First State Heritage Park at Dover Presents New Events to Complement Old Dover Days May 6 & 7
April 18, 2005
DOVER - The 72nd annual Old Dover Days event this year is being enriched by new and exciting programs-from samba music to rides in a steam-powered wagon-presented free of charge by The First State Heritage Park at Dover.
"Since Old Dover Days coincides with the Park's First Saturday in the First State programs," said project director Elaine Brenchley, "it was a natural collaboration for the Park to contribute a wide variety of new programs and activities to this annual and much-loved event. The Park is bringing musical performances to the Friday evening Art Loop, exciting new activities to The Green on Saturday afternoon; plus, all Park sites are open during Saturday's event."
On Friday May 6 from 4:00-8:00 p.m., many of the Park's partner sites will feature musical performances made possible in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware. From steel band music on The Green, to colonial dancers in the Old State House, to samba at the Delaware Public Archives, the performances will complement the visual arts being presented throughout town by the Old Dover Days Art Loop.
On Saturday May 7 during Old Dover Days, a number of new special events will enliven The Green - including Stanley Steamer cars, the Pyrates Royale sea shanty singing troupe and a sand sculptor recreating the Old State House. In addition, all Park sites will offer tours, exhibits and special programs from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The sites linked by The First State Heritage Park at Dover include Legislative Hall, Delaware Public Archives, the Old State House Museum and other Delaware State Museums sites, and the Biggs Museum of American Art Admission is free.
The First State Heritage Park at Dover is an interagency partnership between the Delaware Department of State, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Economic Development Office. Governor Ruth Ann Minner created the First State Heritage Park Task Force by executive order in April 2004.
For more information about the First Saturday programs in May, call 302-739-1173.
If You Go:
FRIDAY, MAY 6
OLD DOVER DAYS ART LOOP - 4-8 p.m.
WHERE: Lobby of the Schwartz Center
WHEN: 4 - 8 p.m.
WHO: Hear a mixture of guitar, marimba and violin as performed in varying combinations by Chris Braddock, Janka Pernisz, Keith Calmes, and Chuck Fricker
WHERE: The Green
WHEN: 6 - 8 p.m.
WHO: Be transported to the islands with the Royal Palm Steel band and vocalist Ellen Lebowitz.
WHERE: Old State House on The Green
WHEN: 4 - 8 p.m.
WHO: Dover's own Holly Consort and English Country Dancers re-create the spirit of 18th century entertainment.
WHERE: State Visitor Center
WHEN: 4 - 8 p.m.
WHO: Simply Us Ensemble of the Community Singers presents a medley of Broadway musical theater songs.
WHERE: Biggs Museum of American Art
WHEN: 4 - 8 p.m.
WHO: Hear the delightful sounds of the flute wafting through the galleries of this gem of a museum.
WHERE: Delaware Public Archives
WHEN: 5 - 7 p.m.
WHO: Swing Samba Soul performs a repertoire from three genres of popular music: Swing - from the era of the Big Bands and early jazz; Samba - the beat of Brazil and other Latin rhythms; Soul - '50s and '60s R & B. Get ready to dance!
WHERE: Delaware Public Archives
WHEN: 7 - 7:45 p.m.
WHO: The Capital Ringers, a handbell choir made up of people from several different handbell choirs from the Dover area, presents music with a patriotic flair.
SATURDAY, MAY 7
ACTIVITIES ON THE GREEN:
9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.: Sand Sculpture.
Artist George Zaiser will create a miniature replica of the Old State House from sand. Monitor his progress throughout the day!
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.: Pyrates Royale
From their zany beginnings as an improv comedy troupe to their unerring ability to keep audiences hooting in laughter, the Pyrates Royale deliver top-notch musical entertainment with traditional music, sea shanties and English pub songs. A treat for the ears and the funny bones.
9:30 - 4:00 p.m.: Stanley Steamers from the Auburn Heights Collection
No, not carpet cleaners! These are beautiful, early-twentieth century automobiles that are powered by steam, not gasoline. From the largest single collection of Stanley Steamers anywhere, these cars are maintained and cared for by The Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve, a nonprofit organization located along the Delaware/Pennsylvania border. See them parked along State Street and take a ride around The Green in the steam-powered mountain wagon.
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.: Revolutionary War Re-enactors
FIRST STATE HERITAGE PARK SITES:
LEGISLATIVE HALL, Legislative Avenue. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
PHOTO ID IS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY TO LEGISLATIVE HALL.
Interpretive guides will be stationed throughout Legislative Hall from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Visitors can see the General Assembly chambers, the governor's ceremonial office, the portrait gallery of Delaware's governors and military heroes, Jack Lewis murals and Delaware State Museums' exhibit of a selection of items recovered from the De Braak shipwreck.
DELAWARE PUBLIC ARCHIVES, 121 Duke of York Street. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.: DOCUMENTARY MOVIE SERIES
The Army-Navy Screen Magazine - Highlights, 1943-1945.
Supervised by Frank Capra, this film features selections from the bi-weekly news and entertainment short subjects shown before the feature film in all military motion picture theaters during World War II. (52 minutes)
The Bill of Rights Returns Again to Delaware
The "Jewel Box" at the Archives features a return visit of Delaware's copy of the Bill of Rights, Permanently housed at the National Archives, it returned to Delaware in 2003 for the first time since 1789. Through a 25-year agreement with the National Archives, the state's copy of the Bill of Rights will reside in Delaware from December 7 (Delaware Day) to July 4 each year, returning to the National Archives for conservation work during the intervening time.
- Delaware State Visitors Center, 406 Federal Street. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Special Exhibition: Stitches of Art and Comfort: Delaware Quilts, 1740-2002
The American tradition of quilting is celebrated in this display of 100 unique Delaware-made quilts whose colors and patterns provide clues to the history and culture of the state, the region and the nation from the 18th century to the present. Selected from the permanent collection of Delaware State Museums plus eight quilts on loan. - State House Museum, The Green. Ongoing tours 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Museum Square, Bank Lane and New Street. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Johnson Victrola Museum
- Archaeology Museum
- Museum of Small Town Life
BIGGS MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 406 Federal Street. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS:
Delaware Women's Conference Exhibition
A juried exhibition featuring the works of 17 artists in a number of media including painting, photography, collage, and sculpture. The artists are from all three counties in Delaware and include Marjorie Egee of Claymont, Martha Griffin of Seaford, Margaret H. Johnson of Dover, Kim Klabe of Rehoboth, Maria Keane and Eunice LaFate of Wilmington.Art and Poetry
Selected poets were asked to write about works of art in the Museum's collection. The poems are posted next to the artwork that inspired the poetry. The program is made possible in part by a grant from Harry W. and Susan Konkel in memory of Sally Cannon Spotswood.Craft of the Peninsula
A showcase for the work of regional craft artisans, the Artisan Market brings together weavers, furniture makers, glass blowers, ceramicists, metal workers, and many more types of traditional and contemporary craft artisans, reflecting the Peninsula's long and rich tradition of craft production. - BIGGS KIDS 2:00 p.m.:
"Pirates and Parrots!" Special program designed for children ages 5 to 10, with hands-on activities and fun for the whole family! In keeping with the Pyrates Royale performing on The Green, this month's Biggs Kids features paintings of pirates done by Delaware artist, Frank Earle Schoonover. The children will view these paintings, hear an excerpt from a story featuring one of the paintings, and then make a pirate's parrot to take with them.
