2020 was a crazy year all over the country and Beaufort was no exception. Our year in review was shaped the same way each of our lives were…by the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2020 will forever go down in history as a year worth forgetting.
The ways that the pandemic has impacted our city and its people are many, yet lots of things did happen in Beaufort SC over this past year.
As look to 2021, we can’t help but being hopeful that things will get better as the new year starts.
We’ve been wearing masks since before we can remember, kids aren’t in school, and lots of our beloved area small businesses are hurting in the worst of ways. Our local business community took huge hits in 2020 but, thankfully, our local residents were there to do their best to support them.
Maybe the only way to go is up?
Looking back on 2020…..
In 2020, we welcomed several new businesses to the area, and we also said goodbye to some as well.
New to town in 2020 were, among others, Moss & Hatchet, Mr. Seafood, BlackSheep on Boundary, Lost Local, The Spice & Tea Exchange of Beaufort, Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, RLB Distillery, Mameem & Maudie’s Cafe, Urban Brew + Co, Beedo’s, Morgan River Grill and Longhorn Steakhouse.
Gone in 2020 were Ruby Tuesday, Mezes Mediterranean Grill, The Original Steamer, Hollyhocks Gifts, Flashback Gear, Hank’s Lowcountry She Crab Soup, Boondocks Restaurant and the Tabby House Cat Adoption Center, among others.
Also gone in 2020 were Beaufort’s beloved festivals and nearly all of its events.
The annual Beaufort Water Festival, Shrimp Festival, Soft Shell Crab Festival were all canceled, as was the yearly Gullah Festival and just about every single one of our town’s other annual celebrations.
The one festival that didn’t get canceled was the Bands Brews & BBQ event that took place in February, and we were all fortunate to have been able to enjoy that one.
We haven’t had funnel cakes, stood at a beer tent or seen a parade in about a year, and we spent a few months in 2020 where the best we could have hoped for was to get out of the house to take a walk down the street or along the Spanish Moss Trail.
On a brighter side, the Beaufort area experienced no hurricane activity in 2020. That’s a good thing. Storms with excessive rain did close Hunting Island beach and state park a few times, but she’s since rebounded and has undergone plenty of upgrades throughout the year as well.
In local politics, we welcomed a new Mayor with the election of Stephen Murray in November, and we also put a few new faces on our City Council.
What’s coming
The new Harbor River Bridge appears to be coming closer to the completion of the construction of the new span that will replace the aging swing bridge that has been in use since the 1930s.
The new Publix grocery store will be opening in the fall of 2021 at the former site of Beaufort’s Plaza Stadium Movie Theater.
Development will continue at the Whitehall Plantation spot on Lady’s Island at the foot of the Woods Memorial Bridge. After securing a 10 acre park with several of the acres devoted to a Nature Preserve area, development will start to move forward. Construction is expected to start soon. Visit Friends of Whitehall Park to keep up on the latest.
Happy New Year, Beaufort and good riddance to 2020.
Here’s to 2021.
The only way to go is up.
