Thanks to the President’s Office and Media Preserve, LLC, Wilkes University Archives now has the 1961 Fine Arts Fiesta film digitized.
The Fine Arts Fiesta started as a three-day festival in 1956 on Public Square to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, formally being incorporated in 1806. The festival grew to become a celebration of Wyoming Valley art, music, dance and culture.
The founders for the festival were Annette Evans and Al Groh, who were board members of the Fine Arts Fiesta Committee. According to Annette Evans, the festival was designed to “place Wilkes-Barre on par with the top gay festivals of Europe, South America and the United States.” The festival has become an annual tradition ever since.
This 1961 film is silent with the exception of musical performances by the Wilkes College Brass Ensemble (03:27-05:20), conducted by band director and Wilkes College’s brass and percussion instructor Larry Weed and the Wilkes College Collegians (07:06-07:49).
Take a look here or feel free to check it out on our Digital Institutional Repository, Omeka: https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/collections/show/30.