Some years ago in Georgetown, there was a festival in January celebrating Winyah Bay. My family attended the first two and had a wonderful time. We missed a few years due to weather but now it’s back and at a much more reasonable time of year!
Now in it’s fifth year on March 2, 3, and 4, the festival is a celebration of the rich heritage of Winyah Bay and the surrounding area. It honors the traditions rooted here, in the rice fields, uplands and marshes.
This year, the festival will take place at the Bobby Alford Recreation Center located in Georgetown. The many activities hark back to the time when hunting and fishing were a necessity, rather than pastimes of avid sportsmen and a way to develop conservationists of tomorrow.
The Palmetto Dock Dogs will be on site this year demonstrating how dogs jump and retrieve. Fishing guides will be on hand to talk about some of the best fishing spots, share tactics and teach techniques for the perfect throw with a cast net. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources brings their fishing simulator and shooting range which are huge hits with children.
Children's decoy painting at a previous Winyah Bay Heritage Festival
Additional activities for the young and young at heart include the Birds of Prey, decoy painting and the youth duck calling clinic, a new event last year. New this year, and suited for all ages, will be a demonstration called “Snakes in Your Own Back Yard.”
Numerous exhibitors bring many items for sale. If you are looking for the perfect call, decoy or painting, you’re in luck. Please support the exhibitors as they, too, are an integral part of the festival.
- “View of Chicora Wood Plantation”, oil by Joseph Cave
The featured artist for this year’s Winyah Bay Heritage Festival is local artist Joseph Cave. The painting titled “ View of Chicora Wood Plantation” was unveiled in November at a special reception held at the historic Stewart Parker house in Georgetown and will be auctioned at the sponsors party on March 2. It is currently on display at the Georgetown County Museum at 632 Prince Street, Georgetown SC.
All proceeds from ticket sales and sponsors benefit the Georgetown County Historical Society, which in turn supports the Georgetown County Museum, a 501 (c) (3) entity. In addition to festival activities, many museums and tours in the area are available to further your knowledge of this special place. Your visit will make you want to live here, and you’ll certainly understand why pluff mud sticks to our boots and to our roots.
Information contained in this article is in part from http://www.winyahbayfestival.org/index.htm. Please visit the site for much more extensive information!
