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During the three-day event, visitors will experience the unique Gullah/Geechee culture through food, music, seminars, arts and crafts, a parade and the folk traditions of the Gullah descendants of West Africans in a historic setting, formerly known as Penn School.
This year's theme, "An HBCU Reunion Weekend: The Homecoming," will recognize the legacy of America's historically black colleges and universities.
On Friday, the Heritage Symposium and Luncheon will include a panel of distinguished HBCU presidents and commissioners from the National Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor who will discuss the role of HBCUs in the development and preservation of the corridor.
The symposium and luncheon will be held at St. Helena Elementary School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; $25 tickets may be purchased from the Penn Center.
To showcase the artistic traditions of the Gullah-Geechee Heritage Corridor, an art exhibition will be held in the York W. Bailey Museum at Penn Center featuring artwork from the National Alliance of Artists from HBCUs. Art by black Lowcountry artists also will be on sale in the Frissell Community House.
Traditional Gullah artisans will be demonstrating crafts -- such as net making, boat building, indigo dyeing and basket making -- that link the Gullah people to their West African ancestry.
One highlight of this year's event will be the "Growing the Dream" traveling exhibit, sponsored by the National Black Arts Festival of Atlanta and the Penn Center.The multimedia exhibit for schoolchildren will focus on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by featuring a two-thirds scale replica of Dr. King's boyhood home on Auburn Street in Atlanta.
Food will be served all day Friday with entertainment provided by school bands, choirs, step teams and African dancers and drummers.
The evening will end with a fish fry, oyster roast and crab crack, and feature music by Doctor Patch Enterprise Band from 6 p.m. to midnight.
The annual Heritage Days parade will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. The parade begins at St. Helena Elementary School and ends at the Penn Center. Local authorities will post information on road closings for the parade along Sea Island Parkway.
One of the major changes to the Heritage Days Celebration this year will be a charge of $5 a person for guests l7 and older (no charge for children) on Saturday only. Due to increased operating costs and fewer sponsorships and grant opportunities for the festival, the fee was added.
Details: 843-838-2432, www.penncenter.com
