Lasting Impressions
SUMMER, 2016
HISTORICAL CHARM.
NATURAL BEAUTY.
Extraordinary Living
Lasting Impressions
Editor’s Letter
Spring into summer, and spring into something
fresh: the first edition of “Lasting Impressions”!
be focusing energy on some of the seemingly
intangible aspects about this wonderful Dataw
life.
Lasting Impressions celebrates what is wonderful
about Dataw: Her historic charm, natural
This expansion is reflected in the new name:
beauty and -- my favorite – extraordinary living. Lasting Impressions. We all agree that first
impressions are important (so many of our
The magazine debuted as “First Impressions,”
members say “You had me at the causeway!”);
(thanks to Steve Schmidt for the name, Joan
we aim to grow that vision of a strong first
Gilchrist for the concept, and Becky Sprecher
impression into creating an extraordinary
for the editorial genius!) as a marketing initiative Lasting Impression.
to help homeowners who may want to sell soon
and inspire others to keep their house “up.”
Read on if you are interested in reading about
Since then, the emagazine has continued to
some of the area’s best
grow and evolve and now encompasses a
Farmer’s Markets, choosing
wide range of topics, some of which will help
paint colors, and the most
you with your Honey Do list, and others that
traveled grapefruit on Dataw
will have you laughing, reminiscing or planning
Island!
your next outing.
Here’s to a happy Summer!
Although you will still find home tips, the real
estate sales report, and marketing update,
the staff - yes, we have a staff now! – will also
Laura Q. McCarthy
Laura Q. McCarthy
FEATURES
(NEW: Click a page number to “jump” to that story!)
4 Little Billy’s Summer Vacation A P , B F B
5 Weaber’s Garden Paradise B T B
9 Southern Living: Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food B B
13 Up the Wall with Cockeyed Colors? B T J W
16 Property Lines
17 Marketing Wrap: Digital Dynasty L M C
19 Summer Calendar of Events
oem
y rank iermann
y om ixby
y ecky Sprecher
y erea ennings
by aura
ainwright
c arthy
Summer, 2016 Page 2
ON THE COVER
“Backyard Butterfly”
by Denise Sullivan
COVER CONTEST
Announcement
Would you like YOUR artistic creation
to be featured on the next edition
of Lasting Impressions? Each quarter, we will announce a theme and
accept submissions for member art to be featured on the front cover.
Images will be selected based on how well they meet the theme that
month, along with how well they capture the beauty, history, and charm
of Dataw.
FALL’S THEME: Porches & Parties
Please submit images at a minimum of 1 mb and a maximum of 10 mb to
datawmarketing@islc.net.
Include your name as you would want it credited, as well as the title
of your art. Submitting a piece for inclusion implies consent for Dataw
Marketing to use your image in our marketing materials.
Please note that all submissions will be acknowledged by reply email as
“received” within two business days. If you do not receive a return email
confirming your submission, please call (843) 838-3838, Etx. 8.
Interested in contributing to Lasting Impressions?
Please contact Laura McCarthy at (843) 838-3838, Ext. 8
or at datawmarketing@islc.net.
Summer, 2016 Page 3
Little Billy’s Summer Vacation
Grandpa has headed out of here
Yes, he’s left us well behind
He always spends his summers in Maine
We miss him, but we don’t really mind.
I spend my summers at his house on Dataw
Counting my parents we’re a family of three.
They both teach school in Ohio
And I too have the summers free.
People say the humidity is awful
And that sometimes it’s hotter than Hell
I’m not supposed to use that word
So please promise me you won’t tell.
The weather always seems perfect to me
And for some reason the bugs are few
The breeze just flows off the marshes
And the sky almost always is blue.
So why does Grandpa leave for the summer?
He apparently likes his house in Maine.
But me, I’ll take the Dataw heat
Anytime over the cold and rain.
Strangely I love the summers here
I could not ask for more
Give me my summers on Dataw
It’s way better than the Jersey Shore.
