Drum Circle in Sinking Spring, PA

If you are a hand drummer and you were not at the Spears-Harambee Company tonight (January 6^th) to drum in the New Year, I feel very sorry for you. The energy in this new drum circle surpassed every other drum circle around the area. There are several reasons for this: a new, welcoming venue; a balanced mix of experienced and enthusiastic (how could you not be enthused?) beginner drummers; and a pair of leaders who make the word “positive” sound totally inadequate to capture their incredible liveliness.

Owner Angelena Spears exuded joy over the large turn-out of drummers and certainly leapt right into the spirit of the circle. Although the store normally closes at 6:00 PM on Fridays, she invited the drummers to use her space and stayed “after hours” to participate.

This free drumming event was created and led by local drummer Donna Luhrs who has been an ardent drummer and drumming student for years. She and veteran drummer Scott Gilbert facilitated. These two have been part of the Berks County drum scene for a long time and their respect and enjoyment of each other, plus compatible approaches shine in their drumming.

Participants came from the greater Reading area, West Chester, and Harrisburg. It was wonderful to have more drummers arrive throughout the evening. Young and old, male and female, most every color, and walk of life are the drummers. Once one discovers that the primal drumbeat touches the soul, just surrender to it and find a drum circle. This circle would be a lovely place to start because plans are to continue this event every first Friday of the month at 6:00 P.M. In fact, the owners are even hoping to add other drum circles to the calendar -- for instance a Parent & Child drum circle (or Grandparent & Grandchild drum circle.) A couples drum circle and a teen drum circle are other possibilities. As owner Angelena Spears states, “We are just having so much fun with this.”

As one faces the front of the two-story J.O.Y. bookstore on Route 422, look for the Spears-Harambee Company in a separate, smaller building on the left end of the parking lot. They have been in business since 1994, however, this shop is a brand-new location for the enterprise. The items for sale are ticketed with the name of the country of origin. When I asked Angelena if she personally travels to procure these wonderful goods, she replied that they have great contacts with Africans who travel regularly. These include Kenyan friends who visit Africa several times a year and continually come back with exciting new products, a Mali contact who promises to come back with loads of beautiful Mudcloth fabrics, and contacts in other African countries as well. Angelena states, “We pride ourselves in having items from all over the continent -- including beautiful jackets made in Tunisia!”

It sounds as if the inventory will constantly be updated and changed , so one may need to make visiting Spears-Harambee Company as regular shopping trip. Additionally, some of the goods can be previewed by visiting this website:

Store website: http://www.africanitems.biz/

If you would like to try the drum circle next month, call the store (610-670-4400) to determine the status of drums for borrowing or renting. Also, I recommend that you plan to arrive extremely early to do a little window shopping. P.S. – bring a folding chair for the drumming activity.

Photos and text copyright 2012 Maren E. Morgan, all rights reserved.