Seventh Annual Follywood Productions celebrates birthday with live music, oyster roast
By Lorne Chambers | Editor
In the summer of 2009, while sitting on Folly Beach, Mississippi native Ben Bounds hatched a business plan. He recalls drawing the logo in the sand. He would call it Follywood Productions.
Fast Forward more than six years and the former journalist now lives on Folly Beach, runs a successful business that is part event coordinating and part talent agency. He’s getting ready for his seventh Follywood Productions Oyster Roast, an annual event that has become legendary in these parts.
Held on Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Brick House Kitchen, just off the beach on James Island, the Oyster Roast will feature six different bands, food trucks, and bushels and bushels of local oysters. Growing in numbers each year, the Follywood Oyster Roast has moved from the deck of the Pour House to the larger Brick House Kitchen space, where there is plenty of room to grow, which is what Bounds is hoping for. Last year it nearly doubled from 450 to 850 attendees.
“Most companies throw a Christmas or holiday party, but we’ve always likes having ours about a month after New Year’s, when everyone’s had a chance to recover from all that. And it’s always a rager … good times for a good cause.”
This year there will be a charity element to the event, according to Bounds. “We decided to add a fundraising element to the oyster roast this year, because of how big last year was,” says Bounds. “When I sat down and looked at our options, Warrior Surf Foundation just seemed like the perfect fit. Being less than a year old, we liked the fact that they’re an up-and-comer, it’s a cause that anyone should be able to buy into, and it’s local to Folly Beach, so it was an obvious no-brainer.”
Warrior Surf Foundation is a nonprofit organization helping vets with PTSD and physical injuries through surfing therapy.
Bounds says last year there were so many people that they ran out of oysters. This year, he has doubled the amount oysters and The Brick House will also be offering its full menu all day. Plus, Charleston Caribbean Creole (Caribbean, Creole & Cajun fare) will be there along with their dessert truck.
But the main attraction is the music. There will be six bands on two stages throughout the day. “This year’s lineup is really strong. The Piedmont Boys were the crowd favorite last year, so we had to bring them back,” says Bounds. “Guilt Ridden Troubadour was the first band we worked with in Charleston, and they’ve played this party just about every year. The Royal Tinfoil and Josh Roberts & The Hinges are two of my personal favorite touring bands, and it wouldn’t be a Follywood party without having Folly Beach properly represented, so Deadwin and Don’t Mess with the Tiger gave us a mix of local diversity that really tied the whole thing together.”
Tickets are $15 for adults with oysters, beer, and other food sold separately. Outside coolers are prohibited. It is a family-friendly event, with kids 10 and under getting in free. There will be kid activities as well, such as jump castles, carnival games, etc.
Follywood Productions Oyster Roast is Saturday, Jan. 30 from 1-10 p.m. at The Brickhouse Kitchen, located at 1575 Folly Road. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/follywoodrocks.
