BDC Highlights and Happenings in May 2025

The Library system's marketing calendar has 6 bullet points in May but we can only comply in two categories: Memorial Day and the featured Genre of the month - which just so happens to be historical fiction and non-fiction. On our own, we'll continue Preservation Week and highlight National Postcard Week, Police Week, National Jewish American Heritage Month, National (Historic) Preservation Month and National Military Appreciation Month here in Connections, on the BDC's Facebook page and/or the BDCBCL WordPress blog before the end of the month.

Sydney's display case duty has returned. Her topic this month is "Historical Fiction Meets Historical Artifacts." Expect to read more about what's in the display case and why here in Connections next week.

Today just so happens to be MayDay, making it the perfect day to check that your disaster plan is up to date. The beauty around us sometimes inures us to all the environmental risks we face: hurricane season will begin soon; we live near an active fault line; and we're surrounded by forests and buildings that can burn down. Trust me on this: We live in a danger zone. Please take a few moments to review the contents under the "Emergency Preparedness" column on the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Storm Center website.

We have 4 local history programs scheduled this month:

• Monday, May 12, 2025 - Last Chance (this fiscal year at least) for "Beyond Robert Smalls: The Untold Stories of the Freedom Seekers on the Planter" with Chris Barr, NPS. "Historically Speaking" 6.4C. Co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Historical Society. Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, 11 AM. 
• Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - "Why Look up When You Can Look Down?: The Fascinating Soils of Beaufort District" with Dr. Randy James. BHM/BCL series 8.5. Co-sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum. St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, 2 PM.
• Thursday, May 15, 2025 - "Beaufort's 110 Years of Parris Island Marines" with Stephen Price, Parris Island Museum. "Historically Speaking" 6.6. Co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Historical Society. Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, 11 AM. 
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025 - "Et Cetera Y'all: A Collection of Newspaper Columns, volume 1 Author Book Talk" with Annelore Harrell. BDC@ Beaufort Branch, 311 Scott Street, 1 PM.

All of our local history programs are free and open to the general public. We will seat as many people as the Fire Marshal says that we can at each one. (If you want to know more about the programs or the speakers, please see this Connections post.) We are grateful for our long-time partners, the Beaufort County Historical Society and the Beaufort History Museum who are helping us bring these programs to you.

The Library will be closed on Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day.

-- Grace Cordial