10th Anniversary
Admission Button
2007

Akwaaba Drum
and Dance Ensemble

Kung-Tai Tsay
2009

Randy Armstrong and . . .

. . . his collection of instruments
from around the world
2003-2005

SilverPenny Quilting Studio
Merrilyn SanSoucie
2002-2004

Funky Divas of Gospel
2001-2006

Community Weaving Project
with Artist Sarah Haskell
2003

Susie Burke & David Surette
2007, 2010

Timber framer
Arnold J. Graton
2006

The Amazing Combo Sabroso
2005-2006

Indian Dancer Neha Parikh
2007-2008

Black Bear Moon
Drum and Dance Ensemble
2004-2006

Ann Whiting
2004-2005

Boston Lykeion Ellinidon
Greek Dancers
2009

Patriot Fife & Drum
2009

King Ludwig’s Bavarian Band
2003-2006, 2008

Raymond Street
Klezmer Band
2009

TWO: High-Energy Juggling
2008, 2010

Promised Land
2004

Diabolo Demo with the
Chinese Folk Art Workshop
2007-2010

Not Too Sharp
2009

ChangeUp!
Barbershop Quartet
2009

Weaver
Craig Evans
2008-2009

Timber Framer
Tom DeBlauw
2008-2009

Violin Maker
Jim Robinson
2006-2009

Extreme Air Jump Rope Team
2005-2010

Voices from the Heart
2007-2010

photo albums | videos | past participants | past festival web sites

FESTIVAL PHOTO ALBUMS

Heritage Festival 2010
Photos by Adrian Major

Heritage Festival 2009
Photos by Adrian Major

FESTIVAL VIDEO

Heritage Festival 2010
Videography by Chris Williams
Odaiko Taiko Drummers
Voices from the Heart
Akwaaba Drum and Dance Ensemble

Heritage Festival 2009
Videography by Chris Williams
Festival Highlights: Part II
Festival Highlights: Part I

Newmarket Heritage Festival [COMING SOON]
History, Community, Celebration
Watch a 12-minute video about the 5th annual Heritage Festival and the history of Newmarket, including the town’s 275th anniversary birthday party.

PAST PARTICIPANTS

Akwaaba Drum & Dance Ensemble
African
Theophilus Nii Martey, of Manchester, N.H., is originally from Ghana in West Africa, where he began drumming when he was six. Today he is a master of West African drumming and dance and founder of the Akwaaba Ensemble, which bring to life the rich and subtle rhythmic patterns and styles specific to different tribal groups of West Africa. The group’s energetic performances are a reflection of their name, which means ‘welcome’ in the Twi language of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana. more

Amazing “Feets”
French Canadian stepdancer and clogger Ann Whiting has been clogging and stepdancing since 1979. She has danced with the Green Mountain Cloggers and the Kitchen-Sync Cloggers and has studied with many world-class stepdancers. Ann’s group Fresh Blend hearkens back to the traditional sound of a solo dancer expressing herself to the rhythm of fiddle and guitar–becoming one of the instruments herself.

American Flyer Bluegrass Band
Fast-paced fun comes to the festival stage with this acoustic bluegrass band. American Flyer was formed in 2001 by Randy and Denice Filliger. Their performances include classic Bluegrass material, original songs, contemporary Bluegrass selections, and well known songs that they have reshaped into the Bluegrass style. Their backgrounds and experience combine to form the unique sound of American Flyer. more

Randy Armstrong
Randy Armstrong is the co-founder of DOAH World Music Ensemble and The Armstrong•Nahrmann Group, formerly UNU MONDO and leader of the Randy Armstrong Trio. With a collection of over 200 instruments from around the world, he has amazed audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Alaska, Croatia, South Africa and India. more

Bagpipes and Highland Dancing
Scottish
Renowned pipers Gordon and Lezlie Webster have won awards in countless major piping competitions. A former member of the Scots Guards, Gordon was recognized as one of the top pipers in the British Army and served a term as Piper to Queen Elizabeth of England.Co-founders of the New Hampshire School of Scottish Arts in Manchester, N.H., Lezlie and Gordon are passing Scottish traditions on to younger generations–including their children. Campbell and Marielle, who join them on stage for this special family presentation of Scottish music and dance.  more and more
Black Bear Moon Drumming and Dance Ensemble
The Black Bear Moon Ensemble is a group of talented percussionists and singers from the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire who present a unique selection of traditional West African rhythms, songs, and dances. BBM was founded in 1997 by musician, artist, and teacher Dave Kobrenski, who has studied with master drummers both in Ghana, West Africa, and here in the United States. The BBM team of drummers and educators is committed to sharing positive cultural experiences with others. more

Blue Hill Brass Quintet
The Blue Hill Brass Quintet has been delighting audiences throughout New England for over twenty years. Performances feature music of the past five centuries, but even more importantly, they feature a great time for all. more

Susie Burke and David Surette–and Famliy
New England folk
Warmth, vitality, and spontaneity mark the performances of Susie Burke and David Surette, earning them a reputation as one of the finest acts on the lively New England folk scene. Susie’s beautiful, complex voice and David’s graceful, nimble-fingered string playing combine with extraordinary results on their own blend of contemporary, traditional, and original folk and acoustic music. For this year’s festival, Susie and David have put together a special performance featuring their two daughters, Isa (17) and Julianna (14), who have been involved with music and theater from a very young age. Both girls are talented singers and play a variety of folk instruments, including fiddle, guitar, piano, and ukulele. This show will feature a number of songs arranged specially for this foursome. more

ChangeUp! Barbershop Quartet
Celebrating a musical art form originating right here in America, “ChangeUp!” has been creating barbershop harmonies since 2005. Join them after their strolling gig in the workshop tent for a sing-along. No experience necessary!

Chinese Classical Dance
Kung-Tai Tsay is both a talented crafts person and an accomplished dancer. In her craft work, she specializes in the intricate art of Chinese knot tying. (Visit her and learn more in the Children’s Tent.) Her  classical dance, equally beautiful and intricate, is a way to build bridges of understanding between cultures. more

Combo Sabroso
Comprised of some of the best musicians in Boston, the Amazing Mambo Combo plays to packed houses in the New Hampshire seacoast, moving audiences with music steeped in the Afro-Cuban tradition. The band lists as their main influences the ensembles of Latin piano icon Eddie Palmieri and the grand percussionist, Tito Puente. They follow in the tradition of these venerated maestros by incorporating their formula of layering exciting jazz solos over relentless, energetic dance rhythms. Their repertoire includes compositions that range in style from Cha Cha to Danzon, from Bolero to Salsa and Latin jazz. more

Deep  Hole Road
Bluegrass, folk & more
Deep Hole Road, comprised of two couples: Sue & Phil Cassista and Nick & Sharon Pangaro, plays an eclectic mix of string band music ranging from Celtic to bluegrass, old-timey to swing. Mainstreet Music more

Extreme Air Jump Rope Team
Founded in 2003, the award-winning Extreme Air Competition Jump Rope Team performs nationally competitive single-rope, pairs, and double-dutch freestyle routines, original long-rope routines, and group choreographed routines, all to high-energy music. Check out the drop-in jump rope workshop on the waterfront, too (Sat. 10-5). more

Family Sing-Along and Rhythm Workshop
Music teachers Jeanne Russell, Sharon Morton, and Sally Hirshberg offer some musical fun for all ages, based on Music Together, an internationally recognized early childhood music program for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and the adults who love them. The idea behind the program is simple: All children are musical and all children can learn to sing in tune, keep a beat, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture. Music Together classes build on children’s natural enthusiasm for music and movement. more

Fiddler Brendan Carey Block
Twenty-three year-old Brendan Carey Block, the fiddler for the acoustic quartet, Annalivia, began playing fiddle at age ten and has been performing professionally for more than 12 years. Brendan has been called one of the finest and most dynamic young fiddlers in the country. Brendan’s energetic and passionate playing most strongly reflects the Cape Breton tradition but also incorporates Scottish, Irish, and Southern fiddle styles. more

Fiddler Don Roy
Don is a Franco-American ace fiddler who has been called the dean of Franco-American fiddling in Maine. With pianist/step dancer Cindy Roy and bassist Jay Young, they perform throughout the Eastern States as the Don Roy Trio. more

Funky Divas of Gospel
The Funky Divas of Gospel is a collaboration of three-dozen talented soloists, musicians, and choir members whose purpose is to share an uplifting and life-affirming message through traditional and contemporary spirit-filled music. “We are Humanist, Roman Catholic, Baha’i, Baptist, Episcopalian, Unitarian Universalists, Pagan, United Church of Christ, Jewish, and God only knows what else! But the Spirit that flows through the songs that we sing is universal and tells a story as old as time.” more

Arnold J. Graton
Authenticity is a primary goal for timber framer Arnold J. Graton, whose family business includes 50 years of covered bridge rehabilitation and construction, including 36 years working with his father, Milton S. Graton. Together they built 11 covered bridges and repaired and/or restored more than 40 in the United States using traditional materials and methods. more