Poem by Frank Biermann
Summer, 2016 Page 4
Weabers’ Garden Paradise
by Tom Bixby; Photography by Patti Bixby
Wait! Don’t throw that grapefruit seed away. Take it from Island
Circle West resident John Weaber. He saved a seed from a
grapefruit he was eating while studying for his bar exam in 1972
in Philadelphia. He germinated it in a Dixie cup then nurtured the
young tree in a ceramic pot that he moved seasonally inside and
outside his Pennsylvania home for thirty-two years, finally planting it
permanently as the first member of his citrus orchard here on Dataw.
This season, John says proudly, the tree which first bore fruit when
it became a full time Dataw resident, will likely produce over one
thousand grapefruits.
The citrus orchard, which faces south to take advantage of the
Summer, 2016 Page 5
full sun, also contains Meyer lemon, orange, Key lime and tangerine trees. It is just one of several
clearly defined and varied garden areas which are all part of the botanical garden-like property
of John and Mickey Weaber. Their beautifully landscaped and meticulously maintained home has
been shown off twice on the Dataw Island Garden Club’s tours. The Weaber’s backyard faces the
eleventh green on the Morgan River Golf Course and contributes significantly to the views from
both the green and the fairway. A succulents garden area includes several prickly pear cactus
plants which bloom with yellow flowers and produce fruit from which a jam can be made. Two or
three times a year, nearly a dozen blooming variegated aloe plants display bright coral flowers
that resemble honeysuckle blossoms. The succulents area also features a century plant which will
eventually shoot out a 25 to 30 foot stalk topped by a flower growth that John says looks like a cell
phone tower array.
Another nearby garden area is about thirty feet long and planted along one side with deer
Summer, 2016 Page 6
resistant perennials including Bush Daisies,
Mexican Heather and Lantana. On the
other side, showing their colors toward the
Weabers’ back porch are combinations of
annuals, showy leaf plants such as Coleus and
Caladium, and Vermillionaire, a very striking
orange flowering shrub sometimes known as
a “Firecracker Bush.” The plantings on both
sides surround one of the Weabers’ most prized
items, an Australian Fern Tree. John and Mickey
fell in love with the one they saw while visiting
the Biltmore botanical gardens in Asheville
and had to have one of their own. John has
carefully nursed the Fern Tree through four
Dataw winters by covering it with table cloths
when the temperature drops, and warming
it with drop lights positioned under the cloth.
The seven-foot tall fern tree’s soft and finely
articulated leaves spread out from the trunk like
palm fronds to about an eight-foot diameter.
Although it is rare for an Australian Fern Tree to
survive long enough in our Lowcountry climate,
it can grow to be twenty-five to thirty feet in
height.
Even the grass stands out as particularly vibrant
and healthy, and it is no surprise to learn that it,
too, has received special care and attention.
Although conventional wisdom suggests that St.
Augustine or Centipede grass strains do best in
our latitude, John found through trial and error
that Empire Zoysia gave the best results. Unable
to locate sufficient supplies locally, John has
started his own mini sod farm on the side of the
Summer, 2016 Page 7
house, some of which he has harvested for use by friends and neighbors.
The deer can be a challenge, John admits, but strategic planting of deer resistant strains and
limited use of an environmentally friendly deer repellent which smells like garlic have helped him
stay a few steps ahead of the deer and keeps the Weabers’ beautiful showcase gardens “in the
pink…” and yellow, red and blue.
The amazing and varied array of plants and flowers is impossible to describe fully. Mickey
bought a package of seventy plant tags to identify one of each variation and… she ran out
of tags before she even got to the Pink Muhly Grass or the five Booted Palmetto Palms that the
Weabers planted to replace non-native Washingtonian Palms that had grown too tall too trim
inexpensively. Take a walk past their home or look over from the green on Morgan River number
eleven to get the full effect. The Weabers are more than happy to share their knowledge about
what has worked for them here on Dataw. John says that the Silky Gold Butterfly Bushes have
been particularly “bulletproof.” One caveat: if you want to know how to plant and how to keep
things growing, ask John. If you want to know what something is, ask Mickey.
Things we L VE!
Better Homes & Gardens “Plan a Garden” (http://www.bhg.com/plan-a-garden)
Choose a home style and click and drag plants onto your very own landscape! Move them, grow
them, choose by shade vs sun - you will have fun playing, guaranteed! This site does require sign up,
but you can “uncheck” all the boxes for their email lists. Also, for a $10 upgrade you can upload a
photo of your own home and further customize your landscape.
