During the Multicultural Festival, several people headed for the different events on the main stage like Flamenco dancing and Tae Kwon Do performance while partaking in the plethora of tents spread throughout the First Presbyterian Church.
The different vendors ranged from different community groups like Owensboro Human Relations Commission to people representing different countries across the world.
Veena Sallan found herself bouncing between her workplace’s table, Owensboro Community & Technical College, and the India table.
To Sallan she and her husband were showing people different things about the country like the currency, language, fashion and the Taj Mahal, something Sallan was proud of.
As everyone came to check in to the festival, they had a “Passport” that encouraged visitors to interact with the different booths and ask questions. Which helps the purpose of the festival, Sallan said.
“We live in a smaller town so people don’t always have exposure to different cultures,” Sallan said. “When people are exposed to different cultures, there’s a better understanding of people’s ideas, and the values they bring.”
While some visitors opted to browse the tents, others chose to enjoy the different interactive vendors like six-year vendor Leeza Dukes’ art tent.
At Dukes’ tent, she allows guests to choose a different type of stencil and paint on shirts while they take a break from the festival. One of which is Jalayla Phillips which Dukes calls a “pro” as she comes back each year to enjoy the art.
While her brother was walking through the tents, Phillips painted her favorite insect, a butterfly, on a shirt near some other painters who chose an owl stencil.
While Phillips painted away, Dukes said the different choices for each shirt and the people that come are what makes her tent something she loves doing for the multicultural festival.
“We have multiple types of people coming over and visiting from all over everywhere and they just enjoy themselves. They give me a variety of different things and their culture,” Dukes said.
