Photo Credit: Courtesy of Randy Gaddo
Editor’s Note: This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues and ask the leaders among the readership to share their knowledge and experiences.
During a recent visit to Beaufort, S.C., my wife and I discovered the Naval Heritage Park in adjacent Port Royal.
The amenity that first attracted us was a huge skate park, open on all sides with a metal roof. It was well-maintained and monitored, and at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning, about 30 people, from pre-teen to 20-something, were skating. Everyone appeared to be having a great time, so I decided to stop and snap a couple of photos, capturing a canopy of enormous live oaks draped with Spanish moss.
Walking around the structure, we noticed a group of tents nearby and a good-sized crowd, so we decided to investigate. Several vendors in an open-air farmer’s market were selling everything from locally grown vegetables to oysters from local waters.