Group Health Insurance Agent in James Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND — The most popular person with the animals at Legare Farms is the one with the food.

On a cold and blustery March morning, Linda Legare-Berry is the day's star as she walks to a shed near the enclosure where the cows, donkeys, goats and pigs are. With part of the enclosure open, allowing the animals to wander, two Sicilian donkeys, Aurora and Coco, follow her into the shed as she gathers the stock feed pellets.

Legare-Berry shoos the donkeys away so she can close the door behind her. But Aurora and Coco wait and then follow her while she feeds the animals by hand, and almost fighting with the cows after the last of the pellets gets dumped on the ground.

Some animals have a particular taste for other morsels beyond stock feed, Legare-Berry notes.

"Coco loves marshmallows," she said as she fed the donkey.

Legare-Berry is the ninth generation of her family to work on Legare Farms, which is celebrating 300 years of operations this year. The 300-acre property is one of the oldest farms in South Carolina.

The farm, located down a long dirt drive off River Road south of the county airport, celebrated its historical milestone with a Heritage Day on March 8. The event included hayrides, antique tractors and a corn cannon. They also did demonstrations of activities that once took place on the farm, like indigo dyeing and candle makingree. There also were reenactments of the American Revolution and Civil War, both of which Legare family members fought in.

One of three siblings that runs the farm today, Legare-Berry has spent the last seven years working on a book that details its history, starting with Solomon Legare, a silver and goldsmith who immigrated from France in the late 17th century.

Legare-Berry said she worries if the history isn't written down, it will be lost to time. She hopes it will help her children and grandchildren learn the farm's past and continue running it for another 300 years.

History of cash crops and versatility

Solomon Legare bought property on Johns Island in 1725, which marked the beginning of Legare Farms. The first couple generations of Legares grew rice and indigo, Legare-Berry said. The fourth generation started growing Sea Island cotton, completing the big-three of cash crops grown on Southern plantations.

Legare-Berry said the farm did use slave labor.

"I don’t think there would be any farms anywhere in the Lowcountry that didn’t," she said. But other than one will from Thomas Legare in 1842, Legare-Berry said she hasn't been able to find other wills that mention any enslaved people by name.

She's found more information about enslaved people from records of the Johns Island Presbyterian Church, where both the Legare family as well as the enslaved laborers attended.

After the Revolutionary War, the farm stopped growing indigo. It stopped harvesting Sea Island cotton after World War I. In the 1920s, the family started growing cabbage and potatoes, Legare-Berry said. Over time they switched to grain, watermelons and cantaloupes, and started raising animals like cows and sheep.

Now, the Legares plant a variety of vegetables, like collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and squash.

Legare-Berry said the farm has continued to work for three centuries, in part, because of its versatility.

"So many of the other farmers that we've known had one niche that they were in, and when it failed for whatever reason, they couldn’t keep going," Legare-Berry said. "Our family has apparently always been very adaptable and willing to change with the times."

Wayne O’Bryant, historian at the Center for African American History, Art and Culture in Aiken, said it's impressive for Legare Farms to remain within the family for 300 years. There are several historic properties that are no longer owned by the families they're named after, like the William Aiken House on King Street, he said.

"It's not like it's the only case, but there's not a lot of cases of people holding on to (property) from the 1700s to the present," O’Bryant said. "It's relatively rare."

Many plantations are now designated historic sites and ownership has changed to a historic society or a municipality so it could be run as a tourist destination, O’Bryant said. What makes Legare Farms interesting is that it remains an operational farm and that's how the Legares make money, he said.

Legare-Berry said it can be a difficult responsibility to keep the farm going through tough times. But she's grateful the family has a beautiful piece of property on the Stono River and has the opportunity to bring kids out to the farm to teach them more about agriculture.

"When I was a teenager, I couldn't wait to get away," Legare-Berry said. "You couldn’t drag me away now."

Looking back, she said she realizes she had an idyllic childhood being raised on the farm. While she didn't enjoy having to work growing up, she now appreciates the work ethic she developed.

