Measles Case confirmed in Beaufort County

 STORY 1From the WSAVThe 12th annual Mitchelville Juneteenth celebration returns this year to the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park with a three-day celebration. “We’re going to talk about the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth Amendment would really make us free as Americans, those amendments really put us all on the same equal plain,” said Executive Director for Historic Mitchelville Freedom Ahmad Ward. It’s set to be a big event held in the first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people in the country. “The tagline for Signature of Freedom Park is where Freedom began, because we look at this as a place where Africans in America were able to practice citizenship for the first time in a place where they were running all of the things, the facilities upstairs to move into and to use and to function,” Ward said. Ward said this celebration means the most to many people attached to the park, because of the celebratory aspect of the event. “With Juneteenth being the quintessential freedom holiday, it just makes sense for us to be doing this here, especially now that it is a national holiday,” said Ward. “We were doing Juneteenth when it wasn’t as big of a national deal. So, for it to be a national holiday, it’s just fitting for the place where freedom began to have a celebration, celebrating freedom for it.” The events now start Thursday with a “sleep in” at the property itself. “So, we do a sleepover with Joe McGill, who received one project. And Joe has slept in close to 40 different states,” detailed Ward. “In the United States, places where enslaved people lived flourished or were just plantations. And he is really dedicated to sharing the background of these folks and getting deep into the heart of a plantation.” Then, Friday is a chance to get into the rhythm of the holiday. “The drum circle is right on Friday. And so this year, we have a kids’ drum camp earlier in the day. So we’re going to teach you how to do the drumming,” said Ward. “If you come back at 530 you can really get into it.” Then Saturday is the big event, the Juneteenth celebration. “The big festival is Saturday, June 13, from 10 to 4,” Ward said. “It’s only $10 to come. You’ll have arts and crafts. You have all kinds of men. There are all kinds of food out here on Saturday. Okay. You never go hungry. Anything you can think of is going to be out here on Saturday. We also get some great music on tap. El Shaddai will perform, there an old school dance contest, and then one of my favorites, Stokely Williams from Mint Condition will close it out.” While the day will be about fun, you can also learn something as well and find out more about the ongoing history projects at the park. “We have a full excavation going on the site right now. And this is the site of the future Interpretive Center. That will happen whenever I find $12 million,” Ward said. “So, if you know anybody out there, please. Please tell them to donate big. You will be able to have tours of the excavation. So, they actually lead you through some of the scenes, show you the stuff that they’re finding.”       Story 2From Post and Courier  A new display in the Fort Fremont Historical Preserve welcome center sheds new light on history of the fort and Beaufort County’s connection to the Spanish American War. Grabbing visitors’ attention is a 35-inch-long model ship with a green and black hull, contrasting sharply with a crisp white deck and superstructure. It’s the Gen. E.O.C. Ord, a mine planter that went in service in 1909 and once operated in the Port Royal Sound. Working in his wood shop, Friends of Fort Fremont member Dennis Cannady crafted the model from basswood in an astonishingly short nine weeks. “This unveiling brings an end to this phase of telling the Fort Fremont story,” said Cannady during the June 4 premier of the new model. Creating the Ord wasn’t Cannady’s first rodeo. The retired engineer, who spent his career at General Motors, already had three dioramas on display in the welcome center, the largest of which depicts that layout of the base when it was fully operational in the early 20th century. Still, he felt one more was needed. “We realized that the last piece of the story of Fort Fremont hadn’t been told yet. And that is the mining that was done in the river,” Cannady said.           Story 3 From wsavA new case of measles in a Beaufort County adult was confirmed Wednesday by the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH).The case has no known connection to the Lowcountry case reported in Hampton County on June 3. At this time, the patient’s vaccination status is unconfirmed, and the source of exposure is unknown. A DPH investigation identified various Lowcountry locations and times where exposures have occurred.Publix Super Market at Lady’s IslandJune 1 – 2:30 – 7:30 p.m.June 2 – 3 – 6 p.m.June 4 – 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.June 5 – 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.Beaufort HS graduation, BHS Football StadiumJune 3Dataw Island Community Center pool/gymJune 2, June 3 and June 4 – 5:50 a.m. – 9 p.m.The risk of exposure is limited to the above specific locations and times. A spokesperson for the DPH said, “People who believe they were exposed at Publix, especially those without immunity through vaccination or previous disease, should monitor for symptoms for three weeks (21 days) after the exposure date. Those exposed at Beaufort High School should monitor for symptoms through June 24. The last day of symptom monitoring for those exposed at the Dataw Island Community Center is June 25.”