Third Annual Sudbury Day to Feature International Performers, Cuisines, and Children’s Activities
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Ellen Gitelman, 617-426-6668
Third Annual Sudbury Day to Feature International Performers, Cuisines, and Children’s Activities on Saturday, September 18, noon-5 PM
SUDBURY, MA: On Saturday, September 18, from noon-5:00 PM, Greater Boston residents can virtually go around the world in five hours at the Third Annual Sudbury Day Festival in Sudbury Center (intersection of Route 27 and Concord Road). This celebration of world culture for people of all ages features two stages of free international performances, ethnic food sold by area restaurants, exhibits by community organizations, artisans, and hands-on children’s activities and crafts. Admission is free, and it is open to the public. The day’s activities include:
Main Stage Performances:
Noon Etienne, the Sorbonne-educated comedian and acrobat whose blend of circus and charisma is pure magic! Performing amazing stunts with European elegance, he dazzles with his dexterity and touches the heart with his humanity.
1:00 Celia Ayala y Su Ballet Folklorico Cultural is Boston’s leading exponent of Puerto Rican bomba music, whose roots can be traced back to the drumming of West African slaves brought to the coastal areas of Puerto Rico during the 17th and 18th centuries. Bomba has been called “a meeting between the drums and the dancer.”
2:00 Four on the Floor is a unique quartet of Cape Breton Celtic step dancers. The dance, which originated in Scotland, features quick, intricate steps that are choreographed to Celtic fiddle music. Most recently Four on the Floor has been seen with Grammy-nominated fiddling sensation Natalie MacMaster.
3:00 Great Meadows Morris and Sword is a group of high school-age students from the Greater Boston area who perform traditional English morris and rapper sword dances, which was developed during the 19th century in the mining villages of Newcastle. It is performed by five dancers connected together in a ring by holding onto flexible metal “swords,” known as “rappers,” with handles on both ends.
Angkor Dance Troupe performs classical or court dance, which is considered by many to be a universal symbol of Cambodian culture. The dance form is particularly meaningful for postwar Cambodians as they work to reclaim and rebuild a treasured heritage.
4:00 After their rousing performance last year, Rumbafrica returns with its toe-tapping Soukous music and dance of the Congo. Drawing on the rich culture of Africa, the original music and dance convey a message of peace with original songs in French, Swahili, Tshiluba and English.
Children’s Pavilion Audience Participation Performances
Have you always wanted to hula? Well, here’s your chance to learn hula, salsa, and a whole lot more. Every hour our experts will teach you something new!
International Food Pavilion
Some of the area’s best ethnic restaurants will sell food and beverages throughout the event including: Acapulco’s of Sudbury and Framingham (Mexican), the American Legion of Sudbury (hamburgers and hot dogs), Little Pusan of Maynard (Korean), Oishii Too Sushi Bar of Sudbury (Japanese), Pho Pasteur of Chestnut Hill (Vietnamese), Indian Delight of Weymouth (Indian), and Sweet Peppers of Sudbury (Thai).
The Marketplace
With nearly 70 vendors and community organizations in the Marketplace, there’s something for everyone-from hot air balloon rides and moon bouncers to photos of Asia and denim clothing and accessories! Several booths are also offering free crafts for children, and each booth has a country information card that provides answers to the exciting Continental Scavenger Hunt. Visit the Sudbury Day Information Booth or the Children’s Pavilion for a complete list of vendors and their corresponding countries and crafts.
Continental Scavenger Hunt
Children can embark on an adventure and learn about the world around us by participating in the Sudbury Day Continental Scavenger Hunt. Kids pick up scavenger hunt sheets at the Sudbury Day Information Table and then find the answers to all ten world fact questions at the Marketplace. Everyone gets a prize just for entering, and one person will receive the grand prize of an atlas and world encyclopedia from Usborne Books. There are also many other runner up prizes from area businesses.
Children’s Pavilion
The popular Children’s Pavilion returns this year with a whole new set of adventures. With passport in hand, children can set out on an expedition to explore the far corners of the world. They can discover rare gems, get their picture taken in the Australian Outback, play Olympian games and more! Admission is $10 per child, which includes participation in seven individual activities (Olympian Games, Polar Blast, Thunder Down Under, Out of Africa, Pacific Islands, Far East, and Discover America) and a keepsake “passport”. Special thanks to Marybeth Sherrin and her company, PartyRoundtheWorld.com, for sharing this unique program with the festival each year.
Masonic Child Identification Program (CHIP)
The Lincoln Masonic Lodge in cooperation with the Massachusetts Dental Society, the Sudbury Police Department, and many local volunteers invite children age 18 and younger to participate in a free, comprehensive Child Identification Program, Sudbury’s first ever. Overseen by Officer Rocky Corrando, each child will receive a brief videotape interview, fingerprinting by police personnel, and a Toothprint made by professional dental personnel. Materials are given to parents for safekeeping; no copies are kept on file. It is estimated that over 195,000 children have already participated in Masonic Child Identification Programs (CHIP) throughout Massachusetts.
Sudbury Day is made possible in part by grants from the Sudbury Cultural Council and the Sudbury Foundation. Additional major sponsors include Emerson Hospital, Marlborough Savings Bank, PartyRoundtheWorld.com, Shaw’s Supermarkets, Sudbury Farms, Thunder Sporting Goods, Warren Graphics, and Whole Foods Supermarkets.
“The support from organizations like The Sudbury Foundation allows us to make this a unique celebration of the diversity of our friends and neighbors,” says festival organizer Abby Ward. Adds Fredericka Tanner, Executive Director of the Sudbury Foundation, “This event will help engender a spirit of community pride and belonging, which is the primary goal of our grant making.”
Handicap parking is available in the lot behind the Flynn Building or people can be dropped off at the shuttle bus stop on Route 27. Otherwise, there will be absolutely no parking on the grounds of the Sudbury Day Festival itself, including the parking lot behind Town Hall. Parking is available at the following locations with free shuttle buses available to the event from the Methodist Church, Featherland Park, and the Village Green on Route 27, and the Nixon Elementary School on Concord Road.
Click on the following links below for additonal information:
2004 Sudbury Day Festival Schedule
Sudbury Day 2004 Map
Vendor/Exhibitor Participation Form (Acrobat)
Sudbury Day 2004 Volunteer Sign-Up Form (Acrobat)
The event will be held rain (indoors at the Peter Noyes Elementary School, if necessary) or shine. For additional information about the event visit http://sudbury.ma.us/sudburyday