ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – On Saturday, the 9^th Annual Carolina Children’s Charity Cornhole Tournament and Band Blast came to the Windjammer. The annual event was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, however, many were happy to see it back on in 2021.

Sonya Beale, the Executive Director for the Carolina Children’s Charity (CCC) said the day was all about local people, helping local children.

The organization has been operating since 1987, focused on Lowcountry children with birth defects and or childhood diseases gain access to medications, equipment, lodging, and therapy. Through the years and $4.5 million, they have assisted thousands of children under the age of 18 in Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Berkeley County.

Beale said the organization’s assistance comes in handy with insurance gaps that are often left for children. She said, “even if a family even has really good insurance, the child might have diabetes and they might be on 9 medications, so they have quite a hefty bit of copays, so they can apply to the charity for a grant that would assist with those medication copays with that, related to that specific childhood disease.”

On Saturday, the bands that participated in the Band Blast were the Shakin’ Martinis, King Tide Rising, The Corrodatones, Bluesphere, Scotty Oliver Band, and the South Stand Band.

The Cornhole tournament also brought out some other Lowcountry favorites such as News 2’s Evening Anchor, Brendan Clark. Clark said he has been participating in the annual event for as long as it has been ongoing. He said in 2019, his team was a runner-up and they planned vengeance to win the title of 1st place.

Clark ultimately took home the title of 1^st place with his cornhole partner Jeremy Kimball. While vengeance was inflicted, Clark said he was a part of the 9^th annual event not for the wins but because the money raised here in the Lowcountry—stays here in the Lowcountry.

You know, when you play cornhole it is about wins and losses a lot of the time but not in this tournament. It’s really about supporting the cause. So wins and losses aren’t necessarily the most important thing, we are just out here, having a great time and supporting a great cause.

Brendan Clark, News 2 Anchor, Cornhole Competitor

If you were unable to make it to the 9^th Annual Carolina Children’s Charity Cornhole Tournament and Band Blast, the CCC will be hosting an Oyster Roast and Silent/Live Auction at Water Edge on October 28^th.

For more on how you can apply for a grant, click here.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Dead jellyfish are lining the sand along Lowcountry beaches and now many are wondering what’s causing the problem.

Dozens of dead jellyfish have been spotted both in water and along the sand at the beach on the Isle of Palms raising the question for beach goers: why are so many washing up? Experts say it’s not completely unusual.

“Yesterday we saw maybe four or five,” said a beach goer.

Experts say the jellyfish showing up are ‘Cannonball Jellyfish’. They’re a more mild type of the species than the ones that generally sting people.

The flowy creatures by nature begin showing up in waters off the coast of Charleston as the weather and water warms up.

“They really rely on wind and water currents to and tide to move them horizontally through the water,” says Erin Weeks, a Media Coordinator with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s Marine Division.

Weeks says Cannonball Jellyfish stranding’s are common May through August, particularly after storms.

“So anytime we see periods of strong onshore winds or storms offshore that would cause currents pushing jellyfish onto the beaches we’ll see stranding’s,” says Weeks.

Weeks says while the purple and clear blobs are fun to look at, they should be left alone if encountered on the beach.

“They are typically considered harmless to humans, if you do get stung by them it’ll be mild it’s more like a skin irritation,” says Weeks.

And while this type of jellyfish showing up on the Isle of Palms are mainly harmless. Weeks says other types of jellyfish packing stronger stings have also been known to call the Carolina coast home.

“So if you’re not able to identify the jelly in the water or on the beach it’s best just to avoid them because actually dead jellyfish can still sting you after they’ve been beached,” says Weeks.

Weeks says the Department of Natural Resources does not require sightings of Cannonball Jellyfish to be reported. They say beach goers can expect to stranding’s from time to time over the next several months.

There have been a number of news stories recently about the Isle of Palms, some of which paint the city and residents in a negative light. As a resident and president of a newly formed organization of homeowners and property owners on the island, I want to share our perspective.

Isle of Palms has one of our state’s most treasured natural wonders — its beach. IOP is also home to a growing number of residents and visitors who are attracted to beach life and activities.

As residents, we understand the rights of visitors to access our beaches and we welcome visitors from across the Lowcountry, state and nation. The energy, enthusiasm and economic boost they bring is part of what makes our community great.

We were excited to see families visiting IOP for the Memorial Day holiday as we remembered heroes who gave their lives in service to our nation. It was also a respite from the controversy surrounding the way Columbia politicians have overreached and undermined the ability of IOP officials to do their most important job: keeping residents and visitors safe.

Our beaches are free and accessible. That issue has been unnecessarily confused with traffic volume and the number of vehicles parking on the island. There must be a balance between the rights and responsibilities of residents with those of visitors, and the best way to accomplish that is with a locally managed plan designed to provide safe access to our island for visitors while maintaining a safe environment for our families who live here.

One-size-fits-all Columbia mandates on localities do not work any better than one-size-fits-all mandates on states from Washington, D.C.

IOP always has been seriously committed to providing parking and beach access to visitors. You may not realize that IOP provides more than twice the number of parking spaces per mile and per public beach access point as the average South Carolina beach community.

With an average of 378 parking spaces per mile of public beach, we offer more public parking than Edisto Beach, Folly Beach, Surfside Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, to name a few.

We also take pride in the beauty of our community. Keeping the island clean is part of keeping it safe. IOP residents fund beach access trash receptacles and pickup.

Residents volunteer their time to conduct beachfront litter collection every week during the summer. They also hold neighborhood block litter pickups throughout the year.

