if there are other artists that inspire him, Rodel says, “As an artist, I am also the fan of different artists like Daniel Smith. The internet allows me to see so many different artists, wildlife artists per se, that I look up to and I am challenged by their works.”  
 
Rodel Gonzales paints Hilton Head Island 'As Time Goes By'.

As Time Goes By.  Rodel Gonzales, original oil 18 x 24

His start in painting could be called painterly. He learned to paint from his father and he grew up in a family of talented painters. “When I was growing up, I loved to go to my father’s studio after school every day and watch him paint. It was the highlight of my day. Me and my cousins – my relatives - everybody painted! It’s a good thing that there were no video games back then. Things might have turned out differently.” 

 

 

James Coleman Imagines and Inspires

Hilton Head Island was the first place in the South that James Colman ever painted. He came to Hilton Head twelve years ago and was  “blown away” by the foliage he saw.  He knew that he wanted to know this place better. “The Island has the beach on one side that goes on for as far as you can walk and then the wetlands on the other side. They are so different from each other and from anything else I know. Every time that I come here I explore and learn more”, he said.  

James Coileman creates sanctuaries of massive oaks and 'Lowcountry Light'.

Lowcountry Light.  James Coleman, limited edition giclee, 18 x 24

 “As beautiful as Hilton Head is, what excites me with my art is to inspire people by taking reality, changing it a little bit and sometimes, making it a little bit better. I ask myself what would I want to see if I was standing in the best place I could imagine at a pond or a garden.”  

In his lowcountry paintings, Coleman imagines natural sanctuaries of massive oak trees that surround fragile lily ponds that 

James Coleman's use of dramatic lighting in his lowcountry paintings is inspirational.

James Coleman at the Endangered Arts Gallery

we can only visit in his artwork.   Light shines through dark tree branches to serene water and colorful lily pads. We linger and absorb this peaceful world.       

 
 The interplay of light and darkness is a clear motif in Coleman’s work. He says, “People are drawn to dramatic lighting because it represents what life is - shadows and light that kind of battle each other. The sun goes down and you go through a time of darkness and then the moon comes up and you have that, and then - boom! - You have something with hardly any shadow at all!   Dark and light is like the question: Is the glass half empty or is it half full? When you’re looking at a piece of art and you see the light come through - Is it light or dark? It depends on your experience in life. We might think this is really bad or we might think that life might really be a challenge but it’s going to be really exciting when we get to the other side of this. Of course, sometimes it’s not the kind of excitement that we want! The one great thing that we learn – and the Lord said that there’s going to be trials and we are going to go through those dark things but it doesn’t even matter, because in the end, as long as you can keep focused on the fact that you’re going through a trial, you will win! If you don’t get overrun by it or ruined by it, we win every time!” 
 

James Coileman paints the lowcountry wetlands with a unique beauty.

Oak in the Wetlands.  James Coleman, limited edition giclee 18 x 24

Coleman paints the words John: 8-12 in the bottom corner of some of his paintings. He says, “Oh, that’s “I am the light of the world; he who follows me never walks in the shadow but shall have the light of life.” I feel that that describes what my paintings are about. No matter where my paintings are, hopefully they inspire and give people another look at life. When you have a piece of artwork that you like, it comes to you from a place of light and inspiration. I put the John verse there because people ask me how I do what I do. I tell them I don’t know. I’m not the one who is really doing it. It’s a gift.”  

 
James Coleman’s gift was first discovered when he took a job in California at the Disney mail room because of his interest in broadcasting - not for art. “I was a kid who had no chance of doing this at all. There was a show that anyone at the Disney studio could enter so I did a painting. An animator saw it and said that it was really good.   I started working on my art and later became an animator with Disney and eventually became the Head of the animation background department at Disney. That’s where I learned to paint lily pads - during the first Rescuers I had to paint many of them. 

 

“I could never have believed that I would have this kind of success”, he says. “I love it and my career is beyond my wildest dreams. I am very fortunate. I love trying to get more feeling and more inspiration in each piece and I want people to feel those same things.” 

