September 2005

return to contents

Festival Features Zydeco, Indian Dance
by Jan Powers

Want to learn what Zydeco is all about? What about tapping your toes to an Irish jig? Any way you like it, the fourteenth Adams County Heritage Festival is sure to please your fancy. The Festival features ethnic food, entertainment, children’s activities, craft demonstrations, a children’s play and non-profit organizational displays. Scheduled for Sunday, September 18, from noon until 5 p.m., at the Gettysburg Recreation Park on Long Lane, the Festival offers free admission, free parking, and free entertainment.

Things will kick off at noon with bagpiper Rodney Yeaple playing music from the Isles, as he has every year since the Festival began. After an invocation and greetings from local officials, Lea Gilmore and Sangmelé will offer 45 minutes of blues and gospel music. An acoustic trio, Sangmelé performs the roots music of the African American experience, featuring the moving vocals of Gilmore, who leads the troupe through a tapestry of spirituals, gospel, blues, folk, and jazz.

At 1 p.m., the classical Indian dancers of the Natya Kala Mandir in Baltimore will present a variety of Bharat Natyam dances in stunning costumes. Their director, Vatsala Srinivas, an accomplished dancer and choreographer, teaches the Tanjore style of South Indian dance, characterized by traditional purity, grace, and vigor. They will be followed at 1:45 by Cormorant’s Fancy, seven talented Gettysburg musicians dedicated to music of the British Isles and Ireland, including a great repertoire of hard‑driving songs, haunting slow airs, and reels.

Young Mexican dancers in traditional costumes, representing Generación Diez, will share the folk dances of their native country at 2:30 p.m. Music from the Louisiana bayous will set everyone to dancing at 3 p.m., when Zydeco‑a‑Go‑Go plays Cajun, zydeco, jazz, and blues on accordions, guitars and rub boards. As part of their Gettysburg gig, funded by Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, the zydeco musicians will also perform briefly at Green Acres as well as the Festival children’s tent.

The Festival ends with a children’s play, “The Little Red Hen Show,” performed in the Rec Park Amphitheatre at 4 p.m. Food booths will continue in operation until 5 p.m. The purpose of the Festival, sponsored by the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice, is to celebrate the cultures of Adams County and beyond through music, food, and the arts. It’s been doing just that for the past thirteen years, with only a few memorable downpours along the way.

The festive event will go on rain or shine this year, just as it always has. Those attending may want to bring chairs or blankets and cash for food or crafts. Otherwise, it’s all free and a good bet for families who can take advantage of a full range of children’s activities for kids of all ages. Oh, and don’t miss the goat‑milking and skate park demos! For more information, call 334‑0752 or visit the Festival website: http://www.icpj-gettysburg.org/festival.htm.

back to top | return to contents

Last updated September 12, 2005

Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice
©2007 All Rights Reserved
Contact the webmaster.