Minutes from the January 12th and February 9th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
Zimfest News Blog
Zimfest Updates & COVID Policy
Greetings Zimfest community,
- The ZA Board, aware that COVID-19 infections could surge at any time, has come up with a policy for Zimfest 2025 based on personal responsibility and the creation of a safe environment for all. The policy has been posted here on the Zimfest website.
- A core feature of the policy is that workshop teachers may either require masking or encourage the voluntary use of masks in their classes. In order for masking requirements to be known ahead of time, the organizing committee will be writing to all accepted teachers to indicate their preferences as soon as possible. Teachers, you can assist in this process by writing teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org with your stated preference. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you do not want to require masking in your class(es).
- On another topic, we have been informed that there is a wheelchair lift and small number of ADA rooms in the dorms we have been allotted. See Disabled Access for further information. If any wheelchair-bound Zimfest participant wishes to rent one of these rooms, please write to registration[at]zimfest[dot]org before June 15, 2025.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Festival Coordinator Claire
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest and Accommodation Updates
Greetings Zimfest community,
- We are happy to announce that we have located a reasonably-priced hotel in Ellensburg that promises a group discount if enough Zimfest attendees stay there. The Red Lion Hotel Ellensburg is at 1700 S. Canyon Road off I-90 about 2.7 miles from the CWU Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC). If ten rooms are rented by Zimfest participants, each will receive a 10-15% discount (current undiscounted price for a room with queen bed is $105). Please call 509-925-9800 and let them know you are with Zimfest 2025. Zimfest cannot offer any troubleshooting help should you encounter any problems, but please post a comment on this blog post if you make a reservation with them. Thanks to John Hatten for the many phone calls he made to bring this opportunity to you!
- Zimfest 2025 teacher and performer applications closed as of February 28 and the Organizing Committee is hard at work sorting through applications, making determinations about acceptances and setting up the workshop schedule. Accepted teachers can expect to hear from us in late March, and accepted performers shortly thereafter.
- We plan to open applications for Zimfest vendors and non-profit stands by April 1, and have published the African Marketplace and Information for Vendors pages on the website. The Marketplace and outdoor stage will be located in a grassy, shaded area outside the northeast corner of the SURC.
More news coming soon!
Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator
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Zimfest News
Greetings all,
- Introducing the Zimfest 2025 artwork below and in the form of a Save the Date card/flyer that you can download from the Overview page (scroll down) and share. Thanks to Karin Rau for the original artwork she sent us in 2023!
- We have been slowly but steadily receiving applications to perform and/or teach at Zimfest 2025 but we know there are still folks out there who are procrastinating! There is less than one week to go until the February 28 deadline!
- Webmaster Larry Israel and myself, with the help of volunteers, have been busy populating the zimfest.org website with informational pages to help you plan your Zimfest 2025 visit. Need information on Off-campus Housing and Dining? Want ideas on things to do Around Ellensburg?
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Reminder – Zimfest 2025 Applications Close Feb 28
Greetings all,
Happy February!
The Zimfest Organizing Committee has been gratified to see a number of familiar and not-so-familiar Zimbabweans submitting applications during the month of January, and we are working hard to determine who we can invite. But where are the applications from teachers and performers resident in the US?
Performer application info and a link to the actual applications is here on the website.
Teacher application info and an application link is here. Once you have submitted a teacher application, you will be sent a link to propose one or more (in-person) workshops. The workshop proposals are a crucial part of your application.
Thanks!
Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest 2025 Lodging and Volunteers Update
Dear Zimfest community,
Breaking News from our host at Central Washington University: CWU Conference Services has made more dorm rooms available to us for Zimfest 2025, so that the total exceeds the usual numbers of rooms we have rented in the past. Thus, fewer people need to look for alternatives off-campus. The dorms are not air-conditioned (be prepared) but each room has a microwave and mini-fridge (yay)!
There are plenty of dry camping (tents only) spaces in a shaded area at the Kittitas Valley Event Center (aka the rodeo grounds). The walking distance from there to the dining hall in the Student Union (SURC) is approximately the same as from the dorms to the SURC.