 

 

Note: All images are protected by copyrights.  All rights are reserved by the artists. 

 

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories

 

 

 

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Memorial Day on Hilton Head Island

June 12th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Hilton Head Community Events No Comments »

The Hilton Head Veterans' Park at Shelter Cove is a beautful setting, even on a cloudy day.

Gene Sullivan addresses the 15th Annual Memorial Day Observance of the Navy League of the United States, Hilton Head Council at the Shelter Cove Veterans’ Park.  

 Hilton Head Islanders Remember

On May 26, 2008 at 10:30 a.m., The Navy League of the United States held the 15th Memorial Day observance at Veterans’ Memorial at Shelter Cove Park on Hilton Head Island.   Flags of the United States, the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and MIAs flew under cloudy skies.  The park was filled and overflowing with hundreds of people in attendance including many Town, County and State government officials that were recognized by Master of Ceremonies Gene Sullivan, President of the Hilton Head Island Council of the Navy League.  Mr. Sullivan noted that former Hilton Head Mayor Jerry Barkie, a World War Two Veteran was recuperating from a broken hip and was not in attendance for the first time in fifteen years.  He said that everyone wished the former Mayor a speedy recovery.       

"Memorial Day is a day or remembrance, giving thanks to all brave men and women who gave their lives for our country", Mr. Sullivan said.  "While the province of the Navy League is the sea services: the Navy, the Marine Corp, the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines; We equally honor all all fallen of the Army and the Air Force."   

Hilton Head’s World War II  Veterans are Honored

Before the formal service began, Mr. Sullivan said that he wanted to honor all veterans of World War Two who were in attendance.  He said, "It was over 65 years ago that this nation entered into World War Two.  During that conflict, sixteen million men and women served in our armed forces and Merchant Marines.  Of that number, 400,000 were never to return to their families or loved ones.  They made the ultimate sacrifice.  They gave their all for this great nation."  He asked the World War Two Veterans to stand so that everyone could thank them for their services.  

Mr. Sullivan recalled 15 years earlier when initiating Council President Hamp Burnett organized the first Memorial Day Service in a parking lot in Sea Pines by the Lighthouse.  "It rained that morning very, very heavily but it stopped just before the ceremony.  One of our Members, quietly and with dignity described the sinking of the Cruiser USS Northampton which was lost during the battle of GuadalCanal.  He related his personal saga of survival.  Today we continue that tradition that Dr. Burnett started some fifteen years ago."  

Patriotic Organizations and Officials are Recognized

Then Mr. Sullivan recognized several patriotic organizations and their officials:  Al Wattay, Commander of Post 185  

A fly-over by jets of the Beaufort Marine Air Corps pay tribute to our fallen heros during Memorial Day on Hilton Head Island.

Jets from the Beaufort Marine Air Corps Station  fly  over the Hilton Head Memorial Day Observance.

of the American Legion; Mary Ann Comper, Regent, William Hilton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Al Wieland, Navigator, 4th Degree, Knights of Columbus; Warren Wilson, Flotilla Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; Commander Don Shea, Palmetto Chapter of the Korean War Veterans; Gordon Kiddoo, President, George Moss Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution;  Paul Grier, State President, Sons of the American Revolution: Major Jim Todd, Lowcountry Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol;  Mary DuVall, President, Hilton Head Chapter Colonial Dames of the    17th Century; Andy Davison, President of Hilton Head Island Elks Lodge 2773; Robert Anderson, President of the Military Officers Association of America; Libby Galloway-Dextrase, President of the Children of the American Revolution". 

