Hundreds attend eighth annual cultural fair at Cottey

Members of the Cottey College hula club danced to "That's How You Do the Hula" Friday during the eighth annual Cottey College Cultural Fair on Friday, at the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts.

By Ben Holman

Nevada Herald

Displays and presentations representing various world cultures were featured at Cottey College on Friday as part of the school's eighth annual Cultural Fair. The Cultural Fair is a part of Cottey's International Focus Week, a time designated for Cottey to share its international and geographic diversity with area residents.

The Fair was held inside the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts on the Cottey campus. Coordinators and volunteers said that they were excited because, this year, approximately 500 students from the area were able to participate in the day's events. This is a massive increase from previous years when R-5 students comprised the bulk of the students who were able to attend. Cottey was able to help pay the cost of bringing he students to the fair due to a grant received from the federal government.

Students were cycled through the different features at the Cultural Fair in groups to help manage the large numbers. In the lobby of the arts center, Cottey students manned tables with displays focusing in on many different countries. Featured at this year's fair were Bulgaria, Ghana, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Japan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

In the auditorium itself, students presented a variety of live demonstrations for visitors to enjoy. Those in attendance saw everything from a traditional dance from Bulgaria to a traditional tea ceremony from Japan. Also featured were demonstrations of poetry, storytelling, dress and songs from all of the featured countries.

The daytime hours were mostly structured around the schoolchildren from the area and in the evening the events continued for those community members who were unable to attend during the day.

Cottey students who volunteered their time to work at the fair said that it was a rewarding experience. "You can learn a lot just by sitting and observing," said Kerri Chada. She added that, "this year, compared to last year, is a lot better. There's a lot more kids here."

"It's important for kids be exposed to various cultures at a young age so that they learn to respect and appreciate differences," said Alexis VanPool, another Cottey volunteer.

The two agreed that Cottey is a very diverse school and that it is nice to be able to share that diversity with the community.

Also a part of the International Focus Week activities is a special photo exhibit inside the Center for the Arts. On display, until Nov. 13, are photographs taken by Bruce Holman, professor of art, and Michael Denison, assistant professor of theater and speech. The exhibit highlights pictures from their travels through multiple foreign countries. The gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.