Community Culture Celebration Comes to Westerville

April 29, 2014

2:23 PM

In celebration of the rich and diverse races, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds that represent the Westerville of today, the City of Westerville and Sunrise Rotary Club of Westerville have partnered with community organizations to introduce the first-ever Community Culture Celebration, a three-day event in June featuring sports, food and entertainment.

The special weekend celebration is scheduled to take place Friday, June 6 and continues through Sunday, June 8. An “opening ceremony” Parade of Nations will begin activities at 6 p.m. Friday at the Westerville Sports Complex. Residents and visitors are invited to wear traditional cultural apparel to represent the multitude of nations from which residents across central Ohio hail. The parade will travel along the pathway, led in song and music by local jazz musician Arnett Howard.

Food trucks will be parked inside the Sports Complex from 6-9 p.m., featuring a variety of ethnic cuisines for every appetite. Following the parade, a two-day soccer tournament will begin on the Complex fields.

“Music, art, sports and food represent a universal language we all know,” said event chairman and Westerville Division of Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer. “The organizing committee has been very intentional about reaching out and bringing together elements from the many cultures in and around Westerville and central Ohio to show how we are more alike than different. There’s really something for everyone to enjoy and learn from over this weekend.”

Following Friday’s event-opening activities, a full day of soccer games and tournament award ceremony will take place Saturday. Food trucks will return, and international perspectives on art will be on display at the Westerville Community Center.

A series of panel discussions start activities on Sunday, featuring speakers and storytellers from around the globe. Sultana Nahar, a well-known performer in Bangladeshi and Indian communities in the midwestern and eastern United States, will entertain the audience with stories from Indian mythology featuring “mudra” (hand and body gestures). Baba Jubal Harris will bring African folktales to life in an interactive dramatization of songs, proverbs, drumming and dance.

During this cultural arts program, the Global Marketplace, featuring more than 25 exhibitors, will be available in the gymnasium. Health screenings will also be available.

Other event partners include Otterbein University, Leadership Westerville, Westerville City Schools, Challenge Day and the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio.

For more information on how to participate, please visit www.westerville.org or contact the Westerville Community Center at 614-901-6500.