Stop by the Nature Center this morning to get the details of the sweetgrass program today.  Nakia Wigfall, the head of the local sweetgrass basketmakers guild, will visit Dewees to read some children’s books aloud, give a demonstration, and show you some of her baskets.  A uniquely American art form, these beautiful, labor-intensive baskets have been made and sold and used in Mount Pleasant for generations, since the rice culture made Charleston one of the richest places to live in the colonies.

Dewees has a partnership with the basketmakers, giving them a place to harvest the grasses they need to make the baskets.  With the development of gated communities along the coast, the traditional places for harvesting are often in “private” communities, forcing the basketmakers to drive to Beaufort, Georgia, and even Florida to find grasses.  Ask Lori about where you can plant sweetgrass on your lot!

Don’t miss Nakia’s warmth and enthusiastic description of the sweetgrass traditions!