Spady Museum

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – In celebration of Black History Month, The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum is hosting a free cultural festival on Feb. 17.

Spady Fest, formerly the Spady Living Heritage Festival, is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Music, food, demonstrations, games and cultural activities will be provided throughout the complex of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, 170 NW Fifth Ave., Delray Beach.

New for this year, an original theatrical performance created and directed by writer/director Darius Daughtry, in collaboration with rapper/lyricist Jamal Jones. Daughtry and Jones will guide poems, monologues, and scenes written and performed by youth from the Delray Beach area. To prepare, the youth have participated in weekly Artists in Residence programs with Milagro Center and Knights of Pythagoras.

Also new for this year is Orisirisi African Folklore of Winter Garden, who will perform Moonlight Stories and Drum Sermons. Moonlight Stories is a child-centered recreation of the Africanstorytelling tradition, inclusive of mesmerizing drumming and dance, spirited call-and-response songs, and fun-filled audience participation. The audience will meet Dog and Turtle, The Wolf and The Three Kids, Anansi and His Six Sons or other characters.

Drum Sermons is a celebration of music that recounts its origin and makes clear how it came to live in our hearts. This informative yet entertaining African adventure is inclusive of stories from the far corners of the African continent, spirited drumming, dance, and song, hand drumming instruction, an introduction to some of Africa’s most-popular instruments, and a healthy dose of the obligatory African tradition of audience participation.

Art Nest of Delray Beach will be on-hand to help children paint their own rendition of the Harlem Renaissance Window Scene. Art supplies and instructors will be available to help with the art creation, which will be displayed on the fence surrounding the Spady Complex.

The festival is part of the museum’s Black History Month theme, which is recognizing the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum is the only museum in Palm Beach County dedicated to sharing the African, Haitianand Caribbean-American cultural contributions to Florida and the U.S. Museum Hours: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission: $10; Members are free. For more information, call 561-279-8883 or visit www.spadymuseum.com.

IF YOU GO:

What: Spady Fest

When: Feb. 17, 2018; 2-6 p.m.

Where: 170 NW Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444

Admission: Free