Grand Opening of Bart Garrison Ag Museum of SC
The grand opening of Phase 1 Exhibits of the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina near Pendleton begins at 4:45pm today and Vicki Fletcher says activities have been planned for kids of all ages from toddlers to centenarians. Tractor rides for the children, a chance to name the museum’s cow, membership in the Bushel and a Peck Club, Bluegrass music by Conservation Theory, and farming demonstrations for the young and young-at-heart give everyone a chance to share in selecting future programming. “The museum is committed to interpreting and preserving South Carolina’s agricultural history and to showing the impact and importance of agriculture on our current and future culture and economies,” states Les McCall, who has created a 21st Century interactive museum from farm life artifacts dating back two hundred years. Exhibits at the museum will focus not only on the history of agriculture, but how that legacy affects modern and future agricultural practices, and healthy living. In 1979, Pendleton District Commission Executive Director Hurley Badders worked with Senator T. Ed Garrison to secure funds for a 6,000 square foot building to house the Pendleton District Agricultural Museum. In the 2012, Rep. Brian White introduced a bill to change the name and extend the geographical scope of the museum to cover the entire state. “From the time we began talking about making this a true state agricultural museum, we knew the name would reflect our desire to honor the Garrison family and especially to honor Bart Garrison’s memory,” reports Vicki Fletcher, Executive Director of the museum’s parent organization, Pendleton District Commission. “Since 9/11, America has awakened to the service our emergency responders and the men and women of our military provide for us. But our farming families also serve us every single day. They provide us with a bounty of nutritious food that we often take for granted. They know the risks of their jobs, and they choose to till the land and raise animals so we can have safe food to eat. I am humbled to have a small part in recognizing these families, the work they do, and the sacrifices they make for us.” The Garrison family will be among the Century Farm families who will be the first to enter the 6,000 square foot building for the unveiling of the new Century Farm Exhibit. The Century Farm program honors South Carolina families who have owned their farms for 100 years or more, and is also a statewide program stewarded by Pendleton District Commission. Many exhibits are interactive, with one featuring a milking cow funded through a grant from the Mountain Lakes Region of the SC National Heritage Corridor.