The Historical Society of Kent County is pleased to sponsor the Third Annual Legacy Day on Saturday, August 13, from 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm.
The inaugural Legacy Day in 2014 was a huge success with nearly 1500 people dancing in the street to celebrate Charlie Graves and the Uptown Club where many legendary soul artists performed. Last year 1500 people celebrated the rich history of rhythm and blues as we reminisced about talented local artists, such as Jazz Johnson, the Highlanders, the New Breed, the Rotations, and Black Soul, and local beer gardens. This year’s festivities will honor African-American businesses of the recent and more distant past, reaching as far back as the 1820s. We also will celebrate the rich legacy of a distinguished African-American leader and one of Kent County’s great gentlemen, the Reverend Clarence Hawkins.
The celebration will begin at 5:00 with a parade from uptown to the site of the block party on High Street between Cross Street and Spring Avenue. This year’s parade will feature Chestertown’s own Community Marching Band as well as the usual array of classic cars. Beginning at 6:00 we will enjoy the music of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s as performed by Chestertown’s own Bratcher Project band, consisting of seven instrumentalists led by Vaughn Bratcher and featuring vocals by local legends Sylvia Frazier, Karen Somerville, Lester Barrett, and Wendy Johnson Mitchell. To further recall that era we will dance to music played by the DJ Stansbury. To complete the evening you may choose from a wide variety of food and beverages. The entertainment will last until 10 p.m., and we expect a crowd of approximately 1500 people. A new feature of this year’s celebration will be a workshop on African-American genealogy on the morning of August 13.
The Historical Society of Kent County is honored to salute the generous contributions of numerous co-sponsors, including Chestertown’s Music in the Park, the Kent County Arts Council, the C.V. Starr Center, the Hedgelawn Foundation, the Bennie Smith Funeral Home, the Corner Print Shop, Doug Ashley Realtors, Joey’s Auto Repair, the Finishing Touch, Chesapeake Bank and Trust, and many other local organizations. Please join us on August 13 to enjoy great music, catch up with friends and family, and celebrate an important part of our shared cultural heritage.
Photo by Don Fowler from last year.