River festival on St. Helena Island growing, attracting visitors
The Gadson family was having a ball on day two of the 11th annual Lands End Woodland River Festival on St. Helena Island Saturday.
Two-year-old twins, Star and Sky, clung to their mother, Leah Gadson, while 4-year-old Melody stood a short distance away on the narrow strip of beach overlooking the Beaufort River.
Hosted by Lands End Woodland Inc. -- the oldest African-American landowners association in South Carolina -- the festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage of St. Helena and the surrounding Sea Islands. It also pays homage to the association's founding members who pooled their money to purchase 328 acres of land in a 1920s tax sale.
Gadson, a St. Helena resident, said she's been coming to the festival since it started.
"Probably since I was 17," she said. "I enjoy the entertainment, the good food and the crowds of people."
In fact, by midday, lines were 20 deep for shrimp and fish gumbo, while Aunt Pearlie Sue and The Gullah Kinfolk had everyone up and singing despite the heat.
The festival is a way for those who live on the island to see friends and neighbors and just enjoy the day together, said Gadson, who had already spotted several members of her extended family.
But the festival has also been growing and attracting visitors from outside the area.
"Word is getting out," said Lands End board president John Miller. By 3 p.m. some 300 people had already filled the grounds of the "heirs property." Earlier, a tour bus carrying an additional 45 visitors from Vero Beach, Fla., had also stopped by the festival.
"We've never had a whole bus," Miller said, excitedly. "That's a first for us."
Follow reporter Mindy Lucas at twitter.com/MindyatIPBG.
- Celebrating the land: St. Helena Island festival to honor Gullah heritage and much more, Sept. 2, 2015
This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "River festival on St. Helena Island growing, attracting visitors."