Garden Compass App (see iTunes or Play Store)
This app is a gardener’s best friend. You can get help identifying plants, troubleshooting diseases, and
even get help with your “garden planner” to schedule tasks. The best part is, you are not relying on
digital ID but are working with real people. Afer your first two freebies you can opt to “pay as you go”
or upgrade to an unlimited plan for $36/year, which allows you to save all of your plants and provides
a month by month schedule, as well as ongoing personal support.
Summer, 2016 Page 8
Know Your Farmer,
Know Your Food
by Becky Sprecher
Summer in the South is the perfect time to enjoy the freshest of fresh produce.
Visitors are often in awe of our veritable year-round growing season, and they
always enjoy a great farm-to-table meal. Whether you have a green thumb
and tend your own plot in Dataw’s Community Garden or you prefer to pick
your greens from a farmer’s stand, our area is ripe with options.
Lasting Impressions visits the
Port Royal Farmer’s Market, Dempsey’s,
Barefoot Farm and Henry’s Farm...
and you’ll want to, too!
Lasting Impressions took a tour of some of the
area’s fun shopping options. Our first stop was the
Farmer’s Market held in Port Royal, and everywhere
we looked we saw how much people value
farmers who are growing crops without chemicals
and raising animals in a humane fashion. From
non-GMO designer tortillas to delicate greens,
vegetables and fresh guinea eggs, our area is
responding to the demand for healthy, fresh food.
If you go on the Keegan-Filion Farms website (www.
keeganfilionfarm.com) before Thursday, you can
pre-order their pork or delicious chicken for pick-up
on Saturday. If you call Michael and Gracie Hiers
of G and M Farms at (803) 267-2025, you can order
pasture raised lamb for pick up as well. For a full list
of vendors at Port Royal Farmer’s Market, you can
visit them at www.portroyalfarmersmarket.com
Summer, 2016 Page 10
Wandering amidst the cheese, pasta, bread and cookie makers caused us to work up an appetite, so we
stopped by Bhanjee on the Beach’s booth for some of Kishan Shah’s gourmet Indian cuisine, taking home
a curry lunch of eggplant and lentils over rice, a salad of fresh spinach leaves napped with a yogurt raita
dressing, and hot grilled naan bread.
Lucky for us Datawites, the Port Royal market is just one of many
options for acquiring farm-to-table foods. There are wonderful
places right out our door that are doing the same thing. How
can anybody resist heading
out to Dempsey’s to pick
strawberries, or visiting
Henry Farms for their greens
and vegetables? Barefoot
Farms is nearby and carries
seasonal produce as well.
And if you really go crazy,
you can “grow your own”
right here on Dataw in our
Community Garden.
What makes farm-to-table
eating so worthwhile? The
egg lady put it best: “When
you crack a really fresh egg
into the skillet, the white doesn’t run off from you, it stays in a little
puddle like it’s supposed to. The yoke sits up all full and ripe. And it
tastes better than eggs from the grocery store. It’s just…fresher.”
After you’ve finished your shopping, come back to the house with
your goodies and cook supper. Then take your glass
of wine and go outside and look up at the sky and
the stars—stars you can actually see because Dataw
is a “dark sky” community. Life in the Lowcountry
isn’t just lived—it’s savored. Share this experience
with your friends next time they visit! It’s just another
reason why Dataw is one of the premier gated communities in the South.
Summer, 2016 Page 12
Up the Wall
d
e
Y
with Cocke Colors?
by Terea Jennings Wainwright
Cat’s Paw.
Mouse’s Back.
Racoon Fur.
Arsenic.
Pigeon.
Pelt.
Dead Salmon.
Mole’s Breath.
What’s this? A banquet for gorehounds? No… these are
paint colors. PAINT COLORS! But, paint selection doesn’t
have to be a hellish nightmare.
Summer, 2016 Page 13
Settle back, enjoy a whipped mocha (lovely shade)
and mull over these practical suggestions.
According to a Dataw Island Interior Designer,
Shayne Gelbard, “Keep in mind that walls are the
background for whatever you put in the space.
