SHORT TAKES : Beach Boys Benefit Falls Short

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. — A recent Beach Boys benefit concert not only fell far short of its expectations to raise money for the hurricane-stricken Isle of Palms Fire Department, but firefighters say it almost put them in debt.

Fire Chief Larry Britton said he initially had hoped the Sunday event would raise at least $50,000, now he’s happy they didn’t lose money. They’ll probably make about $1,500, he said.

If the group had been able to perform on the beach, things might have been better.

Organizers blamed the poor turnout partly on Mayor Carmen Bunch, who refused to allow the Beach Boys to play in Isle of Palms, citing the traffic headaches the concert would cause. The concert was held about 20 miles inland, at Ladson.

Bunch said Tuesday she wished she had never heard of the Beach Boys. She said the event was not worth all the turmoil, and believes islanders couldn’t afford the tickets. “It was risky business to begin with,” she said.