Granite Statesmen
The Granite Statesmen is the Nashua Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society and was founded in 1955. Barbershop harmony is a uniquely American tradition of acappella singing that is best known for its four part harmony (tenor, lead, baritone, and bass) and ringing chords. Originally sung by male quartets, there are now female quartets and male and female barbershop harmony choruses. The Granite Statesmen is such a chorus and has approximately 60 members. more

Greek Dancers
The Boston Lykeion Ellinidon is an academically inspired institution engaged in researching, teaching, and collecting Hellenic folk culture and folk art. Our dance repertoire features dances from all of the Hellenic world—from Greece as it is today, as it was, and from the neighboring regions too. more

Grupo Fantasia
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Angel Wagner began his career making music with a cheese grater and a fork. Today he is musical director of Grupo Fantasia and master percussionist, and he plays more than 30 instruments.In 1993, Angel formed Grupo Fantasia with musicians from all over the world. The band provides traditional island entertainment and much of the music is performed on original, handmade, indigenous instruments.The band’s repertoire includes original and cover songs from the Caribbean and Latin America. Also represented: Cuban, Dominican Merengue, Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena, Colombian Cumbia, Mexican Mariachi, Calypso, Reggae and Salsa music. more

Indian Dancers
Neha Parikh is a native of Bombay, India and currently lives in Nashua. She is an accomplished Indian classical dancer, specializing in two styles known as Bharatanatyam and Mohini Attam.Parikh began learning to dance in Bombay when she was six years old. She has a Masters in Fine Arts in Classical Indian Dance and Philosophy from Nalanda University and is active in the Indian Association of NH and has a small dance school based in Nashua. more

Jumbo Circus Peanuts
New Hampshire’s Legendary Superband, the Jumbo Circus Peanuts, is the area’s top-drawing musical group with an ever-expanding repertoire that sails around the musical worlds of pop, funk, swing and rock — with stops that include Hollywood, Broadway, Detroit, Latin America and Hawaii. more

King Ludwig’s Bavarian Band
This five-member band is led by Ludwig himself, aka Lenny Holmes, a jovial entertainer who has been in the business for 24 years. King Ludwig and his crew entertain enthusiastic audiences with waltzes, polkas and other traditional German mountain music. Decked out in Lederhosen shorts, white shirts, suspenders and Alpine mountain hats, the band comes complete with a genuine yodeler, Switzerland native Mike “Fritz” Kaelin. more

Mad Bavarian Brass Band
German
Follow the sounds of the Bavarian band, through the streets of downtown Newmarket. more

Master & Apprentice: Accordions at Work
Scottish
Sylvia Miskoe and Doug Brunson demonstrate the apprentice relationship–and share some great accordion music.

Murray Irish Dancers
Murray Irish Dance Academy in Stratham, the Seacoast’s only school for Irish step dancing, is home to over 160 students, from beginners to championship level dancers. The award-winning dancers delight audiences with a range of team and solo dances performed in both soft, ballet-like shoes called ghillies and “hard” shoes that create a tapping sound. more

Not Too Sharp
Not Too Sharp, an all-male a cappella group from the University of New Hampshire, performs music with a new twist on classic barbershop. They also use their music to raise money to support cancer research as a gesture of support for a friend. We’re happy to be creating great music and lasting memories while also doing our humble part to benefit society. more

Patriot Fife & Drum Demo
Learn about the history of fife and drum music from the 17th and 18th century
with duo David Vose and Jim Snarski. more

Pressure’s On
Bluegrass & more
Gemini Meeh, David Moore, and David Talmage serve up some foot-tapping tunes–along with some hula-hoop talent.
more

Promised Land
Trace with Promised Land the story of immigrants searching for a better life in America. Listen as the group weaves their own family’s stories into the tapestry we all share. Sing along and celebrate our diversity in this “Promised Land.” more

Purly Gates
Purly Gates’ repertoire as a singer/songwriter/educator is as diverse as her experience: from an Earth Day concert at Disney World to an NEA-funded residency in Micronesia; from national touring to local prominence. She enchants audiences of all ages, engaging listeners with subjects ranging from peace to pizza, environment to retirement. Her musical styles range from mostly folk and swing, to country, a touch of blues, bluegrass, and even an occasional rap. And she may do a little story-telling between songs. more

Raymond Street Klezmer Band
Since the Middle Ages, Jewish musicians, known as klezmorim, have traveled all over Europe. When immigrants introduced Klezmer music to the United States, the music began to incorporate influences from jazz and vaudeville. The Raymond Street Klezmer Band, based in southern New Hampshire, brings this special sound of Jewish culture, often enjoyed at celebrations and social gatherings, to enthusiastic audiences throughout the region. more

