Mortgage Broker Near Me Beaufort, SC

With the Independence Day weekend right around the corner, many are preparing to grill hot dogs, roast marshmallows by a fire and watch fireworks light up the night sky. But with all the fun comes the responsibility of keeping your holiday celebrations safe.

Whether you’re a resident or visitor looking to celebrate the holiday weekend, here’s your guide to safely enjoying July 4th festivities involving fireworks, grills and bonfires this year.

South Carolina Fireworks Law

In South Carolina, anyone 16 or older may purchase and use consumer fireworks daily between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., so long as they are used safely and correctly.

On July 4th and New Year’s Eve, fireworks are allowed until 1 a.m.

However, some local laws take precedence in these uses. Here’s what to know about firework laws in Beaufort County.

Beaufort County Fireworks Ordinances

Across all areas of Beaufort County, fireworks cannot be discharged without a permit issued by the local fire chief and the state fire marshal.

Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort and Port Royal all prohibit firework use without proper permits or approval from the respective city councils.

Fireworks are banned on all beaches in Beaufort County.

Sparklers are allowed without a permit, but just make sure to use them safely and as instructed.

Fireworks Safety Tips

The Consumer Product Safety Commission offers these tips to stay safe around sparklers and firework shows:

Grills are responsible for over 10,000 home fires annually in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. The risk peaks during summer months.

No matter if you’re planning to cook up a holiday burger bar or champion the hot dog eating contest, here are some practical safety tips from the NFPA to keep in mind when grilling:

No notification is needed for grilling in approved enclosures, including chimineas, fire pits or fireplaces built of non-combustible materials.

Visiting or staying in a rental?

If you’re looking to hold a recreational bonfire or fire pit, make sure to adhere to all general safety rules, fire size and precautions in Beaufort County:

Bluffton

Other practical tips to keep in mind, no matter where you have a fire pit or bonfire, include:

For grills and fire pits, it is recommended to have fire safety kits with a fire extinguisher, water source and first aid kit readily accessible when grilling or using a fire pit.

Downtown Beaufort is set to get a new dining addition this fall with the opening of a sandwich, charcuterie and deli shop, Sister Sister Deli & Market.

Owned by a sister duo, Sami and Dani Mussman, Sister Sister is set to offer deli options, cheeses and sandwiches, all with American-made ingredients and products. Their space is intended to be part neighborhood deli and part gourmet market.

Sister Sister Deli & Market will open its doors at 403 Carteret Street in Beaufort, taking over the space formerly home to Griffin Market, an Italian eatery that closed in 2024.

While a full menu has not yet been set, Sami Mussman shared that their offerings will include Southern-inspired dishes and small boards.

Here are some items to expect at this new deli and market:

Lunch offerings will include:

According to their website, Sister Sister will be focused on sustainability, responsible sourcing, and supporting local and regional producers with their products.

Renovation work began in June and along the way, the team has uncovered some relics from the building’s past. Some of these findings include:

According to Sami Mussman, the building is set to be repainted starting in July.

Though an exact opening date has not yet been announced, Sister Sister Deli & Market is hoping to open their doors by October to bring the perfect lunch break, snack stop or dinner party charcuterie board crafting location to the Lowcountry.

To follow along with their progress, you can visit their Facebook or Instagram.

Looking to celebrate Fourth of July with a bang?

From Bluffton to Hilton Head and up to Port Royal, the Lowcountry region is lighting up with fireworks and festivities all week long.

Here’s where you can join in the fun and see a sparkling performance in the sky:

Kick off the holiday weekend with an evening packed full of family-friendly fun in Bluffton. Enjoy carnival-style games, bounce houses, tasty eats from local vendors and live music from the Parris Island Marine Band.

A guitar rendition of the National Anthem is scheduled for 5:55 p.m., followed by fireworks lighting up the May River at 9 p.m.

Parking: Palmetto Breeze will have free shuttle service from M.C. Riley Elementary (200 Burnt Church Road) to Oyster Factory Park. Accessible parking is available at Bluffton Town Hall (20 Bridge Street).

Join the celebration at Hilton Head’s Shelter Cove for a festive night of live performances by Shannon Tanner, face painting, games and a fireworks finale over the water.

Parking: Free shuttle services are available from the Hilton Head Community Church lot (860 William Hilton Parkway) to Shelter Cove Harbour from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Enjoy all-day festivities at the Sea Pines Resort and cap the day with fireworks at the iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse over the Calibogue Sound.

