Day 1 of the 2024 celebrations began with a free screening of two NCRFI-produced video-documentaries on the history of rice cultivation in the NC and the importance of rice to Gullah Geechee cuisine.

Titled “Introducing…the North Carolina Rice Festival,” that program was held in Leland at the headquarters of WWAY TV-3, the Festival’s official media sponsor. It was added to the Rice Festival lineup this year to provide those “new and few” who had no knowledge about the importance of rice and Gullah Geechee culture to the North Carolina Lowcountry with a solid knowledge base to understand the rationale for the annual Rice Festival and its significance to the region.

Both films shown at that event were locally produced by the Festival organizers in 2021 with funding support from the Leland Tourism Development Authority and the Brunswick Arts Council. NCRFI program manager Jerry May provided introductions and an overview of the organization’s history and growth.

The films were followed by expert presentations and reflections from three local-area historians and researchers: Jim McKee, site manager of the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson Historic Site; Gullah Geechee descendant and spoken-word performer Tyanna Parker-West; and UNCW professor Dr. Kimberly B. Sherman. They led the rapt audience in a lively question-and-answer session after their presentations, and all sampled three classic Gullah Geechee dishes—chicken and rice, corn fritters, and fried okra—provided by one of Brunswick County’s favorite hometown food purveyors, Webo’s Food Truck & Caterers.