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The FM Cultural Fair – What an Accomplishment!
by Libby Graham
Our first-ever FM Cultural Fair was an overwhelming success according to those who contributed to and attended the event. We received numerous compliments by email and the “Comments Box.” It took a lot of planning and perseverance but all of us on the RAVE team really put our hearts into it and it paid big dividends. We couldn’t have done it without the help of the Dream Team and members of the RQT. And, of course, it was the participation of all of FM that made the event so special!
The Fair created a fabulous opportunity for FM to demonstrate the diversity of our cultures and backgrounds through art, artifacts, religion, literature, music, dance, costume, and cuisine. The Ethnic Food displays were most creative and delicious and thank heavens there was plenty to spare! The dishes included Scandinavian brown sugar shortbread, Hawaiian pineapple cake, Greek hummus and pita bread, and Filipino chicken adobe. The religions exhibit was truly exquisite. There were “prayers before meals” taken from such various religions as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, and even a Bible in Pidgin English – a great hit with FM folks!
Everyone was “stunned”, including our UW Executive Vice President Weldon Ihrig, at the array of beautiful artifacts, and more than 30 countries were represented in these displays, which filled two rooms at the Ethnic Cultural Center. The items ranged from an ox bell from an 1846 Oregon wagon train to African wood tribal masks to Japanese silk dolls. The Literature display was very beautifully designed and charming as well. The items included four framed Hawaiian cruise menus, old English garden books and an original Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” book, to name a few. The Costume exhibit was lovely. There was an especially quaint red and white Danish costume with dress and cap and many fine Indian batik outfits for men and women. The display also featured a wide-brimmed black sombrero as well as several fine silk dresses from the Orient. There was a most interesting exhibit of fact sheets and maps and brochures of different cultures, graciously put together by Dick Simmons and Denise Murillo. It described in detail the origins and customs, as well as gave a pictorial description of many countries of the world. Beautiful posters of different continents and regions added visual interest.
Music galore played on CDs in every display room and so many folks made a contribution, whether it was African chanting, Spanish Flamenco or Hip-Hop. All the dances and storytelling held in the Black Room were just incredible and well-attended. Roger Fernandes, the storyteller entranced us with tales of the Salmon People and other Snoqualmie Native American traditions.
The Pacific Dance Studio was very professional and glamorous and put on quite a show. Not only were the two dancers very entertaining, but several people from the audience joined them. Tami Sadusky, director of GCA, demonstrated some amazing moves.
We thoroughly enjoyed the dance with bamboo poles performed by Erlinda Antonio and Georgette Brewder, and it proved to be quite tricky after all. The African dance demonstration from Agnes Acholonu and her sister-in-law, Angela Acholonu, was so very authentic and to cap off the afternoon, our very own Frank Montgomery taught us hands-on to do a fun line dance.
The four center room demonstrations – oriental tea service by Mai Lin Chua, sign language interpretation by Katrina Day, abacus by Li Chang Wong and origami by Suzann Wright proved to be very enlightening and well received. In addition, we gave some lovely door prizes to those who won in the drawing, such as collapsible luggage, an African bracelet, a $25.00 gift certificate to Cedar’s Indian Restaurant and many others.
We want to express our great appreciation for this splendid event, and may you take something from it that stays with you forever. Thank you so much for your participation! Shalom!
The RAVE, DREAM and RQT teams
RAVE Team
Agnes Acholonu
Ruchi Aggarwal
Mai Lin Chua
Karen Crowder
Libby Graham
Paul Jeganathan
Dick Simmons
Shelly Yen
Dream Team
Jaeson Albritton
Heidi Anderson
Erlinda Antonio
Linda Braziel
Denise Murillo
Thanh Nguyen
David Wright
Representing the RQT
Katrina Day
Steve Wang
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