The rich heritage of the Pennsylvania Dutch will be on display at the 55th Annual Kutztown Festival, which takes place June 26 through July 4 in Kutztown, PA.
The event, recognized nationally as one of the country's outstanding folklife festivals, celebrates the heritage, crafts, folkways and food of the unique Pennsylvania Dutch way of life. (Though popularly known as "Pennsylvania Dutch," this unique group actually has roots in Germany, their name being derived from the German word, "Deitsch.") Each year more than 120,000 visitors come to the festival, which features the nation's largest quilt exhibition and sale, 200 crafts demonstrations, a farmyard, petting zoo, and such delicious food items as funnel cakes, pies and a traditional ox-roast. Entertainment is also a big part of the event, with six stages offering live music. This year an outstanding attraction is LEO, a brass band from the Rhineland region of Germany, the locale from which the original Pennsylvania Dutch settlers emigrated to the U.S. some 300 years ago.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, which includes such popular attractions as Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, the Crayola FACTORY, and the charming communities of Allentown, Bethlehem,l
and Easton.
The Festival is sponsored by the regional government of the Rhineland, the Kommen auf dem Kahlenbusch Museum, the Pennsylvania German Heritage Center at Kutztown University and the German Consulate and German Heritage Center in New York.
For further information on the Kutztown Festival, call toll-free at 888-674-6136, or log on to the website,
www.kutztownfestival.com. Enjoy!