With an open-air kitchen and live-fire cooking, Lost Isle in Johns Island, South Carolina, redefines eating out.

Dining at Lost Isle is an adventure from the moment you arrive. Look for a sign directing you down a gravel driveway, or you might miss the restaurant altogether. You’ll see a tiny white house nearly swallowed by the lush Lowcountry vegetation, but you can bypass the front door—instead, head to the backyard. Pass under a trellis tangled with vines to reach a tucked-away escape where people are strewn about a patio passing plates, toasting cocktails, congregating around crackling firepits, and marveling at the giant, moss-draped pecan tree above.

If you didn’t know better, you might think you’d stumbled upon an intimate house party. And in many ways, you’d be right—but you don’t need an invitation to join the festivities.

Under the light of the moon and some strategically placed chandeliers and sailcloth, chef Josh Taylor and his team create culinary magic in a 23-foot-long outdoor kitchen on Johns Island (about 10 miles from downtown Charleston). They use local oak wood, a live fire, and seasonal ingredients from area farmers and purveyors to turn out dishes like caveman-worthy Smoked Tomahawk Pork Chops glistening with an ancho-cherry glaze and Charred Eggplant Dip begging to be slathered onto grilled sourdough. It’s a five-senses experience—you can smell the food cooking before it arrives at your table and watch chefs masterfully prepare it on the wood-fired grill.

Although you’ll seat yourself, grab drinks at the bar, and place orders at a register next to the kitchen, you’ll never once feel neglected by the attentive staff. The hospitality team takes care of everything, from delivering dishes and refilling drinks to stoking nearby fires and passing out cozy blankets on cooler nights.

The atmosphere at Lost Isle is laid-back, but the style of cooking and effort put into providing a five-star experience are anything but. “We want it to feel like you’re at a backyard party—just your friends happen to be chefs and bartenders,” Taylor says of the operation, which he opened in 2023 alongside his wife, Maggie MacMillan, and partners, T.J. Lynch and Thomas Wilson.

Dishes familiar to Southern palates are reimagined with notes from Taylor and MacMillan’s travels around the world. The oft-praised Curry Braised Collards borrow spices and a creamy broth from khao soi, a northern Thai noodle soup. Fire-roasted clams from Georgia’s Sapelo Island get an unexpected flavor boost from chili-chorizo butter, a berbere spice blend, and harissa. It’s a one-of-a-kind menu that’s made even more special once you’re privy to the chain of events that allowed the restaurant to be.

In 2014, former college sweethearts Taylor and MacMillan reconnected in Charleston, where they’d each moved following time spent away from the South. After five years running a food truck, they set out to find a restaurant space and ended up touring the site that would become Lost Isle just minutes after Lynch, a local restaurateur, did. Lynch won the bid, but after seeing Taylor (a longtime acquaintance) at the property, he reached out with a partnership proposition.

PHOTO:

Peter Frank Edwards

The Down the Wabbit Hole cocktail features a smoked pepita-Tajín rim. PHOTO:

Peter Frank Edwards

“Timing is crazy sometimes,” Taylor says. “If we had not run into each other at that point, it wouldn’t have happened. It all kind of serendipitously worked out, and here we are now.” As you’re sitting under the stars (at a table Taylor and Lynch built themselves) after finishing a meal that’s top-to-bottom wonderful, it’s hard to imagine a place like this existing without a bit of help from fate.

A miniature golf course with an onsite restaurant and bar has been proposed for a busy corner on James Island.

The lot at Folly Road and Grimball Road Extension is currently empty and surrounded by a chain-link fence. It's across from Spyglass Seaside, a resort-style apartment complex.

Plans have been submitted to transform the property into a development called Community Corner, which would include a miniature golf course with a restaurant, bar and retail space on nearly three acres. The applicant is Grimball Corner Investments LLC.

