Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Fayetteville Celebrates Global Community at the 35th Annual International Folk Festival by ERINN CRIDER Like many places in America, the people who make up our community come from many different countries and regions. Every year, the community's diversity is celebrated by the International Folk Festival, which is designed to celebrate the cultural diversity of our great community by putting it on display in beautiful and engaging ways thoughout an entire weekend. This is the 35th year that the community has come together and hosted this celebration. "The Arts Council's International Folk Festival is everybody's favorite trip around the world! Live performances celebrating colorful cultures, taste bud-tempting aromas, artists and craftspeople exhibiting, demonstrating and selling their work," said Mary Kinney, the marketing director of the Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County. The festival officially begins on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. and lasts until 9 p.m. This coincides with the celebration of 4th Friday, so there will be many businesses, performers and artists filling the streets of downtown Fayetteville with excitement and life. For children, Fascinate-U, located at 116 Green St., will be open from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. and offering free admission and a fun craft that celebrates cultural diversity. Children will be making "Kente Patterns," which are geometric patters that have specific meanings for the Ashanti people of Africa. The Parade of Nations kicks off the International Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28 on Hay Street. Photo by Wick Smith. For art lovers, the Arts Council galleries will remain open until 9 p.m., showcasing Unique artist. On the path leading up to the entrance of into a three-day festival that welcomes more than Visions: The Gift of Folk Art. The works of folk Festival Park, scores of vendors will offer a taste 100,000 people," Kinney explained. artists such as Peter Loose, Rob Manchester, of their country as they offer traditional cuisine. For those who wish to learn even more about Theresa Gloster and Roderick McClain among the cultures on display at the parade, live This is unique in that the food is actually cooked others will be on display. performances will follow on multiple stages in and offered for sale by local community groups. On Saturday, Sept. 28, the International Folk Festival Park. Performances will range from Some of the fare may be familiar and some may Festival will really erupt into full swing with the be exotic, but all is delicious. martial arts demonstration to traditional dances Parade of Nations, which begins at 10:30 a.m. The festival will end on Saturday at 6 p.m., and and songs performed by people representing many along Hay Street. During this parade all of the continue for one final day on Sunday, Sept. 29 cultures, such as the Native-American Showcase. different countries represented in our community from 12 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the A children's area at the park will include crafts and will march down Hay Street in traditional garb. website http://www.theartscouncil.com/iff.php or traditional storytellers. Some groups may even perform traditional dances call 323-1776. Admission is free. Admission to the festival is free, but there will be and music as they march. The parade is a glimpse many things to purchase at the festival. Vendors into the many different and beautiful cultures of will offer beautiful and often functional works of which Fayetteville is composed. art. Many of these mediums have years of history ERINN CRIDER, Up & Coming "The festival grows in presentation and behind them and these unique arts and crafts serve Staff Writer. COMMENTS? participation every year. What started out as a oneEditor@upandcomingweekly.com. to showcase both the history and culture of the day Sunday-on-the-Square event has blossomed Know Your Curves . . 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime! 910.323.2209 22 www.valleyregionalimaging.com SEPT 25 - OCT 1, 2013 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM