From the Hyde Park Herald Harambee Art and Craft festival to return this month By TONIA HILL Staff Writer Hyde Park’s Harambee Art and Craft Festival will return later this month to Nichols Park, 1355 E. 53rd St. The festival, which began seven years ago, started out as a one-day event with seven vendors and six musical performers and was sponsored by Volunteer Artist of America International Committee and 53rd street Business Entrepreneurs. Since its launch, the festival has grown and now has 20 vendors and numerous musical performances including Bantu Man, Felena Bunn & Friends, Jazz Expense, Super Tribe, Mike Dangeroux, The Reggae Tropics Band, The Talking Drum and The New Leans Remnants of Power Fashion Show. Guests will be able to view and purchase arts and crafts as well as sample food and drink and experience music and spoken word performances. Harambee, a Kenyan tradition, means “Let us all pull together” in Swahili. The Harambee Art and Craft Festival will be held on 53rd Street at the front of Nichols Park (between Kimbark and Kenwood avenues) on Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27 from noon to 8 p.m. This year’s festival is sponsored in part by Filmmaker Daryl Brown and Remnants of Power and Allen Paintings. Additional sponsors include Pockets, 1307 E 53rd St.; Kilimanjaro International Inc., 1305 E. 53rd St.; Hyde Park Produce Market, 1226 E 53rd St.; the Sit-Down Cafe & Restaurant, 1312 E 53rd St.; the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and other volunteers. Proceeds from the festival will go toward the creation of summer youth jobs and scholarships to study abroad in various countries in Africa. The event is free and open to the public.