The Invocation was given by Dr. Martin Lifer, Senior Pastor of the Providence Presbyterian Church.  Bugler William Howe played the Call to Attention and the Presentation of the Colors was made by the Color Guard and Detachment of the NJROTC of Hilton  Head High School.  Gene Sullivan lead the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Mayor Tom Peeples Reads a Memorial Day Proclamation

Mayor Tom Peeples read a Proclamation on behalf of the Town of Hilton Head Island.  He said, "Whereas in 1863 the women of Columbus Mississippi went to the community cemetery to decorate the grave sites of their Confederate war dead, noted the nearby bare and unattended graves of the northern war dead that had fallen on the same field of battle, and returned with flowers to place on the barren graves a gesture that offered to promise reconciliation for a deeply divided nation.  And whereas in 1873, Decoration Day so named because of the custom of decorating the graves of servicemen with flowers became a legal holiday.   And whereas in 1882 the holiday was made more inclusive and renamed Memorial Day and today it recognizes the heroes from all of America’s wars.  And whereas the Hilton Head Council of the Navy League of the United States has elected to formalize the Hilton Head Island annual commemoration of Memorial Day to insure its observance, and whereas the Hilton Head Island Council of the Navy League of the United States has invited and encouraged our citizens and other service oriented groups and our visitors to participate; and whereas it is important to remember the significance of this unique day, to cherish the precious freedoms that all generations enjoy, freedom of thought  with the blood and the lives of our fallen servicemen and women in every branch of service.  These gifts must never be forgotten.  Now, therefore, I Thomas D. Peeples, Mayor of the Town of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina do hereby proclaim that May 26, 2008 shall be recognized on Hilton Head Island as Memorial Day and as the Mayor, I call on all citizens and visitors to observe this Memorial Day and the memories of those who are honored with the spirit of gratitude and reverence".                              

The Hilton Head Choral Society

The Hilton Head Island Choral Society and the audience sang the National Anthem.  Four jets from the Beaufort Marine Air Corps Station flew over the ceremony and this was followed by a medley of service songs performed by the Hilton Head Choral Society to which veterans of each military branch stood to applause as their song was sung.   

Guest Speaker Commander Geoffrey S. Gage

Mr. Sullivan introduced the guest speaker who would give the Hilton Head Memorial Day Address, Top Gun Pilot Commander Geoffrey S.  Gage, United States Navy and Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 86-  the Sidewinders.  Commander Gage said, " It’s a great day to be an American fighting man or woman.  We’re here of course to honor those who died in defense of our nation through solemn remembrance.  I can’t think of a better place to be this morning than with such an incredibly dedicated group of my fellow countrymen."  At this time four jets flew over the ceremony a second time.  Commander Gage said, "Obviously the fly over speaks for itself.  I love the Marines -no kill like overkill!"  He continued, "To the Hilton Head Choral Society: Tremendous job. Thank you very much.  That was tear inspiring.  To the Hilton Head High School Navy Junior ROTC: Well done.  Stand up and receive applause." 

Commander Geoffery S. Gage gives the 15th Navy League Hilton Head Memorial Day address.

Commander Geoffrey S. Gage gives the Memorial Day Address on Hilton Head Island.

Another Great Generation

"Mayor, Councilmen, other elected Representatives of this great nation, flag officers and fellow officers and the greatest generation.   I don’t don’t dispute that you are the greatest generation, but I would wager based on my experience of the last fifteen years leading sailors and marines who are much younger than I and you that we’ve got another pretty great generation in our midst.  You left a great legacy, and my kind of sailors, I believe, are cut from the same cloth."  

The Lowcountry Is Our Nation’s Military Crossroads

"We gather today at one of our nation’s great military crossroads.  The lowcountry and southern Georgia are home to key elements of every Service.  I’m honored to have the opportunity to represent all American service men and women, Merchantmen, Coast Guardsmen, Airman, Soldiers, Marines and Sailors.  I won’t presume to speak for them because this day is as much about individual remembrance as our nation’s collective one of respect to our fallen defenders.  I’ll be brief while addressing two subjects related to Memorial Day.  The first, this day’s purpose and second, who I remember this day.  With respect of Memorial Day in general, it’s obviously something about which all of you know something if not much more than I,  as evidenced by your presence on a day many of our fellow citizens reserve simply for bargain hunting and sun tanning."

