When a group of 120 Englishmen set foot 400 years ago on what later became Virginia, they hoped for a quick route to riches. Instead, they put in motion the creation of something much more precious--a new culture and a new country, which was to become the United States of America.

This year, the Festival explores three "roots" of Virginia's culture--Native American, English, and African American. These groups supported the growth of a diverse, yet unified society in what would become Virginia. This summer, their descendants join delegations from Kent County, England (one of the counties from which the original settlers came and the burial ...