There’s a lot going on on the island this week:

Sunday, July 1:

• Island Orientation at Huyler House. 7:00 pm.  Renting with us for the first time, hosting guests, interested in learning more about the island? Come to orientation with any questions you have- we’ll try to get them answered.

Monday, July 2:

• Creek Float: 9:30 am.  We’ll meet at Lone Cedar Dock and float with the outgoing tide to Big Bend.  Bring any kind of flotation device.  You are in charge of your kids and yourself.  If you can drop off a cart at Big Bend, it will be helpful on the return side.  Don’t want to float? See if you can find someone with a boat or hang out and watch from the dock. I will wear shoes in the water in case my feet rub the bottom, but again, you are in charge of you.  Here is a video from last year’s float. Plan on at least an hour.
• Ping Pong Tournament 2:00 Huyler House.  All welcome.

Tuesday, July 3:

• Birds and Butterflies: 8:30 am.  We’ll meet at the landings building and, depending on the tide and weather, explore different areas of Dewees looking for birds and butterflies.  Bring binoculars and bug spray.
• Tie-dying: 11:00 am. Underneath Huyler House.  Bring T-shirts or $5.00.
• Beach Games: 2:00 pm.  Ancient Dunes Walk.  Bocce, contests, who knows… we’ll let the group determine what we do.  Bring beach toys and sunscreen.

Wednesday, July 4:

• Beach Run with Jan and Bubber.  Start is at 8:30 am at Needlerush Walkway.  One mile on the beach any way you like, followed by brunch.
• Golf Cart Parade.  You decorate your cart- there’s no judge, but the competition is fierce.  The only parade with no watchers, we’ll start at the fire station and meander around the island until we get to Huyler House, where we will finish with an ice cream social.
• Salute from the Shore: Between 1:10 and 1:25, there will again be a military flyover to make a video to send to the troops. More from salutefromtheshore.org at the bottom of this post. Meet at Ancient Dunes (or any beach access path) with flags to wave.
• Watching Fireworks: You can do this all along the island, but great viewing spots are from the rice trunk and the ferry dock.  Mosers are again hosting a firework watching party from their top deck.   From Dewees, you can usually see the fireworks along the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, and North Charleston.  Most start about 9:15 – 9:30.  Remember, there are no fireworks on the island, even sparklers.

Thursday, July 5:

• Crabbing at the crab dock.  Join the sea turtle interns for a session of crabbing on the crab dock.  Learn how to tell males from females and what is legal to harvest.  Wear a hat.  10:30 at the crab dock.

Friday, July 6:

• Seining at Capers Inlet.  10:30 am.  Check with the interns about where to meet for this, or head out to Capers inlet.  We will drag a seine net through the waters right off our shore to see what animals and critters we can find.
• Happy Hour at Huyler House: informal catch up with neighbors.  BYO.  5:30.

This July 4th, beachgoers along the South Carolina coast will once again experience an exciting and memorable way to honor our Armed Forces and their families who protect the freedom we celebrate on this patriotic American holiday during Salute from the Shore III.

Beginning in Little River at 1:00 pm, F-16s of the 79th Fighter Squadron “The Flying Tigers” of the 20th Fighter Wing stationed at Shaw Air Force Base will conduct a flyover of the SC coast. The flight will cover every beach on the SC coast before concluding south of Hilton Head Island at about 1:30 pm. The event presents a unique opportunity for patriotic Americans to connect with each other up and down the coast on the July 4.

We are especially honored to have the ‘Flying Tigers’ flying the mission this year. These pilots were the very last U.S. armed forces to leave Iraq. They flew air support while ground forces literally closed the gate on their way home. We are honored by their participation. Salute from the Shore is sponsoring the event with the assistance of the Town of Pawleys Island for the third consecutive year.

For Salute from the Shore III, organizers are excited to announce that a 5th F-16 will accompany the flyover. This aircraft will have a photographer who will record the flyover from above. In addition, the group is honored to announce the addition of an aerial parade, including vintage military aircraft that will follow the F-16s from Myrtle Beach to Folly Beach. This special procession is being piloted by private aircraft owners who will host military veterans aboard their aircraft. These planes are much slower than the jets, so participants are requested to be patient while waiting for these special aircraft.