The Gullah Geechee Heritage Festival returns to St. Johns County on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Armstrong Park in Elkton. This free festival celebrates the unique heritage of the Gullah Geechee people through traditional music, dance, food and arts.
The Gullah Geechee are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and Sea Island cotton plantations of the lower Atlantic coast. Many came from the rice-growing region of West Africa.
The nature of their enslavement on isolated plantations created a unique culture with deep African roots clearly visible in their distinctive arts, crafts, foodways, music and language. The influence of the Gullah Geechee can be seen in modern-day Southern food; musical genres such as gospel, blues, R&B, soul, hip-hop and jazz; and in the creative yet utilitarian techniques used to make textiles and crafts.
Congress designated the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor under the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006 to recognize its crucial contributions to American culture and history. It encompasses much of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and St. Johns County is at the southern end of the corridor.
The Gullah Geechee Heritage Festival kicks off with a special Rails to Trails Bike Tour at 9 a.m. The Palatka to St. Augustine State Trail is a multi-use recreational trail that runs through St. Johns and Putnam counties.
The festival begins at noon and features live musical and dance performances by Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters, El Shaddei Dance Ministry, Str8up Jax, Cellus and JW Gilmore & The Blues Authority; authentic cuisine; cultural demonstrations; a craft fair with traditional and modern wares; and plenty of opportunities to learn about the Gullah Geechee.
Admission to the festival is free and includes entertainment and activities for all ages, from small children to adults. All festival proceeds benefit the SEA Community Help Resource Center, which provides meals, school supplies and countless other resources to members of the communities of Spuds, Elkton and Armstrong.
Visitors can continue learning and exploring by using the free Florida’s Historic Coast St. Augustine Black History App. Created in partnership with Visit St. Augustine, the app showcases nearly five centuries of Black history. Users can read about the changemakers, from well-known figures like Zora Neal Hurston to St. Augustinians like Richard Aloysius Twine; visit pivotal locations, including the Woolworth’s Lunch Counter, 56 Park Place and Andrew Young Crossing; and learn about events such as the Fort Mose Historic State Park’s Flight to Freedom Re-enactment, which brings history to life.
The St. Augustine Black History app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
