Strand Centennial Community Day featuring Squonk - FREE!

Strand Centennial Community Day featuring Squonk - FREE!

  • ALL AGES

Celebrate a century of the Strand Theatre as we close North George Street and present a day of live performances and activities!

By Appell Center for the Performing Arts

Date and time

Location

Appell Center for the Performing Arts

50 North George Street York, PA 17401

About this event

  • Event lasts 4 hours
  • ALL AGES

Free Community Celebration ~ 100 Years of the Strand Theatre!

Celebrate a century of the Strand Theatre as we close North George Street and present a day of live performances and activities, self-guided tours and demonstrations, films and singalongs… all things super fun and amazing! The incomparable SQUONK is our featured performer with Brouhaha, an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation. At the center of this riotous romp is the Squonkcordion, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells.

At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community. You don’t have to be musicians, but by the end of the show, all will embrace the joy of making sounds—and the camaraderie that entails.

Throughout this visual extravaganza, Squonk’s musicians add driving rhythms, vibrant keyboards, wild winds, and hypnotic guitar riffs to the Squonkcordion’s rich and brassy sound. A raucous fusion of styles, Squonk’s music ranges from propulsive and exhilarating to celebratory and majestic.

Performances continue with local talent featured on our second outdoor stage and inside the Appell Center, including…

Second Stage – Local Musician Spotlight:

  • Boothill Getaway
  • Unforgettable Big Band
  • Wyatt Becker Band

Appell Center Donor Lounge

  • Jazz in the City with Jeff Stabley, Kirk Reese and Steve Meashey
  • York Symphony Orchestra Quartet
  • Cumberland Honey

The Studio

  • Dance it Forward
  • Baby Rave with DJ GiGi
  • Dance Lab with Luis Santiago

Capitol Theatre

  • Mighty Wurlitzer Organ Demo and Silent Film Accompaniment featuring Don Kinnier
  • The Outlet Showcase featuring Jasmine Taylor, Shelby Wormley and Dominique Jordan

PLUS a wide variety of hands-on activities both outside and throughout the facility—all FREE for the entire community!

Presented by Kinsley Enterprise with support from WellSpan Health.

Special Thanks to our Centennial Season Sponsors

Powder Mill Foundation

W. Dale Brougher Foundation

Glatfelter Insurance

J. William Warehime Foundation

Kinsley Enterprise

The Graham Group

Additional support for this event provided by York County Cultural Alliance and Downtown Inc.

Frequently asked questions

Do any of the activities cost something to participate in?

No, all the activities which are part of our Strand Centennial Community Day are FREE and open to all in the community! This is a day to celebrate the Strand Theatre's 100th Birthday and interact with all areas of our theatres!

Where can I park to attend?

York City parking garages are FREE on weekends. We encourage our patrons to take advantage of these low and no-cost parking options within convenient walking distance of our theaters. N George St will be closed. Visit https://appellcenter.org/plan-your-visit/#parking for full parking information.

Organized by

Located in downtown York, the Appell Center for the Performing Arts serves as a leading arts presenter in south central Pennsylvania. The complex encompasses five buildings, including its two historic theaters – the Capitol Theatre, built in 1906 as a one-level dance hall and the Strand Theatre, which opened in 1925 primarily for vaudeville and silent movies. The center offers a diverse choice of shows, ranging from rock concerts and symphonies, to musicals and stand-up comedy.

Free
Sep 13 · 10:00 AM EDT