The play will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Danville High School auditorium. There is no admission charge, but attendees are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to contribute to a local food pantry.
The festival will continue Saturday with more than a dozen different performances and presentations. Participants will include the Lexington Children's Drum Choir, Civil War re-enactors who depict black soldiers, and singers with a local praise team.
Atkins said copies of the Birmingham Pledge will be given out to people who attend the festival. Additionally, a large copy of the pledge will be at the festival for people to sign.
"We want to keep it on people's minds," Atkins said. "It's something different we're doing."
According to http://birminghampledge.org/, the Birmingham Pledge is "a simple and personal commitment to eliminate racism and prejudice one person at a time."
Atkins added the festival committee is putting up its Danville/Boyle County Black History display this year. There also is a 50-question scavenger hunt that will be set up in the gymnasium, tied in with articles from The Advocate-Messenger. Cash and door prizes will be awarded to those who get the most complete answers on the scavenger hunt.
"I have a lot of nice, neat articles I've collected over the years from Advocate-Messengers," Atkins noted. "There's a lot of positive stuff about African-Americans in The Advocate-Messenger."
A primary theme this year, Atkins said, is bringing teachers and students back to the festival. Activities have been geared toward students and teachers.
"There are lots of children performing and lots of things of interest to classrooms," Atkins explained.
He remembers in the early years of the festival when many more teachers and students from all over Danville and Boyle County came to it. "There have been very few at the last several festivals.
"(At the festival,) they can learn about history of this community. Our focus has been lots of publicity about our activities in the schools."
The Young Historians project
One of those activities is the Young Historians project, particularly geared toward high school students.
"We're offering a $50 prize to each class or each club that does a historical research or re-enactment of a historical person," Atkins explained. "It's something a school group signed up for and will be educating the community who come by the table to see who this person was. They'll have a display set up. They'll dress in period costume and take on the character of that person."
The organizers of the Young Historians project made a list of possible historical figures, some of whom still are alive.
"The $50 can be used for research and supplies - any way the school group decides to use it," Atkins added. "It's an opportunity to get young kids involved in the festival."
The opportunity still is available for clubs or groups that want to get the $50 and a chance to educate the community.
Numerous other performances are scheduled during the festival, as well as a modeling show and a marketplace offering regional clothing and crafts for sale. The annual food court will include popular items such as barbecue, catfish and homemade desserts.
For more information, contact Atkins at (859) 236-5818.
Heritage Festival XIII Schedule
at Danville High School
March 17-19
MARCH 17
7:30 p.m.: "The Colored Door at the Train Station," written by playwright Nancy Gall-Clayton and directed by Karen Logue, auditorium.
MARCH 18
Noon: Heritage Festival XIII Workshop Choir, directed by Charles Little, auditorium.
1 p.m.:Danville/Boyle County Bagpipe Band, cafeteria.
1:30 p.m.: Children's Drum Choir from Booker T. Washington Academy of Lexington, auditorium.
2:30 p.m.: Gray Family Skits, cafeteria.
3 p.m.: Wings of Eagles from Atlanta, auditorum.
4 p.m.: M.D. Taylor Review, cafeteria.
5 p.m.: K.R.U.N.K., auditorium.
5:30 p.m.: Ages of Praise, cafeteria.
6 p.m.: Male Chorus of First Baptist, Second and Walnut, cafeteria.
6:30 p.m.: Uniqueness Unlimited Modeling, auditorium.
7:30 p.m.: Ethnic Hors d'oeuvres hour, cafeteria.
Children's Activities
Noon: Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime Bookmark.
1 p.m.: Ancient Egyptian copper-tooled Cartouche.
2 p.m.: Central American Kuna Indian Mola.
3 p.m. Multi-cultural mask.
4 p.m.: Navajo Indian sandpainting.
MARCH 19
4 p.m.: Community worship service, First Baptist Church, Second and Walnut streets.
Other activities
Women's health fair; youth art fair; children's art activities; Young Historian displays; Birmingham Pledge; ethnic food court; ethnic marketplace.
