The Palustris Festival, the first Moore County arts celebration planned for March 2528, has attracted additional artists, arts groups and institutions that have joined the extraordinary slate of events that will be spotlighted during the festival.

At Sandhills Community College, faculty and staff have arranged an impressive schedule of lectures and exhibitions with the theme "Navigating Southern Culture through the Arts."

"We here in Moore County are so much more than horses and courses," says Denise Baker, art professor at SCC, and a member of the festival's steering committee. "We have an important representation of the arts and humanities within our area.

"The whole idea of the festival is about showing what we have, and the representatives of the various arts are working together to present an overall view of the cultural side of Moore County. In addition, we are sensitive to the economic situation by making sure that a good portion of the festival's events are free."

Such is the case with the five lectures that will be given at SCC.

On Thursday afternoon, March 25, Professor Ray Linville will address the topic "Southern Culture: What do we learn from the foods we eat?" "Southern Pines: The History of Moore County Early Settlers" will be explored by Ray Owen of the Moore County Historical Association. Sally and Mo Larsen, Seagrove potters, will give a "History of Pottery in Moore County."

On Friday afternoon, March 26, Professor Larry Allen will talk about the "Southern Literary Renaissance," and Professor Ron Layne will discuss the "Southern Character and Caricature in Films."

An outdoor event, also set for Friday afternoon, is three separate tours of the College's 32-acre Horticultural Gardens. Guided by docents, the tours begin at The Ball Visitor's Center on the SCC campus.

The centerpiece of the Sandhills Community College participation in the Palustris Festival is an international photography exhibit, highlighting images snapped by members of the Sandhills Photography Club and other local photographers focusing on the theme "What We Love About Where We Live."

The exhibit also includes photographs taken by members of a club in Newry/County Down in Northern Ireland, as the display showcases the new Sister City commitment between Southern Pines and Newry.

The opening reception for the exhibit, to be held in the Hastings Gallery of the Boyd Library on March 25, with refreshments and music played by a quartet from the college's music program, is open to the public. It will be attended by several residents from Northern Ireland, and the exhibit will be shipped across the Atlantic for a similar showing in the near future.

The whole Sister City concept grew out of a faculty exchange between Denise Baker and Jasper McKinney of Newry Institute, in which the two traded places for a semester -- teaching each other's classes, living in each other's homes and driving each other's cars.

To alleviate the strangeness of the experience, the two asked family and friends to send postcards across the Atlantic and, unbelievably, more than 1,500 postcards made their way across the ocean. A follow-up pen-pal project further solidified the relationships between residents of the two countries and led ultimately to the signing of the Sister City commitment.

"The Palustris Festival is yet another illustration of people coming together, working together and having faith to see an idea through to completion," says Baker. "To me, inclusion is where it's at, and to have an example of our Sister City as part of the festival is very rewarding."

Another exhibition planned for the Palustris Festival at Sandhills Community College is a display by 20 area potters from Seagrove. Their work will also be available for purchase during the exhibition, which will take place at the Dempsey Student Center during the day Thursday, March 25.

Topping off the events at the college March 25 is a Southern buffet dinner hosted by the SCC Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry students. The dinner focuses on local foods, local cuisine and local culture, and will be accompanied by live music from a bluegrass band.

Reservations are required for the dinner, either to be served in the Russell Dining Room in Little Hall or on a take-out basis. The dinner is the only event at Sandhills Community College's celebration of the Palustris Festival that has an admission fee. To make arrangements to attend the dinner, call (910) 695-3796, and for all other information about times and locations for the SCC events at the Palustris Festival, call (910) 695-3879.

Contact Pinehurst writer Mary Elle Hunter at mhunter104@yahoo.com.