Andrea Fortney
For the Enterprise
LYNNWOOD — “Zdravo” means “hello” in Bosnian.
This, among other cultural tidbits, were abound at the third annual Multicultural Fair in Lynnwood April 24.
“We’re trying to expose Lynnwood to itself — the folks who live here have a lot of pride and history,” said Pam Graham, program director for the South Snohomish County Family Support Center and chair of Lynnwood’s Diversity Task Force.
A crowded gymnasium filled with colorful booths, friendly volunteers and decorated with posters depicting nations from around the world was the scene of the fair.
More than 1,000 visitors from all over South Snohomish County strolled through the bustling gym at the new Cedar Valley Community School, most taking time to talk with volunteers and learn about the variety of cultures that are represented within the Lynnwood community.
The free, four-hour long celebration of diversity included more than 20 interactive booths where people learned about community groups and ethnic traditions, along with a constant stream of performances including local dancers and musicians such as Kaze Daiko, a group of popular local Japanese drummers. A number of booths provided craft opportunities, including Chinese calligraphy, origami and kite-making.
Patrons lunched on complimentary ethnic treats, including Algerian couscous, Mexican wedding cakes and Swedish cheese crisps, provided by the Edmonds Community College culinary program.
“It’s local people from different ethnic backgrounds who are willing to share in their backgrounds,” Graham said.
“It’s an opportunity to break down stereotypes,” Graham said. “(People) really see it as an opportunity to get involved and meet their neighbors.”
Graham, who has assisted in directing the event for the past three years, believes the fair serves an important dual purpose; it is an outlet for Lynnwood to display its identity while enabling community members to gather and learn about each others’ distinct differences.
Many of the booths were manned by community members eager to share their cultures with Lynnwood. Attendees learned about Bosnia-Herzegovina through a display featuring maps, language and historical information.
The deaf and hearing-impaired community provided a booth with colorful posters displaying a sign alphabet. Samples of colorful ethnic garments, fabrics and statues covered tables exhibiting Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.
Reggae CD’s, samples of money, cookbooks and maps shaped the presentation of Jamaica. Originally from the Caribbean island, Mishanya Jennings and Jody Eldridge eagerly shared information with visitors about their native land while they enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the fair.
“Most of these people aren’t able to visit all the countries here, so
we’re here teaching them,” said Jennings.
The idea for the display was thought up by Jennings’ aunt, who was unable to attend the fair.
“She wanted to share Jamaica, so we are here to help,” Eldridge said.
According to Graham, the fair is heavily dependent on volunteers to provide booths and share cultures.
“Most people come forward and ask if they can share their cultures,” said Graham.
Children swarmed booths where volunteers provided craft opportunities; youngsters throughout the gym toted around black Chinese lettering they had painted on bright red squares, created multi-colored construction-paper crowns sparkling with glitter at the Head Start booth and pulled around butterfly kites colored all shades of the rainbow. Many carried around small stacks of books they had picked out at a table for Scholastic and the Volunteers of America, who donated more than 1,000 books for the event-all which were gone within the first two and a half hours of the fair.
The event was a collaborative effort put on by the Family Support Center, Diversity Task Force, Cedar Valley Community School, Community Mobilization, Edmonds Community College, Interfaith Association of Snohomish County and the Edmonds School District.
Andrea Fortney is a student in the University of Washington School of Communications News Laboratory.
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