Culture

With over 4.7 million acres of farmland, South Carolina has a robust agriculture industry leading to a unique food culture. Delving into this culture, we asked our audience, “What’s a recipe or dish that defines who we are as South Carolinians?,” who then voted for a look into boiled peanuts, South Carolina’s official state snack. Although it wasn’t until 2006 when the South Carolina state legislature designated boiled peanuts as the official state snack , the people of South Carolina have been boiling peanuts since colonial times. Travel down any state road long enough, and you will stumble...

For many, the holiday season is defined by time spent with friends and family. After the difficult, unpredictable year that we’ve had, making new memories and sharing words of appreciation with those that matter most feels like the most fitting way to end 2020. Recognizing that, I’d be remiss if I didn’t use this opportunity to express gratitude to the individuals that matter most to South Carolina ETV and Public Radio – our members. More than 40,000 strong, our membership and their generosity allows us to produce exceptional and informative programming for viewers, not only in the state of...

In Times Like These is a thought-provoking exhibit that showcases artworks created by 20 artists during the first few months of the pandemic. The exhibit is assembled by Greenville-based Hampton III Gallery, the venerable and longest running fine art gallery in South Carolina. Sandra Rupp, the gallery owner, ventured into cyberspace to bring us a multiplatform exhibit. In addition to physically and digitally displaying the twenty sets of artworks in the gallery and online, Rupp presented the artists’ videos and written statements discussing their works on the gallery’s website. This...

An NEH grant project that centers on teaching using local history was awarded to an Upstate University. This project uses the local history of an upstate mill and mill village.

Travelers Rest, SC, has been the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills for over two centuries. It originally served as a quiet and tranquil stopping point that early settlers would use as a resting place before the long, perilous journey through the Smokies. Over time, the base for commuters grew into a town and the name stuck. Travelers Rest has developed considerably since its establishment, but it hasn’t lost its original charm or hospitality. Rosemary Bomar, president of the Travelers Rest Historical Society , says that Travelers Rest, “has always been a small community but now has...

South Carolina has many state symbols from the spotted salamander, the official state amphibian, to milk, the official state beverage. SCETV’s audience voted, wanting to know the scoop on South Carolina’s official state grass. Indian grass, scientifically known as sorghastrum nutans, was designated the official state grass of South Carolina by the state legislature by Act Number 94 of 2001. South Carolina’s state grass is a native grass and can be found in almost every county across the state. Indian grass thrives in full sun and prairie-like conditions, often found on roadsides across the...

Cultivating the Wild focuses on six Southerners committed to reclaiming the nature of the South through art, science and culture. Their inspiration is William Bartram, 18th century naturalist and America’s first environmentalist. From 1773 to 1777, a plant-collecting trip took Bartram from the Carolina coast west to the Mississippi. Far more than a botanical catalog, Bartram’s 1791 book Travels provides a captivating window into the past and continues to fire the imagination of readers over 200 years later. Despite the passage of time, Bartram’s words speak to current issues of critical...

As a year that was unlike any others before it, it’s hard to believe that 2020 is starting to wind down. When this year began, working remotely, social distancing and at-home learning weren’t phrases we used in our everyday vocabulary. But, as 2020 threw us curveballs, we adjusted. And, I’m proud to announce that, this coming January, we’ll be making another adjustment – this time to our largest online assets – scetv.org and southcarolinapublicradio.org. Throughout the last year, our team has worked diligently, often times through virtual meetings and conference calls, to refresh the SCETV...

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the traditions of many families, and Halloween in South Carolina is one of them. Many families have decided not to Trick or Treat this year, and organizations have also changed their Halloween plans. The annual Trunk or Treat event at Columbia's Trenholm Road United Methodist Church had to be cancelled this year, according to Anna Burrell, interim director of children and families ministry. Listen to the story... A production of South Carolina Public Radio. "When I was asking our parents if they wanted to do a Trunk or Treat, a lot of parents did want to...

Roadkill Premieres Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 9:00 pm (ETV) Hugh Laurie (House, Veep, The Night Manager) stars as a scheming politician in Roadkill, a taut, propulsive drama scripted by Sir David Hare (the Worriker trilogy, The Hours). Laurie plays Peter Laurence, a self-made former salesman who has risen to the heights of the British government thanks to a natural gift for populism, all while walking the tightrope of Machiavellian party politics. He’s shamelessly untroubled as revelations about his personal life are laid bare. But beset by enemies who want to take him down, ambitious...