Worthington's International Festival is this coming weekend

• Flag spirit

Melissa Agustin, 9, of Worthington, carries the flag of her native homeland, Guatemala, during the opening ceremonies of the 2011 International Festival in Worthington. Behind her is Nyiel Mayola, 10, carrying the flag of her homeland, Sudan. This year’s International Festival begins Friday.

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — While the newly planted trees on the grounds of the Nobles County Government Center in downtown Worthington may not yet provide significant shade, that won’t stop hundreds of culture-hungry people from gathering at the spot this Friday and Saturday for the 19th annual International Festival.

After all, organizers have learned that patience is rewarded over time, and, with the right kind of support and cultivation, growth will happen.

“The trees are a nice addition to the site and they will grow, just as the International Festival has over the past 19 years,” said festival committee chair Leann Enninga. “The International Festival continues to grow with the community support it receives, and that support is extremely important because this is a free event everyone can attend, and it’s family-friendly.

“That’s pretty cool.”

Not once to date in the history of the International Festival have events been cancelled due to inclement weather, and Enninga is hoping that will continue to be the case in 2012.

A full lineup of diverse entertainment is scheduled under the stars and sun, beginning shortly after the 5:30 p.m. opening ceremony on Friday.

“We have some young people singing the National Anthem, and Mayor Oberloh will speak, plus there will be a flag ceremony with flags from the majority of the native countries represented by area residents,” listed Enninga, who has been involved with the festival almost since its beginning and has served as committee chair for the past decade.

Salsa del Soul, a popular nine-piece, Caribbean-influenced music group from the Twin Cities, is slated to begin playing around 6 p.m. They will break at 7 p.m. for the homegrown Talent Showcase before resuming after area youths ages 7 to 18 take the stage.

“There are 10 acts participating this year,” said Lakeyta Potter, the Nobles County Integration Collaborative’s Integration and Youth Development coordinator. Potter serves on the International Festival’s Talent Showcase Committee and the Children’s Activities Committee. “There’s going to be a broad range of talent, including singing, dancing, instrumental, and one person is doing yo-yoing.”

While most of the Talent Showcase youths are from Worthington, there are also several from surrounding communities such as Adrian, Heron Lake, Okabena and Mountain Lake.

Potter is similarly enthusiastic about the children’s activities she has helped to organize for Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“There will be cultural craft activities as well as carnival-type games — a ring toss, duck pool, bean bag toss and fishing game — on the north lawn of the Government Center,” Potter listed. “Around 2:30 p.m., we have piñatas, just as we have had every year. The kids love the piñatas.”

New for the younger set this year will be the presence of the various entertainers, who will provide half-hour “artist in residence” stints for interested kids.

“Several of the acts will participate with the kids,” Enninga said. “If the kids are really interested in what they just saw being performed, they can shuffle over to the kids’ area and do some audience participation activities, like learning some dance moves.”

“I think it’s fun to provide activities for the kids as part of the International Festival,” added Potter, who has helped with that aspect of the festival for about five years. “Sometimes the festival can seem like more of an adult thing, but these are activities specifically designed to allow kids to participate.

“We welcome everyone who shows up.”

So, too, do the food vendors, whose wares are ever-popular among International Festival attendees of all ages.

“We always make a few changes in the food offerings, so there will be some different ones this year but also some of the old favorites people have come to look forward to,” assured Enninga.

Other International Festival features are the ethnic and artisan booths, a festival element that Aida Simon coordinates.

“Some of the booths sell things, others are simply there to display their culture and let people know who they are and where they come from,” Enninga said. “Last year we had a wonderful display from the Eritrean community, and they are planning to return this year, and the Karen community will have a booth, too.

“We can’t learn enough about who our neighbors are.”

Saturday’s schedule begins in the Nobles County Government Center courtyard with an 11 a.m. Zumba class led by Jessica Velasco.

“That will be a great way to get moving on Saturday, and each of the groups that follow will add to the excitement,” Enninga said.

Rumgumption, an Irish/Celtic music group, will play at 11:35 a.m. and again at 3:20 p.m., with performances in between by Lane Jensen and the Yellowhorse Dancers (12:35 p.m.), the Chinese Dance Theatre (1:30 p.m.) and the Dolina Polish Dancers (2:20 p.m.).

Entertainment continues at 4:20 p.m. with Norman Riley’s Caribbean/African steel drums, followed by Ballet Folklorico at 5:25 p.m. and ending with the John Khoury Arabic Ensemble beginning at 6:25 p.m.

For the third consecutive year, a quilt raffle will take place; tickets are available this week from International Festival committee members, and also at the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce. Remaining raffle tickets will be sold at the festival.

Bright orange wrist bands, available for $1 each, are another festival fundraiser. Proceeds from the wrist bands help the International Festival organizers keep the event rolling and the acts coming, although there is no cost to attend the event.

“The wrist bands are a visible sign you’ve supported the festival in a small way,” Enninga said. “The International Festival is a good place to be, and a way to learn a little more about all the people who make up this community.”

Added Potter, “I love that Worthington can come together as a community at the International Festival and celebrate all these different cultures and our diversity.”

For more information about Worthington’s International Festival, set for Friday and Saturday, visit www.worthingtoninternationalfestival.org.

Tags: international festival, news, worthington