Road Reports

Elkton, Maryland Welcomes Key Ingredients

Congratulations to the Historical Society of Cecil County for a fab Key Ingredients: America by Food opening last Friday night in Elkton, Maryland! After a successful six week run at the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum, Key Ingredients is now at its second stop in Maryland. For the Elkton opening, Eric and company did a fantastic job of linking up 17 downtown businesses, galleries, restaurants, bars, even the hospital cafeteria, the "new age" shop, and my favorite, the local (homemade) ice-cream shop!

So with your Key Ingredients cup, you got to see the exhibit at the Historical Society/Cecil County Arts Council gallery and the Historical Society's companion exhibit on farming (incorporating their new touch screen electronic exhibit and kiosk -- made possible by institutional enhancement funds from MHT) and then head off into the streets of Elkton to visit all the other places and sample free food (or beverages) at each stop!  It was great to see hundreds of people of all ages walking around town with the KI gallery guide and a history/food scavenger hunt in hand.

I am including the link to the podcast and blog from the Cecil County Historical Society.  Check it out:

http://www.cchistory.org/media/index_files/podcast.htm

http://cecilhistory.blogspot.com/

Note the background music -- the band at the at the Historical Society is playing an original piece highlighting the food John Smith and crew ate (or didn't eat) as they explored the Bay four hundred years ago.

Contributed by Jean Wortman, Maryland Humanities Council

Celebrating Palauan Heritage on Guam

The Peleliu Club of Guam kicked off its showing of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music with a rousing program, "Palauan Music: A Life of Song and Dance." Palau is a Micronesian nation in an island chain southwest of Guam. Thousands of people of Palauan heritage make their homes on Guam. New Harmonies provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the richness of the music and dance Palauans brought with them to Guam. The exhibition, sponsored by the Guam Humanities Council, and related programs remain on display through September 16 at the Royal Orchid Hotel in Tumon.

 

Dancers perform for more than 200 program participants. Photo courtesy of the Guam Humanities Council

 

Visitors enjoy an excellent local exhibition on the roles of music and dance in Palauan culture. Photo courtesy of the Guam Humanities Council

The online edition of Guam's Pacific Daily News also features a photo gallery from the event at:

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=M0&Dato=20070811&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=811001&Ref=PH

Museum Explores Music Heritage

The Union County Heritage Museum showcases the rich musical heritage of New Albany in an exhibit called Creative Sparks from Union County. The exhbit features local greats, like The Dukes and Ruby Elzy, and demonstrates how the town is connected culturally through music. It is the perfect complement to the Smithsonian's exhibition, New Harmonies Celebrating American Roots Music, brought to New Albany by the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Ruby Elzy, opera diva of the 1930s

The Dukes and local garage bands of the 1960s

-- Contributed by Carol Harsh, MoMS

Festival Celebrates Diverse Music

The Down from the Hills Heritage Music Festival on the courthouse lawn in New Albany, Mississippi, represents the richly diverse music heritage of Union County. Performers include Sacred Harp Singers, Celtic music and Irish dancers, country and bluegrass music, along with champion fiddler Wayne Jerrolds, and national thumb-picking champion Ben Hall. The event is held in conjunction with the Smithsonian exhibit, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, hosted at the Union County Heritage Museum.

Bound Street Celtic Band uses authentic Irish instruments in the performance

Jam session of local musicians at the Festival

Ben Hall, National Thumb-picking Champion

-- Contributed by Carol Harsh, MoMS

Music Inspires Young Artists

As the Union County Heritage Museum welcomes to town the Smithsonian’s exhibition, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, students from New Albany High School study their own rich musical heritage.  Inspired by the likes of Jimmie Rodgers and Robert “Steamboat” Fulton, students created artwork that interpreted the music in a visual format. Winners from the New Harmonies Art Project showed their work at the museum along with the Smithsonian exhibition.

"Train Whistle Blues" by local artist pays homage to the late Robert "Steamboat" Fulton, whose railroad lore and musical "gina-phone" carried him all the way to Johnny Carson's "Tonight" Show.

Senior art project on Jimmie Rodgers

-- Contributed by Carol Harsh, MoMS