Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 15, for the 33rd annual Adams County Heritage Festival. Last year, folks were surveyed to see what keeps them coming back to the Festival year after year to celebrate ethnic and cultural variety in our community.
The biggest answer was “Food” – glorious food! Many fan favorites are returning, as well as new additions: Creative Crepes, Eurobites, 7 Spices Doner Kebabs, Tata’s Kitchen, EJ Smokehouse, Rita’s Concession, and Victoria’s Bakery. Of course, Ice Cream and Coffee, too. There will be something for everyone, including those with curious taste buds. Hungry festival-goers cannot possibly go away hungry.
The next big draw is music. This year’s Main Stage performers will be Clann Redmond, bringing Irish tunes at 12:15, the Native American performing group Gray Cloud Singers at 1:10, and Mariachi Esmeralda at 2:10. Closing out the afternoon will be the rousing Brownsville Gospel Singers at 3:10.
Cultural Ambassadors representing many countries will set up Passport Booths to share their cultural traditions and languages. Look for neighbors to share information from around the globe—Czech Republic, Iran, Germany, Timor Leste, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Ireland, and many others. Where have you been in this big world of ours? Come spend a Sunday afternoon exploring the globe in four hours. Kids can pick up Passport booklets and collect visa stamps.
Another highlight has always been the family fun activities geared not just for children but the young at heart as well. Annie Byrne will be back with her top-notch art projects for children. This year, the Create and Take project will be a colorful personalized fabric piece with a tree theme. Ricky Czar will bring his percussion expertise to entice folks to learn some beats and gather around a drum circle. All over the world, drums reinforce unity within a community. The heartbeat of humanity is expressed through percussion.
Dave Crowner is inviting dog owners whose pets have international origins to come out and enjoy the festivities. We have a French Bull Dog and a German Shepherd eager to participate. If your pooch qualifies (Welsh Corgi, Irish Wolf Hound, Siberian Husky, Tibetan Mastiff etc.!), please contact Dave at dandpcrowner@comcast.net
The place to be on Sunday, September 15th, from noon to 4 p.m., is the Gettysburg Area Rec Park. The YWCA and the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice are co-sponsoring FREE fun for all.