“Together for ’21 Fest” in Columbia, August 6, 7, and 8, 2021
We’re excited to co-coordinate a few events for the upcoming Together for ’21 Fest. Read more below; then visit the SHSMO website.
August 6, 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm | University of Missouri–Columbia, Peace Park
Fiddling is deeply rooted in Missouri history having first been brought to the state by its early French settlers. During Together for ’21 Fest, stop by and enjoy a lively jam session of fiddling masters playing in Peace Park on August 6. Fiddler John P. Williams will lead the session and showcase traditional fiddling tunes and techniques, while fiddlers Kenny Applebee, Dave Cavins, and Amber Gaddy will provide backup.
August 6, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm | University of Missouri–Columbia, Jesse Hall Auditorium
Music has always been an important part of Missouri culture from early folk musicians to the explosion of jazz, blues, and Ozark bluegrass. An Evening of Missouri Music will feature three different types of Missouri musical traditions and reflect how artists have put their own “spin” on the traditional music of the state.
August 7, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
Join us to watch as demonstrators showcase traditional blacksmith techniques using anvils and coal forges.
August 7, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm | Missouri Theatre, Columbia
Grupo Atlántico is an ensemble of folk dancers whose purpose is to share the rich tri-ethnic heritage (African, Indian and Spanish roots) of the Caribbean and coastal regions of Colombia, South America. Join us at the Missouri Theatre on Saturday, August 7, to experience the ensemble performing traditional dances from Colombia.
August 7, 2:00 pm – 2:50 pm | University of Missouri–Columbia, Jesse Hall East PorticoFiddling is deeply rooted in Missouri history having first been brought to the state by its early French settlers. During Together for ’21 Fest, stop by and enjoy a lively jam session of fiddling apprentices playing on the Jesse Hall east portico on August 7. Fiddler Ellen Gomez leads the session, joined by fiddlers Pete Howard and Thomas Coriell with Nathan McAlister and Dave Landreth playing backup.
Join us August 6-8 for Together for ’21 Fest, A Missouri Bicentennial Birthday Bash! Brought to you by the Missouri Bicentennial Commission and Missouri 2021, Together for ’21 Fest is FREE, open to the public, and commemorates the Missouri Bicentennial with music, exhibitions, talks, film screenings, folk art demonstrations, performances, and more.
Together for ’21 Fest features live music like Little Dylan Blues Band from St. Louis, traditional Ozark music by The Kay Brothers, and the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra. Music in the American Wild, featuring the orchestral works of award-winning composers and their reflections on Missouri, also performs live. Together for ’21 Fest includes fiddling jam sessions, a square dance demonstration, and Voices of Arrow, a theatrical production bringing to life the stories of early Arrow Rock citizens from the Missouri frontier.
A new virtual reality experience created by Mizzou engineering students and faculty takes visitors on a tour of the 98 paintings in the Missouri: Heart of the Nation collection held at the MU Art and Archeology Museum. Visitors are transported to the gallery using special VR goggles that offer a glimpse of Missouri when the original paintings were commissioned by Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney department store in St. Louis in 1946.
With folk art demonstrations, children’s programming, book talks and lectures, documentary film screenings, bicentennial traveling exhibits, a time capsule, and more, there is something for everyone!
TRAVELLER AND VISITOR INFORMATION
Together for ’21 Fest takes place at the Center for Missouri Studies (605 Elm Street, Columbia, MO 65201) and on the University of Missouri campus. Visitors to Columbia can find restaurant and hotel information on the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau website and in the CCVB Guide.
Together for ’21 Fest is organized by the State Historical Society of Missouri and the University of Missouri.
Visitors to Together for ’21 Fest, which is held on the University of Missouri campus, are encouraged to review MU’s Show Me Renewal plan for the latest COVID-19 guidelines. During Together for ’21 Fest, all visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks in indoor spaces where social distancing is not possible. Learn more at renewal.missouri.edu
Events are first-come, first-served, and many will have limited seating available. Some events will also be livestreamed. Check missouri2021.org for livestreaming details or follow Missouri 2021 on Facebook for more.