ZORA! Festival 20th Anniversary – January 20 – 25, 2009
The organizers of the annual ZORA! Festival are gearing up for a commemorative 20th anniversary with two big announcements: 2009 festival dates, January 20 – 25, 2009 and the announcement that the highlighted weekend street festival, renamed the Outdoor Festival of the Arts, will be free and open to the public all weekend, Friday, January 23 – 25, 2009.
“In keeping with the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston and her desire to bring the finest arts and cultural programming to the masses, we are pleased to announce the 2009 Outdoor Festival of the Arts will be free and open to the public,” said Johnny Rivers, board president of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (PEC), organizers and presenters of the festival.
To celebrate this milestone anniversary, ZORA! Festival has a slate of entertainers and artists lined up to commemorate this special event. Morris Day and the Time will perform at center stage on Saturday, January 24 at the Outdoor Festival of the Arts (3pm). Sunday’s center stage entertainment will feature a Battle of the Gospel Choirs Competition and more “Day of Praise” festivities. Open to all gospel choirs, the winning choir will be featured on Dr. Bobby Jones’ gospel television show. The festival will also feature noted poet Sonia Sanchez along with noted visual artists Lonnie Graham, Rick Lowe and Therman Statom who will each present their artwork at the festival. The festival will also present a special youth talent stage where school aged children will present song, dance, step and stroll performances throughout each day, along with a jazz stage, health village and more! The event culminates with a gala dinner, where Dr. Maya Angelou will be the honored guest.
The Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities is held in venues throughout Orange County, with the Street Festival of the Arts held in Eatonville, Florida, the nation’s oldest incorporated African American municipality, established in 1887. This multi-disciplinary, multi-day celebration of the arts and humanities is organized and presented by The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.), a membership-based, tax exempt, historic preservation organization established in 1988. The festival has been a celebrated event of the Central Florida community since 1990 and annual attracts over 50,000 locals and tourists. The festival is named in honor of the 20th century charismatic literary figure, Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), the dominant female voice of the Harlem Renaissance. The festival also celebrates the historical significance of her hometown, Eatonville, as well as the cultural contributions people of African ancestry have made to the United States and world culture.
A schedule of events is available at www.zorafestival.com. For further information, please contact
(407) 647-3131; [email protected].