If you are wavering, the best place to start is with
neutral and near-neutral colors. This will help narrow
your options, but give you a large variety of up-todate tonal choices.
“Plus, adding a touch of gray to a color selection
will ‘up’ the sophistication level, if you want a more
formal space,” Shayne added.
But what about brighter colors that have
been trending lately, you may wonder? More
adventurous people are reaching beyond 50
shades of gray. Bright hues against a neutral
background is a smart way to go. For those on
the cutting edge, a citrusy chartruse wall color
combined with plum or mauve, even gray or taupe
can work. On the flip side, there is the concept of
layering neutral-color décor with walls painted in
intense, saturated colors like tansy green or crabby
apple.
Some experts say that paint colors in 2016 are
trending in a pale pastel color palette, with hints
PHOTO: Accent walls are a great way to add contrast and dabble in smaller doses of brighter, bolder
colors. If you want to define a living space, spotlight a treasured piece of artwork or focus on an
architectural feature, an accent wall can add a striking, design element.
Summer, 2016 Page 14
of green, blue, purple and yellow. And, of
course, there is the ever popular white –
simply white, new white, elmira white, grand
teton white, antique white, shaded white,
james white and several hundred more.
of
Whites are graceful colors…and you do
have a lot of choices. Got white? Here is
another idea from Shayne: try interjecting
an accent wall. Actually, your walls can be
most any color for harmonious use of a wall
in a contrasting color. It’s inspired.
So, where do you go from here? The good
news is that there are many resources
available to you. Beaufort County is brimming
with retail paint locations and friendly
employees who want to help you.
Plus, there is always the Internet. For fun, try
the ColorSnap button. No matter where you
find captivating colors – a gorgeous landscape,
a shot of a stunning room, even a picture of a
stuffed animal – ColorSnap will identify the shades
you love and save them for later. Link: http://
snapyourcolors.com
Also, you might want to consult this chart that
matches Benjamin Moore Paint Colors to Farrow and Ball’s, for those of you not quite ready for F&B prices.
Link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/272256739951997524/
Hope floats in a colorful muddle. So relax and enjoy every splash of color, especially when someone else
is doing the painting.
Summer, 2016 Page 15
Marketing Message
Property Lines
Home sales continue to be strong, with median and
average values increasing year over year.
In May 2016, Dataw had 8 closings, 5 of which were
homes. In May 2015, Dataw had 10 closings, 7 of
which were homes.
Year to date there have been 37 closings,
compared to 27 as of this time last year.
We executed 7 Experience Dataw packages in
May 2016 for a total of 46 year to date, compared
to May 2015, when we had 13 and a year to date
total of 62.
All in 2016, Logan Homes has completed 6 homes
on Dataw so far, 2 of which have sold and closed.
Two more spec homes are being built, and another
is being built for a client.
The home sale price in May
averaged $401,468, with the
median price being $425,000.
In May 2015, the home sale
price average was $367,571
$500,000
and the median was
$225,000.
$450,000
Year Over Year Existing Home Sales:
Average and Median Prices
$400,000
Year to date, the median
home sale price for homes
has been $425,000 in 2016 vs $350,000
$225,000 in 2015.
$300,000
There are currently 85 homes $250,000
on the market and 59 lots,
compared to 90 homes last $200,000
month. Ten existing homes
$150,000
are under contract.
$100,000
Dataw Island Marketing
$50,000
is coordinating with local
Realtors on an Open House
$0
event for the summer. Homes
and Club facilities will be
available for tours; a date
has not yet been confirmed.
2008
2009
2010
2011
Average Home Price
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
YTD
Median Home Price
Summer, 2016 Page 16
Marketing Message
In the “old ages” of advertising, targeting your
audience meant broadcasting an ad during
“Dynasty” to get your product in front of housewives
and placing an ad in Popular Mechanics to
reach their counterparts. While data regarding
media consumption and reach has become
much more sophisticated through services like
Nielsen, it is still a bit like castnetting and hoping
you come up with shrimp (or was it minnows you
wanted? Gotta pick through the shrimp and the
whatever-those-other-weird-things-are!)
