IslandVibesIOP.com 4 Island Vibes Vol. 4, Issue 5, May 2026 PUBLISHER BILL MACCHIO PUBLISHER@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER JAZZY JORDAN ASSISTANT@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM ART DIRECTOR BETHANY LONG COPY EDITOR COLIN MCCANDLESS BRAND AMBASSADOR SONYA BUCKHANNON SONYA@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM PHOTOGRAPHY RACHEL BASYE COOPERRIVERPHOTOGRAPHY@GMAIL.COM DIGITAL MANAGER ALLYAH HARRAR ALLYAH@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER ELLEN KERR ELLEN@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM WEB EDITOR GEORGE CONKLIN CONTRIBUTORS RYAN BUCKHANNON • LAURA FOGARTY ALLYAH HARRAR • L.C. LEACH III COLIN MCCANDLESS • PAMELA MARSH KIMBERLYN NAYLOR • PHILLIP POUNDS SARAH ROSE • KRISTI SELLERS SALES REPRESENTATIVES STACEY MCLOUGHLIN STACEY@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM MARNIE BONN MARNIE@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM BRIANNA ZAPPULLA BRIANNA@ISLANDVIBESIOP.COM ADMINISTRATION & BOOKKEEPING GINGER SOTTILE BOSS DOG REGGIE DISTRIBUTION ISLE OF PALMS • WILD DUNES • GOAT ISLAND • DEWEES ISLAND • U.S. POST OFFICE • HARRIS TEETER • CVS • FOOD LION ASHEVILLE/HENDERSON AIRPORT ALL SC WELCOME CENTERS DIRECT MAIL VIA US POST OFFICE Homes on Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island Affluent neighborhoods rotated monthly Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Asheville, NC Buckhead, Druid Hills, Decatur, Atlanta, Georgia Island Vibes is published locally by a team of independent contractors. Island Vibes is published 12 times per year by Islands Publishing LLC. 1013 Chuck Dawley Blvd. Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 Copyright © Islands Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction electronically or in print format without the expressed written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited and a violation of U.S. copyright laws. Content, including editorial, advertising or comments, that threatens, harasses or degrades others may be revoked or refused from print and online publication at the sole discretion of Island Vibes. Inquiries to: Island Vibes P.O. Box 22617, Charleston, SC 29413 Proud Member of the IOP Chamber of Commerce and A South Carolina Press Association Award-Winning Publication. FROM THE TEAM From the Publisher The gift will keep on giving if you love what you do About the Cover Mother’s Day Magic on Full Display Please don’t judge me or think I’m weird, but each time we create an edition of Island Vibes, I feel like we are creating a gift. Not only a gift that we can enjoy, but also a gift for everyone who calls the Isle of Palms home or visits the island. See, I knew you would think I’m weird. But when you consider how each edition spreads positive vibes, whether an article about an island event, a special person residing on this slice of paradise or a step back in time to discover something new about Isle of Palms, we may not realize how many gifts await inside these pages until we read them. In our May issue, the front cover features ‘Mama,’ who is 106 years old. I hope Mama (Kathryn Magruder), her friends and family will consider this issue a gift. Our April edition had a very special article about Naish Kaloupek and how his journey brought the island together and, in many ways, further strengthened an already tight-knit community. Photo by Rachel Basye The cover photo shoot for this month’s issue of Island Vibes was fraught with change and redirection. Would we be taking photographs in front of the azaleas on 25th Avenue or would we be relocating to the marina or perhaps traveling to Mount Pleasant to follow our models to their weekly bridge game? The answer eluded us until nearly the very last minute. A twice weekly check on the azalea blooms at our generous host’s home to see if the flowers were cooperating resulted in the creation of a few backup plans because the azaleas did not seem to want to show up for us. Alas, the day of the scheduled photo shoot, the azaleas were on full display – beautiful, lovely, regal, hot pink flowers greeted us and our amazing cover subjects. Kathryn Magruder and her 106-year-old mother Kathryn, affectionally known as “Mama,” have become an island mother-daughter icon over the years, and deservedly so. The love, laughter, light and connection between the two is sure to warm hearts and inspire mother-daughter traditions for Mother’s Day and beyond. Naish’s poignant story was a gift to everyone. Additionally, over the years we’ve discovered that people like our twopage Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes map. I would like to believe that the vacationers who use our map regard it as a gift of sorts to help them find places on the island quicker and more easily. There are also Isle of Palms vacation rental companies who we’ve helped acquire more properties to rent as well as generate more vacation rentals because of their ads in Island Vibes. I hope they look at this as a gift. I have to come clean, though. As I write this publisher’s note on April 27, it’s my birthday. But make no mistake about it, regardless of when I write my publisher’s note or publish Island Vibes, birthday or no birthday, our staff here feel Island Vibes is our gift to all our readers, in support of the Isle of Palms community we serve. Before we leave each other’s company, I wanted to wish former managing editor Zach Giroux good luck on his next adventure. It was fun having him by my side as we launched Isle of Palms’ community newspaper, Island Vibes. Thanks to everyone who reads Island Vibes. You have given me the best gift I could receive – no matter what day of the year it is. Positively yours, Bill Macchio Publisher Reggie couldn’t stand it that he had to join his buddy Bill’s office birthday party.
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