PHILADELPHIA, July 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- There's a new member of the PECO Energy Multicultural Series family, the Southeastern Cherokee Celebration. This FREE Festival will take place at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street on Saturday July 26th, 2003, from Noon - 6:00 p.m.
The Southeastern Cherokee Celebration will feature an exciting day packed with music, entertainment and authentic Native American cuisine. Traditional Native American dancing will be an important part of this festival, as performers exhibit both Fancy dancing and Jingle dancing. Fancy dance gives dancers the opportunity to demonstrate their individual agility and grace, as they wear brightly colored shawls, beaded moccasins with matching leggings, and decorative pieces of jewelry to complement the shawl. The legend and traditions of Jingle dancing are also an important part of Native American heritage, as it is a common category in many dance competitions. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Native American dance, as they are invited to participate in the Friendship Dance.
In addition to the music of Native American singers, the festival will feature traditional Native American crafts including beadwork, finger weaving, and leatherwork. There will also be Native American jewelry vendors featuring silver and turquoise necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
This free event, presented by PECO Energy and the Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy of Pennsylvania, works to publicize the importance of Native American culture and the contribution of the Cherokee community to the Philadelphia region. The Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy of Pennsylvania also represents the Navajo, Cree, Seminole, and Creek tribal groups. This organization hosts annual festivals like this one, to promote Native American heritage and traditions.
Reaching out to the diverse communities is a goal for PECO Energy and for the past ten years this has been a huge success at Penn's Landing. "All of us at PECO Energy are thrilled to return to the waterfront with our 10th Anniversary season of support for the multicultural festivals," said PECO president Dennis O'Brien. "Penn's Landing is a Philadelphia summertime tradition and the PECO Energy Multicultural Series is a fun way for us to celebrate the wide range of diversity represented in our service territory."
Admission is free for all PECO Multicultural Series events.
PECO Energy is proud to be Philadelphia's hometown energy company and one of the region's most prominent civic supporters. PECO is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and celebrating diversity inside and outside the Company.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO Energy is an electric and natural gas utility serving southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO and its Chicago-based sister company, ComEd, are subsidiaries of Exelon (NYSE: EXC), a $15 billion leader in the energy industry with the largest retail customer base, a large, diverse power generation portfolio and a leading wholesale energy marketing operation in
North America. PECO delivered 36.5 million megawatt hours of electricity and 85 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2002, generating $4.3 billion in revenue in 2002.
PECO contributed more than $10 million in 2002 to non-profit organizations, events and programs which improve the quality of life in the region. PECO serves 1.5 million electric and 450,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Penn's Landing is Philadelphia's Waterfront district, running along Columbus Boulevard from Washington Avenue to Spring Garden Street. The two main sites for the more than 75 festivals, concerts, and events at Penn's Landing are the Great Plaza, located along the Delaware River at Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street, and Festival Pier, on Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street. For more information on event locations and event details, call (215) 922-2FUN or visit www.pennslandingcorp.com. Independence Blue Cross is the presenting sponsor of the 2003 Summer Season at Penn's Landing.