Weekend of Cultural Events
Family Day in Keney Park was among the many things happening this past weekend in Hartford. The free event provided dancing and musical entertainment, along with information from community organizations and free health screenings. There were food, book, and clothing vendors on the lawn near the Woodland Street entrance.
Drumming and dancing in Keney Park
On both Saturday and Sunday, there were opportunities to be immersed in Asian culture, from learning drumming to taking part in the competitive rowing event, also known as Dragon Boat racing. Participants could watch dancing and martial arts demonstrations at the free festival, have faces painted, and cheer on those boating on the Connecticut River.
Getting ready to race
Rowing in the Connecticut River on Saturday
Dancing until the next race begins
The Lion Dance performed at the Dragon Boat and Asian Festival
Teasing the lion
On the upper plaza, martial arts demonstrations took place as part of the Asian Festival
The Park River was also the scene of some action on Sunday. A few boats, squirrels, a skateboarder, band, dog, and some onlookers gathered at the point where the river is buried.
The band enters the covered river
The water is too shallow for boats in some sections of the underground Park River
underground music
In the event that you are curious about what it sounds like when a band plays along (and in a few cases, in) a buried river, here are two videos:
