Gullah/Geechee Heritage Night Set for Friday, August 1

CHARLESTON, SC - The Gullah/Geechee Nation carries a unique culture through centuries of American history dating back to its African roots. The Lowcountry is home to the history of these descendants, their language and crafts, and the Charleston RiverDogs will honor them with a special night.

On Friday, August 1, Gullah Heritage Night will be celebrated at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park while the Charleston RiverDogs host the Hagerstown Suns at 7:05 pm. A special pregame proclamation, officially declaring July 28-August 1 as "Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week," is scheduled along with ballpark displays of Gullah/Geechee quilts, sweetgrass basket makers and local Gullah/Geechees businesses. Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, will also be in the house and will autograph books and CDs throughout the evening.

The Gullah/Geechee people are the descendants of enslaved Africans that came to the Lowcountry during the American Colonial era. The Gullah/Geechee Nation runs down the Atlantic coast, including the Sea Islands, from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL. Famous Americans with Gullah/Geechee roots include First Lady Michelle Obama and the late former Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier.

The RiverDogs have extended a personal invitation to First Lady Michelle Obama to attend the event and be a guest of the ballclub for the evening.

"Throughout the season, we provide our ballpark and our games as a way to support and celebrate the many and various great communities that we have in the Lowcountry," said RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols. "Gullah/Geechee Heritage Night is our opportunity to showcase our appreciation for the Gullah/Geechee Nation and recognize its wonderful history and significant impact to Charleston and the Lowcountry. We hope that Mrs. Obama will be able to attend the event and experience some of the fantastic customs and culture that make up the Gullah/Geechee Nation."

Gullah/Geechee Heritage Night also coincides with the Gullah/Geechee Nation International Music & Movement Festival™ 2014: Reunion, Reconstruction & Revival, which is being held from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3. To learn about the festival and its activity schedule, visit http://gullahgeechee.info/.

Other festivities on Friday, Aug. 1 include the induction of Rob English into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame as well as ISHPI Red Shirt Friday, presented by 103.5 WEZL, with postgame fireworks to close the evening. For more information or to order tickets to any RiverDogs game, visit the Riley Park Box Office, call (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or head on-line to www.riverdogs.com. If fans cannot make it to the ballpark, they are encouraged to tune in to all the action this year both home and away worldwide on www.riverdogs.com and locally on 1250 WTMA, the new radio home for RiverDogs baseball.

--RIVERDOGS--