While we do continue with targeted print
campaigns in niche magazines/markets, today I
want to talk a little about how digital media allows
advertisers to “narrowcast” rather than broadcast.
After carefully selecting your desired audience,
media buys can be custom designed to specifically
reach a qualified audience, and even eliminate
other audiences (specifically, existing members)
so as not to waste precious advertising dollars.
Different media services accomplish this in different
DIGITALDynasty
by Laura McCarthy
Summer, 2016 Page 17
Marketing Message
ways. Here I am going to touch on just a few that
Dataw is currently using.
other ad buys and ideal-LIVING shows to help
saturate markets that we are focusing on.
The first is Google AdWords. Google product
called “AdWords” are how you buy pay-to-play
search terms. Advertisers first determine their target
audience and then research the frequency and
cost of certain terms, which vary from five cents to
as much as $50 per click paid by the advertiser.
Google also offers ad retargeting, which means we
can pay for people who clicked through our ads
to be “served” our display ads as they visit other
websites.
Because the cost can be very high, it is important
for advertisers to be diligent in ad targeting. For
example, we may want to be found under a search
for “golf” but it would be very costly; instead, it is
smart to add additional keywords, known as “long
tail” keywords. For example, rather than competing
with Callaway, Ping and PGA for “golf,” we may
choose the term “golf communities in Beaufort, SC.”
This longer phrase is more specific, so not only will
it cost less to purchase, but it will also deliver more
targeted results (after all, we are not selling drivers to
customers in the UK.)
Which brings us to
the second
major targeting
differentiator;
Google also
allows advertisers
to target
geographically
the area from
which users
are searching. We
use this in
conjunction with
“Dark posts” are an excellent digital advertising
platform available through Facebook. A dark
post means that it does not appear on our main
Facebook page, but is generated and served
directly to people who fit our target criteria
(demographics, geography, psychographics
- market research based on attitudes, lifestyle,
and aspirations). Through these selection criteria,
we narrow the audience to people likely to be
interested in us and we only pay to advertise to
these individuals.
Facebook also allows for “mirror campaigns,”
meaning we can say “go find more people that
are like ‘x’ group of people,” which it does through
complex algorithms.
The last technique I’d like to touch on is
“geofencing.” Geofencing allows advertisers to
draw an invisible fence around a very specific area
to target ads to cell phone users who pass through
that “fence” while running an app. Once they are
“captured,” ads will continue to be served through a
wide ad network across many apps. Dataw recently
used geofencing to target attendees of the RBC
Heritage tournament in Hilton Head, for
example, and we continued to serve those folks ads during their stay and up to about two weeks later.
These are just a few innovative
digital tools available to help us
narrowcast our marketing efforts.
We continue to test different
messages and platforms,
measuring as we go to hone
in on the best performers and
maximize our return.
In an age of rapid change in
the field of marketing, one thing
is certain: the age of the digital
dynasty is here to stay.
Page 18
Summer Fun ~ Calendar of Events
Having friends or family visit this summer?
Here are some great events that they may enjoy!
South Carolina Humanities Festival
June 9 - June 11
Inspire. Enrich. Engage. These are the stirring words summoning the promise of entertainment, learning
and community interaction at the South Carolina Humanities Festival, due to unfold at many locations
throughout Beaufort County June 9 – 11. Arts, cultural and educational organizations from Beaufort
to Bluffton and Hilton Head will participate, presenting a wide variety of special events including
lectures, films, tours, art shows, exhibits, performances and much more, around the theme of community
collaboration, to demonstrate a sense of place.
www.beauforthumanitiesfestival.com
Southeastern Piano Festival
June 12 - 19
Each summer the Southeastern
Piano Festival transforms the
University of South Carolina
School of Music in Columbia into
a major cultural destination that
draws in audiences and young
piano talent from across the
United States. For music lovers,
the Festival offers nightly concerts
by a rich lineup of world-class pianists. Twenty of some of the best precollege pianists on the piano
scene today take part in a rigorous program that includes daily lessons with USC piano faculty, master
classes with renowned guest artists and up to five hours of practice daily. The week’s events culminate
with the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges.