The developer is looking to incorporate 114 parking spaces, most of which would be on another parcel across Grimball Road Extension. There is an existing traffic signal at the intersection, and sidewalks would be added to both sides of the property, renderings show.

The area is zoned for limited business, which allows for a variety of commercial uses and services that are compatible with residential areas.

Charleston’s Technical Review Committee, a staff-level look at site plans, considered Community Corner on Jan. 16. The city asked the owner to revise and resubmit plans based on concerns about stormwater runoff, flooding, traffic and other issues.

Charles Wilson of Grimball Corner Investments declined to comment about the development.

Pop-up no more

Think pink. Lots of it, in every shade.

That's what shoppers of Freshfields Village can expect when LoveShackFancy transitions from a pop-up to a permanent boutique at the Kiawah Island retail center.

New York City-based lifestyle brand was founded in 2013 by stylist, designer and creative director Rebecca Hessel Cohen who wanted to revel in the beauty of a rose-colored world.

The new Charleston area store offers an expanded selection of its uber-feminine women’s fashion and accessories, as well as perfume bedding and a children's collection.

In 2018, Cohen opened opened her first Charleston storefront at 218 King St. She now operates 20 stores throughout the U.S., from California to New York, and the United Kingdom.

Nearby in Freshfields Village, Café Eugenia, a to-go café and gourmet market, is expanding to a space next door and will be offering cooking classes and specialty workshops.

StretchLab, an assisted stretching studio, also opened 164 Gardeners Circle in the outdoor retail center. The studio offers help with increased mobility, improved posture and injury prevention through one-on-one stretch sessions for all fitness levels.

The franchise previously held a popup at the shopping center offering 15 minute demonstrations.

Another StretchLab is currently open on 151 Market St. in downtown Charleston.

Bank note

An Alabama lender has cut the ribbon on a new branch at 319 North Cedar St. in Summerville.

The site is the second in the Charleston area for Birmingham-based ServisFirst Bank, which for years has had an office in The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. on the peninsula.

The Flowertown outpost will have 10 employees and features a drive-thru.

Coast-to-coast

Southern California lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne is making its Palmetto State debut on Charleston's busiest retail corridor.

The West Hollywood company said it plans to open its first retail location in the state on April 12 at 364 King St., between Calhoun Street and Burns Lane.

The 2,340-square-foot parcel will stock a full range of Jenni Kayne's coastal-inspired products, including apparel, accessories and décor. The store will also carry Oak Essentials, the founder's clean skincare line.

Drink up

A New Orleans-style restaurant in North Charleston is angling to add beer and liquor to its menu offerings.

The Seafood Pot recently applied to the S.C. Department of Revenue for on-site consumption of adult beverages in its Gas Lite Square location at 5629 Rivers Ave.

Taco 'bout Nexton

The Mexican-style restaurant El Patron Nexton is preparing to open and recently submitted an application to sell beer, wine and liquor at its at future Marketplace at Nexton space at 422 Cross Park Lane.

Premier Building Construction posted a sneak peek of the progress with floor-to-ceiling glazed overhead doors. The 2,900 square-foot restaurant will have indoor and outdoor bars and dining space.

A new chapter

A dark academia-inspired coffee shop and bookstore will officially open April 12 in Mount Pleasant.

Patrons of The Archive can buy a book, sit at the bar and enjoy a cocktail or mocktail, coffee, pastries and more in its corner spot at 700 Shelmore Blvd., near Mathis Ferry Road and the I'On neighborhood.

The store tailors to a subgenre of romance books and thrillers typically set in schools or secret societies, but will have something for everyone, owner Amanda Badeau said.

Enviro-outlet

Tanger Outlets in North Charleston will hold an Earth Day event April 19 from noon-3 p.m. with live music, native plant and bouquets sales, and a free gardening class. There will also be critters from the S.C. Aquarium, local vendors and hands-on workshops about protecting the environment.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - When a student misses school, it can be hard to get caught up, which has prompted a James Island teacher to start collecting materials to help.

