Downtown Harlan is gearing up for MAMAW Fest, on July 27. The festival is a first time event for downtown and is presented by Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Higher Ground program.
According to a press release, MAMAW (Mountains of Appalachia Music, Art, and Wellness) Fest features Appalachian music and arts and will celebrate arts and wellness in Harlan County.
Erica Jellerson, who is working with the Arts for Everybody campaign, talked about the first MAMAW Fest in Harlan during a recent interview.
“It’s really about the impact the arts have on communities,” Jellerson said. “It’s going to be an all-day event in downtown Harlan. There will be musical performances and different art activities for kids and families. Then, there will be a performance of Angels Unaware.”
According to Jellerson, Angels Unaware was written by community members and will be performed by community members.
“It’s a way to bring everybody together,” Jellerson said.
MAMAW Fest is a collaborative effort.
“It’s kind of an amalgamation of different people and organizations,” Jellerson said. “It’s basically a national campaign…fashioned after a play that happened in 1936. 18 communities around the country put on this play on the same day, so the Arts for Everybody national campaign is really following that model. Harlan is going to be one of 18 cities that are putting on some sort of large-scale participatory arts project.”
The event will feature local vendors, musicians, artists, and healthcare providers leading up to the performance of Angels Unaware. Angels Unaware is the 10th production of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Higher Ground program.
The release states events such as MAMAW Fest have a positive impact.
“For example, older adults who participate in the arts report a 48% lower risk of depression and a 44% reduction in dementia; the health benefits of arts participation are equivalent to the benefits of weekly exercise. Participating in the arts reduces stress and loneliness, which are risk factors for a wide range of ailments, including hypertension and heart disease,” reads the release.
MAMAW Fest will include musical performances by Tiffany Williams, A.P. Harbor, Randy Wilson, Mountain Laurels, Red Fox Playa, Cara Coppola, Dru the Drifter, Slut Pill, Geonovah, Bek & The Starlite Review, Jeremy Short, Ben Fugate & The Burning Trash Band, Dakota Saylor, and Wayne Graham. Headliners The Local Honeys will take the stage between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Other attractions include mental health workshops, Narcan Training, narrative medicine, journaling, and a mini play. Local author Robert Gipe will host readings by Olivia Creech, Brandon Sun Eagle Jent, Willie Carver, Anne Shelby, and George Ella Lyon from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
The Higher Ground 10: Angels Unaware Theater Performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
MAMAW Fest is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July, 27, at the Harlan County Courthouse Square. For more information, go to https://www.artsforeverybody.org .
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