Regina Delaney
egina Daley is an Irish harper and singer, part of the Irish harp and whistle duo Réagánta, and the founder of the New England Irish Harp Orchestra (NEIHO. Réagánta is a duo with Regina playing harp, dancing, and singing joined by Claudia Altemus playing tin whistle, singing and storytelling as well. more

Song of New England
Jeff Warner sings sea shanties and more, sharing the sound of America’s rural past.Jeff presents the oral literature of the American people: ballads sung in old England and New England; songs of Revolutionary War heroes and work aboard wooden sailing ships; African-American banjo tunes and Irish concertina tunes; kids’ songs, cowboy ditties and Appalachian clogging; hand-made North Carolina dulcimers and hands-on, accessible rhythm instruments like bones and spoons. more

Sushi Demonstraton
Japanese
Newmarket resident Samsong Tokuno of Portsmouth’s Sakura restaurant demonstrates the art of sushi making.

Mr. Yoowho and the Art of Clowning
Kosovo, Tokyo, Rio, Jerusalem, Barcelona, San Francisco, El Bosque, Katmandu, Brooklyn. Theaters, festivals, concert halls, circus, varieté, schools, coffee houses, cultural centers, parks, town squares, cafeterias, clinics. In more than 1000 performances in more than 30 countries, Moshe Cohen (a.k.a. Mr. YooWho) has developed an approach to humor that crosses all borders. There are no words. Mr. YooWho’s language is one of expressions and actions, rhythms and emotions. Mr. YooWho brings an old school, European clown perspective to his performances, steeped in a Yiddish absurdist sense of humor and spiced with a taste of Japanese Kyogen and Butoh dance. more

The Reminisants
The Reminisants have been entertaining audiences of all ages throughout New England since 1973. Although primarily categorized as an Oldies act, the band’s repertoire features dance music that appeals to a variety of musical tastes across several generations.Formed in 1973, the Reminisants are proud of their reputation as one of Boston’s most enduring and popular stage acts. The Reminisants are also actively involved in raising funds for many local charities. more

Two High-Energy Juggling
Dubbed “one of the hottest juggling acts in the country,” Jason and Matthew Tardy have created a high-energy performance that captivates audiences everywhere they perform. Their innovative, funny show features everything from high-tech juggling and fire eating to physical comedy and full body contortion—all choreographed to up-beat, original music. more

Timber Framer Tom DeBlauw who grew up in Alaska, always dreamed of building his own home. Years later, with a slew of woodworking courses behind him, Deblauw is living in a 24? x 42? timberframe home, which he designed and engineered. The structure consists of over 160 separate timbers, and over 300 joints.

Violin Maker Jim Robinson, who has been a woodworker for more than 20 years, began his formal training in violin making in 1999 at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute under master violin maker Karl Roy. Today Jim is the assistant to Karl at the institute and dedicates the rest of his time to making and repairing bowed instruments. more

Voices from the Heart
World Music
Voices from the Heart is a 200-voice women’s alternative chorus located in Portsmouth, NH. The chorus sings a rich mix of soulful music from many cultural and musical traditions. more

Washboard Minstrel
Multi-instrumentalist Leif Gerjuoy has performed on percussion—including drums, vibes, congas, and washboard—with a number of area bands, as well as playing solo on keyboards and guitar. One of his favorite instruments is the washboard, which he has played at washboard concerts, at jazz festivals, and at the International Washboard festival in Logan, Ohio.

Weaver Craig Evans has been weaving for over 30 years, specializing in spinning, dying and traditional weaves of the late 1700s to early 1800s. He works in wool, cotton and flax and uses historic looms and patterns for a large bed coverings, garments and other textile products.

Waterfront Stage 2010
Local showcase
Join Peg Chaffee and Cheryl Sager, along with a host of musical friends from around the Seacoast, for a rich mix of tunes and talent each afternoon on the waterfront.
Sat 9/25
2:00 – 2:30 Peg & Cheryl of Nice & Naughty: original music
2:30 -3:00 Clayton Willoughby: 1930′s old time favorites
3:00 – 3:30 Erin Robershaw: classic country
3:30 – 4:00 Dave Lemieux and friends: traditional folk
4:00 – 4:30 Drew Szeliga
4:30 – 5:00 Bob Halperin: blues
Sun 9/26
2:00 – 2:30 Peg & Cheryl of Nice & Naughty: original music
2:30 – 3:00 Sylvan Roots: traditional and popular folk
3:00 – 3:30 Kristen Marlo: original acoustic
3:30 – 4:00 Newmarket Community Church Choir: inspirational
4:00 – 4:30 Shades of Grass: finger pickin’ old time music
4:30 – 5:00 Dave Kohnya: original music

PAST FESTIVAL WEB SITES
2008 Site