Home Care In Folly Beach, SC

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCIV) — The Folly Beach City Council met Tuesday evening to review ongoing traffic projects, consider an ordinance change regarding animal restrictions and discuss a proposal for free parking at a well-known surf spot.

Folly Beach discusses traffic projects, supports waiver for James Island Cowboys (WCIV)

City Administrator Aaron Pope shared an update on several transportation projects underway across the city.

The Center Street Drainage Improvement Project remains on schedule for completion in June 2026. The work includes replacing and enlarging pipes beneath the roadway to help capture and move stormwater more effectively.

Major construction on Center Street is expected to begin in the coming weeks, and city officials warn drivers to expect traffic disruptions into the new year.

Another upgrade in development focuses on the Peas Island–Bowens Island intersection, where the city plans to add bike-lane markings and extend the merge lane. Mayor Chris Bizzell said the goal is to improve safety and traffic flow for residents who rely on the corridor.

“We’re looking at ways to mitigate that, make that a little bit safer for them to take a left and get back out of their driveways,” Bizzell said. “These new changes with the way traffic will be narrowed should make a big improvement for them."

Work on that project is expected to begin next year.

City staff also presented findings from a recent traffic study on a proposed pedestrian scramble for Center Street. The data showed the design would not improve safety or reduce congestion, and no further action was taken.

Community support for a longtime Lowcountry favorite also led the council to consider an amendment to an existing city ordinance that currently prohibits horses from being kept or used within city limits. The restriction means the men known as the 'James Island Cowboys' must request an annual waiver to participate in the Folly Beach Christmas Parade.

After attention on the issue grew last year, a proposed amendment would shift decisions involving animals at special events to the city’s Special Events Committee instead of requiring a yearly council waiver.

Desmond Green, one of the James Island Cowboys, says he welcomes the change, adding that it is "great to have the community behind your back."

Bizzell agreed the amendment would streamline the process.

“They’re a huge favorite around here, so it is great to have them be part of the parade,” he said.

The amendment passed its first reading. The Folly Beach Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, at noon along Center Street.

Council also discussed a resolution that would allow free parking at the Washout until 9 a.m. The measure was tabled for further consideration.

JAMES ISLAND — Coffee, biscuits and bulgogi cheesesteak.

That’s the spread at Trading Post, the new James Island café from the team behind Folly Beach’s popular Jack of Cups Saloon.

They’re bringing their signature globally inspired menu to a café format and introducing something new for the team: breakfast all day.

The menu includes buttermilk biscuits with butter and jam, classic egg-and-cheese biscuits and a larger “All Day Breakfast Situation” menu item featuring two eggs, cheese, tomato, whipped potatoes and maple mayo all on a jumbo biscuit.

Fans of Jack of Cups Saloon’s rotating lunch and dinner menu will spot familiar soups, sandwiches and stews, such as the Thai ginger peanut soup, potato popcorn soup and the tamari-ginger cucumber salad.

First announced in 2023, Trading Post officially opened its doors at 8 a.m. on Dec. 5 in the Walgreens-anchored Shoppes of Folly shopping center, located on James Island at 915 Folly Rd.

Like the unique menu at its Folly Beach flagship, the James Island outpost will routinely roll out rotating “fun, unique bites” in a counter-service format, co-owner Lesley Carroll said.

Current lunch options include the vegetarian-friendly harissa garbanzo burger and heartier bulgogi cheesesteak made with sirloin and topped with spicy Korean BBQ sauce and queso blanco.

During the soft-opening phase, Trading Post will operate from 8 a.m.– 3 p.m. with a smaller menu while the owners await a beer and wine permit. Once approved, hours will extend to 8 p.m.

The current beverage menu includes coffee with house-made syrups, seltzers and lemonades.

Trading Post took over the former Odyssey Greek Restaurant, where it sat vacant for a decade and needed a full renovation, Carroll said.

Customers are now greeted by a blue-tiled pastry case and counter in front of deep blue walls with plenty of plants along the counter and shelves. There is bar seating with leather stools, tall community tables and high booths inside the eclectic, cozy interior.

“The name Trading Post came from thinking about places where people meet and gather — inspired by travel,” Carroll said. “Jack of Cups has been a destination at the beach and now we get to be part of the neighborhood here on James Island, where we live.”

The eatery isn’t the team’s first foray into quick-service breakfast on James Island. Carroll said Jack of Cups BeBop, a location inside a permanent food truck at The Pour House Charleston, has been serving breakfast on the weekends.

Jack of Cups Saloon also hosts occasional brunch events throughout the year.

Trading Post now gives the team a dedicated space for everyday morning fare.

The Shoppes of Folly shopping center has long been a food destination on James Island with global cuisine, despite being located behind a Sonic fast-food restaurant. Thai Elephants restaurant has operated in the center for 10 years.

In October, 27-year-old Italian restaurant Mondo’s opened an expanded dining room and announced it was adding pizza to the menu for the first time.

South Carolinians have the first chance in 1,350 years to see the vivid green Comet Lemmon sparkle across the moonless sky Oct. 21 and 22. It won’t come by Earth again for another 1,350 years. It’s just one of the celestial jewels visible in the nights leading up to Halloween.

Comet Lemmon is named after Arizona’s Mount Lemmon Observatory, where the interstellar visitor was discovered as it streaked into our solar system back in January. Stargazers might be able to see it with their naked eyes Oct. 21-22, when it’s closest to Earth. Lemmon’s vibrant grass green color should definitely be visible through binoculars.

