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| Bloomington Multicultural Expo |
WHAT: Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
WHERE: Bryan Park, 1001 S. Henderson St.
Sept. 23, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University and Bloomington communities will come together at Bryan Park Saturday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. to celebrate Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010.
Formerly known as the Bloomington Multicultural Festival, the popular event changed its composition last year to combine the annual Soul Food Festival, the Moon Festival and Festival Latino.
The combined festival includes "villages" at which visitors can do crafts, take part in children's activities prepared by the Mathers Museum, hear music and sample ethnic foods from different cultures (available for purchase). An International Village focuses on the celebration of cultures around the world. This year, a Native American Village has been added to the mix.
"As part of the planning committee, I'm really excited to see how everything fell into place," said Sandy Britton, director of the Leo R. Dowling International Center.
"This annual tradition is such a great opportunity to celebrate Bloomington's cultural diversity."
Each of the individual festivals comes with its own tradition.
"The Soul Food Picnic started over 20 years ago to give the small number of African Americans in Bloomington a sense of community," said Beverly Calender-Anderson, safe and civil city director for the City of Bloomington. "It evolved from a small picnic to a community festival that is now part of the Bloomington Multicultural Expo, where the entire community has an opportunity to gather, renew old friendships, share stories and enjoy the wonderful food and music that is a part of the African American tradition."
More than 40 cultural organizations will host individual booths that provide information and items for sale.
Performances of music and dance will reflect cultures that include Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, India and the Middle East.
Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010 is sponsored by City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, Leo R. Dowling International Center, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources, Bloomington Black Business and Professional Association, Indiana University Commission on Multicultural Understanding, IU Residential Program and Services, IU Latino Studies Program, IU La Casa, IU Asian Cultural Center, IU Mathers Museum of World Cultures, Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington and Monroe County Community School Corp.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.bloomington.in.gov/bme.
See article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15663.html?emailID=15663
