[00:00:20]
WE ARE HERE WITH NATALIE HARVEY, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK DURING THIS.
VERY CHAOTIC, IT'S A LITTLE CRAZY.
SO CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT YOUR PART IN SETTING UP THIS EVENT WAS? GREAT.
SO AS DIRECTOR OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, OUR OFFICE, UM, SPONSORS THIS EVENT.
SO WE, UH, PULL THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND, UM, JUST ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO BE CREATIVE.
SO WE RELY A LOT ON VOLUNTEERS.
WE HAVE CLOSE TO A HUNDRED VOLUNTEERS OUT HERE TODAY, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT FACILITIES.
IT'S A, IT'S A HUGE TEAM EFFORT TO JUST GET OUT HERE AND ENJOY OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, IS THIS YOUR FIRST YEAR WORKING WITH THE LANTERN PARADE OR? UH, THE FIRST YEAR THAT I RAN THIS EVENT WAS 2022.
I, UH, BEFORE THAT VOLUNTEERED ONCE AND THEN I MARCHED IN IT ONCE.
SO I FEEL LIKE I'VE HAD ALL THE EXPERIENCES.
I'VE BEEN A SPECTATOR, MARCHED IN IT AND TRIED TO MANAGE IT.
YOU'RE THE EXPERT, ALL THINGS HILTON, HEAD ISLAND, LANTER PARADE.
SO I KNOW IT SEEMS TO BE GROWING YEAR AFTER YEAR.
CAN YOU TOUCH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE? YEAH, I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY GROWN ORGANICALLY WITH A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS GETTING INVOLVED IN LANTERNS, WHICH MEANS THEN THEIR PARENTS GET INVOLVED IN MAKING LANS.
WE HAVE MORE AND MORE CLUBS FROM SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES THAT ONCE THEY GET OUT HERE AND THEY SEE, OH, I COULD DO THAT.
UM, I THINK MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO COME OUT.
THE OTHER FUN THING TOO IS EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANNA MARCH IN THE PARADE, WE SEE LITTLE CLUSTERS OF FAMILIES ALONG THE ROUTE THAT HAVE MADE THEIR OWN LANTERNS TO PARTICIPATE.
AND SO, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU'VE DONE ALL THESE DIFFERENT ROLES.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SO FAR? WELL, I WILL TELL YOU ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IS, UM, AFTER THE PARADE LEAVES HERE FROM ALDER BEACH IS JUST WALKING IT, WALK AWAY AND SEEING ALL THE SPECTATORS THAT ARE STARTING TO PACK UP AND LEAVE AND THE SMILES THAT IT BRINGS TO EVERYONE'S FACES.
AND DO YOU HAVE, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE RECURRING GROUPS THAT COME HERE YEAR AFTER YEAR.
IS THERE ANY SPECIFIC GROUP YOU LOOK FORWARD TO? WELL, UM, WE CERTAINLY ARE LE LED OFF WITH CHANTEL RITTER, WHO HAS THE REALLY LARGE BIRDS AND, UM, SEA CREATURES.
UM, SHE REALLY IS THE ONE WHO HELPED BRING THIS TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SO IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE WHAT SHE BRINGS TO US.
UH, THIS YEAR SHE BROUGHT HORSESHOE CRABS, WHICH ARE SUPER, SUPER CUTE.
AND, AND THEN WE OF COURSE HAVE OUR TURTLE PATROL.
UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL OF OUR SCHOOL GROUPS THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED.
UM, OUR MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK IS HERE TODAY AND, UM, AND THEN JUST GENERAL VISITORS COMING TO THE ISLAND AS WELL.
NATALIE, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION? NO, I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET.
UM, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, FOOD AND MUSIC AT THE PARK, SO, UM, JUST STAY, STAY A WHILE AND ENJOY THE FELLOWSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN HERE WITH US.
GOOD EVENING, HILTON AND ISLAND.
WE ARE HERE COVERING THE 2025 LANTER PARADE.
WE ARE KICKING OFF AT THE ALDER LANE BEACH ACCESS AND THE PARADE IS GONNA BE STARTING RIGHT BEHIND ME AT FIVE 30.
WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE THAT IS WATCHING ONLINE ON THE BEAVER COUNTY CHANNEL AND EVERYONE THAT CAME OUT TO SEE THIS INCREDIBLE PARADE IN PERSON.
[00:13:40]
ALL[00:13:40]
RIGHTY, EVERYONE THAT IS AT HOME WATCHING THE LAND PARADE SO FAR, WE JUST HAD THE ATLANTA DRUM ACADEMY VAN PASSING.THERE WAS OVER 30 KIDS THAT WERE SELECTED TO BE A PART OF IT, AND IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A COMPETITION BECAUSE THEY HAD TO AUDITION TO BE A PART OF THE PARADE THIS YEAR COMING THROUGH, WE ALREADY HAVE THE AMAZING SEA TURTLE PATROL OF HILTON AT ISLAND.
THESE PEOPLE COME AND TROLL THE BEACH EARLY IN THE MORNINGS TO CHECK FOR SEA TURTLE NESTING EGGS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SEA TURTLE'S NESTS ARE PROTECTED IN THE DUNES ARE AN INCREDIBLE PART OF HILTON NET ISLAND.
