Helen Keller Festival to Be Celebrated at Her Childhood Home in Alabama

The focal point of the Helen Keller Festival, June 27 to 30, will be Ivy Green, Keller’s home in Tuscumbia, Ala. To honor the remarkable woman who was blind and deaf, there will be an antique car show, a parade, an arts and crafts show, concerts and a puppet show. Festival-goers can tour the home and visit the pump where Keller learned her first word.

For information, contact Colbert County Tourism, P.O. Box 740425, Tuscumbia, AL 35674; (800) 344-0783, www.helenkellerfestival.com.

Florida

The Goombay Festival, from May 31 to June 9 in Miami, is one of the largest black heritage festivals in the U.S.; half a million people are expected this year. Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove will be closed for the street event June 8 and 9. Junkanoo groups (rake ‘n’ scrape bands from the Bahamas) are the highlight of the parade, and spectators are encouraged to join in. More than 300 vendors offer arts and crafts plus Bahamian specialties such as conch fritters, conch salad, pigeon peas and rice.

Contact the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove Inc., P.O. Box 330052, Miami, FL 33133; (305) 567-1399, www.miamigoombay.com.

Hawaii

The Pan Pacific Festival-Matsuri in Hawaii, from June 7 to 10 in Honolulu, celebrates the friendship between Hawaiian and Japanese cultures. Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki’s main street, will be closed to cars for a hoolaulea (street party) with entertainers from Japan, Hawaiian music and street performers. The Sunday parade, also on Kalakaua, brings together taiko drummers, U.S. high school marching bands and more. Other events include theater performances and a hula festival.

For more information, contact Matsuri in Hawaii Committee, Waikiki Business Plaza, Suite 1400, 2270 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815; (808) 926-8177, www.pan-pacific-festival.com.

Indiana

Cole Porter fans may want to time a pilgrimage to the musician’s birthplace in Peru to coincide with the Cole Porter Festival on June 8. The day begins with a Porter concert at Holy Trinity Anglican Church and moves to the Miami County Museum for more live music. Van tours will take fans to his birthplace, grave and other sites. The Cole Porter Classic Car Show was inspired by Porter’s 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, which is on display in the museum along with other memorabilia.

Contact the Miami County Museum, 51 N. Broadway, Peru, IN 46970; (765) 473-9183, www.miamicountymuseum.org.

Maine

For Mainers, the Old Port Festival in Portland on June 2, the largest one-day festival in the state, is the kickoff of the summer season. The day will begin with a parade, led by giant puppets, through the tree-lined cobblestone streets of the restored Old Port district. Live entertainment is planned on 10 outdoor stages. Jugglers and musicians will make their way through the streets.

Contact Portland’s Downtown District, 94 Free St., Portland, ME 04101; (207) 772-6828, www.portlandmaine.com.

North Carolina

The 78th annual Singing on the Mountain takes place on June 23 at Grandfather Mountain, the highest peak in the Blue Ridge. The all-day gospel sing, with a dozen top Southern gospel groups performing on outdoor stages, is the oldest old-time gospel convention in the southern Appalachians. Dinner will be served in a meadow at the base of the mountain.

Contact Grandfather Mountain, P.O. Box 129, Linville, NC 28646; (800) 468-7325, www.grandfather.com.

Belize

Lobsterfest, June 22 and 23 in Placencia, will begin with a fishing tournament and a bike race. Then booths will offer Creole lobster, barbecued lobster, even lobster pizza. Also planned: live music, local arts and crafts displays, a blessing of the boats and a boat parade around Placencia Harbor.

For more information, contact the Belize Consulate, 5825 Sunset Blvd., Suite 206, Hollywood, CA 90028; (323) 469-7343, www.travelbelize.org.

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