Memorial Day Was Born of the Civil War 

"Born of the Civil War, first through individual and local acts of remembrance, then later through nationwide proclamation and eventual law, this Memorial Day has come to recognize the ultimate individual sacrifices of our fellow citizens, men and women who died to defend our collective and individual liberties.  I think it’s right to include the first defenders, our Revolutionary War ancestors who started this unprecedented experiment in democracy well over two centuries ago.  Tested once again in the war of 1812 then supremely tested during our own Civil War when cause and technology conspired to produce, as then, unimaginable losses.  This grand experiment emerged in tact to lead the world in the coming centuries.  Though the incidents of war grew more deadly in the twentieth century, our passion for democracy and freedom did not fade when threatened with a breached Maginot Line or blitzkrieg or kama kazi.  Americans, many of whose brothers and sisters join us today answered the call during the two world wars.  We remember them.  During the ironically named Cold War, we defended distant lands against the onslaught of totalitary communism in places like Korea and Viet Nam.  Many of you today also knew those that served and fell.  You remember them.  And while the Cold War waned and the world grew more connected and interdependent economically, we fought in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.  We fight there today.  A relatively smaller number of our fellow citizens served and died there and the losses are fewer, but no less significant.  Both our nation and to those brave men and women’s families: You remember them. And throughout all of our nation’s history we have lost servicemen not just in direct action with the enemy but from time to time in  training and in preparation for combat and from time to time, from friendly fire during combat.  Their loss, often decried as meaningless or needless, is far from it.  Those great Americans died in service to our country.  We learned from those mistakes.  We get better and ultimately more lethal to our foes.  And we remember those that fell on and off the battlefield.   Each of you by your presence today likely carries the personal memory of one or more great Americans who laid down their life for others and perhaps in some cases for you, off the battlefield."

Three Inspirational Men 

"Today I think of three men in particular, all Navy fliers.  One of them I knew as a best friend. Lieutenant Commander Scott Speicher was lost in combat, January 1991 in the opening hours of Desert Storm, the so-called ‘First’ Gulf War.  He was a Hornet Pilot flying off USS Saratoga at night.  He has never been found but we’ve never stopped looking.  I didn’t know him personally but from day one of my career as a fighter pilot, his story influenced every single hour of my training and preparation for combat.  His fate, ultimately unknown to all but God taught all of us that this business is unforgiving but that America is also unforgetting.  On the opening days of the current war in 2003, Scott Speicher was one of the first priorities  for our forces and we have not stopped looking.  

Lieutenant Nathan White was shot down by our own forces in a highly contested desert in southern Iraq in 2003.  He was flying a close air support mission in support of Marines and soldiers on the ground fighting their way to Baghdad.  His loss, while yielding many lessons learned, was not in vain.  He served his country bravely and answered the call without hesitation.  It was with Nathan in my thoughts and heart that I led my young Navy wing men in two subsequent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We are a better force today because of him. 

Lieutenant Kevin Colling, my best friend, died in 1998 in Valdosta, Georgia during a training accident as the newest Member of the Navy’s Blue Angels.  He and I trained together from the start and he was the best that I ever saw.  He would have been leading a young nugget pilot into harm’s way in Iraq or Afghanistan today.  He would have been a squadron commander today and he would have led the Navy the nation to victory but he died doing what he loved and he left the legacy of friends and brothers in arms to carry on, not in spite of Kevin but because of him.  If I was in our nation’s capitol today, I’d visit section 66, site 6665 section of the Arlington National Cemetery  and say these words to Kevin: Thank you."

They Shall Never Be Forgotten 

"I’ll conclude with a plea and thanks.   First, I would ask all of you to continue to demand that our warriors be provided the best leadership, manpower and technology with which to fight our nation’s wars; To do this as citizens in the collective political process and as groups through the works as such organizations like the Navy League.  We will never eliminate the risk and reality of death in defense of freedom.  Those that threaten to do so out of their own mortal fear but we must continually do more to reduce it.  Help us to win by surviving and when necessary, make the other guy die for his country first.  Second and last, thank you for your service and commitment to us, whether as fellow veterans, members of the Navy League, or simply a great American citizen.   As I join you today in the solemn remembrance of those who gave their last full measure, I reinforce my personal belief that they shall never be forgotten and the cause for which they died, whether on the beaches of Normandy, in the jungles of Viet Nam or the rocky deserts of Iraq or Afghanistan, that cause will never be lost.  Thank you."   Commander Gage received long and sustained applause.   

