34 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com More than 40 years ago, the late owner of Boone Hall Plantation, Willie McRae, and the late executive director of the Charleston Restaurant Association, Kathy Britzius, formed a partnership that established the Lowcountry Oyster Festival on the property’s grounds. On June 5, in honor of McRae and Britzius, Charleston Restaurant Foundation presented recycled oyster shells that were saved and collected from the festival and prepared by the Coastal Conservation Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the dedication of a reef. Boone Hall General Manager Jim Westerhold said, “We are grateful to all the great partnering organizations who are coming together to help make this well-deserved tribute to Willie and Kathy come to life. It’s a natural fit with ongoing conservation efforts to preserve and protect important ecosystems that are integrated with the property and surrounding areas.” Charleston Restaurant Foundation President Jonathan Kish added, “The creation of this oyster reef behind Boone Hall represents 40 years of dedication to sustainably celebrating one of our most beloved Lowcountry traditions. Thanks to the commitment of our partners and thousands of Lowcountry Oyster Festival participants over the years, Clustered with Care Reef constructed from recycled oyster shells BY SARAH ROSE our town
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1