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Posts Tagged "Zimfest site"

Zimfest Updates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — No Comments ↓

Greetings all,

Some Zimfest updates now that we are starting to work on the 2025 festival:

  • Good news! We have been able to secure ample space for Zimfest campers at the Kittitas Valley Event Center (Ellensburg Rodeo grounds!), within walking distance of our 2025 festival site at Central Washington University. These inexpensive dry camping (tents only) sites will help ease the need for housing given the low-ish number of campus dorm rooms allocated to us by CWU. Campers will be able to register and pre-pay for space through Zimfest registration, scheduled to open in early May.
  • We have updated the Virtual Marketplace on our website in time for the holiday shopping season. Support our Zimbabwean vendors! If you are an online vendor for Zimbabwean goods and want to be listed, please contact us at marketplace [at]zimfest[dot]org.
  • Plea for Volunteers for the Organizing Committee (OC): As you know, Zimfest depends on volunteer help. One of the most important volunteers is the person(s) who recruits and manages all those who donate their time:
    • Volunteer Coordinator(s)!  We are badly in need of someone (or ones) to step up and replace our wonderful VC from the past three years. No experience necessary, just some willingness to work and people skills!
    • Concert Production: I have only recently heard that our very efficient and experienced Concert Producers will not be available for set-up tasks before the festival this year.
    • These are both big gaps in the OC. Please write claire[at]zimfest[dot]org for more information and/or to raise your hand!

Enjoy the holiday season,

Claire J.
Zimfest Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Announcing Zimfest 2025: August 7-10 at CWU

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — 1 Comment ↓

Dear Zimfest community,

At long last, the ZA board and I are happy to announce the dates and location for Zimfest 2025: August 7-10, 2025, at Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, WA. Mark your calendars! Be forewarned that Zimfest has been allocated a single dorm with only 80% of the number of beds we usually require on-campus, so you may wish to look into nearby motels, Air BnB’s and campgrounds well in advance. More info on these options coming soon!

The Search

We are so sorry that it took us this long to confirm a date, having begun an exhaustive WA State venue search late last year. After contacting many institutions, we have learned that college conference organizers and the administrations that oversee them have been as disturbed by the COVID epidemic as have many other for-profit and not-for-profit entities.

  • Conference service fees are higher all around; be prepared to pay more when registering for  Zimfest 2025 and future festivals to help us balance the budget.
  • Disturbingly, at least two institutions that hosted Zimfest in the past do not want us back for reasons traceable to participant (mis)behavior. This made our search more difficult, and we remind Zimfest-goers that we owe respect and gratitude to our institutional hosts and their efforts, as well their rules (especially regarding alcohol and marijuana use!).

Volunteers Needed

Finally, we will be re-forming our Organizing Committee (OC) to begin work on Zimfest 2025, starting with teacher and performer applications to open in January. As always, we need volunteer help. Here are some needs we know of right now:

  • Volunteer Coordinator—active member of the OC, with duties leading up to and during the festival
  • Local Arrangements—does not need to meet with the OC, carries out tasks as needed in concert with Festival Coordinator
  • Grant Writing and other Fund-Raising—works independently on behalf of the ZA Board
  • Other Ongoing Volunteer Needs: see How and Why to Volunteer on the website

You can fill out the Volunteer Contact Form on the website or write directly to claire[at]zimfest[dot]org for info or to put your hand up!

Thanks for reading (apologies for the lengthy post)!
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

(PS – We limited our site research and evaluation to Washington state this year with the vision of alternating years between Oregon and Washington sites. See here if you are interested in the venues we have researched.

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Welcome to Zimfest

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Hello,
I write to you from Zimfest 2018 after a super opening ceremony and exhilarating performance by Shamwari Tamba of Boulder. We have a couple of last minute changes to report:

  • Guitarist Samuel Mukwedeya has had to cancel his teaching and participation in the festival. His Session 2 workshop Other Instruments: Chemutengure on Guitar will be taught by Zivanai Masango instead.
  • Samuel Mukwedeya’s Session 5 workshop Nyamamusango on Guitar is canceled.
  • Moyo Rainos Mutamba is having to leave the festival earlier than expected. His Session 7  Beginning Mbira: Chigwaya workshop will be taught by Alois Mutinhiri instead.
  • Due to access issues, all workshops scheduled to be taught by Erica Azim in Ackerman 3rd floor lounge, SW corner will be taught in Ackerman 140 instead.

