Port Washington will once again come together as a community that values creativity, self-expression and the importance of quality creative arts education. HEARTS (Helping Enrich the Arts of Port Washington) sixth annual PortFest Music, Arts and Community Festival will take place on Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rainor shine, on the Schreiber High School campus at 101 Campus Dr.
Update: Due to heavy rain predicted on Saturday, PortFest will take place inside Schreiber High School
Bring a blanket, chairs and spend the day enjoying live entertainment that takes place on two outdoor stages and features an incredible array of live performances including student organizations, local bands and professionals from local dance and music studios. Several of HEARTS 2016-17 grant recipients will be performing, including a performance from Curtain’s Up Alice in Wonderland, Weber’s Woodwinds/Brass Ensemble, the Port Summer Show and the High School Jazz Ensemble. Featured local bands will include the Dave Diamond Band, the Flashbacks and the Jacob Marschall Project.
There will be a variety of fun and family-friendly interactive activities hosted by each of the Port Washington Public Schools and several local community organizations. Get creative with hands-on creative experiences like Make Your Own Flip Flops, Body Art, Tie Dyeing, Mosaic Crafts, Personalized Dog Tags, Paint Your Own Bulletin Board and much more.
One of the largest exhibitions will be the PortFest Art Tent that hosts original artwork by accomplished local artists which will be on display and available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going directly to HEARTS to support their grant programs. Art Demonstrations will include Lawrence Chrapliwy (plein air oil painting), Adam Jonah (interactive art) and Sandy Jo Hyman/Stan Strauss (digital photography). Don’t forget to visit the Silent Auction Tent with over 50 items and experiences to bid on.
Be sure to bring an appetite with Rosie’s Grilled Cheese Truck serving oozing specialties, while Delicacies Deli of Roslyn will be grilling burgers and BBQ. Local favorites, Yummy Gyro and Mole Mole will be serving Greek and Mexican specialties, while Ralph’s Ices will be scooping up refreshing Italian ices in their signature flavors.
Every year, Olga Berest of Berest Dance Center choreographs and designs a fun, creative and inclusive dance experience for the PortFest crowd. Berest is particularly excited about this year, as a traditional Maypole dance will be performed complete with a 10-foot Maypole.
PortFest is proud and thankful for their main event sponsors including Maxons Restorations, the Peter and Jeri Dejana Family Foundation, City Cadillac Buick GMC (don’t miss their vehicle display and exhibition), the Town of North Hempstead and BTDC, Berest Dance Center, Capitol One, Bach to Rock, ARS, Likeable Media, Kid Made Modern and Anton Media Group.
In a time of tight school budgets and emphasis on standardized testing, take a moment to join all of Port Washington to support the pursuit of imagination, inspiration and individual creativity.
Admission to PortFest is free and there will be plenty of free parking throughout the surrounding area and at Schreiber High School.
For a schedule of events, log onto www.pwportfest.org.
To connect with HEARTS, visit www.heartspw.org or www.facebook.com/heartspw or email info@heartspw.org.
