Loaded events schedule awaits visitors to the Hammock Coast® this fall

Even as South Carolina’s Hammock Coast® continues to bask in its always-popular summer season, travelers in search of a good time are already turning their attention to the area’s packed fall events calendar.

The many virtues of the Hammock Coast are on full display during the autumn months when temperatures are idyllic, and the area’s events schedule reaches a crescendo. Among the events expected to attract travelers from across America to Georgetown County this fall are:

Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art Celebrates 30 Years

Entering its 30^th year, interest in the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art continues to soar. The 16-day festival will run from Oct. 8 through Oct. 23 and feature Thursday, Friday and Saturday night concerts, all of which will be held outside, allowing fans to enjoy shows in a safe environment. From Motown and a Chicago tribute band to a trio of tenors and country music, the PIFMA has something for everyone. Ticket prices range from $35 to $55. This year’s roster includes: the Orlando Transit Authority — A Chicago Tribute (Oct. 8), The Miracles (Oct. 9), Lao Tizer Featuring Eric Marienthal (Oct. 13), The Black Market Trust (Oct. 14), Atlanta Rhythm Section (Oct. 15), Tavares (Oct. 16), The Texas Tenors (Oct. 21), Best of the Eagles (Oct. 22), and Destination Motown Featuring Soul Cruisers (Oct. 23)

Wooden Boat Show Is One Of The Top Events In The Southeast

The 32nd annual Wooden Boat Show, which will be held Oct. 16 and 17 on the waterfront and along Front Street in historic Georgetown, is the area’s most popular event, attracting people from throughout the East Coast. Declared one of the top 20 events in Southeast, the Wooden Boat Show will feature wooden boat exhibits with more than 140 classic boats displayed on land and water, children’s model boatbuilding, knot tying, maritime art and crafts, food and music. A special attraction will be Saturday’s Wooden Boat Challenge when teams of two race to build a rowing skiff within a 4-hour time limit and then test their boats for seaworthiness in a rowing relay on the Sampit River. During the festival, vendors also line the streets of the historic town, which was named by USA Today as “America’s Best Coastal Small Town.” Admission to the show is free.

Family Fun Highlights Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival

Featuring nearly 100 talented artisans, the 46^th annual Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival provides aesthetic beauty against a background of stunning coastal scenery inside Huntington Beach State Park. Set for Sept. 24-26, attendees can enjoy fine art, quality crafts and local food, along with performances by some of area’s finest musicians. The three-day festival is hosted in Atalaya, the former home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Moorish-style winter home and sculpture studio was built during the Great Depression by the New York philanthropists. Admission to the three-day festival is $15 per adult (age 16 and older) for a multi-day pass.  Admission may be purchased at the festival gate in the park. Go to www.AtalayaFestival.com for a complete event run down.

Good Times, Good Books Take Center Stage At Kaminski House Museum

Family Fun & Literacy Day at the Kaminski House Museum, a multi-generational event, will take place Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Held on the lawn at historic Kaminski House, the event will celebrate literacy with storytelling and readings, in addition to featuring children’s games, crafts, pumpkin face creations, a healthy foods tent and a spirited pumpkin patch. Admission is free.

Special exhibits at Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens, the 9,100-acre sculpture garden and wildlife preserve in Murrells Inlet, is one of the crown jewels of the Hammock Coast. In addition to the everyday brilliant of the gardens and sculptures, there are two exciting special exhibits this fall.

SANKOFA: The 14th annual African-American Fiber Art Exhibition actually opened on July 3, but it will continue its run through Nov. 25. Curated by Cookie Washington, this annual juried exhibit showcases works in fiber created by African American artists from across the country. The 14th installment of this traveling exhibition features fiber art pieces from 23 artists who were challenged to create a pictorial fiber artwork interpreting the Adinkra symbol of Sankofa and its associated proverb to “reach back and get it.” The Sankofa images are a reminder to use the wisdom of the past to aid one in the present moment. The artists were asked to include one Sankofa in each artwork. The exhibit will feature 27 pieces of art, including three dolls and 24 quilts/wall hangings. Exhibiting artists include Aisha Lumumba, Carolyn Brackat, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, Janette Holland, Edith Gross, Joyce Daniels, and Renee Fleuranges-Valdes. The exhibit will be on display in the Lowcountry Center Auditorium daily from noon – 4:30 p.m.

Thomas Schomberg: Memories of 9/11 opens on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States and run through Nov. 7. Brookgreen will exhibit Schomberg’s series of sculptures portraying the feelings of horror, anguish, and loss following the events of the attacks on America involving the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93. Schomberg says, “This column series I have been focusing on over the last several years is a collection of metamorphic figures that can be best described as individual vignettes of emotion. Each sculpture, encompassing one to four figures, is the embodiment of separate and unique emotions. …These works are giving me a unique opportunity in my career to thoroughly explore the human condition as influenced by historical events.” The exhibit will be on display in the Rosen Galleries daily.

— By Chris King

For more information about the Hammock Coast®, visit www.HammockCoastSC.com.

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