Savannah Black Heritage Festival 2017 Begins Today Through February 26

 
 

“Focusing on the Future; Acknowledging Echoes from the Past” is the central theme of the 2017 Savannah Black Heritage Festival scheduled for February 1 – 26, 2017. Each year the festival, which is sponsored by Savannah State University (SSU) and the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs, presents activities for every age and interest. Cultural education and exposure to the performing and visual arts, as well as ethnic cuisine, crafts, fun and family are emphasized throughout the celebration. Great music of every genre, dance performances, national and regional recording artists, local youth talent showcases, historic tours, visual art exhibitions by internationally acclaimed and local artists, the W.W. Law Lecture, spoken word and dramatic productions are all included on the schedule. In addition, educational opportunities are provided through a health and wellness fair, a health walk, culinary arts activities and youth programs.

A special featured activity this year will be the Echoes Walks into Savannah’s African American history. The Walks are scheduled for Saturdays, February 4, 18 and 25. Each Walk will be conducted by one of the three (3) local African American tour company owners and include visits to historic areas in East Savannah, Historic Savannah and West Savannah, sequentially, where events significant to contributions made by African Americans to the history and cultural development of Savannah took place. The Walks will also incorporate a health component in conjunction with “Walk Georgia” where the mileage distance for each walk will be measured for those who want to gain both historical facts and “fitbit” points.

Opening events for the festival will include the traditional dance performance. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble of Denver, CO, will return as the featured dance group for the 28th Annual Festival. A new procedure for admission to the evening dance performance will be employed on a trial basis in 2017. FREE GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS FOR THE EVENING PERFORMANCE WILL NOT BE REQUIRED. THEREFORE FREE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ISSUED AT THE USUAL DISTRIBUTION CENTERS. Admission will be on a first-come, first-seated basis. There will be a limited reserved-seat section for Military families and Seniors which will be released 10 minutes prior to curtain call. On the evening preceding Friday’s public performance, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble will engage the community with a public conversation at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, February 2, Grand Festival Day, a family fun event packed with activities and entertainment, will be held at the Savannah Civic Center on Saturday, February 11, and on Sunday, February 12 the annual Gospel Concert featuring topnamed gospel artists.

The 2017 festival is the 18th one produced by Savannah State University and the 28th sponsored by the City of Savannah. All festival events and activities are free of admission and open to the public.

The entire schedule of events can be found on page 3 and 4.

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