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Our Programs

Elders' Wisdom, Chidren's SongElders' Wisdom, Children's Song™

Elders’ Wisdom, Children's Song™ is an intergenerational program created by Smithsonian Folkways recording artist and social justice advocate Larry Long, director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Community Celebration of Place. Working with young people in schools throughout the nation Larry has generated an unparalleled collection of life stories of American elders in both song and narrative.

Teaching Tolerance Teaching Tolerance

I Will Be Your Friend was a sound recording produced by Larry Long through Teaching Tolerance of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Over 200,000 kits were given out free throughout North America to elementary schools and teachers, religious and community centers and other organizations serving children in the younger grades.

Faces & Voices Faces & Voices

Larry Long worked in South Africa through a grant from the U.S. State Department. While there, Larry held a collective writing workshop with students, migrant workers and union stewards, worked with youth choirs from the townships of St. Wendolin’s and Chester, and held two performances at the Awesome Africa Festival at the Swanimi Reserve. Awesome Africa features popular and traditional singers throughout the continent of Africa.

River Celebrations River Celebrations

Larry Long founded the Mississippi River Revival, a campaign to clean-up the Mississippi River. With his voice and guitar Larry organized communities from the head waters at Lake Itasca to Dubuque, Iowa. Through this period Larry produced over twenty river festivals, hauled hundreds of tons of trash out of the river with community volunteers along the upper Mississippi River, worked with Governor Perpich to create the clean rivers movement in Minnesota, and traveled the length of the Mississippi River with Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theater.

Bringing Woody Home Bringing Woody Home

Twenty years ago the very first hometown tribute for Woody Guthrie was recorded live at the Crystal Theatre in Okemah, Oklahoma, on December 1, 1988. Organized by Larry Long with the help and guidance of the people and children of Okemah, it was the culmination of a three-year residency.

News & Events

Cashton, WI - 8th Grade Leadership will host a Cashton Community Celebration in honor of Mrs. Marian Sullivan Schwarz’s 104th Birthday at the Cashton Community Hall on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM.  

Community Celebration of Place is partnering with Little Free Library on Saturday, May 21, in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the first-ever Little Free Library Festival.

Join highly acclaimed author Kent Nerburn and Larry Long, Executive Director of Community Celebration of Palce for an evening of songs, stories and music.

Save Our History!

During 2017-2018, it is a primary program of Community Celebration of Place to transfer their collection into archives that will be open to the public for generations to come

We can not do this work without you.

Testimonials

My heartfelt thanks to Larry Long and all the voices from which our history continues to generate encouragement, enthusiasm and wisdom.

Arlo Guthrie, Songwriter, Son of Woody Guthrie

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