Sunday, June 12

Fête de la Musique

Carrboro, NC

A huge, wonderful music festival will be taking place in Carrboro on Sunday, June 20th, 1999. *Fete de la Musique is a festival of music and friendship that started in France in 1983. Since then, it has spread to more than 80 countries worldwide. Up until last year, only one city in the US celebrated this spectacular event - San Francisco. This past year New York and Carrboro were also recognized as official sites for the festival. The festival celebrates the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

This year's celebration in Carrboro will feature a parade to kick off the festivities. We encourage the public at large to don a half mask (anything more will be stifling this time of the year) and join the parade, which will start at 2:30 pm at Weaver St. Market. We are fortunate to have the incredible Dreaming Dog Puppet Theater participating in this event. The Puppeteers will then perform on the Solstice Stage at 3:00, and again on the West End of the Arts Center at 5 pm. This is the most wonderful puppet show we've ever seen. Don't miss it!

We will have numerous stages, from one end of Carrboro to the other. West Weaver St. will be closed, and renamed "Acoustic Alley" for the day. Any musicians and performing artists are welcome to come, bring their instrument or props and do their thing. If you would like to participate, please fill out a musician registration form and fax it to 968-7737, or drop it by Town Hall or Roots CD and Vinyl. This festival is FREE and open to all. It's being organized by the Carrboro Art Committee and the Town of Carrboro.

The planning committee meets each Thursday evening at 7:30 at Town Hall. We have volunteer opportunities NOW or on the day of the event. For more information on volunteering, e-mail the head of the volunteer committee, Samia Serageldin, at frenchfile@hotmail.com, or click here to fill out a volunteer form. Come and be a part of this great celebration!

We are currently in need of a people transporter for the day of the event. Ideally, we would like something that could move several people, like a little shuttlecar. If anyone knows where we might borrow one, please e-mail Jackie Helvey-Hayes at jackie@carrboro.com or come to the meeting on Thursday and inform the Committee.

*Brief summary of the Fête de la Musique in France and worldwide:

by Elizabeth Boisson

Jacques Lang, French Minister of Culture, created the Fête de la Musique in France in 1982.

Its most important function is to celebrate musical diversity. Being the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice had for centuries been a symbolic date which brought people out into the streets to celebrate. Jacques Lang chose this date to hold the annual Fête de la Musique, which has now spread to 80 different countries. On this day, musicians (both amateur and professional) are invited to perform everywhere in France, in the streets, courtyards, squares and gardens, train stations, churches and museums for free. The festival is based on the principle of free admission, and all events cost nothing to the public. On the day of the Fête, thousands of live music concerts take place, mostly outdoors, given by musicians of all levels and of all styles. Amateurs and professionals are invited to express themselves freely, and each town strives to offer a wide variety of musical styles. Participation in the festival includes not only the musicians, the dancers and other artists who perform during the event, but also the millions of people of all ages and social categories, who peacefully invade the streets on this one symbolic date, and who make up an ideal audience.