WINDSOR — Dozens gathered at Aiken State Park on Saturday all in the name of protecting and bringing more awareness to the Edisto River.
The Friends of the Edisto held its second Blackwater Summer Festival to not only invite the community out to eat some quality barbecue by Columbia-based Catering and Beyond, but to also bring all ages out to get to know the Edisto River.
The river gained nationwide status earlier this year after the Edisto was named the fifth-most-endangered river in the United States by the American Rivers advocacy group.
The Friends have also been fighting for legislation that would crack down on major water withdrawals of the Edisto.
Tim Rogers, president of the Friends of the Edisto, said that although the Friends group has made progress on the proposed legislation, it still has a "long way to go."
"We have worked with some 16 or 17 sister conservation groups throughout the year trying to get an amendment passed about the existing statutory law, which leaves the Edisto so exposed," he said. "But while we have received a lot of publicity, brought a lot attention to the issue and raised the Edisto's profile a lot through events like this, the bill we introduced, which gained a broad bipartisan support, has only been before a subcommittee hearing."
On Saturday, festivalgoers were treated to a variety of entertainment and educational programs that included Mountain Express Acoustic, Darren Woodlief of Pocket Buddha, New Holland Road, headliner Danielle Howle and Sean Poppy, with the Savannah River Ecology Lab.
Rogers said he hopes events like the Blackwater Summer Festival will keep the public's eye on the Edisto.
"There's people who don't realize what a beautiful treasure they have right in their own backyard," Rogers said. "It's gorgeous. They need to come out here and take greater advantage of it. We want to be able to keep the Edisto the way it's been over the years and through past generations. We're trying to get more involved, trying to grow our membership and trying to make people understand what's at stake."
For more information about Friends of the Edisto, visit www.edistofriends.com.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard.