ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The ASSC has sponsored an annual conference on South Carolina Archaeology since 1975. The conference is held the third weekend in February. Numerous papers are presented during the day followed by a cocktail social hour and concluding with an awards banquet and Guest Speaker.

SPRING WORKSHOP
The Spring Workshop began in 1998 and provides members with an informal setting to share with others knowledge, skills, information, techniques, and abilities within the field of archaeology. The workshop typically takes place in April. A number of hands-on activities are offered to participants including flintknapping, primitive weapons, ground stone tool making, pottery making, games, hide tanning, colonial cooking, etc. Bring a guest. This is an all day event so bring a lunch and for supper, bring chips, soft drinks and something to cook on the grill. More information will be made available as the event approaches.

ARCHAEOLOGY DISCOVERY WEEKEND - (1-3 October 2004)
SC Archaeology Discovery Weekend is up to something old and something new. You and your family are invited to spend a weekend sleuthing and exploring the past at the 17th annual event on Oct. 1, 2, and 3 at Santee State Park on Lake Marion near Santee, SC.

The adventure begins early Friday afternoon with workshops that take an in-depth look at specific times in the past by working on archaeology mini-projects related to those days. Skills include prehistoric pottery making, decorating, and firing; black powder weapon demonstrations; archaeology skills for children; prehistoric technology and weaponry; and stone tool-making. All weekend workshops are pre-paid and by pre-registration only. Workshops begin at 3 PM. Each workshop lasts around 1.5 hours and costs $8/person. Some age restrictions apply. Go to ASSC Sponsored Events to download a schedule and registration form or click here View.

Friday night features the ever-popular Lantern Tour through Time, in which walkers travel back in time on a trip with re-enactors from the earliest days of prehistory through the Civil War. The guided tour begins at 7 PM and lasts about 45 minutes, with the last tour group leaving at 9:30 PM. Lantern Tour ticket prices are $4 per person with no pre-registration necessary.

On Saturday, visitors will be able to visit a variety of skill and re-enactment venues, plus attend workshops that offer hands-on opportunities to do archaeology mini-projects, such as making and decorating clay pots, learning how archaeologists use GPS (Global Positioning System) and GPR (ground-penetrating radar) technology, making cordage items from plant fibers, maintaining and using ancient weapons, identifying artifacts, and learning how, why, and where artifacts from the ground tell us about SC's past. General Admission highlights include a chance to sample traditional Indian foods, bargain with a well-stocked Spanish commissary, watch Indian drumming, and march with a Civil War regiment. In addition to General Admission, pre-paid registration is required to enroll in the workshops. Saturday's workshops and General Admission will be offered from 9 AM to 4 PM. General Admission ticket prices on Saturday are $5 for adults, $2 for children, and $1 per child in groups of 10 or more. Workshops are by pre-paid pre-registration at $8/person. Workshop attendance is limited to 20 persons.

SC Archaeology Discovery Weekend concludes on Sunday with a morning of guided and illustrated group tours of important prehistoric and historic sites in the Santee area. Each tour will be led by a professional archaeologist. Sunday's tours to Santee Indian Mound/Fort Watson and Eutaw Springs Battlefield are a pre-paid, pre-registered package deal at $8/person, including group transportation to each tour site. Both sites are in the Santee vicinity. Santee Mound is the remnant of a late prehistoric Indian ceremonial center that was recycled as a fortification by British troops during the Revolutionary War. Eutaw Springs Battlefield was the site of a British tactical win, but a strategic American victory during the Revolutionary War.

This three-day festival is sponsored by the non-profit Archaeological Society of SC, Inc., co-sponsored by SC-PRT and the SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. As part of its original mission, the ASSC presents SC Archaeology Discovery Weekend to highlight how archaeology helps us understand the past, to help students understand how objects can be used to reconstruct how people lived, and how some "old" lifeways have stood the test of time.

We need you! Our event this year has several new opportunities to volunteer your help to make both the planning and the program a success. If you can help distribute copies of our press release via Email, snail mail, or physically putting up copies in your community ... if you can make your ASSC chapter members aware of our workshops this year ... if you can come out to Santee State Park on Thurs. (Sept. 30 ) or Fri. (Oct. 1) and help get the workshop locations and the Lantern Tour ready ... if you like people (and archaeologists) and are willing to accept different assignments between 8:30 AM - 4 PM in our Main Admissions area on Saturday (Oct. 2) ... please let us know.

The Park is located off I-95 and SC Hwy. 6 near the towns of Elloree and Santee, SC. For more information contact Festival Coordinator Lesley Drucker at lmdrucker@earthlink.net or Nena Rice at (803) 777-8170.