The 23rd Zora! Festival reflects on Florida’s famous folklorist and historic Eatonville

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Historic Eatonville celebrated apt homage to its most renowned resident in January during the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! Festival). Hailed as the oldest incorporated African-American municipality in the United States, the 2012 festival also kicked off a two-year-long commemoration of the township’s 125th anniversary.

For the 23rd year, Eatonville hosted nine days of community uplift (Jan. 21-29) accentuating positive heritage and cultural strides, which served as the hallmark of Hurston’s abundant literary achievements.

Best known for the iconic novel and film adaptation, "Their Eyes Were Watching God,’’ the effervescent and often flamboyant Hurston served as a resolute and valiant voice for the Black experience during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.

While her storied legacy is laced with a controversial personal life, more resonant is the unwavering reverence for education Hurston demonstrated, which in return earned her degrees from Howard University and Barnard College in addition to distinguished Guggenheim and Rosenwald fellowships. Those funded study in Haiti and Jamaica, respectively.

Town transformed into international marketplace

Last year’s ZORA! Festival thematically revived the pulse of Haiti following the country’s disastrous earthquake; however, community and the mere essence of its people served as the catalyst for a culminating weekend consistent with the namesake’s robust personality and love for folklore and people.

The once rural community was transformed into an international marketplace that showcased a legion of white tents spanning the miles of Eatonville’s otherwise quiet Kennedy Boulevard.

While some festival events required a paid ticket, the free "Outdoor Festival of the Arts" historically serves as the most widely attended event and hosts entrepreneurs from as far as Texas to locals who set up makeshift booths in front of churches or hawked homemade hustles from the trunks of cars.

Afrocentric artwork, Obama paraphernalia

Registered vendors paid a hefty price to showcase an eclectic array of retail fancies that ran the gamut of handmade, sterling silver jewelry, Afrocentric artwork and leather designs, and innovative paraphernalia donning images of President Barack Obama whose likeness was silkscreened on everything from T-shirts to magnets, and mock Ebony magazine covers.

Steve Payne, CEO and Owner of D.W. Appeal, Inc. traveled from Powder Springs, Ga., with an inventory of more than 1,000 screen-printed items. "I paid $850 for my booth and by 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon I saw a profit, including costs for travel and hotel," said Payne.

African provinces would favorably smile at the authenticity of mud cloth and kente fabrics, cowrie shells bangles and earrings, and shea butter freshly scooped and sold from its origin’s colossus nut.

Old school music, line dancing

Among the many changes ZORA! Festival 2012 presented were the marketplace’s extended hours, which afforded hundreds of attendees the opportunity to peruse and shop until 9 p.m. The attendees at this year’s festival created a comfortable crowd that reveled in the blare of old school music and line danced in the streets amidst perfect weather conditions.

A diverse representation of generations, families, and Greek fraternity and sorority organization members created a stadium chair and blanket populous in front of Center Stage where there were ongoing performances and acts by community artists.

There was the aromatic allure of food vendors who served everything from fried seafood baskets, skewered chicken and stir-fry, West Indian cuisine, and funnel cake.

Entertainment by Keith Sweat, Mario

An outdoor concert featuring R&B artist Keith Sweat was held on Saturday night for $40 per ticket while singer Mario entertained a more youthful crowd Friday evening. Previous festival performances include Al Jarreau and a stellar performance by Ashford & Simpson last year prior to Nick Ashford succumbing to throat cancer.

The Association for the Preservation of the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.) organizes the festival, which according to Board of Directors President Tom Kornegay has lost money for the past three years.

"This year we hope to at least break even," Kornegay said. "We charged for the concerts this year to help defray costs, but we’re not sure how it will work out."

Surveys and offering boxes

In an effort to better monitor the attendance and demographic of festival attendees, the P.E.C. partnered with the University of Central Florida’s School of Hospitality Management. Professors and students conducted random surveys to gather statistical information. Also present were red wooden boxes with slits discriminately placed throughout the festival’s outdoor areas with signs reading: "Save ZORA! Festival. Thank you for your contribution."

Kornegay concedes that more financial support is needed and offered, "I’d really like to see the business community become more involved and contribute. ZORA! is an excellent venue for car dealerships to showcase new models, plus it’s close to the time when many attendees receive income tax returns."

Congresswoman Corinne Brown consistently takes advantage of reaching her District 3 constituents by hosting an annual town hall meeting at Eatonville’s City Hall on the festival’s final Saturday morning. In addition, she hosted a booth and offered pertinent information regarding grant applications, enterprise zones and community outreach.

Edwin W. Johnson, Minority Veterans Program Coordinator offered critical information to veterans in attendance. "I’ve enrolled several vets in the medical program today," Johnson said on Jan. 29. "Many of them were not previously enrolled because they didn’t know they were entitled to the benefit.’’

Decades of cultural, artistic offerings

A Corporate Village and Children’s Pavilion also were available in addition to the world premiere of an art exhibition entitled "I Am Going to Eatonville." Held at the Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts (The Hurston), the exhibit was the collaborative efforts of four artists led by curator Dr. Deborah Willis, the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Award.

Since 1990, more than 750,000 attendees have been exposed and enlightened by the education, culture and artistic offerings of ZORA! Festival, which has won numerous awards and is nationally recognized. Volunteers Constance Bango, Juanita Sanders and Gloria Green have all relentlessly served since the festival’s inception.

Festival founder and longtime executive director N.Y. Nathiri has taken a smaller role and is now director of multidisciplinary programs for P.E.C.

While they’ve witnessed administrative changes and seen attendance dwindle, they covet fond memories, including the first year that featured Hurston’s play, "From Sun to Sun." Twenty-three years later, the ZORA! Festival is still shining bright on the city of Eatonville and Hurston’s legacy remains its abiding light.