“She wanted freedom,” he said. “She wanted to express the music fully through her body.”

After starting a Russian dance school, Duncan, who couldn’t speak Russian, married a Russian man who spoke no English, Myers said. When they returned the U.S., the government threw her out because of her open expressions of support for the communist party. That’s when Duncan headed to Paris, the setting for When She Danced, which covers one day of her experiences and adequately reflects the passionate, zany life she led. All of the characters, including American Duncan, her Russian husband, the French maid, and the Greek pianist, speak different languages. But somehow they communicate, he said, often through physical humor.

“She is an eccentric, and she collects eccentrics around her,” he said.

The show runs at varying times every Thursday through Sunday until June 27. Adults pay $18, and senior citizens and students pay $12. Sundays and Thursdays are “pay what you can nights,” when members of the public can choose to pay if they can afford it. This offering was a “philosophical decision” for Open Stage, Myers said.

“The theater didn’t want anyone to be closed out of a show because of lack of money,” he said. “Theater is meant to be an art for everyone.”

The Festival also offers a Jazzwalk on Friday and Saturday night, when jazz aficionados stroll to six or seven Harrisburg locations, enjoying performances inside of each. The Jazzwalks are free, except for restaurant and bar cover charges along the way.

People can participate in the Riverboat Jazz Cruise on the Pride of the Susquehanna from 11pm to midnight Saturday night. Ticket prices are $10.

A few events throughout the weekend are free to the public. Free clinics are available Saturday morning in the Harrisburg Hilton, and on Saturday from 2 to 5pm. Friends of Jazz Youth Bands and the Army Blues Band will perform free no charge.

Morrow/Allied Arts Festivals
Morrow Diamonds, Camp Hill
June 12, 19, & 26
Jill Morrow, owner of Morrow Diamonds in Camp Hill, is sick of hearing people complain about the lack of activities in Central PA. To combat this problem, Morrow will host a free Arts Fair at her business, she said, to show people that Harrisburg is a culturally happening place.

“I don’t want to hear everyone say to me, ‘There isn’t anything to do in this town,’” she said. “I want to put the arts in people’s faces.”

From 10am to 4pm every Saturday in June, Morrow will surround her business, located on 3750 Market Street, with artists, actors, musicians, prizes, and refreshments for no charge to all members of the public, she said. Each Saturday will adhere to a different theme, she said, including visual, musical, theatrical arts and youth in the arts, she added.

June 12 will highlight young musicians and members of the Wednesday Club, poetry readings, face painting, and jewelry making. June 19 will showcase Popcorn Hat Players’ performance of Rapunzel, the Susquehanna Art Museum’s art van, clown entertainment, and face painting. The final day, June 26, will feature a magician, Open Stage’s Ben Franklin, and face painting.

During each day of the Arts Fair, people can bid on silent auction packages worth anywhere from $100 to $1,200. A few of the prizes include limousine rides, theater tickets, restaurant and store gift certificates, spa passes, art supplies, and CDs.

Ten percent of all Morrow Diamonds in-store sales on those Saturdays and all of the auction money will go to the Allied Arts Fund in Harrisburg, a non-profit organization whose goal is to increase awareness of the arts. Sandy Ballard, president of Allied Arts, said the performers and auction packages will give a lot of people opportunities to experience cultural events. “We hope the Arts Fest emphasizes that arts in our community are for everyone,” she said.

Susquehanna Sojourn
Susquehanna River Wilkes-Barre to Harrisburg
June 19 –27
As summer approaches, many Central PA. residents trade in their cubicles for obvious vacation spots along the Atlantic Ocean. Yet, a growing number of people stay closer to home to hit an atypical and oft-overlooked vacation-day destination: the Susquehanna River. Last year a record 200 people joined in The Susquehanna Sojourn, a weeklong educational canoe trip sponsored by the non-profit Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, according to Brook Lenker, the program coordinator.

During their 118-mile expedition from Wilkes-Barre on June 19 to Harrisburg on June 27, Sojourn participants will spend evenings at riverside campsites, where they will meet with local politicians and enjoy campfires, musicians, and programs and speakers that educate about the richness of the environment, he said.

“The goal is to raise awareness of the river that everyone has a stake in conserving,” Lenker said.

Participants pay $15 to register and $10 each day for adults and $8 each day for children. This money covers some meals, speakers, restroom facilities, safety personnel, and shuttle trucks, which transport the canoists’ tents and camping gear from one overnight site to the next, he explained. To register, people should call 717-236-8825.

The trip attracts all groups, including singles, couples, families with children, and retirees, and it appeals to experienced canoers and first-timers alike, he added. Despite their various backgrounds, Lenker said the Sojourners all have one thing in common, he said.

“Everybody’s there because they have a respect for the river,” he said.

This respect brings them together initially, then their shared experiences, on the river and around the campfire, bring them closer together along the way, he said.

Featuring artists like Grammy Award-winner Sheryl Crow, country music sensation The Dixie Chicks, pop star Me Shell Ndegeocello, and pop legends The Pretenders, the Lilith Fair clearly distinguishes itself from other concerts that come through Hershey, according to Hersheypark Stadium marketing director Mark Bodenhorn. Organizations that support women’s rights set up tents and displays all throughout the concert area, in hopes of raising awareness about women’s issues, he said. One dollar from every ticket sale goes toward a local women’s charity, which has not yet been named, he said.

“I think there’s really a feeling of benevolance and unity,” Bodenhorn said. “It’s not just about the music.”