Lancaster County Council of the Arts | Community Event | South Carolina Humanities Festival

SAVE THE DATE

The festival will take place Friday, October 17 – Sunday, October 19, 2025.

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Every year, South Carolina Humanities sponsors a Humanities Festival in a community in South Carolina. Established in 1993 in honor of South Carolina Humanities’ 20th Anniversary, the Humanities Festival has been held in 24 different communities. Each festival celebrates the local history and culture of the host community, engaging the citizens in lectures, discussions, films, and exhibits and facilitating partnerships among cultural organizations and community groups.

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Friday, October 17, 2025

4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
The Third Place: A Humanities Happy Hour
USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

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Join SC Humanities at the Native American Studies Center for The Third Place: A Humanities Happy Hour. Dive into a world of expanded community, discussions, and good company. The topic of discussion will be the idea of "the third place," a term coined by Ray Oldenburg to describe places where people convene other than their homes and work. He argued that such places were vital for democracy, civic engagement, and community building. We argue that the humanities are the third thing – topics and ideas that we discuss to further our understanding of both ourselves and our neighbors.

Reserve your free ticket.

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6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Opening Night Reception
Lancaster County Council of the Arts, 201 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720
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Celebrate the Humanities Festival in Lancaster County with the Opening Night Reception. Join Dr. Jennifer Gunter, SC Humanities Executive Director, for refreshments and festival program overview, as well as the opening of the exhibition, The Springs Close Family Collection.

Tickets are $50 each and are required to attend. Please purchase tickets here.

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Saturday, October 18, 2025

All Day Events (view festival guide for specific times): Springs Close Collection at the Historic Springs House, Tour of the Historic Craig House, Pop-up Cultural Exhibits at various locations in downtown, Paws on Parade, Lancaster County History Museum, Open Artist Studios, USCL Native American Studies Center

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10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pop-Up Art Market & Take-and-Make Corn Husk Doll Kits| USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Kids Storytime with Arts/Crafts
Mural Court

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Artifact ID with Chris Judge
USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Lecture: Native American Archaeology in South Carolina with Chris Judge
USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Guided Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Lancaster
Meeting location in festival guide

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Storywalk Opening
Lindsay Pettus Greenway, 453 Colonial Ave, Lancaster, SC 29720

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Explore Art & Nature with Auntie Greenway
Lindsay Pettus Greenway, 453 Colonial Ave, Lancaster, SC 29720

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Family Picnic on the Greenway | Join us for a family picnic on the Greenway. LCCA will provide blankets and fun family activities. Please bring your favorite sandwich! Limited snacks and water available.

12:00p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Guided Walking Tour of Public Art on the Greenway
Lindsay Pettus Greenway, 453 Colonial Ave, Lancaster, SC 29720

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lecture: The Rise of 21st Century Afrofuturism in Literature, Music, and Film with Len Lawson
Cultural Arts Center, 309 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Grant Writing Workshop with SC Humanities
Historic Springs House, 201 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Longleaf Pine Needle Basketry Workshop with Beckee Garris (Registration required: sign up here)

USCL Native American Studies Center, 119 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Lecture on Colonel Springs with Ann Evans and Dr. Chris Bundrick
Cultural Arts Center, 309 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720

7:00 p.m. – until
Movie Showing of Nina May McKinney in “Hallelujah” with a brief introduction by local film historian, Bart Montgomery. Free movie snacks provided! (Registration required: sign up here)

Historic Springs House, 201 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720

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Sunday, October 19, 2025

All Day Events: Springs Close Collection at the Historic Springs House, Pop-up Cultural Exhibits at various locations in downtown, Paws on Parade, Lancaster County History Museum, Open Artist Studios, USCL Native American Studies Center

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1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Lecture on the Works Progress Administration with Dr. Susan Wallerstein
Historic Courthouse, 104 North Main Street, Lancaster, SC 29720

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Guided Walking Tour of Public Art in downtown Lancaster | Meeting location in festival guide

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Poetry & Prose
The Daily Grind Coffee Bar, 315 S Main St, Lancaster, SC 29720

3:00 p.m.
Bach Akademie Charlotte Concert (tickets required)
Cultural Arts Center, 309 W Gay St, Lancaster, SC 29720
Purchase tickets: https://lcshp.org/cultural-arts-center-concerts-events

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Closing Event at Mural Court
Join us as we celebrate the closing of the 2025 Humanities Festival with an artisan market, family activities, food trucks, and live music.
Mural Court, 107 W. Dunlap Street, Lancaster, SC 29720 (Across from the Historic Courthouse)

Interested in being a vendor in our artisan market? Fill out this form to let us know.

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