Travel the globe at annual festival

An Asian blessing dance and Native American drumming and dancing open the performances for this year's International Festival, scheduled for Saturday at Lower Columbia College.

The 13th annual festival, organized by the Ethnic Support Council, kicks off at 9 a.m. with the Walk for Racial Unity. Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. in LCC's Maple Street parking lot.

The free celebration will feature multicultural entertainment and will include Mexican, Russian, Native American, Italian and Norwegian food vendors; booths featuring arts and crafts from all over the world; and informational booths from local organizations, including the Family Health Center, Baha'i of Cowlitz County and the Republican Club of Cowlitz County.

Festival T-shirts and posters are based on a design by Q Han, the Mark Morris High School student who won this year's International Festival art contest.

Saturday's schedule:

8:30 a.m. Registration begins for the Diversity Task Force's Walk for Racial Unity

10:30 a.m. Opening ceremony, featuring Damyanti Bhatia of India, Kim Le of Laos and Native American Intertribal.

11 a.m. Native American Intertribal -- dance and music
Noon La Familiar Gonzalez -- traditional Mexican dances
1 p.m. Cambodian Classical Dancers
2 p.m. Jewel -- traditional Russian dances
3 p.m. Pua O Na Lani Hula Halau -- traditional Hawaiian dances
4 p.m. Northwest Inupiaq Dancers -- traditional Eskimo dances

©Copyright 2003, The Daily News (Longview, WA, USA)

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