About 50 miles south of Richmond Hill is a small fishing village named Darien. It was founded by Scots only a few years after Savannah, and it has been home for many years to one of the two main shrimping industries in our state, the other one being in Thunderbolt, on the Bull River, on Savannah’s east side.

Thunderbolt’s shrimpers have largely gone out of business, over the past 2030 years, after many years of operation, partly due to increased competition from foreign shrimp, and partly to the reduced catch now available in local waters, requiring some boats to travel to the Gulf of Mexico to find enough shrimp to sell -- which costs a lot more for diesel fuel, and pushes prices up. (I have read that Maine lobster fishermen face similar challenges.)

The Darien shrimping industry remains strong, if a bit lessened, for the same reasons. While the Thunderbolt waterfront is now taken up with a major yacht refitting facility instead of shrimp boats, Darien’s waterfront, while a bit smaller, is still lined with shrimp boats in the early mornings and evenings.

Many small towns have seasonal local festivals centered around local industries: the Brooklet Peanut festival, Woodbine’s Crawfish festival, Portal’s Turpentine festival, etc.

Darien has the Blessing of the Fleet festival; Beaufort S.C., has a Waterfront festival, Jesup has a Dogwood (tree) festival. We have enjoyed visiting many of are always fun to go to, and make a good “day trip.”

The Darien festival is a really big deal for that small town. It is a family- oriented event, with rides and food, a wide variety of vendors, and a simultaneous Arts and Crafts festival in nearby Vernon Square, sponsored by the Darien Art Assn.

We particularly enjoy going to the latter part, which features artists from across the area: photographers and painters, woodworkers and potters, jewelry and clothing, etc. Prices are always reasonable, and one can always find small purchases to take home and enjoy, while feeling good about supporting the arts.

They usually have some really interesting items for sale.

Darien is also home to a unique venue: the Old Jail Art Center. Darien built a new jail, a few years ago, to replace the original facility on Hwy. 17 that was built before air conditioning became commonplace. The Darien Art Assn. worked out a deal with the county to take over the old building, when the new jail was built, and has enjoyed that unusual home ever since.

The original building had the jail cells in one part of the building, and the jailer’s living quarters in another, as was common with old jails of that type.

When the Art Assn. took over the building, they kept the north wing on the second floor as it was, to show people what an old jail of that time looked like.

I daresay that any local who spent time in it, for whatever reason, resolved never to return!

My personal connection to Darien spans several fronts, over a number of years. When I was a high school kid, working in my family’s wholesale hardware business during summers and Christmases, to earn money to help with college expenses, I worked many orders for “George C. Patelidas & Sons Hardware,” the only hardware store in town at the time.

I learned later that Mr. George immigrated to this country in the early 1900’s, when the economy in Greece tanked, and built a life for himself and his family. His was a major business in that town for many years, and a very valued customer of my family’s wholesale business.

Eventually, new people moved to town and started new businesses, and Mr.

George then had some competition. After a good long run, business and his health declined, and the business closed. So did the others in town, one by one, due to various economic conditions, all but one.

A shame. But, a study of economics teaches the truism of continual changes.

Next up: More on Darien!

Rafe Semmes is a local writer.