The Rockford Reader’s Theatre

will present “It’s Kwanzaa Time!” on Sunday, December 17th at 2:30 PM in the Lockwood Gallery at the Ethnic Heritage Museum.
Written, directed, and coordinated by Dorothy Paige-Turner, the performers will share music, stories and spoken-word accounts of the history and origins of family celebrations of the non-religious holiday.
Kwanzaa is a seven-day candle-lighting ritual that begins December 26th and ends January 1st.
This celebration combines elements of African culture and African American experience to provide a framework for instilling strong family and community values.
The very talented performers include: George Davis, Jacquelyn Rogers, Coleen Martin Williams, Wendell Thompson, Carl Townsand Janet Wright.
The Heritage Museum Park will be open from 2pm-4pm.
Join us as local history lives on in a quaint home built in 1850’s. Known today as The Ethnic Heritage Museum it is here that you will find six fascinating galleries devoted to the primary immigrant groups that settled in southwest Rockford, IL. African-American, Hispanic, Irish, Italian, Lithuanian and Polish.
The Graham-Ginestra House boasts of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture. The interior of the house still exhibits amazing artifacts and charm. Freeman Graham(b.1806) of Scott-English heritage had the house constructed before moving his family here from Connecticut. Later, Leo Ginestra, a Sicilian immigrant, marveled at the home’s beauty and purchased it from the Graham family in 1927.

Free admission; donations appreciated.
Parking is available in the parking lot at the corner of South Main and Morgan Streets with additional street parking on Loomis Street.

1129 S Main St
Rockford, IL 61101
815-962-7402
ethnicheritagemuseum.org
ehm1129@comcast.net