Placing the Memorial Wreath

A memorial wreath was placed in front of the Memorial  in memory of our United States service men and service women and merchant mariners who died in defense of their country.  Mr. Sullivan asked representatives of each of our armed forces to come forward and stand beside the Memorial Wreath    The Hilton Head Choral Society sang the Navy Hymn as Mr. Sullivan called the names of Bill Baker, U.S. Navy; Robert O’Neil, U.S. Marine Corp; Bob Warden,  U.S. Merchant Marine; Mary-Michaele Beltz, U.S. Army; Charles Cherrix, U.S. Coast Guard and Andy Leach, U.S. Air Force to come forward.  

Dr. Martin Lifer, Senior Pastor of the Providence Presbyterian Church gave the Benediction.  Buglers William Howe and Danny Dennison played taps.  Mr. Sullivan read the Gettysburg Address which was as relevant today as it was when first spoken by President Abraham Lincoln.   

The Hilton Head Navy League

Mr. Sullivan said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Hilton Head Island Council of the Navy League of the United States is honored by your presence here today.  We hope that you appreciate our intent in causing these Memorial Day commemorations to take place.  It is an organization dedicated to support the sea services and a strong national defense.  Our local Navy League Council has made Memorial Day a significant part of our annual calendar.  We hope you will too.   Thanks for all your participation in this most important Memorial Day and thank you for coming.  Now will you please stand and remain standing during the Retiring the Colors which signals the conclusion of this Memorial Day ceremony. "

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories

 
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The Indigo Run Golden Bear Men’s Golf Association

May 11th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Hilton Head Area Golf, Hilton Head Community Events, Hilton Head Gated Communities No Comments »

 2008 Spring Tournament and Picnic

Alan Zak has won the 11th Annual Golden Bear Men’s Golf Association (GBMGA)Spring Tournament played at the Golden Bear Golf Club on May 3 and 10, 2008.

Members of the 2008 Indigo Run Golden Bear Men's Golf Association.

Front row L-R: Tany Budidharms, Tom Battiste, Bob Engle, Daryl Seldes.  Second row L-R: Bob Cosgrove, Richard Kadesch, Alan Zak, Ralph Maddox, John Morgan.  Third row L-R: Jim Cary, Henry Reynolds, Dan Yorksie.

Alan’s low net total of 148 (72+74) blew away a determined field of competitors by five strokes. Second place finisher Jim Cary had 153 (74+79), third place Ralph Maddox scored 153 (74+79), fourth place Henry Reynolds shot 154 (75+79) and fifth place Tany Budidharma finished with 154 (69+85). Players with identical totals had scores broken with scores taken from back-nine holes.

With his victory, Alan Zak won $155 in pro shop merchandise and his name will be inscribed on the Golden Retriever trophy. The 66 year old retired materials science engineer said that he came out of the water twice on the ninth hole to save a double bogey and that the effort contributed importantly to his victory. Alan and his wife Becky first vacationed on Hilton Head Island and loved it so they moved to Indigo Run from Louisville, Kentucky 11 years ago.

2008 Indigo Run Golden Bear Men's Golf Association Spring Tournament Winner Alan Zak.

Tournament Winner Alan Zak

Tany Budidharma was in first place after the first round with a net 69 but after a second round 85 he finished in fifth place. His second round included two very high scoring holes but he vowed to do better in the fall. The 47 year old is a Project Manager at Gulfstream Aerospace for G-4 and G-5 long-range aircraft. In 2001 Tany and his wife Lynda moved to Indigo Run from Valencia, California with their 12-year old daughter Jackie and their 14 year old son Nicholas who plays for the Hilton Head High School golf team. They found Indigo Run when a friend at Gulfstream suggested that they should look on Hilton Head Island for a house when they could not find what they wanted in Savannah, Georgia.

