Monthly Columnists

Dear reader...

Each year the cool autumn weather arrives and brings along with it some of our favorite things. Pumpkin spice is everywhere and football season is in full gear. 

One event that everyone looks forward to each October is Polo 4 Heroes. This event returns after a one-year hiatus to the polo grounds of Rose Hill Plantation in Bluffton. 

Sept. 11, 2001, will always be with me. The horrific images, the panicked phone calls, the uncertainty. The feeling of helplessness. 

Twenty years ago this month, terrorists attacked the United States. The attack at the World Trade Center led to the deaths of 2,606 people.

Overall, 2,997 people died, including 125 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and 40 who were on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.

There is so much to love about the Lowcountry, and the secret is out: we are a great place to live, work and play. Each September we publish our annual City Guide. More than just the latest census data — which tells how our communities continue to grow — we speak to area mayors and town managers. 

Learn about the history of the area, and see what upcoming projects are planned. This is the issue that really highlights why we’ve decided to call this paradise our home. Our City Guide issue is our love letter to the Lowcountry. What’s not to love?

There has always been a buzz surrounding the beginning of the school year.

As a child I remember getting a list of school supplies, heading to the store and picking out an outfit for the first day of school — an important piece of the back-to-school planning for a little girl.   

These are things I still enjoy doing with my own kids.   

It’s hard to choose a favorite issue or month of the year, but at Monthly we especially like putting the August issue together.

Each August we publish the results of our annual Cutest Pets contest. This year we had more than 300 entries, including a variety of dogs and cats, guinea pigs and even a chicken.

The voting was close, and we had so much fun looking at all the entries, but once the votes were tallied, we had three winners; each of whom received their own professional photoshoot.

The summer I turned 5, our nation turned 200 years old. I clearly remember that my small town painted all the fire hydrants red, white and blue and the route of our annual Fourth of July parade was ablaze with flags and bunting. 

I was too young to know exactly what a bicentennial was, but I did know the United States was having a birthday and we were celebrating it. I’m pretty sure that summer was the year I learned the words to Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Dear reader...

July is here, and we couldn’t be more excited to start our roles as co-publishers of the Lowcountry’s favorite city magazine.

Between us we have worked nearly every aspect of Hilton Head and Bluffton Monthly magazines, from design to sales to events to editorial. We have loved every minute of it and are honored to take the helm as we go forward and continue Marc and Anuska Frey’s vision for Monthly.

~THE MINDSET LIST~

This year’s senior class has grown up in a world much different than the one most of us grew up in. From the effects of 9/11 to a global pandemic, the graduating class of college students has experienced significant world events. With the help of a few items culled from Beloit College and Marist College annual mindset lists, here are some key issues that have shaped their world views.

Passing the Torch...

After a quarter of century at the helm of Monthly it is time to pass on the joy and responsibility of leading the magazine to a new generation. 

Luckily, over the years two very capable women grew into leadership positions in our company and have already proven that new energy and fresh thinking is a good thing. 

Every four years the National Intelligence Council publishes its Global Trends outlook for the newly elected U.S. government, a document that is available to the public.

A myriad of data, along with interviews with a diversified group of people around the globe, are being analyzed to update the structural factors:

Dear reader...

Spring brings out the best of the Lowcountry, and we hope you are enjoying everything this gorgeous season has to offer.

We’re celebrating mothers who go above and beyond to serve their communities and families. Meet four women who help protect and care for the Lowcountry through their unparalleled dedication.

April this time last year marked the pandemic raging on our shores, when we went into full lockdown. Remembering its anniversary, I’m sending this letter back in time to anyone who wishes to read it.

Brace yourself. The whispers of a global pandemic have become sirens. But not the Odyssean kind.