Ah, summertime. Among the season’s beloved activities are outdoor festivals and fairs. Coming up this month are Taste of Northwest, Hot August Music Festival, the Maryland State Fair and plenty more.

Nearly 50 years ago, August featured an additional festival: Baltimore’s first Jewish American Festival, which took place Aug. 29, 1976, at Hopkins Plaza.

Inspired by other, similar ethnic festivals, the Jewish American Festival — according to this Baltimore Jewish Times article published a couple weeks in advance of the festival decades ago — would have kosher food and lots of music. This food included corned beef, pastrami, knishes and bagels from local food establishments including Schleider’s, the Knish Shop and more, as well as pushcarts of fruit and wine provided by the Jewish War Veterans. Performances were set to include an orchestra playing “Hava Nagila” and music from “Fiddler on the Roof,” as well as the Adat Beyt Mosheh Chorus, a Black Jewish music group from New Jersey. Plans included various booths and exhibits to educate on aspects and contributions of the Jewish community.

Both Jewish and non-Jewish participants were expected to attend. As Ed Opel — who founded the festival along with Judy Opel and Lenny Schleider — explained, “This year we are only planting the seed.” The festival’s aim was to pique interest in the attendees to learn more about the community.