Event Type : Regional and Local Festivals

This one of our top two favorite events of the year. 

This annual event is one that the St Simons Island Land Trust team and members, along with the entire island community, look forward to each year. It is a night of food, fun and community, and none of it would be possible without the help of our volunteers, donors and sponsors. Last year’s event was a smashing success and we look forward to another fantastic evening!

Tickets go on sale December 1.  Members $75, Non-Members $95. We hope to see you there!

In 1985 The Manager of the St. George, South Carolina Piggly Wiggly Supermarket,  Bill Hunter was giving a broker of a large grits company an order.  The broker made a remark that his company sure shipped a lot of grits into St. George, considering how small the town was and its meager population(around 2000 at the time).  A week or two later another broker from another major grits company made a similar remark about his company shipping such a large amount of grits into this small town.  The Manager spoke to the two Owners of the Piggly Wiggly, John Walters and George Axson.  They all agreed that if it proved to be true, that we did consume a disproportionately large amount of grits, that they would do some research to find out just how much we did eat.

As it turned out, the people of St. George actually ate more grits per capita than any other place in the world!  We were the GRITS EATING CHAMPIONS!!!  Thus the World Grits Festival was born.

The Blessing of the Fleet is an annual festival that the Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce hosts to celebrate our biggest industry, shrimping. This three day fun-filled event consists of an art show, various food and drink vendors, arts and crafts, a YMCA 5K, children’s activities, a classic car show, nightly live entertainment and a marine parade.

On Sunday we Bless our shrimpboat captains with a safe and prosperous season. Darien’s Blessing of the Fleet is the largest on the East Coast! This weekend long festival is a great celebration of food, family and fun that usually draws in a crowd of 30,000+ throughout the weekend. We welcome you to come and join in our fellowship!