An event that highlights 'gathering together as a community', with music and culture will fill Hanover Square in Downtown Syracuse July 28th and 28th. The Stage of Nations Ecofestorganizers hope the event is entertaining and healing.
Native American dance music and competitions will be one feature of the Stage of Nations Ecofest. The music and culture event will also have a variety of bands including the Ghost Town Ramblers, SIRSY and Groupo Pagan Light Friday. And Phil Petroff and Natural fact, Mike Delaney and the Delinquents, and the Ripcords play Saturday. Producer Irv Lyons wants the Stage of Nations idea to extend past the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.
“I thought of it on a larger level that when the community comes it’s a state of nations from the whole community, every race, ethnicity, gender, religion, creed, national origin, etc.”
The event also has native crafts and a range of groups, Lyons says, adds to the Haudenosaunee philosophy of caring for the earth.
“Every time our foot touches the ground it reminds us of our connection to the earth. So if this can create attention it will get them thinking. If the earth is sick, so are we. And if we can’t take f the earth, we can’t take care of each other.”
Stage of Nations Ecofest is sponsored this year by Circare. Executive Director Scott Ebner wanted to bring awareness to his services...while tapping into the idea of the whole event.
“The stage of Nations is about connecting up all these nations to work together, because when we’re all healthy our community’s healthy. We also wanted to send the signal to the community that anyone who needs the services we offer can access them from any community.”
Circare has mental and behavioral health services, along with referral care for many social issues, such as housing and jobs, that can impact health.
“People with behavioral health issues, which include substance abuse and mental health, die 25 years sooner than the general population. Some of those reasons are because of untreated, undiagnosed or really under-treated physical health conditions. So integrating physical health, mental health, social determinants, behavioral health in general is really our attempt to address what’s really an egregious issue in our society.”
The Ecofest is part of Arts week running along with the Arts and Crafts Festival and the Northeast Jazz and Wine fest to create a full downtown cultural experience.
The Eco-fest is Friday July 28th and Saturday July 29th...there’s also a special kickoff outdoor film Thursday, July 27th, of Spirit Game: Pride of a nation. All events in Hanover square…the full schedule of events is at StageofNations.org.
