Home 2008 Schedule New for 2008 Festival Art Contest The Brig Niagara About the Erie Philharmonic The 1812 Overture Shuttle Service Map & Directions Erie County Historical Society 4th Annual Erie's Heritage Festival presented by the Erie County Historical Society WQLN, the Erie Philharmonic and the Erie Area Convention & Visitors Bureau THE LAST "BLAST" OF SUMMER! Erie, PA -- Erie's Heritage Festival - known locally as "The Last Blast of Summer" – returns again as the Lake Erie Region's popular community enrichment event. Erie's Heritage Festival is a day-long performance venue of Americana and World music performed by musicians from the Erie and Southern Ontario regions. The event concludes with a summer Pops performance by the Erie Philharmonic. The finale of the Pops concert is a dramatic presentation of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and John Philip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever – complete with cannon fire, church bells, and fireworks. In addition to the bayside music festival, Erie's Heritage Festival is a showcase for interactive activities where families can experience living history through the cultural arts found around the Great Lakes. For 2008, Erie's Heritage Festival will feature: French & Indian War, Civil War and WWII Military Re-enactors Re-enactors set up ‘camp' and are available for muster for all visitors beginning at 3pm. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Battery C, 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery The 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery unit dates back to President Abraham Lincoln's "Call To Arms" near the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. The 107th will bring three M109A6 Paladin, a 155mm self-propelled howitzer. The Paladin is currently the most technologically advanced artillery delivery system in the world. The Harry T. Burleigh Society's Underground Railroad Interactive Classroom An interactive program giving visitors the chance to experience "Living in Jerusalem" in the days before the Civil War. Come, be inspired by the courage and strength of Hamilton Waters, William Himrod and other "quiet heroes" of Erie's Underground Railroad. **Jerusalem (or New Jerusalem) was the City of Erie's first African American neighborhood. Erie Maritime Museum Maritime Heritage Tent Sail making, knot-tying, boat-building demonstrations will be presented by Erie Maritime Museum & Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies. The expERIEnce Children's Museum Tent A tent buzzing with activity - crafts, games and activities celebrating what makes Erie unique. The Ethnic Erie Marketplace & World Stage New to the 2008 festival is the Ethnic Erie Marketplace. Erie, city and county, has welcomed immigrants and refugees from every populated continent. The foods, music, dance, language and traditions brought by these cultural groups have contributed to the political history, social history and art heritage of Erie. Erie’s Heritage Festival pays tribute to these old and new immigrant and refugee groups in a marketplace where event visitors find traditional foods, music, dancing and crafts. Click HERE for World Stage schedule. Off-Shore Fireworks At this year's festival, fireworks will be fired off a barge 750' behind the stage on Presque Isle Bay. Fireworks will be visible from as far away as Summit Township. Erie's Heritage Festival is a joint venture between the Erie County Historical Society, the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Maritime Museum, the Erie Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and WQLN.