The Lands End Woodland, Inc. of St. Helena Island will celebrate the 9th Annual Lands End Woodland River Festival on Labor Day weekend, August 29-30. The festival is a multi-cultural community celebration of the Gullah ancestry and culture of the people of St. Helena Island through music, storytelling, historical presentations, local art, crafts, and a “taste of Gullah” specialty dishes.
The River Festival has become a favorite event for families looking to soak up cultural festivities during the last days of
summer. On Friday evening, the festival will kick off with a good old fashioned fish fry and music on the beach from 5-11 p.m.
On Saturday, August 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., center stage will open with a special performance of children’s folktales in Gullah by S.C. Folk Heritage winner “Aunt Pearlie Sue”, Latin folk dancers, the Community Bible Church youth puppet show, gospel choirs, African drummers and dancers, and more. Visitors can sample delicious Lowcountry seafood, Gullah specialties and homemade ice cream at food trucks; then spend the day fishing, and taking tours of historic tabby ruins, nearby Fort Fremont Park and the Penn Center museum. There will also be information on voter registration, the Gullah Farmers Cooperative Association and the Center for Heirs Property Preservation.
Admission is $3 for adults; children (16 and under) free; free parking. The Woodland beachfront property is located at 100 Lands End Road, six miles south of Penn Center off Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive on St. Helena Island. For more information, call 843-263-5261, email rbrowne@embarqmail.com or visit www.landsendwoodland.org.
