When Charli Bobinchuck passed away, it wasn’t just her family and friends who mourned her. The news hit this community like an electric shock, leaving all who had been lucky enough to encounter her unforgettable energy stunned with grief.
“I’ve never met another person like Charli. She was just such a great person and a free spirit,” said Joe Maffo, who helped foster the love of animals that Charli was perhaps best known for. “She was so intelligent, and she loved meeting people and educating them about the wildlife around here.”
Rallying around her parents, Bryan and Daisy Bobinchuck, the entire community came together to launch the first CharliFest seven years ago.
“It was our friend Sonie Johnson who reached out to the community for that first one and started that tradition,” Bryan said. “Then our friend Heather Rath realized Coligny would be a great venue to keep this going and growing. She got the restaurants and community involved and really helped us step it up from a simple gathering to something bigger.”
This year’s event, scheduled for January 24, continues a tradition that uniquely honors Charli’s spirit. Reflecting her love of Lowcountry wildlife, the group that bears her name – Charli’s Critters – will be on hand with alligators and snakes to help kids learn about our native neighbors. As a testament to the way she seemed to naturally bring people together, the community will join together to help her parents support organizations from the Boys & Girls Club to Pockets Full of Sunshine. And representing her love of music will be a cross-section of some of the island’s favorite bands.
Among acts scheduled to appear at CharliFest 2026 are Jevon Daly, Pretty Groove, Kyle Wareham, Derrick Ludaway, Zach Stevens Band, Heavy Equipment, and John Cranford.
“I travel a fair amount, and the music scene we have in our community is pretty special,” Bryan said. “Charli was an incredibly loving individual, and you feel that throughout the event. The music and art, these were things she was all about. It’s a complete representation of who she was.”
And who she was, was remarkable.
“Charli was our daughter, but her spirit belongs to all of us,” Daisy said. “Her energy is alive through our community – through each of us – and we can draw on it every day. We can carry forward her love of all things Lowcountry, her love for animals, art, music, land and waters, and one another. Her energy lives in our community, in our island, and in all the critters and music she loved.”
CharliFest 2026 will be held from noon to 4 p.m. January 24 at Coligny Plaza. Children under 12 are admitted free, with general admission tickets (inclusive of food) $25, and admission with a T-shirt and donation to Charli’s Critters is $35. Visit Coligny.com/events for more information.
