Festival to celebrate Gullah culture on St. Helena Island

Join the fun from 5-11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, for a celebration at Lands End on St. Helena.

This event will celebrate Gullah ancestry and the legacy of Reconstruction.

In the 1920s, 45 black families got together and bought 328 acres of land. They did this so that relatives and friends would have somewhere to hunt, fish and have community gatherings. The property is also used for weddings, parties, family reunions, etc. 

To maintain the property and support its use, the heirs have been holding the Lands End Woodland Festival for the last 12 years.

On Friday, there will be a fish fry with reggae music on the river banks alongside the historic tabby ruins of the Riverside Plantation. 

On Saturday, there will be master storyteller, Aunt Pearlie Sue of the Gullah Kinfolk, African drummers, dancers, the Family Sliders, gospel choirs and step teams. Family fun will also include local arts and crafts, food vendors and tours of the historic tabby ruins of the former Riverside Plantation, Fort Fremont and the historic Penn Center.

Vendors will be selling foods and crafts.

The festival is near the end of Lands End Road, approximately 6 miles south of Penn Center. Markers will be prominently displayed so it will be easy to find. 

Admission is $3 for adults and free for ages 16 and under.

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