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Appalachian Festival: Friday Events

Friday, September 20, 2024 1:00–6:00 PM
  • Location
    FSU Campus
  • Description
    Appalachian Festival Returns to FSU Sept. 19 Through 21 With “Home in Appalachia”

    Frostburg State University’s much-anticipated Appalachian Festival will return to campus for its 19th year Thursday, Sept. 19, to Saturday, Sept. 21. The free, family-friendly event brings together artists and craftspeople to celebrate all that makes the region unique – its history, culture, music and dance, folk arts, food and more – with performances, workshops, displays, discussions and activities. This year’s event focuses on “Home in Appalachia.”

    The Friday symposium features a powerful collection of presentations focusing on the people who have called the Appalachian region home. At 1 p.m., a presentation on the Indigenous Peoples of the region highlights how their traditions continue to influence and inform regional traditions. Next, at 2 p.m., learn about the ethnic diversity that remains relatively unknown in the region – the legacy of the Romani people in Appalachia. From there, at 3 p.m., explore Hagerstown’s historic African American community featured in the documentary, “The House on Jonathan Street.” This one-hour documentary uses the accidental discovery of the significant history of a modest dwelling on a traditionally African American street in Hagerstown, Md., to trace the roots of Middle America’s racial, economic and social interactions.

    Moving forward to contemporary times, the symposium will focus on the impact of outdoor recreation on the region’s quality-of-life efforts. At 4 p.m., join Ashli Workman, director of Tourism for Allegany County, to see how the area’s mountainous terrain provides outdoor adventure opportunities that can assist in reviving the region’s economy. Starting at 5 p.m., the symposium will revisit the community project, “One Vision, Many Voices,” completed 11 years ago. That project, which included the creation of an original song and video, features the voices of project participants. Many of those were students at Beall Elementary at the time. Now, they’re all grown up and making decisions about whether to remain in the region.

    At 6 p.m., the symposium closes with free dinner on the grounds and a performance by the duo Magpie, who worked with regional residents to create the song, “Wherever Rivers Flow.”

    The festival and its programming are sponsored by the Cultural Events Series, 91.9 WFWM, the city of Frostburg, the Maryland Traditions Program of the Maryland State Arts Council, Frostburg State University, the FSU Foundation, FrostburgFirst, Weis Market and Friends Aware.

    For more information, visit the festival’s website at www.frostburg.edu/events/afestival.
  • Website
    https://events.frostburg.edu/event/appalachian-festival-friday-events
  • Categories
    Special Events

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