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The Cambridge River Festival has always been a community effort.
Sponsored by the Cambridge Arts Council ~ the official city agency
responsible for public celebrations ~ and supported by funding from
the City of Cambridge and area businesses, the festival has relied
on an army of volunteers and performers to come to life each year.
Long-standing traditions will return. A street parade will weave
through neighborhoods in Cambridge as a prelude to the festival,
coaxing Cantabridgians to journey down to the river.
A special effort is being made to reach out to schools and community
groups, encouraging
grass-roots participation. A new element this year will be a water
procession which will herald the opening of the festival along the
shore, serving as a dramatic beginning for a performance art piece
involving a collaboration between artists, boating enthusiasts and
volunteers.
Musical Smorgasbord
Three stages of music will allow festival-goers to sample folk,
jazz, world and gospel. Mixing it up every hour, music lovers can
settle at a single stage and hear a cross-section of styles and
cultures or hop from stage to stage to wallow in their favorite
genre. The lineup by stage is:
Think Stage ~ JFK St. & Memorial Drive
12pm Cordero - Latin influenced indy rock
1pm Zoe Lewis - Worldbeat vaudeville
2pm Flava Orchestra - Afro-Latin dance music
3pm Holly Figueroa - Alternative country,
folk
4pm The Sofferman Perspective - Original
modern jazz
5pm Koliba Jazz Afro-pop with contemporary
style
Host: Al Davis ~ Jazz Gallery ~ WGBH 89.7
Reflect Stage ~ across from Plympton St.
12pm Preacher Jack R&B, Rockabilly, New Orleans & gospel
1pm Teresa Ines Quintet - Brazilian roots and jazz improv
2pm Peter Mulvey - Edgy folk-rock
3pm The Resophonics - Bluegrass-esque original music
4pm Sali Oyugi & Karma Simba - East Afro-beat with a touch of
funk
5pm Jason Moran & the Bandwagon Complex - modern jazz
Hosts: Eric Jackson ~ Eric in the Evening ~ and Bill McDonough
~ WGBH 89.7
Dream Stage ~ by the Weeks Footbridge
12pm Silver Leaf Gospel Singers - All male choir, together for over
50 years
1pm Moussa Traore & Timinandi - West African drumming and dance
2pm El Trio de Hoy - Spanish gospel quintet
3pm Semenya McCord - Jazz standards
4pm Just 4 Praise - High energy gospel choir
5pm Eddie Kirkland - Blues legend
Hosts: Ellen Kushner ~ Sound & Spirit, Steve Schwartz
~ Jazz from Studio Four and Brendan Hogan ~ Blues on WGBH
~ WGBH 89.7
Reflecting the World
For several years, the Cambridge River Festival has featured Folk
& Traditional Arts as a way to celebrate the diverse cultural
heritage of Cambridge citizens. New this year, the Cambridge Arts
Council has been working with the Cambridge Public Schools to offer
workshops, performances and demonstrations to their students. Starting
in the month of April, folk artists have worked with students at
four schools, teaching the cultural origins of their traditional
arts or crafts. Students are being encouraged to learn a craft that
they can share with festival-goers. These residencies will also
be showcased at the Family Stage at the festival:
Family Stage ~ near Plympton St.
12pm Deborah Mason Dance Co. - Tap-dancing showstoppers
12:30pm Jam'nastics - Hip-hop youth troupe
1pm Chinese Culture Connection - Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts
Association - demonstration
and mini workshop
2pm Wampanoag Nation Dancers - Native American songs and dance,
& Tobias Vanderhoop
Aquinnah - Wampanoag creation story
3pm Rosalba Solis and La Piñata - Latin American songs and
dance
4pm Navarasa Arts Academy - Traditional Indian Bharatanatyam dance
5pm Masque Theatre Co. "Animan"- magical mask transformations
Hosts: Sue Krantz ~ Fletcher Maynard Academy & Laura Glascott
~ Emerson College
Creative Kids
A major effort has been made to involve kids teaching kids at this
year's activity area. Participating schools are: AMIGOS, Fletcher
Maynard Academy, the Haggerty School and the Longfellow School.
Students, working with visiting artists, have learned traditions
from China, Puerto Rico and the Wampanoag Nation. The Cambridge
Arts Council has invited the schools to bring what they have learned
to the festival. Students have been encouraged to parade their crafts
in the street procession, offer art-making activities and perform
with the artists.
AMIGOS Chinese
opera masks
Fletcher Maynard Academy Chinese brush painting
and Vejegante Masks
Haggerty School Creation story of Aquinnah
Wampanoag painted on canoe
Longfellow School Tree of Life decorated with Chinese
paper folding
Other featured activities:
ZOOMdos
The WGBH national public television program geared toward kids ages
7 to 11 is noted for activities submitted by kids for kids. WGBH
outreach staff will train 30 students from the Cambridge community
on how to do three art-making activities. Those 30 children will
in turn teach festival-goers.
Museum of Science
MOS will bring their mobile activity van with three activities geared
towards arts and culture to offer interactive opportunities for
kids of all ages.
Build It Yourself
Model boats will provide an opportunity for kids to participate
in the Charles River themed events - a special focus to acknowledge
the beautiful site of the festival.
