International Festival set for July 27 at Esther Short Park

VANCOUVER, Wash.-From its earliest days as a settlement on the Columbia River, Vancouver has relied upon a diversity of cultures to build a successful community. Sunday, July 27 will be a day to celebrate many of those countries at the Port of Vancouver’s International Festival, a 38-year tradition in Esther Short Park.

The festival is a free community event that showcases the many cultures of Clark County through entertainment, displays and food. The City of Vancouver is partnering with the port for the 2008 festival to bring more activities and entertainment, including Native American storyteller Ed Edmo and a performance by the Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre. The Columbian is a major event sponsor.

Multicultural entertainment featuring several Clark County performers and groups will include: the Khmer Angkor Dance Troupe (Cambodian), Kaleinani O Ke Kukui (Hawaiian), American West Vancouver Chinese School students, Jim Fischer & Friends from Around the World, an international fashion show and pre-hispanic dance by Clark College students and Mariachi Viva Mexico.

New for 2008 will be an Issues Discussion led by Jorge Lizarraga, a geographer and diversity fellow faculty at WSU Vancouver. His presentation: Two Hundred Years of Diversity: A Multicultural Geography of Vancouver and Southwest Washington, will be held at 12:30 p.m. at the park gazebo.

“As Vancouver’s link to the world, the port is pleased to support this long-standing tradition that showcases many cultures representing both our international trade partners and members of our community,” said Port of Vancouver Executive Director Larry Paulson. “This is also a wonderful opportunity for the public to witness first-hand the benefits of global trade created by the Columbia River and our local port by taking a port tour.”

Again this year, the festival will feature free bus tours of the Port of Vancouver working waterfront, scheduled to depart each half hour from the northeast corner of the park. Adults must have photo identification to take the tour and children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

The Vancouver Farmer’s Market located adjacent to the festival on Esther Street, will add to the flavor of the day with more than two dozen vendors serving foods from many cultures, including Asian, Greek, European, Thai, Japanese, Hawaiian, Mexican, Spanish and more. Inside the park, the Salmon Creek Kiwanis, festival regulars, will serve American favorites, hot dogs and root beer floats.

Other community organizations sharing information at the event will include: the City of Vancouver, Clark County, Fort Vancouver Seafarer’s Center, Clark College, WSU Vancouver, Clark Public Utilities, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, Humane Society for  Southwest Washington, Sons of Italy, NAACP, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Northwest Indian Veteran’s Association, Southwest Washington Agency on Aging, Statewide Healthcare Insurance Benefits Advisor, Columbia River Crossing, Red Cross, and The Columbian.

Parking is available at the VancouverCenter at Sixth and Columbia. More information about this event is available on the Port of Vancouver website at www.portvanusa.com.

At A Glance

Who: Port of Vancouver USA
What: International Festival
When: Sunday, July 27, 2008, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Esther Short Park
Quick Facts: It's the 38th year that the International Festival will be held...the event is free...Tours of the port will depart from the part throughout the day.

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The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

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