Keith Strawn www.ExploreBeaufortRealEstate.com

More than two hours before Gary Sinise and his 13-piece Lt. Dan Band were even set to take the stage, a long line was already forming along Bay Street in downtown Beaufort, and traffic was already backing up on Carteret Street, the main downtown cooridor.

Up on Bay Street, cars were lined up and parked on the bluff overlooking the Beaufort River, in front of the stately mansions which overlook the waterway.

And, down in the Waterfront Park, Sinise was preparing to blow the crowd away for a really good cause.

On his first trip to Beaufort since filming wrapped on Forrest Gump in the early 90s, Sinise entertained a huge crowd at the Waterfront Park, Beaufort's traditional spot for festivals and gatherings.

The event was part of this year's Beaufort Shrimp Festival, but it was also part of Sinise's ongoing efforts to help wounded veterans. Beaufort, of course, is a military town with three installations, and is also home to thousands of former Marines and soldiers.

According to the Beaufort Gazette, Sinise and the Independence Fund, a Beaufort group, managed to raise more than $100,000, which allowed more than 50 wounded vets and their caretakers to attend this year's Shrimp Festival.

The Festival continued this morning, with a 5k run through the Historic District. And all day today, some of the best restaurants in town will set up booths in the Watefront Park.

For more information on Beaufort, SC, or the Beaufort Real Estate market, visit www.ExploreBeaufortRealEstate.com.

One of the most frequent -- and logical -- questions I get from prospective buyers regards beach access. Beaufort is, after all, a coastal town, so the beach has to be somewhere close, right?

Right. Hunting Island State Park is Beaufort's beach. Located at the eastern most point of US Highway 21, just 16 miles from Historic Downtown Beaufort, Hunting Island is the most visited state park in South Carolina, and for good reason.

This tropical paradise is one of the Southeast's best recreational resources. Hunting Island sports the expected miles of beach, but it also has a maritime forest you don't mind in many other places. There are miles of nature trails on which you can explore the scenery which has served as the backdrop for movies such as Jungle Book and Forrest Gump. It was also featured in the Demi Moore clunker, GI Jane.

The park also features an authentic, albeit dormant, lighthouse, which helped guide ships along the treacherous Carolina coast for more than a hundred years before being converted into a tourist destination. The Hunting Island Light House is the only lighthouse in South Carolina that is open to the public. And, no, we don't count that candy-striped thing over at Harbor Town in Hilton Head as a lighthouse. The Harbor Town lighthouse is a "lighthouse" in the same way Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise is a "jungle cruise."

The park also has an incredible beachfront campground that is jam-packed from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

There are several spots to get additional information, including cool photos, about Hunting Island. I created a virtual tour of the island, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9U7TS_eZGc.

You can also visit my website, www.ExploreBeaufortRealEstate.com, and click the "About Beaufort, SC" button to see my page dedicated to Hunting Island.

The best known advocates for Hunting island are the Friends of Hunting Island. They have an outstanding website.

There is a nice Facebook (not mine) page, Help Save Hunting Island, SC.

For more information on Hunting Island, Beaufort, or the Beaufort real estate market, visit www.ExploreBeaufortRealEstate.com, or feel free to email me at Keith@ExploreBeaufortRealEstate.com.

The long-awaited redevelopment of 50 +/- acres of waterfront property in Port Royal took a step forward Wednesday, as the South Carolina Budget and Control Board voted 3-2 to approve the sale to a Charleston-based developer, reported the Beaufort Gazette Thursday morning.

Gov. Mark Sanford voted against the sale, citing the developer's plans to eliminate a 10-acre passive park on the property. State and Port Royal officials had included the park as part of their development requirements.

The development will be split into two phases, the first involving the deep-water section of the property, and the second on the interior and marsh section of the property. The developer, the Gramling Brothers, will be responsible for infrastructure in both phases. And, if the developer opts out of the second phase, they will also lose their $250,000 earnest money deposit.

There is still much to do. The due diligence, according to developer Ben Gramling, will take months, as reported in the Gazette.

State Sen. Tom Davis warned against changing the approved plans, saying that this could lead to lawsuits from other developers, who could claim they would have bid on the property if they had known they could alter those plans. Sanford even suggested re-opening the bidding to other developers for 30 days, with the new stipulation that homes could be built on the site of the proposed park.

An attorney for the South Carolina Ports Authority said that would not be an option.

The property has been dormant now for several years. After the port was closed, in 2004, the Port Royal real estate market grew white hot, ad investors and speculators flocked to the little town. Prices initially soared, but a lull developed because of the delay in selling the property. It will be interesting to see how this project approval will affect the area real estate market.

For more information on Beaufort, SC, or the Beaufort, SC real estate market, please visit www.ExploreBeaufort RealEstate.com