Parking: Parking is available in designated lots along Greenwood Drive; attendants will direct traffic. Buses are available to transport guests to and from Harbour Town from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Celebrate with coastal flair at Sands Beach in Port Royal. The evening features local food vendors, children’s activities, live music, and a performance by the Parris Island Marine Band. The evening will close with fireworks over the river.

Parking: Parking at The Sands is only for handicapped and golf cart users. Other parking options include spaces along Paris Avenue and nearby streets.

Looking for other Independence Day events to celebrate the holiday weekend?

From patriotic parades to community festivals, events are scheduled in every corner of the region. Click here for the full rundown.

By Mike McCombs and Amber Hewitt

The Island News

A North Carolina man drowned at Hunting Island State Park just after noon on Friday, July 4, while trying to save his children.

The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, on Saturday morning, identified the deceased as 38-year-old Paul Peters from Indian Trail, N.C.

Peters and his wife, Emily, and their two children – Asher, 4, and Ezra, 7 — were in Beaufort County on vacation, according to a source at the scene of the incident.

According to witnesses at the scene, between 11:35 and 11:40 a.m., on Hunting Island’s North Beach, Peters went in the water to assist his children, who were “in trouble” in the water. Peters reached the children, but according to witnesses, was caught in a rip current and began to struggle.

Several men went in to the water to help. They were able to get the children to safety, but by the time they could get Peters to shore, he had been under the water for some time.

Bystanders started to perform CPR, and EMS continued the life-saving efforts upon arrival. According to witnesses, EMS, “pumped a bunch of water out, but he never regained consciousness.”

The Coroner’s Office declared him dead, on scene, at 12:10 p.m.

Sixteen-year-old Taylor Durrance of Beaufort and her family were in the middle of the rescue efforts on Friday.

Durrance said she was sitting on the beach, listening to music, when she got a strange feeling. She said she looked up and realized something was happening.

“I saw people surrounding this man on the beach,” she said. “I didn’t really see them doing CPR yet, I think they had just [dragged] him on shore.”

She said she called out to her father, Bryan, and her brother, Matthew, that she thought this man was drowning.

“That’s when my brother found out his little boys were drowning as well,” she said.

Taylor Durrance said Ezra was pulled out of the water first, but she didn’t believe he was actually drowning but had “just swallowed some water.”

Asher was being helped by “a man in pink shorts,” though they were repeatedly being pulled back in the current.

Matthew Durrance, 22, went out into the water and retrieved Asher from the man and brought him to Taylor.

Taylor Durrance said she continued to slap Asher’s back, getting the water out of him a bit at a time, until there was one big cough and he got rid of most of the water and could breathe.

She said when the 4 year old was able to talk, he immediately asked, “Where’s my dad?”

“It just broke my heart,” she said.

While all of this was happening, Taylor Durrance said her father, Bryan Durrance, was among the group of bystanders surrounding Paul Peters and performing CPR. She said Emily Peters asked her to watch her children while she joined the group of people tending to her husband.

Taylor Durrance said the whole situation was “really sad” and a bit surreal. It might sound strange, she said, but “It felt kind of … quiet.”

This is the second drowning this week at Hunting Island. Steven Thackston, a 65-year-old male from Decatur, Ga., was pronounced dead from drowning at approximately 4:45 p.m., Tuesday, July 1, according to the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.

The red flag was flying at Hunting Island’s North Beach on Friday, which indicates High Hazard, meaning the surf is hazardous, often due to strong currents, high waves, or other unsafe conditions.

Under a red flag, swimming is often prohibited, and not recommended for anyone other than experienced, strong swimmers.

When speaking with The Island News, Durrance said she wouldn’t have normally talked about an event like this, but she struggled to sleep Friday night, and every time she closed her eyes, she kept reliving the event.

She felt like those not from the Beaufort area might not realize just how serious the conditions can be at Hunting Island.

“These oceans aren’t what they think they are,” she said. “They have to be aware of the currents. If it’s a red flag, don’t go in the water.”

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

Amber Hewitt is a photographer for The Island News.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — With almost 40 minutes to sunrise, a line of unabashed fans hugged the sidewalk of a roadside gas station.

Just outside the electric sliding doors were Elsie Miyamura and Fred Morrow, a Hawaiian couple who staked their spot at 2 a.m. They would soon be the first customers at Buc-ee’s inaugural coastal Georgia location on Interstate 95.

Since its founding in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee's has spread its buck-toothed mascot, barbecue brisket and pristine bathrooms around the country.

The company opened its first South Carolina spot in 2022 in Florence.

