Think Manheim and you might think of farm shows and football, but this month, the town will add a whole new sound to its streets. And this sound is bright, rhythmic and larger than life.

The inaugural Musser Marimba Festival will strike a chord from Sunday, Oct. 12, through Saturday, Oct. 18, celebrating Manheim's own Clair Omar Musser, the man who helped put the marimba on the world stage.

Through a variety of events and concerts, audiences of all ages can explore, enjoy and learn about marimba performance and history. The grand finale of the weeklong celebration will be a 60-piece marimba orchestra concert scheduled for Oct. 18.

The festival will begin with a free concert by the Lancaster Marimba Ensemble and Heartland Marimba on Oct. 12 at St. John's Hain's Church, 591 N. Church Road, Wernersville, at 4 p.m.

A lecture and performance by Heartland Marimba on Pennsylvania's Magnificent Marimba History will take place on Monday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing Blvd., Wyomissing. The presentation is free to attend, but donations to the festival will be accepted.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the festival will come to Manheim with a free birthday celebration for Musser at Zion Lutheran Church, 2 S. Hazel St., beginning at 7 p.m. The evening will live marimba performances, the grand reveal of a colorful mural, and plenty of cake. Painted by Horst Arts, the mural decorates an exterior wall of Zion Lutheran Preschool wall with cosmic imagery, a nod to Musser's inventive streak, which once included building a marimba out of meteorites.

Manheim's history will take center stage again at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when a multimedia presentation will be held the Manheim Historical Society's train station, 210 S. Charlotte St. David Harvey, noted marimba historian and scholar from Lowell, Mass., will present "Manheim's Marimba Visionary: Clair Musser" along with performances of Musser's compositions by Matthew Coley on a vintage Musser marimba.

The evening will highlight Musser's vast contributions as a marimba virtuoso, conductor, composer, teacher and designer of keyboard percussion. Musser's ingenuity in promoting marimba performance with his 100-plus piece marimba orchestras was groundbreaking and legendary.

"An engaging assortment of historical photos, videos and recordings will be featured on a large screen, showcasing Musser's amazing life and double career as a world-renowned musician and an engineer," explained Harvey. The presentation is free to attend, but donations to the festival will be accepted.

The festival fun will continue on Thursday, Oct. 16, when the Manheim Community Farm Show grounds transform into a hands-on music playground. From 6 to 8 p.m., the Community Marimba Celebration invites families to try out instruments in the "percussion circus" hosted by the Manheim Central marching band, craft their own shaker maracas and enjoy discussions and performances by professional marimba artists.

Vintage phonographs will be on display by enthusiasts, and a variety of nonprofits will also have displays and activities. Food will be available for purchase from Rad-ish, and the Manheim FFA will have their own home-grown popcorn for sale. Horst Arts will have marimba-themed handcrafted items for sale. All other activities will be free of charge.

Stephanie Smith, co-director of the festival, director of the Lancaster Marimba Ensemble and assistant director of the Manheim Central marching band, is particularly excited for the Community Marimba Celebration.

"Manheim is such a terrific area for celebrating community," she said, "and we're thrilled to offer an interactive and fun evening for the community and families to enjoy."

The culmination of the week celebrating Musser and marimbas will be the Musser Marimba Festival Orchestra Concert. It will be held on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Manheim Central Middle School, 261 White Oak Road, Manheim.

Composed of 60 performers, the orchestra is reminiscent of Musser's large-scale orchestras, where professional musicians and hobbyists came together to perform. Participating in a marimba orchestra of this size is a rare opportunity, with participants coming from California, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. The orchestra will perform some of Musser's compositions and arrangements in addition to a variety of music showcasing the marimba's versatility as an instrument.

"We are making history in Manheim in honor of the incredible events, stories and momentum Musser created with the marimba orchestras of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, providing us with a rich start to the classical marimba art form," said Coley, who will direct the orchestra. "The music we are performing is looking back with respect for these historical achievements and looking forward toward a resonant future for marimba performance!"

Tickets for the closing concert may be purchased in advance at http://www.heartlandmarimba.com/events. There are separate prices for adults and for students and senior citizens. Tickets may also be purchased at the door by cash only. For additional information about the festival, contact Smith at lancastermarimba@gmail.com.