Winners of the competition receive cash awards and the opportunity to perform with the South Carolina
Philharmonic.
sepf.music.sc.edu
2016 Dataw Splash Tennis Tournament
June 17 - June 19
Tennis is by far one of the most exciting spectator sports and the Dataw Splash will be no exception! It is
one of the few summer coastal tennis events, is a USTA Sanctioned Tournament and promises to be the
summer Splash of the season.
If you enjoy spectating, we welcome you to join us in watching these excellent athletes play the game.
To top it all off – admission is free. The Dataw Splash will take place Friday, June 17th through Sunday June
19th the action begins at 10:00am each day.
Proceeds from this tournament will benefit Special Olympics through SOAR Special Recreation.
Summer, 2016 Page 19
Summer Fun ~ Calendar
Annual Hunting Island Beach Sand
Sculpting Contest
June 18
Friends of Hunting Island is hosting its Annual
Sand Sculpture Contest on the North Beach
near the lighthouse. Free registration starts at
10 AM and prizes will be awarded at 2 PM.
This year a new award category has been
included—the “People’s Choice Award.”
Everyone can vote for their favorite
sculpture—$1/vote.
A silent art auction will be held that includes
original works of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, wreaths, and many other donated
collectibles. Children will enjoy the face painting and tie dying provided by the park. Everyone will enjoy
the steel band playing lively beach music. Lunch will be available.
www.friendsofhuntingisland.org
See Elvis, Cash, Perkins and Lewis in ‘Million Dollar
Quartet’
June 21 – July 30
A once-in-a-lifetime night in rock ‘n’ roll history happened on
Dec. 4, 1956, when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash
and Carl Perkins came together in what would be one of the
greatest impromptu jam sessions ever.
“Million Dollar Quartet” is the Tony Award-winning Broadway
musical inspired by the true story of this famed recording
session, held at the now-iconic Sun Studio in Memphis,
Tennessee. The musical brings to light the extraordinary story
of broken promises, secrets and the celebration of four friends
— and it is both poignant and heartwarming.
The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina is located at 14 Shelter
Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, adjacent to the entrance to
Shelter Cove Harbour.
Big River Film Festival
July 7 – 9
The Big River Film Festival is an International Film Festival for competing and new filmmakers that will be
hosted at the Savannah Civic Center. Events include live screenings, live bands, networking sessions,
cocktail hours, Master Classes, an Exhibit Hall and more.
www.bigriverfilmfestival.com
Summer, 2016 Page 20
Summer Fun ~ Calendar of Events
May River Shrimp Festival
July 14 - 15
Feast on local shrimp and other seafood during the annual May River Shrimp Festival in Bluffton. The event
will feature local shrimp, food from many area food trucks & restaurants, live music, a craft beer garden,
an arts & craft village, shrimp boat tours, a shrimp heading contest and more.
www.blufftonsunsetparty.com
Beaufort Water Festival
July 15 – 24
Since 1956, The Beaufort Water
Festival has brought residents and
visitors from Beaufort, Charleston,
Savannah, Hilton Head Island
and parts beyond together in a
two-week long celebration of the
coastal Lowcountry. The Beaufort
Water Festival is comprised of
more than two dozen individual
events including sporting events,
aquatic events, arts & crafts,
music and of course, the best of
Lowcountry cuisine.
If you have had the opportunity to
experience the Beaufort Water Festival, chances are that you have a pretty good story to go along with
it. If you have been going every year since you were a child or going for the first time, your Water Festival
memories will last a lifetime.
www.bftwaterfestival.com
Savannah Bacon Fest
Sept. 2 – 3
It’s the 3rd Annual Savannah Bacon Fest, need we say more? Get ready bacon
lovers because there will be select local restaurants serving up some mouthwatering
bacon creations at Savannah’s Rousakis Riverfront Plaza.
www.riverstreetsavannah.com
9 to 5 – The Musical!
Sept. 10, 11, 16, 17, 18
USCB Center for the Arts brings this Dolly Parton adaptation to life in what’s sure to
be an energizing, foot-tapping throw-your-head-back and laugh performance.
(Tickets not yet on sale.)
www.uscbcenterforthearts.com
Summer, 2016 Page 21