On Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10, 2009 the Rochester International Association presents its 35th World Festival at Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Festival opens Friday evening at 7 pm with a colorful show of performances including dancing, singing, and music by performers in their native costumes from around the world. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for students and children, $20 for families.

On Saturday, from 10 am to 3 pm, the Festival features a full day of activities including the Parade of Nations, dozens of cultural displays from around the world representing the rich diversity of our city and region, and international buffet of ethnic foods in the cafeteria, continuous music and dance performances, a Market Place, and wide variety of children’s activities. Admission is free, food at a nominal charge..

The World Festival began as a bicentennial event in 1976, envisioned and organized by Fuad Mansour. Now in its 35th year of celebrating the cultural diversity of the Rochester area, it has become the largest multi-cultural event in Minnesota south of the Twin Cities, attracting thousands of visitors and hundreds of participants.

To participate or volunteer or for questions, please call Herta at 280-8319 or e-mail at hmatteson@hotmail.com

Tell us how you’d like to participate. Fill out the form online or print it out and send it in before March 30, 2010, so that we can properly accommodate all participants.

World Festival 2010 registration form [ online | print ]

If you plan on selling food, also fill out:
Food Vendor registration form [ online | print ]

Our mailing address is: 2500 ValleyHigh Drive NW, Rochester, MN, 55901.

World Festival Planning Meetings continue to be held for those planning to participate in the World Festival Talent Show, and the Saturday festivities. Please check our online calendar for the latest dates.

See our public events calendar for details and to subscribe in your Outlook or Google Calendar. Here’s a list of our upcoming speakers.

• DECEMBER 9: Christmas in Peru, with Daly Feldman
• JANUARY 13: Vietnam and other countries visited by Thomas Yung
• FEBRUARY 10: China – Mayor Ardell Brede reports about his trip to Rochester’s partner city Xianyang
• MARCH 10: Bangladesh – Nazme Hoque
• APRIL 14: Japan’s Samurai – George Hoeppner

We are still looking for a speaker in May. Speakers get free lunch. If you have an idea about topics, speakers or want to speak yourself, please contact Herta Matteson 507-280-8319 or email.

The luncheons cover international topics, travel reports, customs and other international and ethnic issues. An ethnic lunch is served at 11:45, the program starts shortly after noon. The price for the luncheon is $9 for RIA and Y members, $10 for non-members. Reservations by Monday before the luncheon please, call Betsy at 507-289-3359.

Jasmine flowers welcoming spring. Bamboo stalks bending with the wind. Plum blossoms enduring the bitter snow. Peonies displaying their special meaning in life.

Ode to Flowers” is an ambitious production, one that showcases a high form of Chinese culture in a harmonious blend of dancing, painting and poetry. Unlike previous CDT shows, it will be a blend of classical Chinese and contemporary choreography. This touring production, first presented to Twin Cities audiences, features dances performed for the first time in Rochester and the surrounding area.
 
Tickets may be purchased at the Mayo Civic Center Box Office or Ticketmaster, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets: $20 Adults, $16 Students/Seniors, $10 Children (12 and under)
 
Visit the Chinese Dance Theater website for more information about the dance concert.
 
CAAM Chinese Dance Theater is dedicated to preserving and celebrating our Chinese cultural heritage and enriching the cultural life of all Minnesotans through the universal language of dance.

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Pick up an instruction packet from the Administration Office (2nd floor) during office hours or contact via phone or email:

Gail Harris (507) 328-2341
Purna Gurung (507) 328-2320

Completed quilt blocks and application form must be returned to the library by December 1 for consideration. A panel of judges will select representative samples.

This quilt will be a community art project that shows there is place for all in the fabric of society.

Sadiya (Terri Allred) has been an middle eastern dance instructor and owner of Sadiya Belly Dance for the last 5 years. Prior to that, she served as the executive director of several nonprofit organizations focusing on women’s rights in Ohio and North Carolina. She will be opening Rochester International Dance studio in Rochester this fall. Please email her if you are interested in teaching international dances. She performed with her dance group in World Fest last year and is very excited to participate in the planning this year.

There will be many activities/food/entertainment for families/kids/adults including a Musical Strollathon Walk. If you wish to participate in the walk to raise money for your favorite local arts or cultural organization (Rochester International Association)…

1. Register. Download the ARTigras brochure and send in the included form along with the fee. Alternatively, you may also register online. Deadline for registration is August 20.
2. Gather pledges (optional but recommended). Download the Pledge Sheet, list the pledge amount, list the cultural organization you wish to give the proceeds (hint. Rochester International Association), and send it in along with the pledge check.
3. Show up on Saturday, August 22. Run times are 10AM-11AM, 11AM-12PM, and 12PM-1PM. Check in, registration and the starting line will be at Soldier’s Field. The finish line and program will be at Government Center. The one-mile route will run along the Zumbro River, with various performances and entertainment along the route.

We will also have a RIA Membership booth setup at Mayo Park during the event. We will have prize drawings for any paid memberships. If you wish to volunteer part of your time at the booth, let Herta know (507-280-8319). We would also like to provide some interesting cultural items for display or for sale. Let us know if any are interested.

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• WHERE: East picnic shelter at Silver Lake
• WHEN: Thursday, August 6th, 7pm If heavy rain, Sunday, Aug. 9th
• What: Gather to make lanterns. kits and instructions for making lanterns will be provided.
• 7:45pm: Ceremony and lantern floating at sunset
• SPEAKERS: Mayor Ardell Brede & Richard Van Dellen, M.D.
• MUSIC: Campfire II & Omni Drummers, Molly Kiley reading “Thousand Cranes”

As it enters Hiroshima, the Ohta River splits into six fingers. It was to these waters that tens of thousands fled seeking shelter from the flames of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. It is here each August that people gather, as they do in Nagasaki three days later, to float lanterns and to remember: never again.

In Rochester we remember those days to remind ourselves of what we are capable of doing. Nuclear weapons are capable of destroying the world’s civilization. We are capable of preventing that destruction. We gather to remind ourselves that the choice is ours.

Download and print the flyer.

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