IOP offers visitors amenities such as a recreation center, marina and two city-owned public boat ramps. The IOP Recreation Center hosts users from surrounding communities each day of every season.

Visitors use the marina, purchased by IOP residents, for their boating needs. Well-maintained public boat ramps offer families and sportsmen alike a perfect way to take advantage of the water surrounding the area.

With summer in full swing, IOP residents have formed the Barrier Island Preservation Alliance to highlight all of these things that make our community special, as well as to address the unique challenges we face. We hope other barrier islands will join us as we grow.

As always, we hope to see many of you on July Fourth. Usually, IOP residents and visitors celebrate one of our favorite holidays with an incredible display of fireworks. Unfortunately, public health considerations have forced us to cancel fireworks two years in a row.

Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing new faces on the island, whether they be locals or visitors, new residents or old friends, not only on the Fourth but every day thereafter.

Bev Miller is president and executive director of Barrier Island Preservation Alliance.

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One of the earliest signs of a budding conflict over driving to a Charleston area beach was actually a missing sign.

In May 1962, the repeated theft of street signs on Sullivan’s Island made headlines; more than 30 had been stolen in recent months, costing the town about $500 and causing headaches for local officials, such as Assistant Fire Chief James J. Rowland, who also painted the town’s signs.

“We don’t put those signs up just to decorate the area,” he told a News and Courier reporter. “They are there for a specific and important purpose.” One missing sign warned of parking that blocked a beach access road. “The road,” he said, “is used to get emergency equipment to the water in case of drowning or other emergencies. To block that road could easily cost someone’s life.”

Suffice it to say the challenges around local beach access have evolved since then, but as many will discover as this Memorial Day weekend rolls around and as the weather and water get warmer, they certainly haven’t gotten any easier.

In fact, the tension between island residents and the growing number of people who drive to these communities to spend a day at the beach reached a crescendo last year, after several barrier island leaders voted to restrict access significantly as COVID-19 arrived. Those restrictions were peppered with growing tensions over where day-trippers may and may not park their cars — and how much they may be charged to park.

The dust-up even led to a new state law, sponsored by state Sen. Larry Grooms, whose district includes Mount Pleasant and some residents most upset by the new limits on access. The law, which Gov. Henry McMaster signed last week, clarifies that the S.C. Department of Transportation has the right to do what it always thought it had the right to do: namely, veto any parking restrictions island communities want to place on state-owned roads.

That strikes us as a reasonable response: It doesn’t violate the concept of Home Rule, since it applies only to roads that are owned and maintained by the state. And it ensures public access to our public beaches won’t be excessively curtailed by local regulations — at least not on state roads. Beach communities unable to get the state’s blessing on plans to restrict parking have the option of working with the Transportation Department to transfer ownership of the roads at issue.

In fact, our beach access is getting curtailed by the simple forces of supply and demand, as our region grows in residents and its appeal to visitors, increasing numbers of whom must vie for space on beaches that aren’t getting any longer or wider or more numerous. And the problem is more acute on the roads, where parking and traffic lead to significant congestion, than on the sand itself.

We’re encouraged that CARTA launched a new summer weekend shuttle bus from Mount Pleasant to the Isle of Palms today, and we’re pleased that both Mount Pleasant and the Isle of Palms agreed to chip in so the shuttle can be free — a perk that we hope will persuade more people to leave their cars at Mount Pleasant’s Towne Centre shopping area and ride the shuttle. This obviously won’t solve the problem, but every little bit helps.

Getting to and from the beach is only part of the puzzle. The beaches also regulate things as varied as alcohol, pets, hole digging, fishing, shade devices, sand fencing, sea oats, metal detecting, fireworks and thongs. It behooves both vacationers and day-trippers to do a little homework ahead of time to make their trip to the shore as enjoyable and relaxing as possible.

South Carolina’s beaches certainly enhance our quality of life. But only 10 states grew faster than we did during the past decade, and while there are 10.7% more of us today than in 2010, our shoreline hasn’t changed much at all. So we need more planning and forethought about as how best to share these special places.

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ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCIV) — The owner of Tidal Wave Water Sports says a judge ruled his company could stay open through summer 2021 in its current location at the Isle of Palms Marina.

Charleston County says a judge has not decided on the case or ruled the business could stay open through the summer.

Owner Michael Feim says the judge sided with Tidal Wave because the city of Isle of Palms did not give enough notice before deciding to evict the business last year.

“Last year, and the summer before, I basically spent practically every day trying to fight the city on us staying here. To the point where it has affected my ability to run the business," said Feim.

The City of Isle of Palms responded to the claims on Friday with a statement saying, "Tidalwave does not have the City’s permission to be on the premises as their lease with the City expired last Fall. Due to the delays associated with Covid-19, the eviction process has been delayed since last year in the Court system, but the City remains hopeful the Court will take up this matter very shortly and formally evict the tenant in the coming months as Covid-19 restrictions are being eased nationwide and also here in our local court system."

Isle of Palms city council voted in August 2020 not to renew Tidal Wave's lease. Council members suggested at the time the space could be converted to a public park with water access, or a green space.

Feim says he signed four separate five-year leases with the city in 2010. He claims the third lease should've renewed in October 2020, leading him to believe Tidal Wave can stay at the marina through 2025.

It is unclear when the matter will be resolved but Feim says the battle has already taken its toll.

“Lawyer fees aside, the amount of money that it has cost us. Even with, direct labor and workforce. You know, the ability to expand and just look in different directions has been literally stalled because we’ve had to focus on staying here,” Feim said.