Wampanoag Dolls
Corn husk dolls are a traditional craft that will be offered following
the Wampanoag Nation Dancers performance.
Close Encounters of the Canine Kind
A new feature for dog-lovers: Demonstrations of dog agility by the
Animal Rescue League, Dog Dancing, State Police Rescue Dogs, Dog/Owner
Look-Alike Contest judged by Cambridge's own Animal Control Officers
and much more to entertain the two footed and the four footed.
Dancin' in the Streets
Movement and culture: three distinct dance troupes will show how
dance communicates and invite the audience to participate. Fantezi
Kreyol is first up at 1:00pm -- Haitian dance, music and gorgeous
costumes. Boston Lykeion Ellinidon will showcase Greek folk dancing
at 3:00pm. And FlipSide brings sassy and smart modern dance at 5:00pm.
It's a street festival -- no stage, no ceremony, just the joy of
movement.
SplashDance
A water procession leads off a celebration of the Charles River.
Dozens of volunteers are working together to create a pageant of
visual and performing art. The wide array of watercraft that ply
the Charles will be represented ~ a dragon boat, gondolas, canoes,
kayaks and more ~ and decorated canoes paddling in formation. The
theme will take different forms throughout the day ~ canoes in the
street parade, a stately procession down the waterway, and a choreographed
"boating ballet" performed by volunteers.
Street Art
For the third year, the Cambridge Rotary Club will return to bring
the colorful tradition of street chalk art to Cambridge. Chalk on
the Walk involves professional chalk artists who transform the surface
of Memorial Drive into a colorful palette of whimsical and beautiful
art.
The ever-popular Magnetic Poetry Wall will beckon folks to fashion
their own deathless odes, fabulous prose and thoughts about today
and tomorrow. Festival-goers are known to visit the Poetry Wall
repeatedly throughout the day to enjoy the evolving literary creations.
And the always opinionated and thoughtful Cambridge residents use
the wall to express their feelings about truth, justice and the
American way of life.
Celebrating Community
The River Festival would not have lasted for 25 years without substantial
support from an army of volunteers, Cambridge employees and City
departments. Special recognition will be made of people who have
kept this tradition alive and thriving through the years. State
Senator Jarrett Barrios, Mayor Michael Sullivan and other public
figures will present recognition awards throughout the day at each
stage. A reminder that we all get by with help from our friends.
Sponsors
and Supporters
As always, the Cambridge River Festival depends on generous support
from the business community.
Festival Sponsor: Novartis Institutes
for BioMedical Research, Inc.
Site Sponsors: City
of Cambridge
Harvard University
Metropolitan
District Commission
Major Sponsor: Equal
Exchange
Media Partners: WGBH 89.7 ~
Boston's NPR Arts & Culture Station
Community
Newspaper Company
Activity Sponsors: Citizens Bank Foundation
Fleet
Bank
Harvard
University
Sunfield
Foundation
Additional support: Bank of America
Cambridge
Health Alliance
Comcast
Kellogg's
Propel
In-Kind Support: Cambridge Yacht Club
Charette
The
Charles Hotel
Charles River Canoe & Kayak
City Paint & Supply Co.
Death
Wish Piano Movers
Forest
City Realty
Funnoodle,
Inc.
Hyatt
Regency Cambridge
Jeana's
Dirty Dog Salon
LaCarte Catering
Middle
East Restaurant
Pearl
Paint
Picante
Poland
Springs
Real
Pizza
Sew-Lo
Discount Fabrics Inc.
M.
Steinert & Sons
WUMB
Parade
Long-standing traditions will return. A street parade will weave
through neighborhoods in Cambridge as a prelude to the festival,
coaxing Cantabridgians to journey down to the river. Starting at
University Park, a new public space, the parade will wend through
the Riverside and Cambridgeport neighborhoods to launch the festival
and invite residents to join in the fun.
Quick Facts
What: A one-day celebration of the arts along the
banks of the Charles River
· Hundreds of entertainers
performing on four stages and roving arts experiences
· Parade roaming through Cambridge
· Art-making activities
· Over 100 specialty food purveyors
and craftspeople
Where: On the banks of the Charles River, along one
mile of Memorial Drive between JFK Street and Western Avenue
When: Saturday, June 14, 2003 ~ 12:00 Noon to 6:00
pm ~ Rain or Shine!
Attendance: 100,000+ annually
Admission: Event is free
Producer: Cambridge Arts Council - an award-winning arts
agency founded in 1974
More
Special Activities -- click here!
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The Cambridge Arts Council (CAC) was recently recognized with the
2003 Commonwealth Award in the category of "Community."
Chosen by a committee of arts and business leaders gathered by the
Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Commonwealth Award is given
to an organization or individual that has significantly integrated
the arts, humanities or sciences into a community. Established in
1974, the CAC is the official arts agency for the City of Cambridge.
CAC's mission is to ensure that the arts remain vital for people
living, working and visiting in Cambridge.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Photographs are available on request.
Contact information for interviews can be provided.
Additional information is available by contacting:
Media Relations: Melissa Phegley, 617-349-4380
melissaphegley@hotmail.com
Producer: Jane Beal, 617-349-4381
jbeal@CambridgeMA.gov
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