Jennifer Wakefield teaches International Baccalaureate Anthropology, AP European History and U.S. History at James Island Charter High School. Wakefield, who has worked at the school for eight years, says her students are what she likes best about her job.

“These guys, like working with the kids, yeah. I like watching the light bulbs go off,” Wakefield says.

In a school full of kids, sickness is bound to happen, but Wakefield says she wants to be prepared.

“We’re in my IB class, so it’s a lot of work, it’s high-level work and so missing days can be super detrimental,” she says.

Some of her students have six classes a day, which she says it a lot to miss and a lot of make-up work, which can add to a student’s stress. With multiple classes and many students, she says supplies can run out quick.

“We actually just used the last, one of my last tissue containers, and so it’s either the kids have to go use toilet paper in the bathroom or I have tissues in here and so that’s one of the main things I really need,” she says. “Hand sanitizer we’re running low as well.”

She says sometimes she must purchase supplies for students out of her own pocket, and this is not always sustainable.

“These extra kind of things are really great to have and without, I wouldn’t be able to on my salary, like, be able to buy some of the stuff,” Wakefield says. “So, it’s nice to be able to give kids options and give them extra supplies that the school can’t or doesn’t provide.”

Wakefield says she wants her classroom to provide students with a calm environment to work where they can feel at home.

“School can be stressful, so I try to make it as comfortable as possible in here for them,” Wakefield says. “So, this kind of stuff are things that are extra but they do change in the way people the kids enjoy school.”

Click here to become a Live 5 Classroom Champions by donating to help fund this project.

Donors Choose collects the money, purchases the items the teacher has requested, and sends them directly to the teacher. That way, you know that your donation is used appropriately, and all donations are tax-deductible.

If you are a teacher who wants to be featured on Classroom Champions, email us at classchamp@live5news.com.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - James Island Town Council met Thursday to discuss a hot topic among community members, stirring up some concerns.

The Cost Sharing Agreement between the town of James Island and the James Island Public Service District comes to an end after six years.

Every year, the town sent a certain amount of money to subsidize PSD taxes for community members.

The PSD delivers water, sewer and fire services throughout the island.

Person after person spoke at public comment–the majority of whom were against the council’s decision to get rid of the cost agreement that was originally signed back in 2019.

“I was born and raised on this island. We, the people, are angry at the arrogance of imposing taxes on families after an insane inflation of the last four years,” community member Steve Browder said.

Because those PSD services were subsidized under the agreement, a handful of town residents are concerned that getting rid of them will increase PSD tax bills including water, sewer, and fire services.

However, there were a few other residents who were for this change.

“And I’m thankful for that. Don’t get me wrong. I want it to stay like that. I don’t want it to go all the way up, but at the same time, you have to understand that there is a cost to living. There’s a cost to safety. There’s a cost to growth. There’s a cost to prosperity. And unfortunately, just like we’re all talking about, inflation, things are moving up. And to do anything, whether it’s a drainage project or whether it’s an art project, it takes capital, right?” community member Schuyler Blair said.

This past year, the town sent $1.3 million to subsidize those taxes, but with this change, they’re not going to be losing money. They will reallocate that money toward the park and the art center in the town.

“So some of us will pay more, some of us will pay less depending on the value of your homes. But again, It’s not money that we are levying. It’s rates and mileage that the PSD has levied that we have been subsidizing. I say we, I mean, all this industry [has] been subsidizing,” Councilman Daniel C. Boles said.

When it came to voting to give the mayor authority to make the call, the council voted 4-1, with one councilman opposing.

“You know, I’m not sure if we’d have to do an amendment. I’m not sure how this would be handled since it is all new territory. But again, this is a complicated plan. I do agree with that. But it was a plan that I believe benefited a lot of people,” Councilman Darren “Troy” Mullinax said.

During the discussion, the majority of the council members repeatedly said they want to be frugal with their money and funds, while still providing for their community.

In fact, many of them said going away with this agreement won’t be as destructive as it sounds when comparing James Island to other nearby cities and towns.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.