New Historical Organizations Add to Kutztown Folk Festival’s Folklife Presentations

The Kutztown Folk Festival’s reputation for offering Pennsylvania German culture, history, and folklife presentations will be enhanced this year with the addition of two of the area’s long-standing PA German historical organizations.

The 2017 Festival will include the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center of Pennsburg, PA,   and the Mennonite Heritage Center of Harleysville, Pa., partnering to display and provide presentations and classes on the PA German art form known as Fraktur.

Fraktur is both a style of lettering, and a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch (also known as Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German). Most Fraktur were created between 1740 and 1860, most commonly seen inbirth certificates and marriage licenses. 

Set up next to the Festivals’ recently refurbished one room school house display; visitors can try their hand at creating their own piece of art by participating in one of the organization’s fraktur classes that will be presented each day in the Festival’s school house.

This year’s Kutztown Folk Festival runs July 1st thru July 9th.