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Festival highlights diversity [UPDATED]
Published 9:29am Thursday, April 12, 2012 Updated 11:30am Thursday, April 12, 2012The Festival of Cultures is a celebration of our community’s cultural heritage. This event is being held at M State from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12. The sponsors for this year’s event are the Fergus Falls Public Schools’ Cultural Diversity Program, Pelican Rapids Public Schools, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Fergus Falls Human Rights Commission and Forward Fergus Falls.
Last year’s event featured 15 different cultural/ethnic displays and drew over 400 participants from the Fergus Falls community.
A highlight of this year’s evening is the opportunity to sample the tastes of numerous cultures.
Local Mexican and Chinese restaurants will be back to share taste samples. This year’s festivities will include food booths from the Somalian and Mexican communities of Pelican Rapids as well as Norwegian and Philippine cuisine. The evening will also feature a variety of performances including a Native American Blessing Ceremony performed by the Buffalo River Pow Wow group, Norwegian dancers, a Tae Kwon Do demonstration and African drumming.
Due to the solemn and spiritual nature of the Blessing Ceremony, organizers ask that the Legacy Hall area remain respectfully quiet from 6 to 6:30 p.m.
This is exciting event that I hope many of you can attend.
If you would like to share an artifact display, performance or food tastes representing your cultural heritage, contact Dawn Koennicke at 218-998-0544, ext. 2610 or dkoennicke@fergusotters.org.
Congratulations
to Matt Suek
Matt Suek, Fergus Falls High School Senior, was awarded the 2012 Scholar-Athlete Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
The mission of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation is to serve Minnesota and the nation by developing leadership, sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and academic excellence in America’s youth through promoting amateur football.
Matt is the son of Mark and Deb Suek.
Suek volunteers in the community and excels on the football field. Described as an excellent blocker with great hands by his coaches, Matt was voted as the best offensive player on his football squad.
Matt has maintained a very high grade-point average throughout high school, participating in the National Honor Society as well.
In addition to football, Suek played on the basketball team, competed in track and field, and has been active in the pep and marching bands.
He has donated much of his spare time to volunteering at the Minnesota Veterans home in Fergus Falls, where staff says he is “a bright spot in the veterans’ day.”
Outstanding individuals from the world of professional and amateur football in Minnesota will be honored at the Chapter’s annual awards dinner on Sunday, April 22.
The event, which will be held at the University of St. Thomas, will feature a keynote address by NFL and College Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Bell.
College and professional football Hall of Fame inductees are scheduled to attend the event, and WCCO-TV news personality Frank Vascellaro will return for his fifth year as Master of Ceremonies.