Indigo Run Men's Golf Association Competitor Tany Budidharma.

Tany Budidharma

The Indigo Run Golden Bear Men's Golf Association Tournament Trophy, the 'Golden Retreiver'.

The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever tournament trophy sculpture was made by Indigo Run resident Dave Musial and he donated it to the GBMGA. The sculpture’s name is a play on the words "Golden Bear". It is made of polyform clay that looks like metal. Dave worked for the advertising firm Leo Burnett Company in Chicago for 17 years before he retired to Indigo Run with his wife Marty in 1999. He also designed the well known logo for the Golden Bear Golf Club that has the big bear paw with five digits.

After the tournament the players and their guests celebrated with a picnic lunch at the Golden Bear Club. GBMGA President Bob Engle said that everyone had a good time and the tournament was a success. The GBMGA has 25 members and they play every Saturday morning.

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories
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Hilton Head Island’s Compass Rose Park Opens and Honors Charles Fraser, Sea Pines Developer

May 6th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Forest Beach, Hilton Head Community Events, Hilton Head Gated Communities, Sea Pines Resort No Comments »

Joseph Fraser III Speaks at the Opening Ceremony about Charles Fraser, Hilton Head Island and Public Art 

 The family of Charles Fraser, Hilton Head Island Town officials and approximately 75 townspeople were on hand for the opening of Hilton Head Island’s 

The ribbon cutting ceremony for Compass Rose Park. From L-R: Town Mayor Tom Peeples, Charles Fraser’s brother Joe, grandson Samuel, daughter Laura Lawton, widow Mary Wyman Stone Fraser, nephew Joseph Fraser III and Town Manager Steve Riley

Compass Rose Park at the corner of Pope Avenue and New Orleans Road on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 10 am.  Charles Fraser had the largest collection of maps of  South Carolina in the country.  A French map had a north-pointing fleur de lis and compass that Mr. Fraser chose it as the symbol for the Sea Pines Company that he started in 1957. Charles Fraser died in December, 2002 in a boating accident in the Turks and Caicos. He was 72 years old.  

At the opening ceremony, Hilton Head Mayor Tom Peeples spoke about how the Park’s location had been a restaurant and auto repair shop before the site was purchased by the Town.  Joseph Fraser III, Charles Fraser’s nephew spoke and remembered Charles Fraser as a visionary and an innovator, a developer who used protective covenants as part of his community’s plan and who blended nature’s colors and materials with dedicated open spaces, required landscape planning and site planning for houses around specimen trees, who formed community associations and architectural review boards and was the first to adopt ‘T’ streets in a development.
 
Joseph Fraser III said, “It is fitting that the Compass Rose Park is here on Pope Avenue because all of the land across from Compass Rose Park was once Sea Pines Plantation. The Park is a gathering place where everyone can be reminded of our development history and because boggy gut, at the eastern end of the park, is the headwaters of the 600-acre Forest Preserve which is perhaps the Sea Pines Company’s greatest gift to Hilton Head Island.   Along Pope Avenue there are several churches for which the land was donated by The Sea Pines Company, a tangible reminder of Charles Fraser’s commitment to building a strong Island community. Charles understood that he had a duty to be a good steward of the land. Today, because of his vision and the hard work of the early development pioneers and by the continuing efforts of the Town and many of its citizens, we are all able to enjoy this Island paradise. Today Hilton Head Island is a more complete community and a better place to live, work and play than ever before in the modern development era. Just as the Compass Rose was the early symbol for the development of Hilton Head Island, I suggest that today we should adopt it as a symbol that points us towards the future we envision for Hilton Head Island. Appropriately, the Compass Rose Fountain right over here is named Pointing the Way. 
 

Charles Fraser’s grandson Samuel on the Spinning Rose Fountain.

It should challenge us to make our Island an even better place by continuing protect our natural environment, by continuing to improve our infrastructure and public spaces, by continuing to support our schools all programs for our children and by continuing our strong tradition of supporting our non-profit sector with our time and dollars and by including these organizations in our estate planning to build endowments that benefit the Island long after we are gone, and by continuing to improve the vacation experience for our resort guests.   

