41st Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival On the National Mall, Washington, DC
June 27-July 1 and July 4-8, 2007
Open daily 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Evening events 6 p.m.

By exploring the roots of Virginia's contemporary cultural traditions and discovering how "the past is present," The Roots of Virginia Culture will mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. The program will bring to Washington performers, artists, musicians, dancers, storytellers, cooks, farmers, and craftspeople to help explain, demonstrate, and celebrate cultural traditions. Delegations from Virginia's eight Native American tribes, West Africa, and Kent County, England, will represent the Native, African American, and English roots of the state. Fruit growers and wooden boat builders from Virginia and Kent; peanut farmers and pottery makers from West Africa and Virginia; and African, Native, and Virginian blacksmiths will work side-by-side. Other participants will sing gospel songs, ballads, blues, and bluegrass; demonstrate horse skills and crafts; discuss historic restoration; and cook with Virginia's products. For the first time, an English county will participate in the Folklife Festival.

This program is produced in partnership with Jamestown 2007 and the Kent County Council. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture is a Smithsonian Institution partner. Lead donors include the Norfolk Southern Corporation, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Verizon Communications Inc., with the Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. as an additional donor.