Here’s how to find it: About 45 to 90 minutes after sunset, look a bit below the Big Dipper constellation.

Astronomers believe Lemmon passed through the mysterious Oort Cloud, a sphere composed of giant ice and stone chunks at the outer edge of our solar system, far beyond Pluto.

Lemmon’s green hue comes from the comet’s carbon molecules interacting with sunlight.

“It could be amazing, or a bust. We have to wait and see,” Trident Technical College astronomy professor Blake Crosby said. He quoted a proverb, “Comets are like cats. They have tails and do what they want."

"The end of October and beginning of November, (Lemmon) will get higher in the sky and should become brighter,” he added. “A good opportunity may be Halloween, when it appears just after sunset in the western sky.”

Other cosmic wonders to view before Halloween

The Orionids meteor shower glitters above through Nov. 7, but peak viewing will be Oct. 21-22 with up to 20 meteors visible per hour. The new moon gives Americans “dark skies for what should be an excellent show,” Crosby said.

He advised astronomy lovers to take their binoculars far outside city light pollution to enjoy the shower.

Crosby said October also offers a chance to glimpse the mysterious Andromeda Galaxy climbing the eastern sky. Andromeda is twice as big as the Milky Way, and even at 2.5 million light-years away, it's our closest neighboring galaxy. It is so distant that humans may never get much chance to explore Andromeda.

The best night to see the Andromeda Galaxy in late-October is Oct. 28, the last new moon of the month, as it will be a dark night ideal for stargazing. Andromeda is best viewed from 9-11 p.m., high in the northeastern sky.

Even then, Crosby advises that Andromeda “takes a fair amount of skill to locate.”

Wando High School astronomy teacher Robbie Binnicker has seen Andromeda. He wasn’t using a powerful telescope, so the galaxy didn’t look like a spectacular luminous disc.

“It looked more like a wispy, bright cloud,” said Binnicker, who was awarded the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, in 2024 for his 34 years as an educator.

Binnicker returned to his first career love, teaching, in Charleston County after he retired as Anderson One School District superintendent last June.

“This is the first time I’ve taught astronomy and I enjoy it, but I’m not an expert,” Binnicker told The Post and Courier.

He and his students use the SkyPortal astronomy app to locate constellations. The students have learned to set up telescopes to observe sunspots. With knowledge of classic sci-fi movies and novels, Binnicker said his students discuss astronomical wonders that can't be seen in the sky, like Albert Einstein's theories of time bending and gravitational waves causing ripples in the spacetime continuum.

The students can check telescopes out from the library. Binnicker loans telescopes to his students, too. Binnicker said they learned how to set up telescopes with filters to track sunspots. Binoculars enable the students to see most celestial phenomena they're studying.

Here's how to try and find Andromeda:

Look through binoculars northwest of Pegasus, or the flying horse constellation. It’s boxed-shaped and almost perfectly square.

Perhaps someone in that luminous smudge light-years from Earth will be gazing at the Milky Way and wondering if any life is there.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday across South Carolina in local races that state election officials say have a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of people in the Lowcountry.

Charleston County election leaders expect voter turnout to hover around 20 percent this year, with only municipal races on the ballot and no statewide or federal contests. Charleston County Board of Elections Executive Director Isaac Cramer said even though these races don’t attract the same attention as presidential elections, they are still critical.

“Municipal elections just don’t have the same level of engagement,” Cramer said. “Although it’s not national headlines, they are local issues that affect each one of us in our day-to-day lives. Our goal is just to let people know that there’s an election, there’s time to do your research, look up the candidates, but know that today’s election does impact your day-to-day life.”

Cramer said the ballots across the county vary by city and district, with many positions up for grabs.

“Across Charleston County, we have many municipalities voting for mayor, for council, we have CPW, which is Commissioner for Public Works, we have watershed commissioners,” Cramer said. “So we’ll have a wide range of different things on the ballot, but for a lot of the city of Charleston this is very important. You won’t have council on your ballot unless you live in an even district. If you live in an odd district, you will only have CPW on your ballot.”

Click here for the Live 5 2025 Voter Guide.

Some of the key local elections include the mayors’ races in Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, Sullivan’s Island, and Lincolnville. Several city and town council seats are also on the ballot in Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek, and Moncks Corner, along with a special election for State House District 98. In total, dozens of municipal offices from water commissioners to council members are up for grabs across Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties.

Election officials say the quiet nature of local election years means most polling places are not expected to be crowded. The best time to avoid lines is typically early afternoon, avoiding lunch and evening rush hours.

More than 3.35 million people are registered to vote statewide. In the Tri-County area, Charleston County has 272,000 registered voters, Berkeley County has about 155,000, and Dorchester County has just under 105,000.

Greenville County has the most registered voters in the state with just under 341,000, while Allendale County has the fewest at about 4,000.

Voters heading to the polls today will need a photo ID, though it does not have to be a Real ID used for air travel. Those voting absentee must ensure their ballots are returned to the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections by 7 p.m.

Click here to verify your voter registration, get a sample ballot or find your voting location.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections by 7 p.m.

All polling locations offer accessible parking spots, doorways, railings and paths. Residents with disabilities may receive help during the voting process but must tell a poll manager if assistance is needed. Voters can choose anyone to help except their employer, an agent of their employer, or an officer or agent of their union.

Curbside voting is available for those with disabilities or voters 65 years or older. Poll managers monitor the area every 15 minutes to assist anyone who cannot stand in line.

Polls are open until 7 p.m.