Following the service and performances honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. at Christ Chapel Gettysburg College on Monday, January 16, the celebration continued at the College Union Building (CUB) with the first of three public, community events to “Live the Dream” for a just future. Gettysburg College’s Center for Public Service, the Eisenhower Institute, and the Adams County Arts Council have partnered to produce the events. Two more events are planned in January, leading into Black History month and inviting community members of all ages and backgrounds to “Dream Together” and “Dream the Future.”  

Artist Juls Buhrer, who serves on the adjunct faculty of Gettysburg College’s Theatre Arts department, has created a magnificent cherry tree mural across the windows of the CUB. Members of the college community and Adams County community at-large are invited to visit the tree, create a cherry blossom on which they write their own dreams, and then hang the blossom on the tree, which will remain on exhibit through February in celebration of Black History month.    

On Monday, January 23 from 10 a.m. to noon, ACAC will present culinary instructor John Reis to do a cooking demonstration, followed by a jazz performance by local ensemble, Pomona’s Trio for the “Dream Together” event. Members of senior centers across the County where ACAC provides arts programming will be able to attend and create blossoms for the tree thanks to partnership with the Adams County Office for Aging and Rabbit Transit. ACAC Events and Outreach Coordinator Kylie Stone has also delivered supplies and instructions to schools throughout the County, so students of all ages can add a blossom to the tree. Stone will be picking up blossoms created in classrooms to bring and hang before the final event, scheduled for Monday, January 30 from 4-5 p.m., where children and families are also invited to attend to “Dream the Future.” The “Dream the Future” event will feature refreshments and a community-sing-along facilitated by Gettysburg College’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music.  

Both events are free and open to the public and will be held at the Gettysburg College CUB, 242 W. Lincoln Street, Gettysburg, PA. For more information, visit www.adamsarts.org or email [email protected]. The mission of the Adams County Arts Council is to cultivate an arts-rich community.