It should also challenge us today to support the Public Art Fund and the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.   Charles understood the importance of public parks and gathering places. He also understood the importance of art in these places. The alligator statue at the Plantation Club and the Seward Johnson Lunch Break statue in Harbortown are two of the earliest examples of public art on the Island.   The Public Art Fund will be leveraged by the Community Foundation by contributing one dollar for every three dollars raised by the community, businesses and foundations. The artist has been selected for the first statue which will be here in Compass Park of Charles Fraser Walking the Alligator. It will be on the grass to my right and it should be completed sometime next year.

 I want to particularly thank the Heritage Classic Foundation and the Hilton Head Island Foundation Fund for their very generous donations for this park. As the Public Art Fund grows, additional works of art will be added to our Hilton Head Island collection. Finally, I’d like to thank the Public Art Committee for their time and hard work. It has been a privilege today to speak about our compass rose.”   

The Design of Compass Rose Park  

 

The Park is an artistic combination of plazas, gazebos, fountains, waterfalls and landscape – a unique and distinctive accomplishment by the Town of Hilton Head Island and Architect Ed Drane who received many compliments from those who attended the Park’s opening. Pointing the Way 

The Reflecting Pond and Bubbling Spring

fountain is located at the entrance to Compass Rose Park that is also defined by a sturdy wood trellis that arches over the Park entrance.  The fountain with a bronze compass rose sculpture that once adorned the first security gatehouse to Sea Pines is easily seen from passers by on neighboring Pope Avenue. Behind the fountain is the Plaza comprised of three patios with canvass-topped gazebos that surround the Reflection Pond with a Bubbling Spring, reminiscent of the artesion wells of Hilton Head Island for which pumps were not needed.  The Plaza with the Reflecting Pond is an inviting place for visitors to stop, relax, meet friends and enjoy the Park.  A waterfall from the Reflection Pond feeds The Spillway, inspired by old rice and cotton mills that had spillways and water wheels.  At the end of The Spillway another waterfall transitions across black tile to a stream that flows under The Gazebo at the end of the Park and into the Lily Pond at the headwaters of the boggy gut.   

The Spinning Rose Fountain sits besides the path that runs from the entrance to the Park to the Gazebo at the Lily Pond. It is a granite block inscribed with the fleur de lis that points north while the elevated compass spins on water power. Architect Ed Drane explained that it’s there for fun and visitors are expected to sit on the compass and enjoy the ride. 
 

Panels that Tell the Story of Sea Pines Will be Added to the Park

 
Events of the Sea Pines story will be told on panels with words and photo images to be placed on six of the Plaza walls of Compass Rose Park. Included in 

The Stream flows under the Gazebo to the Lily Pond at the headwaters of boggy gut.

approximately 24 panels will be tributes to Charles Fraser’s architectural design, construction philosophy, restrictive covenants, architectural review board, commitment to quality and preservation and respect for the environment; acknowledgements of the contributions of his brother Joe and internationally famous landscape architect Hideo Sasaki; the building of the swing bridge to the Island in 1956 and the construction of the Hilton Head Inn; the construction of the Sea Pines Ocean Course, the first golf course on Hilton Head Island and the subsequent construction of the Harbourtown Golf Links designed by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye; the first Sea Pines Heritage Golf Classic won by Arnold Palmer and the incorporation of the Town of Hilton Head in 1983 with one of its goals to preserve the Sea Pines vision for all of the Island.  

