Media Coverage & Press Releases
What’s white, green, blue, yellow, orange and red all over and just may be visible from outer space?
The 2007 Dove Street Festival of Lights!
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November 19, 2007 HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- What began 17 years ago as one North Forest Beach couple’s simple expression of joy and thanksgiving over the arrival of their baby daughter, has turned into a community-wide holiday tradition that draws tens of thousands of visitors to this tiny beachside street each year.
This year’s Festival kicks off on Saturday, December 1st at 6:00 PM and by the time the event closes on January 4th, an estimated 45,000 people will have walked or driven through the Island’s most “fun and funky” neighborhood to admire the 80,000 lights and festive (and sometimes off-beat) decorations of the 35 participating homes.
As they have done every year since 1990, neighborhood residents are encouraging all who tour the dazzling display to make a donation to The Deep Well, Hilton Head’s revered charitable organization that provides food for the hungry and emergency aid with rent, water, and utility bills for local families and individuals in need of temporary assistance. Deep Well encourages independence… not dependence. They help clients who make an effort to help themselves and steadfastly resist setting up cycles of dependency.
To make donating easy, the Dove Street neighbors work with Deep Well volunteer coordinator “Holly Jolly” Julie Jilly to organize a group of volunteers to staff a “Community Well” located in front of Rita’s Italian Ice on the North Forest Beach Road side of Coligny Plaza. This year, volunteers will be on-hand every evening between December 12th and the 24th from 5:30 PM-9:30 PM. They will be grateful for your donations of money, non-perishable food, or unwrapped gifts for teens and younger children. Last year, the group collected thousands of dollars, hundreds of gifts and an untold number of canned goods that were used to brighten the holidays of some of our less fortunate neighbors. In years past, donations have included an automobile and the “world’s largest” Christmas stocking.
To help spread the word about the Festival and its Deep Well connection, the group relies on news coverage by local newspapers, magazines and radio stations to publicize the event. This year, long-time Hilton Head residents David and Lynne Anderson, owners of Anderson Communications Group, have donated the cost to completely revamp the Dove Street website. According to Chris Fehrmann, General Manager of Anderson Interactive, the area’s largest and fastest growing internet marketing and web development company, the new site will feature enhanced photo and video capabilities along with Anderson’s proprietary Content Management System, which will allow the residents to easily add or delete content, thereby keeping the site fresh and interesting.
“Every year, this celebration draws more and more visitors to the neighborhood, “says Rob Lolik, who began the tradition by decorating his 40 foot magnolia tree to celebrate his daughter’s first Christmas. “And every year, there seems to be a greater need for the kind of assistance Deep Well provides. That’s why we don’t mind waiting in traffic to get to our homes during the holiday season. Knowing that our efforts will positively impact the lives of so many people makes it all worthwhile,” Lolik notes.
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IF YOU GO: Dove St. is a one-way street, running east to west. From the Coligny traffic circle, take North Forest Beach Dr. and turn right on Curlew, then left on Dune Lane and over one block to Dove St. Many residents on the “land” side of Dove St. also decorate, so cross North Forest Beach Dr. and continue to Lagoon Road, where you can turn left and return to Coligny Plaza. You’ll find the Community Well in front of Rita’s Italian Ice from December 12th through the 24th. You can literally drive through the parking lot and make your donation without having to get out of your car.
