The Melody Makers

Back in the day, when “the real rock and roll” ruled, Beaufort’s Melody Makers was one of the most sought after beach bands in the state.  Local folks wax nostalgic remembering beer-fueled beach parties, teen romance and shagging the night away to high-energy music.  As far as history goes, the band was an important part of growing up in Beaufort.

Now the beat goes on thanks to a special exhibit at Beaufort History Museum featuring photos, instruments, amplifiers and framed albums of the Melody Makers biggest hits. A reception with refreshments will be held Thursday, July 11, 2019 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Museum. “Singing Fred Gauch”, along with other past band members will be there to reminisce with friends and guests. Admission is free and the public is invited.

“Regardless of where you grew up, there was that one special band, that first slow dance, that first beer”, said Mary Lou Brewton, a local native and Vice president of the Museum’s Board of Directors. “ In Beaufort we had many great bands but none have had the longevity of the Melody Makers. From Bailey’s, Oakgrove and the Varnville Pool, the Melody Makers and that sweet Carolina Beach music rocked our youth away.”

Melody Makers exhibit  will be available through August, 2019.

Larry Rodgers, Ted Ledford, Ronnie Nobles, Fred Gauch.   (L-R)

  “When baby boomers go into museums, we are shocked to see our grandparent’s and parent’s artifacts. Now we are them,” Brewton said. She is also Co-chairman of the Museum’s Collection Committee and she is encouraging people to preserve photos, books and artifacts, which tell the story of our past. “If people have artifacts they would like to share, we will help them find a home for them,” she said.

The Beaufort History Museum

in collaboration with

The Beaufort Film Society

presents…

Beaufort in Films

Over the years, Beaufort’s history and beauty has made it a natural setting for a wide variety of films.

For 13 years the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF), presented by the Beaufort Film Society, has hosted thousands of film lovers from around the world.  According to FilmFreeway, a marketing service connecting filmmakers, screenwriters, and film festivals worldwide, BIFF rates in the Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals,  and #1 in SC.

Organizers are expecting upwards of 15,000 attendees, nearly doubling the population of Beaufort!  This year, the 6 day Festival will present awards in the areas of Features, Documentaries (feature and short), Short Films, Student Films, Screenplays, Animation, Comedy and Audience Choice.  Winners will be named for best actor, best actress, and best director.

This year’s Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award will honor Paul Sorvino.  Past recipients have included Andie MacDowell, Vanna White, Gary Weeks, Powers Boothe and Tom Berenger.

Reconstruction Beaufort

In June 2016, the Museum unveiled a new Special Exhibit focused on the post Civil War Reconstruction Era here in Beaufort, titled Reconstruction Beaufort, Islands of Hope in a Sea of Distress. 

In the South, the Civil War wreaked devastation, and the Reconstruction Era which followed doomed it to more--except in Beaufort. This exhibit explains how and why education, politics, industry and agriculture thrived here while suffering elsewhere.

This exhibit is currently on display across the street from the Arsenal, at the National Park Service's office.