By T&D StaffFriday, August 22, 2008

It will be a first for Orangeburg – but the man behind the Southern Midlands African Americans Family Reunion is determined it won’t be the last.

The inaugural event, sponsored by Williams Chapel AME Church, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in Edisto Memorial Gardens on the Glover Street side near the disc golf course and boat landing. There is no admission fee.

The reunion is billed as a celebration of African-American culture and will feature plenty of music, food, arts and crafts and people from far and near. While there are no guarantees, more than 400 people are expected to attend, coming from around the region.

Vendors will offer items from arts and crafts to shoes and pocketbooks. Many will offer food.

Some attendees are expected to do things on their own, bringing grills, tents, chairs and blankets.