What's New
Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association Receives Award
Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association Receives Award
Charleston- The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association was awarded the Heritage Tourism Advancement Award at the 2010 International Heritage Development Conference in Charleston last week.
This award is presented annually to a tourism site, partnership, organization, company, or individual within the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor (SCNHC) that demonstrates best practices in sustainable heritage tourism based on the five principles: collaboration, balance between community and tourism, educational programming, authenticity, and preserving and protecting heritage resources.
The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association began in September 2004 to preserve and protect the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people, their ancestral art of coiled basketry and the natural habitats where sweetgrass and other basket making materials grow. Comprised of local basket makers and community leaders, the association has made significant progress towards accomplishing its goals and conquering the negative impacts of commercial development encroaching on these treasured resources.
The first Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival was held in June 2005. Since then, the festival has been twice designated as a top twenty event in South Carolina by the Southeastern Tourism Society. The members of the association not only volunteer for this organization, but also are dedicated to volunteering in their communities through Meals On Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, educational programming, and scholarships.
“The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association is a shining example of how building partnerships with other similar organizations and how working hard towards your goals brings success. They have proven themselves to be an effective advocate of cultural tourism,” said Michelle McCollum, executive director of the SCNHC.
The SCNHC, chosen as a National Heritage Area in 1996, extends 320 miles across the state, from the mountains of Oconee County, along the Savannah River, to the port city of Charleston. Through tourism sites, interpretative signage, travel guides and maps, the Corridor leads the visitor on a journey of experiences while telling the story of South Carolina's Native Americans, the Colonial Settlement and the western migration into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For more information on the SCNHC, visit www.sc-heritagecorridor.org.
