Lanier LaneyBy LANIER LANEY
BEAUFORT TODAY

Icelandic Princess Holmfridur Hildur Kristjansdottir visited Beaufort last weekend. Princess Hildur is the only direct descendant of the legendary Viking warrior king Erik the Red, who we all remember from our history books discovered and colonized Greenland (see The Saga of Erik the Red).

Princess HildurErik himself was the grandson of Norway’s King Hrolf Nefja. Erik’s son, Prince Leif Eriksson pushed on to North America, discovering Newfoundland and built the first Christian church on the North American continent.

The tall and formidable Princess Hildur divides her time between her family’s 9,000-acre royal compound in Iceland and visiting good friends in America like Beaufort’s Laura Trask. She also has a son named Thor who attends school in America. In chatting with the Princess at a reception at Michael Rainey’s beautiful home, I asked about her first thoughts about our little town. In nearly flawless English she stated that she thought Beaufort was “simply beautiful.”

An answer to your requests:

I have to say that my most oft-asked question from those new to Beaufort who stop me at Publix or out and about is: “How do I get into the Beaufort Society you write about? Where do I start? It seems impossible to find.” Well, below I have put together for you a full list of possible steps you could choose on your social climb (scramble?) to the top!

Newcomer’s Guide to Breaking into Beaufort Society

I can tell it to you in three words: volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. That’s the best way of getting to know people as you work together for a good cause and they get to know you. (Besides, you’ll have a ringside seat when the Social Doyennes start battling it out for dominance of their committees/events and you’ll be privy to all the back-stabbing insider gossip.)

A good place to start volunteering is for any Historic Beaufort Foundation event, from the upcoming Fall Home Tour to fundraisers like the annual oyster roast. Everybody who’s anybody eventually passes through these events at one time or another. (To volunteer, e-mail hbfvolunteers@hargray.com)
If you are in your 20s and 30s you should look into Junior Service League events.

If you are in your 30s, 40s and above, it’s Beaufort Hospital’s Valentine Ball and all events leading up to it.
The Pink Ice Ball is a crowning event on the African American Social Calender and all the committees leading up to it are good ways to meet great people.

You can also meet local people at upscale bar/restaurants like Saltus, Breakwater, Bateaux and Emily's, but not on weekends when tourists are in town; go Wednesday and Thursday like the locals do.

The best “Society Ladies who Lunch” venue is Wine and Gourmet.

The Omni gym on Lady’s Island is the “Social Set’s choice.”

Once you “pay your dues” and climb (claw? body slam?) your way up the ranks and start to meet and greet all the local swells (and you pass their sometimes very stiff muster), you can start setting your sites on trying to scale the Mt. Everest of Invitations (or what I call “The Seven Most Coveted Social Invites in the Low Country:”

An Oyster Roast at Orange Grove Plantation (Caroline and John Trask II);

Thanksgiving at Auldbrass Plantation (Movie Mogul Joel Silver plus his movie star friends);

Day After Thanksgiving barbeque at Coosaw Plantation (Sanford family);

Michael Rainey’s Annual Downtown Christmas Party (second weekend in December);

Texas Independence Day barbeque at Bolan Hall Plantation (Lee and Bob Phipps);

Spring Garden Party/Dinner at Dean Hall Plantation (Gay and Frank Fowler);

Sunset Cocktail Cruise on the yacht Enticer (Elizabeth and Earl McMillen).

If you can check off at least one of the above on your social dance card, then you are “made”(as they say in the Mafia).

Seriously, Beaufortonians are a very very friendly bunch of people. You don't have to be a blueblood to get in, or rich, you just have to start putting yourself out there and be fun to be around and the invites will start coming in.

So start your successful social climb today! Google and volunteer for the following fine organizations (plus any of those mentioned above):

Beaufort County Open Land Trust

Meals on Wheels

CAPA Closet

Any church

Beaufort Charity Golf Tournament at Fripp

Beaufort Academy’s “Pig Out”

Beaufort Marine Institute Croquet Tournament

Friends of Caroline Hospice Festival of Trees

ChainFreeBeaufort.org (for dog lovers)

Overheard: “I had a lousy marriage, a lousy love affair, and a great love affair—I’m done!”