   July 3, 2005 was truly a remarkable day in this community. For some of us it was the culmination of over two and half years of planning and organizing. For some it was the realization of new professional challenges. For some it was the fulfillment of months of practice and rehearsals. For some it was an opportunity to give back to a beloved community. And for others, it was a day to simply partake of the gifts that this community offers. 
For the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition, it was a day where we could see that our hopes and dreams can truly be realized. For a day, we were a community in which everyone, no matter what their race or socio-economic background, participated and belonged. It was a day when true integration was evident. It was day we were whole. And it was a day when we knew our work wasn't for naught - that our work has enormous value well worth the effort.
For the Coalition, the dreamers of this event, the force behind the myriad of volunteers, performers and structures, this event was about much more than a day of celebration or an evening of glorious music, although those were certainly important. It was a way to establish connections and a spirit of cooperation, which we hope will persist for a long time going forward. Indeed, the stories we are hearing are demonstrating this may be a very realistic aspiration. New artistic collaborations were born - evidenced in sharing of musicians among faith based communities and establishment of new ensembles. New creative endeavors, such as the birth of a regular swing dance group, are in the works. And a new collaboration between departments of our municipal governments was born. The planning of the festival day and the putting on of the performance involved even more volunteers and a new set of challenges and tasks. Indeed, we have since learned that our fulfillment of the "Continental Harmony" grant produced the largest ensembles of voice and instrument, and perhaps the largest audience, since the program's inception in 2000. None of this would have been possible without the participation of more than 400 volunteers who planned, hauled, wrote, designed, chauffeured, fed, built, played, sang, sold, talked and lived this project for the past two and half years. Some have said it was the largest collection of community volunteers and organizations ever brought together for a project in our community. Each and every one of these volunteers deserves to be honored and recognized. Thus, we have set up this special page on our website, on which, you can read the names of those who made this project possible, and to whom we owe a debt of gratitude and applause. Two Towns in Harmony Team You can also view pictures taken of the project, and of the day - find your neighbor, your partner, your child -and see the joy and determination as they worked so hard to bring this gift to us. We welcome your submission of more pictures, electronically, if you'd like to share as well. Photo Galleries: |