PHILADELPHIA, May 25, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Presented by the Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC), the Fourteenth Annual International Islamic Heritage Festival is part of PECO's Multicultural Series. This FREE and unique event draws visitors, vendors, and Islamic scholars from all over the country. Taking place on the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street on June 10, 2006 from Noon -- 8 p.m., the event will be a chance to experience authentic Islamic cuisine, music and entertainment along with learning about the rich Islamic heritage and history. PECO is a proud supporter of the Multicultural series at Penn's Landing which features ten different ethnic festivals and Independence Blue Cross is the presenting sponsor of the 2006 season at Penn's Landing.
The festival will kick off with a "Unity in Diversity and Stop the Violence Community Parade," featuring Youth Groups, Drill Teams, Schools and Community Organizations from across the Delaware Valley. The parade will commence at 11 a.m. at Independence National Park, 5th and Market Street, and end on the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing.
The festival begins at 12 Noon at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, located on Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street. The day's events will include a book signing and meet the author pavilion. The authors will include Nimat Marie, "Mother's Wit Commentaries for the Human Spirits," and Amin Nathari, "Muslim Unity by Any Means Necessary" will be present along with other writers.
Over 50 national and international merchants will be on hand selling an assortment of goods and services from around the world including Islamic arts and crafts, books, clothing, and unique foods. ICPIC's New Africa Muslim American Museum and Archive will display a sample of their exhibits.
In addition to the bazaar and activities, stage entertainment will be provided throughout the day beginning at 1:00 p.m. World-renowned UPK Generals will perform as well as the Universal African Dancers, the Association of Islamic Charitable Project's Madih Chorus, young rap/spoken word artists from the J&R Grassroots Artist Group, the Exiles, acclaimed singer Dar Es Salaam and the Muslim Vanguard Jazz Ensemble Healing Force. Other musical groups will feature Muslim rap artists as well as multicultural performance groups.
Admission is free for all PECO Multicultural Series events. More information about the International Islamic Heritage Festival can be found at www.icpic.net
Supporting the region's diversity has been a longstanding goal for PECO, who has sponsored the multicultural festivals at Penn's Landing for the past ten years. "All of us at PECO are thrilled to return again to the waterfront to support the multicultural festivals," said PECO president Denis O'Brien. "Penn's Landing is a Philadelphia summertime tradition and the PECO Multicultural Series is a fun way for us to celebrate the wide range of diversity represented in our service territory."
PECO is proud to be Philadelphia's hometown energy company and one of the region's most prominent civic supporters. PECO is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and celebrating diversity inside and outside the Company.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC). PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 470,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2004, the company delivered 37.5 million megawatt-hours (Mwh) of electricity and 87.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas to residential, business and institutional customers. PECO's energy delivery services generated $4.49 billion in revenue for Exelon.
Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations.
Public Programming at Penn's Landing would not be possible without our presenting sponsor Independence Blue Cross and the continued support of PECO Energy, Commerce Bank, Pennsylvania Lottery and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, all of whom are committed to serving the Greater Philadelphia community.
Penn's Landing Corporation is the non-profit organization responsible for funding and producing public programming at Penn's Landing. Independence Blue Cross is the presenting sponsor of the 2006 Summer Season at Penn's Landing, featuring free programming every weekend Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. All events produced by Penn's Landing Corporation are FREE to the public and on the Great Plaza, the heart of Penn's Landing, Philadelphia's premier riverfront entertainment destination.
For more information on event locations and event details, please call (215) 922-2FUN or visit www.pennslandingcorp.com. The Penn's Landing Corporation website is a virtual resource for the waterfront which can help visitors plan to easily park, play and stay all day at Penn's Landing.
The Penn's Landing Corporation logo is available at http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=349