“This is not a gas station; this is a destination,” S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, announced to the grand opening crowd of the 53,000-square-foot, 120-pump Florence location at the juncture of Interstate 95 and S.C. Highway 327.

And the brand aspires to grow its empire throughout the Palmetto State. A Hardeeville location is planned to open in 2028, and according to City Manager Josh Gruber, the project is in the permitting stage.

Some 165 miles south of Florence, Hardeeville City Council approved in November a development that will bring a Buc-ee's off Exit 8 of I-95 95 near Hilton Head and Savannah.

Buc-ee's wants to open in Hardeeville to attract drivers along the southern I-95 corridor in South Carolina, Scott Ratcliff, the company's director of engineering, said at the time.

The retailer hopes to "pull in weary travelers," he said.

If the daily scene in Florence is any indication, this new location will have no problem doing that.

"You're going to bring a lot of benefit to our area," Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams told Ratcliff in November.

Hardeeville officials said the new Buc-ee's compound will bring around 200 jobs. The company advertises pay scales from $16 an hour for cashiers and stockers, to $20 an hour for bathroom attendants and more than $100,000 for managers — with the general manager capable of earning more than $225,000.

The store will generate new property, hospitality and sales tax revenues for Hardeeville.

The store will be along a 10-mile stretch of I-95 that the S.C. Department of Transportation is working to improve and revitalize. The construction zone runs from the Savannah River to just north of U.S. Highway 278, which carries travelers into Jasper County and parts of Beaufort County, including Bluffton and Hilton Head Island.

Among the improvements are widening the highway from to six lanes from four, replacing bridges and enhancing two exits, including the off-ramp that will take traffic to the future Buc-ee's site.

An opening in Georgia

As the clock ticked toward the 6 a.m. door unlocking, the crowd in Brunswick cheered at five minute milestones. Morrow, 69, and Miyamura, 75, waited for this moment — a few weeks prior, they attended a Buc-ee’s opening in Harrison County, Miss. The couple couldn’t pass up a chance to wear shirts they purchased just a road trip away. Miyaumura aspires to witness the chain’s first opening in Arizona.

Past the die-hard enthusiasts further up the line were the early risers. Landen Wade and Lane Anderson, 12-year-old best friends, woke at 4:30 a.m. from their sleepover to attend.

As most of the Lowcountry snoozed, Wade wanted to start his day with beef jerky. Asked what type of dehydrated meat he desired, he asked:

“There are flavors of beef jerky?”

It was a gobsmacking moment that opened a new world for the miniature meat mogul.

Buc-ee's pitmaster Randy Pauly finally ended the torturous waiting period. Management cheered, and a life-sized Buc-ee danced as customers christened the store. In the center of the 74,000-square-foot building was a barbecue station, where a man slapped speckled meat onto a cutting board about the size of a New York City apartment.

“Brisket on the board!” staff yelled, while a man holding a knife with handles on each side of the blade chopped away.

At any given time, 115 staffers work at this Buc-ee’s. Wearing red, they constantly clean and tweaked, correcting any piece of merchandise that a customer had pulled out of alignment.

Balls of dough became fresh tortillas and then tacos filled with ice cream scoops of scrambled eggs. Staff plied customers with samples of fudge and hot and spicy jerky. Frozen raw chickens were stuffed with dirty rice or crawfish jambalaya.

Harkening back to its Lone Star roots, longhorn skulls lined the store’s shelves. Ketchup-based barbecue sauce was available for purchase. Among the gas station’s 35,000 items, mustard-based Carolina Gold was not an option.

With an inflatable beaver at their backs, local politicians boasted about their shining new superstore at a late morning ribbon cutting. Among them was U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., who is running for U.S. Senate, and called Buc-ee's the "Disney World" of gas stations.

"Buc-ee's, you have made a wise decision. You have chosen an area that you will find is so inviting," he said.

Inside the store, located about two hours south of Bluffton, copies of Willie Nelson’s “Letters to America” were nestled among cowhide beer koozies. Beverage dispensers shaped like gas pumps were available, smaller versions of the 120 fuel stations outside. And there was plenty of Buc-ee’s swag: banana pudding-scented candles, neck rests, phone holders and dancing beavers among them.

Buc-ee’s plans to stay open every hour of every day. Director of Operations Josh Smith said the store’s generator supplies “indefinite power” to every single aspect of the store.

As hurricane season begins, Smith thinks Buc-ee's is ready for whatever Mother Nature throws its way, in jest pitting its disaster response against another Southern staple.

“Waffle House will actually close,” Smith said. “We won’t.”