MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) — The Sweetgrass Festival returned to Memorial Waterfront Park on Saturday, drawing crowds of visitors alongside dozens of basket makers, food vendors and live performers for an annual celebration of Gullah Geechee heritage and the centuries-old art of sweetgrass basket weaving.
- Centuries-old Gullah Geechee sweetgrass basket weaving is handmade, passed down through generations, not mass-produced.
- Vendor Jeanette Brown says family teaching preserves the craft; baskets are made with love, care, and evolving handmade ideas.
- Storytellers connect craft to history; Bruce Ingram portrays Luke Runaway, serving as an ancestral representative.
- Founded in 2004, the festival returns each summer offering free admission, live entertainment, and educational sessions to protect traditions.
A tradition passed down through generations
Sweetgrass basket weaving is an art form born in Mount Pleasant and is still practiced today.
The baskets are handmade, and the skills are passed down through generations in Gullah Geechee families. They are not mass-produced or widely distributed.
Jeanette Brown, a vendor, said the festival gives her family a place to share that history.
“It is a pleasure, and I enjoy coming out here,” Brown said. “I get to display my family history. My nieces, they’re always creating different ideas, and everything is all handmade. Which is the best thing about it.”
Brown said she learned the craft from her mother at a young age, and her mother learned from her aunt around age 8.
“My mom taught me how to do it at an early age,” Brown said. “I’ve taught my children, my daughter, and she’s taught all of her children.”
For Brown, the stakes of the festival go beyond commerce.
“I think it’s an honor,” she said. “I think the tradition means not to die. I believe that all handmade items or crafts are a special thing because everyone can’t create the same thing. So, all the things that we see out here today is made with love and care.”
Storytellers connect craft to history
The festival also featured demonstrations and storytellers engaging visitors on the history behind the culture. Bruce Ingram, a master storyteller from Horry County, portrays a character called Luke Runaway, an enslaved man, as part of a living history demonstration he calls “Enslaved Life on the Plantation.”
“It means that history is thriving and important and must be carried on to preserve our deep Carolina history that must be told and passed on,” Ingram said.
Ingram said he has attended the Sweetgrass Festival for five years and described his role as something larger than performance.
“I am an ancestral representative,” he said. “It feels breathtaking to know that I am an ambassador for my ancestors. I am an ancestral representative, and I’m just honored.”
Ingram said he travels to events across multiple states but returns to Mount Pleasant each year.
“It’s one of the best festivals around,” he said. “The staff here at Mount Pleasant is so helpful. I look forward to the Sweetgrass Festival every year.”
Festival returns each summer
The Sweetgrass Festival was founded in 2004 and is held each summer at Memorial Waterfront Park. The event offers free admission, live music, entertainment and educational sessions.
Organizers say the festival returns each year to celebrate and protect Gullah Geechee traditions and ensure the next generation can see, hear and learn them firsthand.
Brown said she hopes visitors keep coming back.
“The crafts and the ideas can’t continue without them,” she said. “They are needed. I appreciate them coming, and I hope they continue to come for years, years to come.”
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