DIVERSITY IN THE VALLEY. Celebrate community diversity and get to know other locals at the upcoming Multicultural Festival. Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca are among the scheduled performers. (Submitted photo)

JONAH, the nonprofit for building community connections in the Chippewa Valley, is hosting the 6th annual Multicultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 20, from 1-6pm at Phoenix Park in Eau Claire.

“The festival is about neighbors getting to know neighbors and sharing our different cultural connections,” said Joyce Anderson, event organizer. “We hope community members will host tables that illustrate aspects of their culture or country. For example, from Mexico, local merchants are providing piñatas for folks to try.”

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WE HOPE THIS FESTIVAL WILL PROMOTE FEARLESSNESS IN WELCOMING ONE ANOTHER IN OUR COMMUNITY

and appreciating each other's contributions.

JOYCE ANDERSON

EVENT ORGANIZER

Craft booths will be available from different cultures, such as the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partnership, local Hmong craftspeople, the Ugandan Give Us Wings, Haití, India, and more. Vendors and cultural groups are still signing up, so the people that will be present are still growing.

“We want our community to have a fun afternoon in the park, where we can meet our neighbors, become better acquainted, build relationships of trust, learn some new information, and enjoy our increasingly diverse community,” said Anderson.

Performers will also be present, such as dancing and singing of different groups: Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca, Irie Sol, Second Generation Hmong Singers: NKUJ Hmoob, and Ganna Ensemble.

Different food trucks like Rex-Mex, Mel’s Dogs, Egg Roll Express, Fire Truck Pizza, Paul’s Popcycle, and Ramone’s Ice Cream will provide all manner of ethnically diverse food. The festival is the perfect opportunity for a family outing of fun and appreciation of cultural diversity.

“We hope this festival will promote trust in welcoming one another in our community, and appreciating each other’s contributions,” said Anderson.

Vendors interested in being part of the festival can find the application and guideline forms on the Facebook event post. The event organizers thank a major sponsor, Hashlaman Investments, for their continued support.