FESTIVAL ART CONTEST AND SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ALSO ANNOUNCED

Wednesday August 20th, 2008

Erie, PA (August 20, 2008) – The Erie County Historical Society will host “Erie’s Last Blast of Summer,” the fourth annual Heritage Festival, on Saturday, September 6, at Liberty Park Pepsi Amphitheater. This year’s event includes an Ethnic Marketplace and World Stage which will celebrate the diversity of our region through music, dance, food and crafts.

The Marketplace features several large tents filled with artisans and traditional foods, while the World Stage offers local cultural groups the opportunity to demonstrate dance, music, traditional costume and more. More than twelve different cultures including Italian, Polish, Indian, Chinese and Dinka will perform and share their unique culture.

Erie’s Heritage Festival is a performance venue of Americana and World music performed by musicians from the Erie and Southern Ontario regions. Activities will take place throughout the day at various venues within Liberty Park. The event will feature French & Indian War, Civil War and WWII Military Re-enactors, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Battery C, 1st Battalion and the 107th Field Artillery. Other activities include The Harry T. Burleigh Society’s Underground Railroad Interactive Classroom, Erie Maritime Museum Maritime Heritage Tent and expERIEnce Children’s Museum Tent.

The event will be brought to a close with a Pops performance by the Erie Philharmonic with music director Daniel Meyer. The finale of the Pops concert and Heritage Festival is a spectacular presentation of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever with choreographed cannon fire, church bells and off-shore fireworks launched from behind the stage on Presque Isle Bay.

The Erie’s Heritage Festival is also pleased to announce the winner of this year’s art contest and scholarship. Young artists were asked to create a piece of art for use on promotional materials for the 2008 Festival. Each submission needed to include three recognizable heritage-related icons. The winning artist’s work graces the cover of this year’s program and will also receive a $400 scholarship. This year’s award goes to Bethany Miller for her artwork “Don’t Give Up the Ship.”

Visit www.ErieHeritageFest.com for a complete schedule of the day’s activities.

Erie’s Heritage Festival is a joint venture between the Erie County Historical Society, Erie Maritime Museum, WQLN, VisitErie and Erie Philharmonic. Other major sponsors include Arts Council of Erie, Erie County, Hanes Erie, Inc., Northwest Savings, Springhill Senior Living, Erie Community Foundation, BENSUR Creative Marketing Group and Legion Supply.