Jason Pressley
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — South Carolina Humanities brought its 25th annual Humanities Festival to Rock Hill March 28-30, which is the first time it has been held in York County.

Each year the festival brings a celebration of local history and culture to a different community in South Carolina, by focusing on how art impacts the host area.

The three-day long event included a self-guided art tour through Rock Hill sponsored by the Women’s Art Initiative, a bicycle brewery tour and several museum exhibits and presentations.

A number of events were held at Winthrop University, including a two-act play, entitled “A Home at the Zoo,” and the Underexposed Film Festival.

“The aim of the festival is to not only entertain and inform, but also foster an appreciation of the community and its assets,” said Randy Akers, executive director of S.C. Humanities.

“Cultural programming adds quality and value to our communities,” said Akers, in a thank you message on the S.C. Humanities website. “We salute York County for supporting its university and schools, colleges and art organizations, which contribute to the quality of life in the community.”

Joseph Williams, a tour guide at the White Home in Rock Hill, which hosted a number of events during the festival, said an event promoting the culture of York County was long overdue.

“Deep down inside of South Carolina we have many different cities of individuals who are talented and gifted,” said Williams. “There should be a microscope pointed onto them to show you their gifts.”

The festival also brought a number of visitors to York County.

“My favorite part of the Humanities Festival is right here at Glencairn Gardens,” said tourist Stephanie Arnolds. “I didn’t realize that Rock Hill had this particular place, so I really enjoyed being in nature and taking in the beautiful scenery.”