by Washington Washington
Well, it’s here again… And there’s a ton of stuff going on this year! Below you’ll find a schedule of events leading up to and including the burning of the bird. Part II will focus on the after parties.
As always, for more info on the festival check out www.firebirdfestival.com
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
2 – 3:30pm – John Cassidy and David Smith (Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street) – Magic, mayhem, juggling, and balloon sculptures will prevail as these two take over the theatre. A laugh-a-minute show of juggling, sideshow, and comedy, $7 per person.
3 – 7pm – Local Author Vincent Martino, Jr. will be on hand to sign copies of his recently published book “Around Phoenixville” (Wolfgang Books, 237 Bridge Street)
4pm – Theater of the Stars, holiday marionette show – Fumblefingers the Elf (301 Bridge Street, Creperie building)
4 – 5pm – Local community story teller Dagmar Hoell tells the Lenni Lenape story of transformation “Rainbow Crow” (Wolfgang Books, 237 Bridge Street)
4 – 5pm – Marina Gresham and friends – bluegrass (Phoenix Village Art Center, 207 Bridge Street)
4 – 10pm – Firebird Arts Bazaar (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street) – A diverse selection of our region’s fine artists and artisans. Shop for holiday gifts. Get inspired. Support regional small business
5 – 6pm – Rock & Roll After School performance (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street). Students (ages 8 – 18) in this innovative music school in Phoenixville learn guitar, bass, drums, keys, vocals and Djing. They explore their musical pursuits and learn to write and play their own music! Come check them out!
5 – 6pm – Michael “Cougar” Reddy, long-time singer-songwriter and twelve-string guitarist. (Earth Mart, 235 Bridge Street). His original songs are rooted in folk .He creates intense lyrics, and tells it like it is. Sing-alongs and classic folk covers make him an engaging performer.
5 – 7pm – Paul Wentworth band – folk/fusion guitar (Phoenix Village Art Center, 207 Bridge Street)
6pm - Firebird Improv Orchestra and The Phoenix Myth (Colonial Theatre) – What is this Phoenix story all about? Come here the myth told by Storytelling Irma, known for her interactive storytelling style. She will be accompanied by the Firebird Improv Orchestra – a group of eclectic musicians and instruments from didgeridoos to violins. This show is interactive, spontaneous and fun for all ages.
6pm – The Marionette Theatre of the Stars (301 Bridge Street, Creperie building). Founded in 1997 by Peter and Tina Bruckner, the outfits seeks to bring a magical experience of puppetry, storytelling, and live music to a wide audience of all ages and cultures. $ 5 per person.
6 – 7pm – The Sun Stone Project (Phoenix Karate Center , 224 Bridge Street) – Ecclectic music, with Don on Guitar and keyboard, Dave on Drums and Jim on Harmonica.
6:30 – 7:30pm – Spirit Wing performance, one of the most popular Native American groups in the region (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street). They has been together for ten years, performing at the Philadelphia FolkFestival, Bethlehem Music Fest, New Jersey Folk Festival and many other venues in the tri state area, including performing at the Firebird Festival in Phoenixville since it’sinception. They have been nominated for a Native American Music Award in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Their background is a strong Americana/Folk/Blues sound. Barry Lee of Spirit Wing is the master of Ceremonies
7 – 7:30pm – Firedancers for the Firebird Festival are provided by The Playing Mantis (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street) They’re very excited to be attending this unique and exciting community event, and are looking forward to a great burn! Based out of Wilmington, DE, The Playing Mantis travels the east coast providing fire performance, instruction, and supply. Their featured performers will be: SnapDragon, Mantis, Omni, and Smokey.
7:15pm – The Children’s Procession of Light – Starting from the Colonial at 7:15 pm Children will join the drum parade with handmade paper mache lanterns, lit with battery operated votives, and move into a spiral shape in the parking lot, near the Artisans, for a luminous finale!
7:30pm - Peace Birds – Giant puppets parade and Drumming for Sanity Percussion Ensemble (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street)
7:45pm -Great Quintini – a performance artist and a sculptor. Making costumes and musical sculptures out of found materiels. In his shows he wear costumes, play musical sculptures, and tell humorous stories; acting out the parts that defy words. These stories are often from his life experience.
7:50pm – Raffle draw (find out if you’re the one to light the Firebird) and invocation by Mia Bosna (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street)
7:55pm – Didgeridoo ensemble (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street)
8pm – LIGHTING OF THE FIREBIRD (Firebird Site, 347 Bridge Street) On stage as the Firebird burns – Music by Mystic Song with Lynn Miller’s phenomenal voice and Eric Miller’s fast moving fingers on Guitar and Mandolin, Ramesh Vaghela on harmonium & voice and Ron Kravitz on percussion.
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Firebird Festivities – PART II “The After Parties” coming later this week…
