2Oth Annual Sea & Sand Festival
By Lauren Dean
The Sea & Sand Festival, which will be held on April 17 from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Center Street and in the Folly River Park, is the longest-running annual festival on Folly Beach. The first festival was held in May 1990, the beginning of the first summer season following the devastation of Hurricane Hugo.
Paul Chrysostum, owner of Mr. John’s Beach Store, said the whole idea of the festival was to show folks that Folly had bounced back. “People thought Folly was gone,” he said. “We wanted to show them we were still here and we had recovered, that Folly no longer looked like Little Lebanon.”
Chrysostum called the first Sea & Sand Festival a “miniature version of what we have now” except that it was more laid back. The street was shut down and lined with booths selling local arts and crafts. Local bands played in the street and restaurants set up tables on the sidewalk.
“Then it sort of took on a life of its own,” Chrysostum said. While it still maintains the funky-Folly feel, the Sea & Sand Festival has become a major fundraiser and is now sponsored by the City of Folly Beach and the Folly Association of Businesses.
“The festival offers something for everyone,” said festival coordinator Sharon Geiger.
The event will be kicked off by the 9th Annual 5K Run and one-mile “Fun Skate or Walk” that will start in the parking lot in front of the County Pier. Walkers, rollerbladers and skateboarders are all welcome, according to Geiger, but will need to register by 8:00 a.m.
and participants in the 5K Run will register at 8:30. The entry fee for either event is $20 and includes the official festival tee shirt.
Geiger said more than 60 vendors will be set up in booths on Center Street, where they will offer original art, crafts, and souvenirs. The street will be closed to vehicular traffic and open only for pedestrian traffic from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Various activities for children at the Folly River Park include face painting, a Jump Castle, pony rides and children’s art activities.
Music has always been a large part of the festival, according to Geiger, and this year will be no different with bands playing at several locations on Center Street and at the Folly River Park. Sara Smile is scheduled to play at 10:00 a.m., the Shakin’ Martinis at 11:30 a.m., and the Mason Dixon Band at 3:00 p.m.
For the second consecutive year, the Landsharks Band will be closing the Sea & Sand Festival by performing their Jimmy Buffet Tribute Show starting at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Holiday Inn. “We’ll be shaggin’ in the sand,” Geiger said. “Come on out and enjoy the music as the sun sets and we celebrate the start of the summer season on ‘The Edge of America.’”
Last year’s event raised more than $8,000, according to Geiger. The money raised this year will be used to equip a new Children’s Playground on Folly Beach.
