EVENT: GenFest 2009

GenFest 2009 – GenFest’s 5th anniversary! -  is upon us and Shelbyville, Indiana has a host of great things planned for us.  All GenFest activities are Free except for the performance noted.  Shelbyville has several other things happening the same weekend so the whole family, even those strange family members with no interest in delving into our long-gone ancestors, will have plenty to do.

• GenFest 2009 will begin with Meet and Greet at The Strand Theatre on Friday night, June 12th between 6:00 & 6:45 p.m.
• At 7 p.m. performer Danny Russel will portray our renowned Indiana author, James Whitcomb Riley. 
• Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at The Strand Theatre.  Goody bags with all manner of treasures, maps and discount coupons will be distributed to registrants.
• Vendors of all types and other participants (libraries, counties, historical alliances, and other genealogical and historical organizations) will be distributed throughout the Genealogy House, the Genealogy Society, the Shelbyville – Shelby County Public Library and the Grover Museum.  All are within very easy walking distance of each other and all will be open for research and browsing.  Parking, including plenty of handicap parking, is close. 
• Saturday at 1 p.m. – a guided walking tour of the historic Forest Hill Cemetery which includes some interesting and famous burial locations.  (Those unable to walk may follow the tour in their car.)
• Saturday, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. – free root beer floats will be served at the Emporium in the Grover Museum and Shelby County Historical Society.  You won’t want to miss “The Streets of Old Shelby” display while there. 
• Saturday evening – 7 p.m.The Strand Theatre will feature a performance of The Wilderness Plot with songs and stories of the settling of the American frontier between the Revolution and the Civil War.  This event is sponsored by The Grover Museum.  Cost – $15. 
• Sunday will feature a guided walking tour of the interior architecture of the old buildings of downtown Shelbyville.

From the Mouths of Children…

Please take a moment and listen to 10 year-old Jonathan McCoy’s speech on “Why the “N” word should be eliminated.”

IN MEMORIAM: Dr. Ivan van Sertima

Well known Guyanese-British literary critic, linguist, poet and anthropologist, Dr Ivan van Sertima, died recently, according to a release from the Guyana Cultural Association New York Inc/Guyana Folk Festival which expressed condolences to his family. Ivan van Sertima According to the release Dr van Sertima was born in January 1935 in Kitty when the country was still a British colony and remained a British citizen. After completing his primary and secondary schooling in Guyana, he travelled to London and went to university. In addition to producing an array of creative writing, van Sertima also completed undergraduate studies in African languages and literature and during his studies he became fluent in Swahili and Hungarian. He also worked for several years in Great Britain as a journalist, doing weekly broadcasts to the Caribbean and Africa. He later immigrated to the US where he entered the University of Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey for graduate work and he has had over 30 years of teaching at the university where he also completed his Master’s degree. He was an associate professor of African Studies in the Department of African Studies.