Discover Easton was recently awarded $8,000 from the Talbot County Arts Council to help expand the annual First Night Talbot New Year’s celebration and the Easton Arts District Culture Crossing event.
“We feel so fortunate to receive this funding from our friends at the Talbot County Arts Council,” Discover Easton Executive Director Ross Benincasa said. “During these odd times when most of our work and grant requests have pivoted toward pandemic relief, it’s a wonderful reprieve to be able to start thinking about events again in our downtown district.”
Culture Crossing 2019 (Credit: Shane Moore)
First Night Talbot, Easton’s annual family-focused New Year’s celebration, is entering its 27th year, and is preparing to bring in 2021 like never before. Discover Easton is diligently planning for the event to continue, and hopeful for some in-person elements, with an understanding that much of the event may take place virtually this year. The funding from the Talbot County Arts Council will be utilized to bring in performers that appeal to larger demographics of children and families, meeting one of Discover Easton’s core goals of showcasing events that are accessible to wider ranges of families and age groups.
The Easton Arts District Culture Crossing, a summer arts celebration that will take place on the Easton Rails-to-Trails, had a successful first year in 2019 before being derailed this past summer due to the pandemic. The funding from the Talbot County Arts Council will allow the event to bring in performers from around the greater Easton area in 2021 to support the celebration of Easton’s multicultural arts community.
First Night Talbot 2020 (Credit: Ted Mueller Photography)
“Missing the Culture Crossing this past year was really difficult, especially given the successes it saw in 2019,” Benincasa said. “Our team is really passionate about this project, given some of the underrepresentation of young and minority artists around the Eastern Shore. We’re so pleased to receive this funding so we can go back to our partners and begin to plan out the events for 2021 that can bring these artists and our Easton families together.”
The Easton Arts District Culture Crossing is expected to return to the Rails-to-Trails during the spring of 2021.
About Discover Easton: Discover Easton is a marketing, promotion and events non-profit organization operating as a member of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. The mission of Discover Easton is to enhance, promote and preserve the vitality of Easton’s independent merchants which benefit business owners, residents and visitors; and to bring awareness to the Town’s historical roots and lifestyles.
For more information regarding Discover Easton and its events, please visit www.discovereaston.com or email [email protected]. Stay connected to Discover Easton on social media: @discovereaston.
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