For thirty-two years, a small committee of individuals linked with the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice and, more recently, the YWCA has managed to produce a community celebration regarded as one of the area’s highlights. With the goal of encouraging all parts of our community to rub elbows with each other, the Adams County Heritage Festival features outstanding music and dance performers, an array of ethnic foods, and a host of non-profit booths. At the suggestion of some participants, we’ve added country displays and a passport program. HABPI sponsors an annual bicycle parade for children, and a special area for children’s crafts is an important part of the Festival.
Having survived the pandemic and a chilling rainstorm in the last few years, Festival organizers find themselves at a crossroads. For one thing, new faces are needed on the Planning Committee. For another, we want to know whether the community truly values a multicultural festival like this one. Would you like to see it continue? If so, what changes should we make? How can we make the Festival truly representative of our county beyond featuring ethnic musical performances and cuisine? Currently, we are generously funded by grants from the Hoffman Charitable Endowment Trust, the Arts Council, and the Rice Family Foundation. Every year, grant proposals are written to ensure adequate funding for the Festival. Are there other approaches to funding that would make more sense?
In order to find answers to these questions, we have initiated a multi-pronged attempt to reach organizations and individuals who have a stake in the Festival. Some folks have already received in their online mailboxes or through social media access to a survey link (https://forms.gle/GxVcLntzmv6ZnUkr6) that will tell us what you truly like about the Festival. All responses to the survey will be considered. We’ve also scheduled an in-person meeting for Tuesday, March 12, at 4:30 p.m., at the YWCA, where we hope to hear from you in person about what the Heritage Festival means to you and how we can best put together a strong community Festival going forward. We also hope to identify individuals with a combination of passion and expertise who can build on the work of past years.
When the Festival was founded, it was on hope and prayer. We had no money, but we did have committed people who wanted to make it work. You may know the story of that first Festival when it rained, and the entire event took place under the Firemen’s Pavilion. Because we were literally on top of each other, one group of performers left because another band was too loud. We were not off to a great start. But we persisted, with the help of local musicians who played pro bono, as well as local craftspeople and food vendors who were willing to pay for the opportunity to sell their wares. We gradually grew larger and, thanks to grant funding, were able to hire out-of-town performers.
Is it worth continuing? We think so, but we’d like to know what you think. We hope you’ll join us on March 12 to share your feelings and ideas. We need to know whether a multicultural festival is what this community needs and wants. And we need to know whether you want to be a part of it.
Story Source: Janet M. Powers, Adams County Heritage Festiva.