AS YOU SEE, THEY HAVE ALL THE WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL TURTLE EGGS THAT ARE HERE ON THE ISLAND.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL LANTERNS AND EVEN WE HAVE SOME OF THE CHILDREN THAT HAVE MADE THE CUSTOM LITTLE CRAB LANTERNS OVER THE LAST MONTH.
THE TOWN OF HILTON HAD AN ISLAND AND THE CULTURE OF DIRECTORS OF FAIR HAS HOSTED MANY WORKSHOPS SO PEOPLE CAN BUILD THEIR OWN CUSTOM LANTERNS AND BE A PART OF THE FESTIVITIES OPEN HOPE.
NOW WE HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL DOG LANTERNS.
THIS EVENT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF A KIND AND IT IS DEFINITELY MARKING THE END OF THE CRESCENDO CELEBRATION AND IS A HALLMARK EVENT FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON ISLAND.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THE JELLYFISH.
[00:15:01]
A LOT OF, OH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE GOT A BIG SHARK.SO THIS EVENT REGIONALLY STARTED IN 2019 WHEN WE HAD THE ZINGER ARTIST, CHANTEL WRITER THAT CAME ALL THE WAY FROM ATLANTA.
THAT WAS THE MAIN, YOU KNOW, CREATOR OF THE LANTERNS.
AND SHE BROUGHT OVER THE YEARS THESE INCREDIBLE LANTERNS.
ONE WAS THE SHOEHORN ALSO HAD THESE GINORMOUS FISHES THAT SHE BROUGHT AS WELL.
THE PARADE IS BEING LED BY HER NOW.
THE 2025 CREATION IS HOR HORSESHOE CRABS.
THE FUN THING ABOUT THESE HORSESHOE CRABS IS THAT THEY CAN BE FOUND ON SOME OF THE HILTON AND ISLAND BEACHES, AND THEY LIVE FROM 15 TO 20 YEARS AND THEY ARE REMARKABLE.
OH, AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE THE YACHT CLUB OF HILTON AT ISLAND COMING ON THROUGH.
AND WE HAVE ONE OF THE FOUR BANDS THAT WILL BE PERFORMING TONIGHT, THE YACHT CLUB.
THEY HAVE THEIR SIGNATURE TRIANGLES TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE YACHT CLUB.
NOW LET'S TUNE IN FOR ONE OF THESE AMAZING BANDS.
I NOW, WE'VE GOT SOME MORE BEAUTIFUL LANTERNS AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR FESTIVE LITTLE ALLIGATOR WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL LANTERN, AND YOU HAVE OH, SOME MORE LANCES.
AND WE EVEN HAVE SANTA CLAUS ON A ROWBOAT UP THERE.
SO ONCE AGAIN, THESE LANTERNS WERE CREATED BY MANY PEOPLE.
THEY PUT THEIR HEART INTO IT AND THEY CAME OUT HERE SO THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, BE A PART OF THE MAGIC THAT LIGHTS UP HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
THIS EVENT HAPPENS ONCE A YEAR AND MANY OUT OF TOWNERS COME AND MARK THIS AS AN OCCASION TO MEET WITH LOVED ONES, HAVE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, AND JOIN IN ON THE FUN.
AND NOW LET'S, HI, HOW ARE Y'ALL TODAY? OH MY GOSH, I LOVE THE ROOSTERS.
WHY DID YOU COME UP WITH COMING WITH ROOSTERS FOR THIS EVENT? UM, WE LOVE IT HERE.
WE USED TO LIVE HERE AND WE CAME BACK FROM JACKSONVILLE JUST FOR THIS AND THOUGHT WHAT A GREAT IDEA THIS WOULD BE.
YOU ARE BRIGHT AND YOU'RE LIGHTING UP THE WAY.
AND, AND I LOVE THE LIGHTS ON THE OUTFIT.
THIS IS WHAT RETIRED ENGINEERS DO.
I'LL LET YOU CONTINUE ON YOUR WAY.
[00:20:21]
WELL, THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY LOCATIONS THAT WE ARE HOSTING LANTERN PARADE, YOU KNOW, LANTERN FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS.TO MAKE THIS, WE DID IT AT MANY OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, MANY OF THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
AND WE ALSO DONATED SUPPLIES AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS SO KIDS WOULD BE ABLE TO COME OUT AND BUILD THEIR OWN LANTERNS WITH THEIR OWN LIGHTS.
[00:30:30]
WE[00:30:30]
ARE OUT HERE AT THE LOW COUNTRY CELEBRATION PARK, CELEBRATING THE CONCLUSION OF THE 2025 LANTERN PARADE.UP ON STAGE, WE HAVE THE GROOVE TOWN ASSAULT.
THEY ARE PLAYING THE INCREDIBLE FINISHING FINALE OF OUR BANDS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE THE INCREDIBLE LANTERNS CREATED BY CHONE RIDER.
THIS IS ANOTHER INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR THE LANTER RAID.
WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR EVERYONE THAT TUNED IN ON THE BEAVER COUNTY CHANNEL.
AND TO EVERYONE TUNING IN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND HAVE A WONDERFUL REST OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
[00:51:40]
THIS.