July 2007

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Heritage Festival 2007 Promises Superb Entertainment
by Jan Powers

Although weeks remain before the 2007 Adams County Heritage Festival, scheduled for Sunday, September 16, from noon until 5 p.m., it’s not too early to mark the date on your calendar. Another exciting afternoon of entertainment, quality children’s activities, delicious ethnic food, and informative non‑profit information booths is in the offing. You won’t want to miss this one if you love great music and good food!

The Festival will open at the Gettysburg Recreation Park, as usual, with bagpiper Rodney Yeaple, who will process around the Festival grounds with familiar tunes from the British Isles. An opening invocation and proclamations from local authorities will follow.

First off with a longer gig will be Zorzal, a seven‑member group featuring vocal and toe‑tapping instrumental music from many centuries all over the Americas. Led by composer Lynn Gumert, now of New Jersey, some of the musicians, including Catharine Roth, Tim Sestrick, Edie Sarnoff, and Marta Robertson, hail from the Gettysburg area.

The Yong Han Chinese Lion Dance Ensemble, a group bringing together students from John Hopkins University and young people from the Baltimore Chinese community, will perform at 1:15 p.m.. They promise to take their giant beast around the Festival grounds, including a brief stop at the Children’s Area.

Following the Lion Dance at 1:45 p.m. will be exquisite African American spirituals and gospel songs by Jessica Gondwe, graduate of University of the Arts in Philadelphia and soloist with the Sight and Sound production “In the Beginning.” A Gettysburg High School grad, Jessica is the daughter of Sara Gondwe and the late Dr. Derrick Gondwe.

Under the direction of Strawberry Hill, children of El Centro will entertain briefly at 2:15 with a song about our responsibility to protect the local watershed. At 2:30, the young people of Generación Diez will once again perform authentic Mexican dances with their colorful costumes and spirited choreography.

Americana and contemporary folk music, as well as bluegrass and country, will be on the agenda when Voxology takes the stage at 3:15 p.m. A trio which played at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Voxology has released three CDs, featuring two guitars and close vocal harmony.

A play, Don Quixote, for children and all ages, will begin on the amphitheatre stage at 4 p.m., performed by Touchstone Theatre, in a joint project with the Adams County Arts Council. Always a favorite, the story of Don Quixote and his faithful servant Sancho Panza will delight the hearts of young and old in this professional production.

Although Heritage Festival entertainment will end at 5 p.m., delicious ethnic food is available to take home at day’s end, in case taste buds still crave Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Southwestern, Pennsylvania Dutch and Chinese food on sale throughout the day. The Festival always lives up to its mission of sharing and appreciating the cultures and unity of Adams County through music, food and art, and this year will be no exception.

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Last updated June 27, 2007

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