Culture Counts!

The Somerset County Freeholders Present: Culture Counts!

The health and safety of our communities is our highest priority, therefore the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission are postponing the remaining Culture Counts! events.  The series will resume once we are confident that it is safe to hold public events. 

While our in person events are currently postponed, please enjoy some of the digital content that is being created at this time until we are able to hold in person events again. 

Keep checking this page for the latest information on the Culture Counts! series.

Culture Counts is a diverse series of programs designed to showcase the wide array of cultures living and thriving in Somerset County. Each event is open to the public, FREE of charge, with light refreshments. All are invited to attend.

If you require assistive services for an event, please contact the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage office at (908) 231-7021 two (2) weeks in advance of the event.

A Night of Hindustani Music - Thank you to all those who attended!

• Be swept away with the hypnotic and beautiful melodies of Hindustani music performed by world renowned vocalist Mitali Bhawmik, director of Raag Rang, a Somerset County organization for the promotion and preservation of classical Indian music.
• Featuring Mitali Bhawmik with Kedar Naphade on harmonium and Amod Dandawate on table with special guests Indrani Chakrabarty Khare, Shankhadip Chakrabarty, Aratrike Dey, Sania Sawale and Niyati Kashyap.
• Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Villagers Theatre.  475 Demott Lane. Somerset, NJ 08873.  5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

University of the Philippines Alumni  & Friends Rondalla - Thank you to all those who attended!

• Join us at the Raritan library to discover the beauty of the Rondalla, a musical form native to the Philippines.  For 27 years, the New Jersey-based University of the Philippines Alumni and Friends Rondalla has presented musical programs that integrate Philippine history, culture and traditions.
• Sunday, March 8, 2020 at the Raritan Library. 54 E. Somerset St. Raritan, NJ 08869.  Starting at 1:00 p.m.

Learn Pysanky Egg Painting - EVENT POSTPONED - Check back for new date 

• Learn about ancient symbols and legends, and make a traditional Ukrainian decorated egg known as the pysanka.  During the Lenten period preceding Pascha, or Easter, Ukrainians write pysanky, or decorate eggs, using molten wax to write ancient symbols that symbolize the rebirth of Nature.  Join us as we continue this age old tradition and welcome Spring.  Taught by Natalia Honcharenko and Oksana Pasakas of the Ukrainian History and Education Center, Somerset, NJ.
• Event postponed, check back for new date.
• Click Here for Virtual Video

Your Story Counts! Preserve Your Heritage - EVENT POSTPONED - Check back for new date

• Come to the Staats House for a Heritage Preservation Day with Queen Nur!  Visitors are welcome to bring in family heirlooms (such as aged photographs, textiles, small objects and artwork to digitize.  There will also be a Sharing Station, where participants can tell stories associated with their treasures.  Participants may also choose to have the stories recorded in the Oral History Booth.  Attendees will be gifted a high-quality digital copy their artifacts and stories as family keepsakes to pass down to next generations.
• Event postponed, check back for new date.

Queen Nur's Voices of Courage - EVENT POSTPONED - Check back for new date 

• A collection of biographical vignettes highlighting outspoken African American women of the 19th Century.  Presented by storyteller Queen Nur.  These women include Harriet Tubman, Sojourned Truth, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Ida B.  Wells, Mary Church Terrell, and Mary McCleod Bethume.  Themes of courage and fortitude are explored as the one-woman performance reveals each heroine's oratory style and fashion of the period.
• Event postponed, check back for new date.

Learn Pysanky Egg Painting - EVENT POSTPONED - Check back for new date 

• Learn about ancient symbols and legends, and make a traditional Ukrainian decorated egg known as the pysanka.  During the Lenten period preceding Pascha, or Easter, Ukrainians write pysanky, or decorate eggs, using molten wax to write ancient symbols that symbolize the rebirth of Nature.  Join us as we continue this age old tradition and welcome Spring.  Taught by Natalia Honcharenko and Oksana Pasakas of the Ukrainian History and Education Center, Somerset, NJ.
• Event postponed, check back for new date.
• Click Here for Virtual Video!

Swing Combo Salsa - EVENT POSTPONED-Check back for new date

• Dance the night away to the tunes of the Swing Combo Salsa at the Brook Theater!  The Swing Combo Salsa Band has 25 years of performing Latin music in parades, private events and festivals-including Somerset County's own Diversity Festival.
• Event postponed, check back for new date.