Van Kirk Homestead Museum to host patriotic jazz concert

The Van Kirk Homestead Museum will present the Florian Schantz Jazz Combo for an outdoor concert celebrating the many styles of jazz and America’s 250th anniversary on Sunday, July 12.

The performance will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the museum grounds at 336 Main St. The six-member ensemble will perform patriotic music spanning American history, highlighting the evolution of jazz through different eras. The concert will conclude with a Boston Pops-style patriotic singalong.

Led by 24-year-old professional trumpeter Florian Schantz, the group specializes in historical music programs that combine live performances with educational narration. Schantz founded the band at age 9, and the ensemble has performed more than 500 engagements throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Germany.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets. A rain date has been scheduled for Sunday, July 19, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is free for Sparta Historical Society members and $10 for nonmembers.

The museum also announced that its August programming will highlight the wagon barn transportation exhibit, one-room schoolhouse, colonial kitchen and mining exhibit. The “Happy Birthday America – 250 Years” exhibit will reopen in September with additional displays.

The Van Kirk Homestead Museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Group tours are available by reservation.