The Adams County Heritage Festival invites your help. The festival, whose motto is “Sharing and appreciating the cultures of Adams County through music, food, and art … a celebration of unity in our community,” is the county’s only multicultural festival. Founded in 1992 by the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice and now co-sponsored by the YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County, it is now in its 33rd year. Plans are already well under way for this year’s festival, Sunday, September 15.
But we need your help to continue into our 34th year and beyond. Though it takes many volunteers to make the festival happen, the bulk of the planning—lining up performers, food vendors, craft vendors and demonstrators, laying out the grounds, doing promotion and publicity, etc.—is carried out by a small committee whose median age is 70.
Do you or your organization believe in the importance of a festival that celebrates the diverse heritages that make us one community? Are you willing to devote some time and energy to it? The committee hosted a community meeting on March 12 and is planning a follow-up meeting on March 26. If you would like to be part of the future of the festival, please contact Bill Collinge, committee chair, at achf@icpj-gettysburg.org or leave a message at 717-334-0752.
The Adams County Heritage Festival planning committee and interested community members convened on March 12 to deliberate on the festival’s future and discuss strategies to enhance its community impact.
Chaired by Bill Collinge, the meeting saw active participation from various community stakeholders, reflecting a collective endeavor to sustain and enrich the festival’s legacy.
Established in 1992 by the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice (ICPJ), the Adams County Heritage Festival is a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity, featuring music, food, and arts. Scheduled for September 15, 2024, the festival continues to foster unity within the community, despite financial constraints and an aging core committee.
The meeting explored numerous facets of the festival, with discussions centered around performers, food offerings, arts and crafts, children’s programs, and ways to better represent cultural diversity. Key points included enhancing the variety of performers to represent a broader cultural spectrum, reevaluating food vendor strategies to prevent long lines and shortages, and considering a potential rebranding to more accurately reflect the festival’s ethos.
Food was highlighted as a pivotal attraction, with suggestions to diversify offerings and possibly include alcohol, pending insurance consultations. The arts and crafts segment emphasized the need for broader representation of cultures, while discussions on cultural diversity stressed the importance of continuity and community engagement.
Future sustainability emerged as a critical theme. The aim is to attract a wider demographic, including teenagers, and ensure the festival’s enduring relevance and appeal.
The meeting concluded with a call for increased community investment and participation to ensure the festival’s longevity, echoing the sentiment that collective effort is essential for its success. A follow-up meeting is anticipated to further refine these strategies and continue the festival’s legacy of celebrating Adams County’s cultural richness.
Collinge expressed gratitude to all attendees for their valuable insights and reiterated the ICPJ’s mission to promote peace, justice, and multiculturalism, underlining the festival’s role as a cornerstone in achieving these ideals.