With the second annual Palustris Festival -getting under way on March 24-27, organizers have put together an impressive schedule for the exciting four-day event which celebrates the visual, performing and literary arts of the Sandhills. Included are several -presentations focusing on the -history of the Southern Pines-Aberdeen-Pinehurst area.

The Arts Council of Moore County and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are once again coordinating the Festival. Among the more than 100 events on tap, executive director of the Arts Council Chris Dunn points out that a good portion of them are open to the public at no charge, and are family-friendly.

The impressive list of free events consists of art exhibits at various galleries, nature walks, docent-guided visits of significant landmarks, such as Weymouth Center and the Shaw House, historic walking tour of the village of Pinehurst sponsored by Tufts Archives and a wonderful collection of lectures in different locales, -including a complete program of talks on varied topics at Sandhills Community College.

Children are welcome at many of the free events open to the public. However, where an admission is charged, -especially for young people and their families, the ticket prices are nominal. An example of family-friendly -ticketed events is "Diversity," a show that uses music, dance and theater to showcase the -students and faculty of the Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School, presented on March 24 and 25 at 6 p.m.

Another family-friendly ticketed event is Storytelling with Gran'Daddy Junebug, -featuring well-known actor and storyteller Mitchell Capel and presented by the Southern Pines Rotary Club twice on March 25, at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Southern Pines Primary School.

The agenda for Saturday, March 26, -contains two day long opportunities for -children, youth and their families.

One, being sponsored by Save our Sandhills at the Southern Pines Civic Club, combines a display of nature photography, a PowerPoint tribute to the Sandhills longleaf pine -ecosystem, -traditional bluegrass music and an exploration of the history of the region.

Also on the 26th, Friends of the Arboretum and Pinehurst Parks and Recreation have planned activities like Pine Cone Art Sculpture, Woodland Garden Arts Adventure Trail Hunt, a performance by the West Pines Middle School Drum Ensemble, a woodcarving demonstration, and Design Your Own Kite, followed by kite flying and performances by students at local schools.

Each day, Linda and Jim Dalton, of Linda Dalton Pottery, newcomers to the Palustris Festival, will offer free studio tours, question and answer sessions, and demonstrations and discussions of how pottery is made, and on Sunday, another new Festival event is planned by Colors 'n Clay, a creative hands-on art -studio in Southern Pines that offers pottery painting, mosaic and glass fusion for children and adults alike.

Also on Sunday at 2 p.m., art historian Dr. Molly Gwinn will discuss North Carolina Artists' Colonies, as part of a full schedule of activities during the Festival taking place at the Artists' League of the Sandhills in Aberdeen, some ticketed, some given at no charge but requiring reservations.

And capping off the Palustris Festival at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, is a free concert given by the 36-voice parish choir of Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The program for Sacred Illuminations includes Schubert's "Mass in G Major" and a choral repertoire from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Complete details, including ticket -information, locations, times and days of all of these and other happenings of the Palustris Festival may be found on the website, at www.palustrisfestival.com, or by calling (910) 692-4356 or (910) 692-3330 ext. 235.