follyweather.com

A visitor's perspective... 

I stopped in to see my mechanic and family friend, Jerry, for a routine oil change the other day. I mentioned to him that I was heading to Folly Beach, South Carolina the coming weekend to visit some friends and that brought an excited smile to his face. I could perceive the proverbial wheels spinning in his head, recalling some distant, fond memory. Jerry said he had lived on Folly Beach in the 1960s, “when there was a small amusement park by the pier.” I had not known of his days in the Charleston area, so we began swapping stories about our experiences in and around that old south, marshland port city.

“Friends and I used to park our cars by the harbor, snack on sandwiches, drink booze and lie under the shade of a large stand of oaks,” he said. I could picture the sight of those oak groves, and it could have been anywhere in the Charleston area–downtown, in Mt. Pleasant, on James Island or Folly Beach. I asked Jerry if he remembered the Morris lighthouse. He said he did, nostalgically nodding as I relayed how friends and I had spent an afternoon on Morris Island–a small, lifeless crop of sand accessible only during high tide, just north and in sight of its namesake lighthouse–sipping on Coronas and throwing the Frisbee to the dogs

Jerry chuckled the entire conversation, thinking of Folly Beach and the good times of his more youthful days that I had brought back to life with my offhanded utterance of the place. “I loved Folly, still do,” he said. And it wasn’t difficult for me to understand why, for I too hold an affinity for Folly. The beach, the surf, the sun, the bungalow-style homes and larger estates in the small community, the great boating, the corner groceries and dive bars with some of the freshest, tastiest fish–all of it making for an eclectic, yet simple oceanside enclave, perfect for both the young and young at heart.

With the oil changed and my stuff packed to go, I fire up the truck and head off once more for Folly Beach, thinking of Jerry and knowing he’d like to be coming along. I’ll bring back some stories for him though–about all those folksy beachgoers enjoying the white, dusty sand of Folly–and maybe he can visit once more, if only in my memories. 

Joshua H. Silavent

Senior Associate Editor

Atlanta Life Magazine

www.atlantalifemag.com