Audio: Jamestown Audio Clip

JAMESTOWN—Bruce Hornsby rocked the crowd not far from his hometown of Williamsburg in Jamestown’s Anniversary Park last night, launching an all-star evening of entertainment featuring Ricky Skaggs, Chaka Khan and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on harmonica.

It was a day jam-packed with old- and new-fashioned all-American fun.

Earlier, actor James Earl Jones entertained a group of hundreds by reading from a children’s book, “John Smith Escapes Again.”

The Heritage, Festival, Exploration and Democracy stages at Anniversary Park stayed busy practically from dawn till dusk yesterday. People walking by stopped to sample acts as they wished, not unlike the National Folk Festival in Richmond—only flatter, hotter and with wider-open spaces.

Despite the fact that his noon story-reading session took place at high noon, Jones drew 500 to 600 listeners of all ages. Wearing a black pin-striped suit and a burgundy-striped tie, his wire rims glinting in the sun as he was being introduced, the two-time Tony Award winner ("Fences" and “The Great White Hope") looked cool as a cucumber.

But it wasn’t the mention of his Kennedy Center lifetime achievement award that drew applause. The crowd went nuts when it was noted that Jones had voiced the role of Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” films.

Sitting down, the 76-year-old smiled and said, “The thing about reading is, I’m not good at it.

“That’s why I get to do it instead of you. I need the practice. I’m dyslexic and I stutter.”

Occasionally pushing his glasses up his nose—it was his only concession to the humidity—Jones held his audience spellbound with that famous deep voice, the stutter left long behind.

“He was fantastic,” said Dorothy Cooke of Gloucester, who was here for the day with her friends, Edith Stubbs and Florence White. “We see him all the time on TV, and we were right on the front row! He’s so personable.”

Al Hall, 11, said, “I’m a big ‘Star Wars’ fan. I was whistling when they introduced him.” Al and his dad, Joseph, from Short Gap, W.Va., were headed for the NASA exhibit next.

The Jen Chapin Band attracted a small but appreciative audience. As she concluded her set, Chapin said, “This is a song about hope and faith in times of war fundamentalists of all stripes and the belief we’re all going to get smart and get wise. It’s called ‘Go On.’”

A 35-minute baby sitter
So what do a blue-eyed, fey ear of corn, an urban cougar, a Barney-like creature wearing an oyster-shell necklace and a skunk whose dialogue runs along the lines of “There’s, like, trouble in the air” have to do with the 400th anniversary of America?

The answer is simple: “Ba-Baah & Windingo,” which runs several times daily on the Exploration Stage, replaces something you wouldn’t find in Colonial times: the TV set. It’s a 35-minute baby sitter for adults who need to take a load off. Tots and young ones up to ages 6 or 7 were transfixed with yesterday’s performances.

It was a little harder on those performing, however. Darren Marrett, a 22-year-old actor-dancer down from New York to wear the furry cougar outfit just for the weekend, said, “It’s a good 95 degrees in here.”

Still, he cheerily agreed to sign autographs and have his picture taken with several young fans after the 2 p.m. show.

At the other end of the spectrum, Brulé and Airo, a band of American Indians from South Dakota tribes, performed what it called contemporary Native American music.

Large crowds despite heat
The instrumental music, often wild and haunting, attracted a larger audience despite the heat; many folks just opened their umbrellas for protection from the sun.

Later in the afternoon, Virginia’s Robin and Linda Williams—of “Prairie Home Companion” fame—lured several hundred people over to the Heritage Stage for an hour’s worth of much-appreciated bluegrass.

As the set started, a grey-bearded, pony-tailed gentleman leapt out into the grass between the audience and the stage, clogging as if his life depended upon it. His joy in the music was so infectious, a couple of the younger generation—they looked to be about 6—joined him.

Afterward, David Winship of Abingdon said he’d been flat-footing “for years and years. Jim Watson (a member of the band) and I go back 30-40 years,” he said.

He’d seen a dance troupe from Abingdon perform earlier in the day and also James Earl Jones.

“He was great,” Winship said, grinning.

Contact staff writer Cynthia McMullen at or (804) 649-6361