...George Herbert wrote in 1633. A few centuries later, Phil Woods, Rick Chamberlain and Ed Joubert take matters into their own hands, when they found the organization that will eventually become the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts. Their goal is to help foster an appreciation of jazz and its relationship to other artistic disciplines.

In 1978, the 1st festival is staged, on a shoe- string budget; sponsors include the Delaware Water Gap Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and the Antoine Dutot Museum. Participating musicians, artists, and vendors are all drawn from the northeastern Pennsylvania area, thus establishing a festival precedent - in addition to showcasing the many nationally-known musicians and artists residing in the Pocono area, the annual festival is also designed to provide an opportunity for many talented, though lesser-known, musicians to be heard.

Festival One raises $300 for the Borough; cost of admission: $1.00. Bands play on a makeshift stage in the street, where there is theatre as well. The first Jazz Mass is said and sung at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain, Celebrate the Arts in the Gap reads the very first festival poster. From such a tiny seedling, great orchards have been grown.