Enjoy the festival!

Claire and the 2018 OC

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ZA Call for Interest in Hosting 2018 Zimfest

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

As you may know, The Zimfest Association Board decided earlier this year to not hold Zimfest in 2017, to allow us to focus on the long-term success and sustainability of the festival. At the same time, we’re looking forward to Zimfest 2018!

Current options include returning to Western Oregon University (which would require less planning effort than a new site) or identifying a community that can commit to organizing and hosting the festival at some other location. However, because of the lead time required to book facilities, we would like to identify the 2018 festival site and dates by the end of January, 2017. With 2018 taken care of, the Board will continue working on how best to select and rotate among festival venues after 2018.

Thus, we extend a call to all communities to consider organizing and hosting Zimfest 2018. The community will have festival coordination support from the Zimfest board and additional festival volunteers. Information—including pros, cons and/or deal-breakers—on a number of potential venues has been collected over the years here: Venues Researched As Potential Zimfest Sites.

Should you be interested in organizing and hosting Zimfest 2018, we’d love to hear from you via by January 8, 2017. Individuals or communities that express interest will be contacted by the Board for further discussion. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions as well.

With all best wishes,

The Zimfest Association Board of Directors
Rujeko Dumbutshena
Jacqueline Fallon
Chris Halaksa
Tapiwa Kapurura
Claire Jones
Daniel Lockley
Dana Moffett
Evelyn Mukwedeya
David Simon
Alex Weeks
Janis Weeks

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Zimfest 2016 Announcement

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

The Zimfest Board and I are pleased to announce the dates and location for next year’s festival. Zimfest 2016 will return to the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR. The dates of the festival will be August 11-14, 2016.

The feedback we have received from Zimfest 2015 participants has been positive about this site, and we look forward to focusing our collective energies on improving the festival rather than starting over in a new location. As 2015 participants are aware, the town of Monmouth is in the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley, wine country, with easy access to the Oregon coast.

I am recruiting volunteers now to form an organizing committee! If you would like to be involved in planning and organizing Zimfest 2016 in any way, shape or form, please e-mail me: claire-at-zimfest-dot-org. Feel free to ask about opportunities large and small to help out before and/or during the festival.

Best regards,

Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator

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Zimfest 2015 Survey

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival Details

We hope you were able to attend Zimfest this year. (If not, we look forward to seeing you at a later Zimfest!)

Thank you for coming to Zimfest 2015! We all hope you had a wonderful time. As we have done in past years, we would like to hear about your experiences so that we can make Zimfest better in the years to come. And to make that easier for you, this year’s survey is much simpler than in the past. Please take a few moments to share your thoughts about what works and what can be better. You are also welcome to share any other thoughts you have about Zimfest or Zimfest Association. We welcome your input!

https://zimfest.org/overview/survey/

Thank you!

2015 Zimfest Organizing Committee
Zimfest Association Board of Directors

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Announcing Zimfest 2015 Location and Dates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

The Zimfest Board and I are pleased to announce the dates and location for next year’s festival. Zimfest 2015 will be held August 13-16, 2015 at Western Oregon University. WOU is a campus of about 6,000 located in Monmouth, OR, 20 minutes west of the capital, Salem. We are happy to return the festival to Oregon, in a location that is nearly equidistant from Portland and Eugene—an easy 75 minute drive from either city. Monmouth is in the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley, wine country, with easy access to the Oregon coast.

The Grove at WOU, Potential Zimfest Marketplace Site

The Grove at WOU, Potential Zimfest Marketplace Site

We realize that we are somewhat late in announcing these dates to you, and want to let you know that we have been researching potential Zimfest sites not only for 2015 but for future festivals as well. It has become more and more difficult to find the facilities we require for a full festival at affordable rates and desirable dates. For this reason the need to settle on one or more semi-permanent sites has become more urgent. We are hoping Western Oregon University might work for our community as a home. As always, we ask for your feedback.

I am also late to form an organizing committee! If you would like to be involved in planning and organizing Zimfest 2015 in any way or form, please e-mail me: claire-at-zimfest-dot-org.

Best regards,
Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator

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