Join us for Part II of this Opening Celebration of the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibit in Chillicothe, Illinois.

Part II of the Opening Celebration will feature Special Touch Choir, The IVC High School Madrigals and the Mossville 5th Grade Chorus.  Part I features Chris Vallillo, folk musician and Illinois State Scholar for this project and is free and open to the public.

New Harmonies will be on display in Chillicothe between December 11, 2010 and January 23, 2011. Open hours are: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 AM – 8:00 PM; Fridays at 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM; and Saturdays, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

For more information, please contact the Chillicothe Public Library at 309.274.2719.

More on New Harmonies
The New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibition, provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street Program and the Illinois Humanities Council, examines the on-going cultural process that has made America the birthplace of more music than any place on earth. The exhibition provides a fascinating, inspiring, and toe-tapping listen to the American story of multi-cultural exchange and offers communities an opportunity to celebrate their music traditions as they come to understand the origins of various roots music genres including; blues, country and western, gospel, jazz and folk.

The New Harmonies exhibit is a cultural history of America’s Musical Landscape. It’s the story of a diverse mix of people interacting with the New World, a world where cultures and customs met, mixed, and mingled to create new sounds. The distinct cultural identities of all these peoples are carried in song – both sacred and secular – and the music that emerges is known by names like blues, country, western, folk, and gospel.

Library Hours:

• Mondays – Thursdays from 7:30 AM – 8 PM
• Fridays from 7:30 AM – 5 PM
• Saturdays from 9 AM – 1 PM

For more information, please contact the Chillicothe Public Library at 309.274.2719.