Urgent Volunteer Need – We are still searching for a graphic artist who can use the winning design to create a Save the Date Card, Facebook banner and tee shirt design. Job description available on request; please write to volunteers[at]zimfest[dot]org if you can help.
Best regards,
Claire (Festival Coordinator)
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest New Model: Every Other Year
The Zimfest Association Board has made the decision to change the frequency of Zimfest from an annual to a biennial (every other year) festival, starting from 2025. There were many reasons for this decision. For details, please see the December Board Meeting Minutes.
Zimfest will be alternating years with the Nhemamusasa North Zimbabwe-music festival in Canada, which is already using the biennial model. This means that every year, there will be a festival for those who love Zimbabwean music — either Zimfest in the U.S., or Nhemamusasa North in Canada — with no date conflicts between them.
Sincerely,
Maria Minnaar Bailey
Acting President, ZA Board
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December Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the December 8th meeting of the Zimfest Association Board of Directors have been posted.
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Zimfest 2025 Applications Are Now Open
Applications to teach or perform at Zimfest 2025 are now open! For details, go to Teacher Application Information and Performer Application Information. The application deadline is February 28. Zimbabweans living in Zimbabwe, South Africa, the UK, or other locations in which a B1/B2 US visa will be required, should submit teacher applications by 31 January.
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Zimfest 2025 Applications Open Jan 2
Season’s Greetings Zimfest community!
Zimfest Association elves have been busy preparing our website with an Overview of the 2025 festival, and application information for prospective Teachers and Performers. Applications are scheduled to open January 2 and close February 28, 2025. Access to the applications will be provided by links on the information pages starting Jan 2.
Fast-tracking non-resident Zimbabwean applications
We are aware that many of our Zimbabwean teachers not resident in the US face delays getting B1/B2 visa appointments in the US Embassies where they live. To help get a head start on that process, we are fast-tracking Zimbabwean teacher applications. Zimbabweans living in Zimbabwe, South Africa, the UK (or elsewhere), submit your teacher applications by 31 January so that we can make preliminary acceptance decisions and get letters of invitation generated by our university co-sponsors. You will still have until 28 February to submit performance applications and workshop proposals. Questions? Please write to zimguests[at]zimfest[dot]org.
Happy New Year!
Zimfest Elves
Festival Coordinator Claire Jones
Web Manager Larry Israel
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Annual Campaign 2024
Dearest Zimfest Association Members and friends,
Once again, we’ve found ourselves at the end of another full year. In addition to wishing everyone a happy holiday season, we wanted to share a few things. First, while it’s always hard to go a year without seeing all of you and playing our favorite music, we have been hard at work planning the future of the festival, and we are so excited to announce that Zimfest 2025 is officially a go! For the first time, the festival will be held at Central Washington University in beautiful Ellensburg, WA, August 7-10. For more information, please check out our blog https://zimfest.org/blog/2024/zimfest-updates-2/.
And now, please allow me to take a minute to appreciate the Zimfest Association members who are reading this. There are now well over 100 active members, all of whom allow us to continue working to provide an annual festival while maintaining our connection to the music of Zimbabwe throughout the year. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
“Hey, I want to be appreciated, too!” you might say, and rest assured, anyone reading this is OK in my book, but if you really want to take it to the next level, it’s easier than ever to join the Zimfest team. Simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. From there, you can follow instructions to become a member, renew a membership, or verify your membership status by plugging in your email address. We now have the option to auto-renew so you can contribute every year without even having to think about it! Perks for members include skipping the festival registration fee, and early access to workshop registration.
Already a member, but want to contribute even more? There are lots of other ways to do so. Consider making a tax-deductible donation of whatever amount works for you. If you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. Please visit https://charity.ebay.com/charity-auctions/my-causes/ and search for Zimfest! Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions!
Whatever you may be celebrating this year, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you all in Washington!
Membership questions? Please contact us at: za-members(at)zimfest{dot}org
Warmly,
Daniel Lockley, ZA Ex-Membership Queen
Maria Minnaar-Bailey, Interim President
Zimfest Association Board
Posted In: Zimfest Association News
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October and November Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the October 13th and November 10th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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