The third annual Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair once again provided a venue where people of all ages could learn about different cultures last Saturday.
Children participated in a global fashion show, food trucks sold a range of cuisines and performers presented music and dance styles from Latin America, Iran and Africa, as well as other places.
The celebration has grown from a school event to promote diversity to something geared towards the broader public.
This year’s iteration was bathed in sun, but the heat was tempered by a breeze.
Laura Zhang and her daughter Ruya Song came over the hill from Los Gatos to take part in the festivities, bringing parasols to protect themselves from solar rays. It was a good opportunity for Song to stay in touch with what’s going on in Scotts Valley, where she used to go to school.
Upon arrival, youth were handed blank mock passports that were “Made in China” and distributed by the “Oriental Trading Company” from Omaha, Neb.
Natalie Goble, 15, a sophomore, headed over to the Philippines booth to make a Sipa ball, a hacky sack-like item filled with washers.
Sadik Alloo, of Tanzanian heritage, was helping with his Scotts Valley son-in-law and daughter’s “Tanzania / Uganda” booth.
“This is vanilla,” said Alloo, showing a bottle containing extract from Uganda they were selling. “We’re helping the local farmers.”
Watsonville Taiko members, adorned in blue outfits and headbands, banged emphatically on drums—just one of many poetry, music and dance performances.
Artwork from local students was on display.
The City of Scotts Valley, one of the sponsors of the Fair, had a booth showing the three different options for the initial layout for its blockbuster Town Center partly-affordable mixed-use development.
“Thank you to everyone who came out to this event,” City Manager Mali LaGoe said.
Michael Oliveira, 38, came with his family.
“It was pretty cool,” said the San Lorenzo Lumber employee, adding that he particularly enjoyed the Brazilian capoeira showcase.
Amen Sawhney, an event co-chair, credited her fellow organizers for all their hard work.
“This is a huge collaborative effort,” she said.
Sawhney said that events like this—where you get to experience a variety of dancing, food and music—are a fantastic way to build understanding about different cultures.
“We hope to build community connections,” she said.
Scotts Valley Unified School District Superintendent Tanya Krause thanked Sawhney and the other co-chairs for their successful production.
“What an amazing event,” she said. “We’re really excited that everyone came out today.”