 

A Bronze Statue of Charles Fraser Walking the Gator Will Be Added

 
A popular photograph of Charles Fraser dressed in a suit and tie and wearing straw hat while carrying a walking stick and walking beside an alligator was 
published in the Saturday Evening Post and achieved national attention for Sea Pines and Hilton Head Island at a time when neither was well known. A bronze statue of the image will be located on the lawn of Compass Rose Park in 2009 and will also be the first project to be funded by the Public Art Fund. A plaque will be added to the Plaza near the statue will say: “This statue is based on the picture of Charles Fraser on a casual jaunt with an alligator as it appeared in a special edition of the Saturday Evening Post on “People on the Way Up.”  It caused a media sensation and gave Sea Pines national attention for the first time. It’s donation to the Town by the Community Foundation of the Low Country, Inc. will be made possible by the generous donations of many who give to their Public Art Fund. The artists are Susie Chisholm for the statue of Charles and Darrell Davis for the alligator.“

Pointing the Way Fountain

 

The Hilton Head Public Art Fund

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry has established a matching gift program for public art projects. The Public Art Fund will be leveraged by contributing one dollar for every three raised by community members for public art projects throughout Hilton Head Island. The vision is to use the fund for multiple projects over many years. Along with the Town of Hilton Head Island, the community foundation’s goal is to bring art into the public realm and introduce it into the lives of the community, engage and uplift the viewer, add to civic pride and enhance the unique place that is Hilton Head Island.  

The Public Art Fund is a unique fund of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, a nonprofit 501 ( c ) 3 organization. All contributions to the community foundation are fully tax deductible as allowable by law. Depending on your situation, should you want to make a gift to the Fund or for more information, please contact Emmy Rooney, Vice President for Development and Donor Services at the Community Foundation: 843-681-9100 or erooney@cf-lowcountry.org. The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is located at 4 Northridge Drive, Suite A, P.O. Box 23019, Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29925.  Their website address is http://www-cf-lowcountry.org.

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories

 

 

 
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McDonald’s Restaurant Reopens at the Sea Pines Circle

April 8th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Hilton Head Community Events No Comments »

When McDonald’s first opened near the Sea Pines circle many years ago they were not allowed to build their golden arches because they did not blend with the Island’s character.  McDonald’s didn’t clown around and they built without the arches serving millions of Islanders and visitors until the fall of 2007.  That was when the owners decided that it was time for a new building.  They tore down the original restaurant  and built a new one from scratch during the winter of 2007-2008.  The new McDonald’s re-opened on March 15, 2008.  It is larger and more attractive than the original restaurant both inside and out and with a variety of new features and services.   

One is free wi-fi service and this has to be good news for travelers who increasingly want online services.  Another is the McCafe with a selection of iced coffees, lattes and cappuccinos.  The new McDonald’s has an indoor play land that is well separated from the main seating area.  The dining area has an art deco style with wood, stone and tile and some flat screened televisions.  The new McDonald’s has two outside order lanes and menu boards.  Parking, landscape, the flag pole and the sand blasted wood sign on William Hilton Parkway are all new.   

Go Gated Realty ® is located near McDonald’s at the Executive Center on Corpus Christie Place.  Come  see us via McDonald’s and bring a sundae, coffee, burger, etc.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@rkrealty.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories

 

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Hilton Head’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

March 18th, 2008 rkadesch Posted in Forest Beach, Hilton Head Community Events No Comments »

The weather was perfect for the 25th annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, March 16.  Marching bands from the area’s high schools, many local businesses, civic groups, classic cars and the Charleston Police Pipes and Drums Corp were represented and entertained thousands of people, young and old.   

25 years ago the first Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day parade finished when the Budweiser Clydesdales pulled the iconic shiny red beer wagon along Pope Avenue to the Sea Pines Circle with the Dalmatian right up on top with the driver- it was perfect.  This 25th parade highlighted our Military.  At 3:30 p.m. an Army helicopter flew over the parade route and then Army Humvees led the way down Pope Avenue to an appreciative audience.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The parade route began at Coligny Circle in Forest Beach and continued along Pope Avenue toward the Sea Pines Circle,  turned left on College Center Drive and ended in Park Plaza - about two miles.  It lasted about an hour and a half.  Off the parade route, the Beaufort County Police did an excellent job of keeping traffic moving along the the west side of Pope Avenue so that nobody was inconvenienced by the parade.  

Hilton Head’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is just one of many community events on Hilton Head Island throughout the year.  

    

   

 

Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@rkrealty.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories

 

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