Jamaica Day in the Carolinas

Celebrate “Jamaica Day in the Carolinas” during the S.C. Reggae Jerk and Wine Festival this Sunday, Aug. 24 at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. Sponsored by Magnolia, Caribbean Rootz and Healthy Lifestyle Network, the event will be held from noon to 8 p.m.
Local Reggae band The Dubplates will provide the music while professional and amateur chefs compete for prizes in a jerk cook-off. Dominos, ludo games, a youth showcase and the Carifest Dancers are on the activities lineup.
Special guest Diana Ogilvie will discuss her film “The Jamaican Jerk Tour,” which will be shown in Magnolia’s Orientation Theatre.
According to Lorna Beck, president of Healthy Lifestyle Network, Jamaica has given the world Reggae and jerk. “The nation’s culinary contributions later caught up to the impact Reggae has had on music globally,” says Beck. “Jerk, a style of cooking, is no longer limited to the Boston Beach area of the Portland community in Jamaica.”
Tickets online are $20 per person. It includes garden admission, a wine glass and wine tasting. Admission for the designated driver is $12, which also includes garden admission, but a wine glass and the wine tasting are not included. Tickets at the jerk event gate, not the Magnolia kiosk, are $25 on the day of the event. Children under 12 are free. Parking is free. Coupons, discounts, complimentary passes and annual memberships to Magnolia are not valid for this event. Magnolia visitors must purchase a separate ticket for the Jerk and Wine festival.
Proceeds for Jamaica Day in the Carolinas will benefit the Healthy Lifestyle Network, a non-profit organization formed to teach self-management skills to adults and children to change lifestyle and improvement health outcomes. Beck says that donations of toys and stuffed animals will be collected at the event for children in Charleston and Jamaica.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is located at 3550 Ashley River Road. For more information go to www.screggaejerkfestival.com. To purchase tickets online, go to www.screggaejerkfestival.eventbrite.com.