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National Great Outdoors Month

National Great Outdoors Month is celebrated in June and serves as a reminder to enjoy and appreciate our state parks and wildlife refuges. This observation, begun in 1998, encourages us to explore our parks and enjoy the beauty that awaits us in our natural world.

National Great Outdoors Month is celebrated in June and serves as a reminder to enjoy and appreciate our state parks and wildlife refuges. This observation, begun in 1998, encourages us to explore our parks and enjoy the beauty that awaits us in our natural world.

Content Type
Land - Penn Center | A Natural State - Episode 12 Land 11

Video

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Land
Episode 11
Native Americans called it "tree hair." French colonists changed it to "Barbe espagnole," or "Spanish Beard," to ridicule the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Spanish moss survives as its common name...
Piccolo Labyrinth | A Natural State 1

Video

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Piccolo Labyrinth | A Natural State
Episode 1
Herb Parker's Piccolo Labyrinth, a nature-based sculpture of grass, sod and steel rebar, created a temporary, "quiet, contemplative space" on Charleston's waterfront. As an installation, the sculpture...
Making a Broom - Step 1 | A Natural State - Episode 2 Friendship | A Natural State 11

Video

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Friendship | A Natural State
Episode 11
Peter is a physical education professor at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches canoeing and kayaking as a healthy pursuit and a fun way to enjoy nature. In this video, we take a trip to...
Petroglyphs 5

Video

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Petroglyphs
Episode 5
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of years of weathering and erosion rendered the Hagood Mill site petroglyphs invisible to the naked eye. Amateur archaeologist Mike Bramlett discovered several of the...
Making a Broom - Step 1 | A Natural State - Episode 2 Broom Handles from Nature | A Natural State 9

Video

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Broom Handles from Nature | A Natural State
Episode 9
Peter obtains many of his broom handles by collecting driftwood from rivers. Whitewater rivers of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge may yield rhododendron and dogwood, while the flat meandering rivers of...
Petroglyphs 4

Video

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  • Higher Education
Petroglyphs
Episode 4
Rock art at the Hagood Mill site is open to many interpretations. Is the imagery sacred, documentation of historic events, part of a simple amusement, or of a larger pictographic language? The answer...
Land - Spanish Moss | A Natural State - Episode 11 Land 8

Video

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Land
Episode 8
The Gullah community of St. Helena struggles to promote the island's cultural and natural resources while preserving the environment for future generations. Livelihoods based on fishing, farming and...
Land - Spanish Moss | A Natural State - Episode 11 Land 9

Video

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Land
Episode 9
Robert Middleton left St. Helena at age 18, returning 45 years later after serving in the army, studying at Howard University, and a career of social work in Washington, D.C. and on an Apache Indian...
Spotlight 1

Video

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Spotlight
Episode 1
The ability to work with wood was an asset on rural farms where lifestyles required self-sufficiency and living off the land was common. As a boy, Tom carved his toys - small boats that he floated...
Land - Spanish Moss | A Natural State - Episode 11 Land 10

Video

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Land
Episode 10
Live oaks with broad, lumbering branches and beards of Spanish moss are a common sight in South Carolina’s coastal area. The tree’s resistance to wind and sea spray buffer the coast from seasonal...
Spotlight - Arianne King Comer | A Natural State - Episode 1 Land 12

Video

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Land
Episode 12
Several generations of the St. Helena community attended the historic Penn School, established as one of the first schools for freed slaves. In the 1950s and 1960s, the site served as a safe retreat...
Land - Penn Center | A Natural State - Episode 12 Indigo Dye | A Natural State 7

Video

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Indigo Dye | A Natural State
Episode 7
Indigo was grown extensively on the Sea Islands from the middle 1600s - late 1700s. Blue stained hands were a mark of slaves in the dye making and application trade. Though synthetic dyes are now used...
Land - Penn Center | A Natural State - Episode 12 Spotlight 1

Video

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Spotlight
Episode 1
Arianne grew up in a landscape of gardens, farms and the sea near Virginia Beach, Virginia. As a "child of nature," Arianne found an artistic release through dance and drawing. Arianne later studied...
Topiary 113

Video

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Topiary
Episode 113
Most common topiary plants are evergreen and have small, dense leaves and branches; such as boxwood, yew and holly bushes. But Pearl says, "Anything that can be pruned can be shaped," which explains...
Topiary Garden - Trees & Bushes - Episode 102 Community 107

Video

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Community
Episode 107
The Accessibility Project is an effort to reintroduce people to downtown Sumter by giving them a chance to experience art in public places. Many of the public art works are considered site-specific...
Spotlight 101

Video

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Spotlight
Episode 101
Is topiary an attempt to control nature or a form of expression using a nature-based medium? The word topiary is derived from the Greek root word, topias, meaning ornamental garden. An account by...
A Natural State - Art Outside the Box - Episode 4 A Natural State 2

Video

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A Natural State
Episode 2
Jimmie’s upbringing fostered creativity and resourcefulness. His joy in his family history is palpable. In his world, nothing is wasted. Every simple thing is treasured for the value of its inherent...
Community 106

Video

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Community
Episode 106
Sumter's downtown Mosaic Garden is the result of Pearl Fryar's inspiration and design, the guidance of dedicated teachers, and the imagination of over 400 students. While Pearl arranged garden paths...
Topiary Garden 103

Video

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Topiary Garden
Episode 103
Hedges and trees in Pearl's garden appear to flow and weave into one another, often making it difficult to see where one plant ends and another begins. The effect is created by tying the tips of...
Wood Canoe - Paddle Making | A Natural State - Episode 7 Spotlight 1

Video

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Spotlight
Episode 1
A typical Phil Greene canoe is a Spotlight of exotic and indigenous woods that were cut, sanded, carved and refined for six months or more. The canoes combine sculptural details with practical design...
Community 108

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Community
Episode 108
Many students had never explored Sumter's downtown area before participating in the Mosaic Garden project. Even fewer had heard the terms site-specific, topiary, and public art. The project...
Topiary Garden 104

Video

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Topiary Garden
Episode 104
The key to creating topiary is pruning. Pruning is the process of cutting off leaves and branches to encourage new growth and shape old growth. During the growing season, pruning is a daily affair in...