Heritage Days at the Depot Gets Funding Boost

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WebbCraft Family Foundation and Foothills Community Foundation recently gave funding to support the upcoming award-winning historical event in Belton, Heritage Days at the Depot.

Dean Woods (center), Executive Director of Foothills Community Foundation, presents a check in support of Heritage Days at the Depot to Abigail Burden (left), Executive Director of BAMA, and Alison Darby (right), BAMA Educational Coordinator
Abigail Burden and Alison Darby receive a check in support of Heritage Days at the Depot from the Webb-Craft Foundation.
Abigail Burden and Alison Darby receive a check in support of Heritage Days at the Depot from the Webb-Craft Foundation.

“Recreating the past skills and artistry of our ancestors so that our community can learn firsthand about the pioneer ways is the foremost reason that Heritage Days at the Depot has been a signature event in Anderson County since 2005,” said Dean Woods, Executive Director of Foothills Community Foundation.

The event, which was designated as the first Certified South Carolina Arts and AgriCulture event by the SC Arts Commission and the SC Department of Agriculture, will host education days on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 3 – 4, for local home school groups and Anderson School District # 2 students.

The general public is invited to attend the presentations on Saturday during the Standpipe Heritage and Arts Festival from 10:30 AM until 3:30 PM on Saturday, Oct. 5.

“Through this educational, historic, and artistic event for students and the general public, the Belton Area Museum Association helps to foster understanding of and interest in these folkways, skills, and crafts,” said organizer Alison Darby.

This year’s event, held on the grounds of the historic Belton Train Depot, will feature the following artisans and historical interpreters:  camp cooks/Scott and Sherri Beam, weaver/Karen Cox , rug hooker/Paula Ashworth, Native American dancer/Chenae Bullock, cooper/Larry Eichman, Revolutionary War heroine/Carin Bloom, beekeeper/Keith Raines, school master/Andrew Shuler, clockmaker/Anthony McDonald , paper marbler/Barbara Ervin, slave story teller and Gullah of SC/Donald Sweeper, stained glass artist/Stacy O’Sullivan, turkey call maker/Bob Harwell, and bowl turner/Scott Richey.

Cooper Larry Eichman will be presenting his bucket and barrel making skilss with students and the general public during Heritage Days at the Depot October 3 through 5.

“It is important for communities to understand their history and heritage, which helps us know who we are, who we’ve been, and who we’ve become. This Festival is a strong example of a successful local event that reaches thousands of students and adults each year,” said T. J. Wallace, Assistant Director of SC Humanities.

Support for the event comes from Anderson County, City of Belton HTAX, Webb-Craft Family Foundation, Foothills Community Foundation, Hart-Oeland Foundation,  Waste Connections, SC Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Commercial Bank, Darby Metalworks, Best Buy, the SC Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, Sam’s Club, Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Hardees, McDonalds, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

“Additional support is needed to fulfill our funding obligations for this year’s event,” stated organizer Alison Darby.

For more information, contact Abigail Burden, Executive Director of the Belton Area Museum Association, at [email protected] or 864-338-7400.

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