Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Archives for January 2008

Documentary Gullah Film Fest – Hilton Head, South Carolina

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Documentary Gullah Film Fest
Hosted by Dr. Emory S. Campbell

God’s Gonna Trouble the Water
Narrator Ruby Dee relates the little-known history of the ancestors of African-American slaves who settled in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Scholars and locals recount the history of the Gullah people, and discuss the influences of praise houses, West African songs and dances, and the Gullah language on African-American customs and lifestyle. The history of the Gullah people — descendants of West African slaves who formed a culture distinctly their own in the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. They continue to practice their dialect, diet, religion, music, arts and ethnicity today in Beaufort County.
Admission – Donation – Coligny Theater, Coligny Plaza. Monday, February 11, 7 p.m
For more information about the Gullah Celebration, please visit their website.

World Class Rugby Comes to Jacksonville – Rabbitohs vs. Rhinos

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This week is a big week for rugby in Jacksonville. Two of the best international Professional Rugby League teams have already arrived and are gearing up for the big match on Saturday January 26th at Hodges Stadium. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, Russell Crowe’s team from Australia, will for the first time play the Leeds Rhinos from England.
Also, Orange County Choppers are coming for the event.  Click here to read our previous post about Orange County Choppers.
For more information about the event, please visit Jacksonville Axemen

Here is the schedule for the upcoming activities.
Monday Jan 21, at 7pm
Meet & Greet for both teams at Fionn MacCools Irish Pub in Jacksonville Beach

Tuesday Jan 22
Afternoon Open Practice for both teams at UNF Hodges Stadium (Public Welcome)

Wednesday Jan 23 at 11.30am
Public Media Day Press Conference at the Jacksonville Landing Center Stage

Thursday Jan 24 Evening
Fans are encouraged to attend the Jacksonville Barracudas Hockey Game.Ticket Info and more information www.jaxcudas.com

Friday Jan 25, Fan Day
10am – 3pm:  Fan Tours and interactive games at the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium. Entry at Gate 1 at the Downtown Stadium. A FREE Shuttle bus will run round trip from the Jacksonville Landing to Gate 1 at the Jags Stadium. First departure from in front of the Jacksonville Landing at 10.30am. Last return from Gate 1 at the Stadium to the Landing at 2.45pm. Jacksonville Axemen and Jaguars Alumni will be on hand to explain the differences in each type of Football

Fan Tours at the Budweiser Brewery, 11am until 2.30pm. A FREE Shuttle bus will run from Gate 1 at the Jags Stadium to the Brewery. First bus departs Gate 1 at 10.45am and last return leave the Brewery at 3.15pm

7pm till late Barons Brewing Australia Day Bash at the Walkabout 2 Cafe Located on Beach Blvd (corner of San Pablo Blvd) Music, Food and Fun. Entry is free with an optional $1 donation to the Jacksonville Boys Home

Saturday Jan 26, Game Day
11am Gates Open at Hodges Stadium
12 noon Pre game entertainment starts
12.45pm Pre game ceremony starts
1pm Kick Off
3pm Post Game Presentations

Arts, Crafts & Food Expo – Hilton Head, South Carolina

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The two-day Arts, Crafts and Food Expo offers cultural demonstrations, i.e., sweet grass basket weaving, indigo dyeing and fishnet weaving, authentic Gullah and African crafts, as well as an offering of traditional Gullah foods and musical entertainment. There are also more than 50 vendors on hand selling authentic Gullah crafts and food, a Kiddie Land activities for children, teen activities, and staged performances every half hour. This year’s performances will include McIntosh County Shouters, Willie Cohen, Bill Dupont, Ayolema African Dance Theater, Louise Cohen, Barbara Patterson, and The Voices of El Shaddai.
Admission – Adults $10.00/Children $5.00
Historic Honey Horn, 100 William Hilton Parkway (intersection of Cross Island Parkway & 278)
Saturday, February 16, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, February 17, Noon – 5 p.m.
For more information visit the Gullah Celebration website.

A Celebration of Our Gullah Roots – Hilton Head, South Carolina

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Wednesday, February 6, 7 p.m.
First African Baptist Friends & Family Day – A Celebration of Our Gullah Roots. Established in the village of Mitchelville with 25 members, First African Baptist is Hilton Head Island’s first church. This annual event celebrates its ancestral roots and traditions through song, performances and stories by church members. Traditional African dishes and other refreshments will be served. Admission – Free Will Offering. First African Baptist Church (Dr. Alvin L. Petty, Pastor) (Est. 1862), 70 Beach City Road

Visit the Gullah Celebration website for more information.

Gullah-Geechee Documentary – Hilton Head, South Carolina

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The Will to Survive: The Story of the Gullah-Geechee Nation
Narrated by Harry Lennix, star of ABC’s “Commander in Chief,” the hour-long documentary of these slave descendants gives us a glimpse of what have been described as the most authentic African-American communities in the United States. The documentary was filmed on Sapelo Island, 16,000 acres of land located 60 miles off the coast of Savannah, Georgia and chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the Gullah and Geechee people, who were first brought from Africa to isolated islands near Georgia, U.S.A.

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