|
The 13th annual Multicultural Fair takes place Saturday--rain or shine--at Mary Washington College. The festivities begin at 10 a.m. |
THE FREE LANCE-STAR
IN ITS 13TH YEAR, the Mary Washing- ton College Multicultural Fair lives up to its name.
But early on, Connie Smith, professor of English at the college, heard one common complaint.
"[People said] it wasn't multicultural enough," she said. "They only saw black and white."
But from those first fairs with one small stage and a handful of food and craft vendors, the event has become an annual staple of the Fredericksburg community. MWC expects this year's Multicultural Fair, which happens Saturday, to attract between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors, according to Ameeta Vashee, director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center.
On the day of the fair, people wander past table after table filled with handmade jewelry, clothing and other crafts that taunt their wallets.
On one side of the campus walkway, vendors peddle tie-dyed shirts and incense while on the other side, a woman selling African wood carvings regales visitors with stories of her homeland.
|
WHAT: 13th annual Multicultural Fair WHEN: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine WHERE Mary Washington College COST: Free; crafts and food prices vary. INFO: 540/654-1044 |
As the scents of Tex-Mex chimichangas and pad thai noodles mingle, visitors can munch on a variety of foods as cloggers dance, students sing Italian opera and locals fiddle in a bluegrass band.
This year's fair, titled "Differences Enrich Us All," has more than 30 acts slated to perform between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. More than 50 craft and food vendors are expected to attend.
Visitors are drawn to the variety of entertainment throughout the day, Vashee said.
"There aren't many places you can watch performances on three different stages," she said.
As the fair has grown in popularity, each year more and more performers who want to join the event submit tapes for consideration, Vashee said. The fair committee tries to pick acts that are different from those chosen the year before.
"We try to have diversity in performance and look for interactive, upbeat performances," Vashee said.
Acts that include MWC students are popular because audience members often know them, Vashee said. Performers who get the audience involved are crowd-pleasers, too.
"Anyone who gets people up and dancing," Vashee said.
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Lindsay Smith has ties to the college--her parents are Connie Smith and MWC psychology professor Roy Smith--and she grew up in Fredericksburg.
She is returning home to offer the Multicultural Fair a taste of her "alternacheesefolk."
"I came up with the term 'alternacheesefolk' to describe my music because the word itself combines my major influences," Smith said. "[It combines] the alternative-music scene of the late '80s and early '90s, the cheesy top-40 pop of my formative years, and the folk music I learned from my parents."
Smith says Saturday will be a unique homecoming.
"Playing at the Multicultural Fair is a way for me to celebrate my own heritage and to celebrate the wonderful community that shaped me," Smith said.
Also on Saturday's schedule is D.C.'s Finest, an a cappella group sometimes known as the Doo Wop Cops. D.C.'s Finest consists of five D.C. police officers--some active, some retired--who sang with doo-wop groups in the 1950s and '60s. The singers have opened for Chuck Berry and Etta James and have performed for heads of state and U.S. presidents.
The Latin Ballet of Virginia will be dancing on the Lee Hall Stage starting at 2:50 p.m. The group incorporates flamenco and traditional Latin American and Caribbean dances with ballet and jazz techniques. Members have performed professionally throughout North and South America.
Ending the day will be the Avett Brothers, an acoustic bluegrass duo from North Carolina. Vashee describes their music as similar to that found on the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack.
Children will find plenty to keep them busy at this year's Multicultural Fair: Ball Circle will be devoted to children's performances and activities throughout the day. There will be clowns, balloon sculpture, face painting, coloring, crafts, games and storytelling.
Kid-friendly acts include a Japanese martial arts demonstration and the Tai Yim Kung Fu Chinese lion dance, featuring a 100-foot-long lion.
MWC student organizations have volunteered to put on more than 10 children's activities ranging from necklace making by the Mathematical Association of America to cultural flag making by the model United Nations.
Connie Smith says the Multicultural Fair has made great strides since its beginning 13 years ago.
"It's certainly richer and richer," she said. "You can tell by the attendance."
