Bastille Day
Celebration in Frenchtown, NJ
Overview schedule ~ Detailed,
printable
events schedule ~ Music
~ Historical Lectures ~ Performances
Frenchtown's 9th Annual Bastille Day Fête
July 14-15, 2007
The 9th Annual Bastille Day Fête, sponsored by the Frenchtown
Business
and Professional Association, will be held on July 14th and 15th (11-6
Saturday and 11-5 Sunday).
The town-wide fête will feature
outdoor/tented events, as well as, in-store activities designed to
appeal to the entire family. Parking on the field next
to the Frenchtown Inn on Bridge Street will be provided by the Frenchtown
Lions Club.
Sponsoring partners for this year's Fête
include Coldwell
Banker Hearthside Mitchell-Williams and Shenberger Insurance
Services with additional children's gifts from Bank of America.
As usual, this year's event wil include Music, Historical
Lectures and other Performances.
Music
Musical highlights will include the annual appearance of
Dave
Rounsaville, a Hunterdon County native, who has appeared both
nationally and internationally since the mid-sixties. As
singer/guitarist and Frenchtown "favorite", Dave's music spans genres
and generations and will feature arrangements that include many
french favorites. Dave will be appearing both days in the
afternoon.
After an absence of several years, Les Boulevardiers,
returns
to perform from 12 to 3 each day on the porch of TD BankNorth, at
the intersection of Bridge & Harrison Streets. The
three person combo, Jerry Rife (reeds), Stephen Kleinman (guitar), and
Erik Vagen (accordion), combine 120 years of professional experience
and have appeared on television, broadway, and in concert halls
throughout the country. Easy on the ear, the music from these top
musicians will provide the right amount of French atmosphere for
strolling, dining, or shopping.
Appearing for the first time, the Hunterdon
Harmonizers bring
their unique American style to this year's French Fête. On
Saturday, two quartets, Untamed (Pat Cerillo, Tom Mariano, Art
Cole, Jim
Maitland) and Chordhouse Steps (Joe Dipaola, Rusty Williams,
Don
Reckenbeil, George Schwerdt) will perform from 12 to 4. On
Sunday, Three Jerseys and a Penn (Al Byer, Ed Kunkel, Charlie
Mohr, Ron Newsom) and Voice Odyssey (John Fiess, Lou Barile,
Max Sabor, Carmen Olivo) will also appear from 12 to 4.
As members of the Society for the Preservation
and
Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing, the Hunterdon Harmonizers
join with
approximately 35,000 other members in the United States and Canada and
pledge to "Keep the Whole World Singing". In addition to
their yearly appearances thorughout the county, the Harmonizers present
an annual Holiday program. This year's event, A Capitol
Christmas, is a musical comedy extravaganza by Thomas Carr with musical
staging by Vida Allworthy and will be held at Hunterdon Central High
School on Saturday, December 1, at 7:30 PM. (Ticket information:
908-806-6683)
Starting at 11:00 A.M., Common Ground, the "up
and coming"
classic rock group composed of 5 teen musicians (Bridger Simmons,
Aaron Payer, Josh Payer, Greg Scheckler, Conor Wright) promises to open
each day's activities with a musical "bang".
Historical Mini-Lectures
Historical Mini-Lectures will be featured under a tented
area located
in the mews/courtyard where Route 12 meets Race Street at the National
Hotel. Speakers, Dr. Lynn Miller, author of
"French Philadelphia - The French Cultural and Historical Presence
in
the Delaware Valley", and Sal DeSapio, Kingwood Township
Historian, will be making presentations concerning historical events in
our area.
At 2:00 P.M., Dr. Miller will cover select topics from
his book which
will be available for purchase and signing; and at 1:00 P.M., Mr.
DeSapio promises to tell us "How Hunterdon County saved the American
Revolution".
Performances
The Mock Turtle Marionette Theater, a unique,
fun-filled
group of
entertainers, features a marionette performance followed by
an interactive puppet-making demonstration. Having performed at
Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Musikfest, this
well-known troup is sure to please both children and adults.
Their performance will begin each day
at 3:30 P.M. and can be seen on the porch of TD BankNorth.
Clown, Brenn Swanson, is a graduate of the
esteemed
Clown College and
has appeared with Barnum and Bailey Circus and in 36 countries
worldwide. She comes to us from special performances in Georgia
for 200 children
diagnosed with Cancer. No stranger to Frenchtown, this stilt-walker is
easily the "tallest" performer on Bastille Day.
 A FREE
outdoor showing
of the film An American in
Paris will
run Saturday evening at 9:00 PM at 12 Bridge Street. Picnics will
be welcome on the grounds after 7:00 PM. Sponsored by The Studio,
Widow McRae House, and Apothecary, this annual "must-see" is one of the
many store-sponsored events for the weekend.
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