To celebrate the festival of Sukkot — which takes place this year from Sept. 20-27– the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center will host its first annual “Harvest Music Festival: A Celebration of Sukkot.”
The outdoor community-wide event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 23, from 5:30-9 p.m. behind the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, at 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave. The gathering will feature live music onstage and on the Gordon Outdoors screen.
“Sukkot is what we call ziman simchatanu, our joyful time, so we are making a giant party and celebrating,” said Melissa Seltzer, the JCC’s senior director of community arts.
Supported by Phyllis and Leonard Attman and family, the festival will include something for everyone, Seltzer said.
It starts with children’s activities, including a performance by the local children’s musical ensemble Milkshake, from 5:30 to 7:30.
Other children’s activities include glitter tattoos, arm and hand painting, yard games, oversized bubbles, balloon twisters and an inflatable playground for toddlers.
Entertainment for adults begins at 7:30 and features live music by the Baltimore-based Americana band The Old Part of Town and Phoam, a Phish cover band.
Participants can imbibe at a beer garden offering brews from Key Brewery and Pherm Brewery, and kosher food from the JCC’s Chef Dan’s Café will be available for sale.
Attendees are also welcome to bring their own food and dine in the JCC’s sukkah.
“One of the themes of Sukkot is about being welcoming, and we are welcoming the whole community,” said Seltzer. “During Sukkot, we eat in temporary structures that are fragile and don’t protect us from the temperature. Given what’s going on in the world today, we don’t really need a reminder about the fragility of life, but it’s still good to remember to be grateful for what we have and for God’s abundance.”
Seltzer said she hopes the JCC will offer more community-wide, outdoor events in the future that are “meaningful and accessible to all.”
She said all visitors to the festival must be vaccinated and required to show government-issued photo IDs and vaccination cards at the event entrance. Those who are ineligible for vaccination are strongly encouraged to wear masks.
Although the event is free, registration is required.
To register for the Harvest Music Festival, click here.
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