The Owensboro Multicultural Festival Celebrating the Beauty of Unity in 2024

This past weekend, I went to a reunion for the OHS Rose Curtain Players. We were reminiscing about past performances, and someone brought up the Owensboro Multicultural Festival. I first attended in 2001 when I was a freshman in high school. That year, we presented skits of various cultural fairy tales on the steps of the church.

It is amazing to see how much it has grown over the years. The first Owensboro Multicultural Festival was organized in 1999 at First Presbyterian Church by Ms. Winny Lin. The goal was and still is "to help people celebrate their own heritage and invite them to reach beyond themselves by learning about other cultural traditions."

On Saturday, August 17th, 2024, the festival will celebrate 26 years of bringing thousands of diverse Owensborans together with the theme Threads of Unity. Community members submitted designs for this year's logo, "Dime Pierson created a symbol of woven threads and clasped hands, which express the theme Threads of Unity. He chose the colors green and blue to symbolize the earth and added orange to symbolize energy, socialization, and creativity."

Events begins on the stage at 10:00 AM with the crowd's favorite bagpiper to celebrate the church's Scottish heritage.  The national anthem will be performed, colors presented and then begins the People's Parade. A yearly tradition where all countries represented march with their flags as a symbol of unity. Various entertainment follows throughout the day with performances by local community theatre, dancers, singers, martial arts demonstrations, musicians, and spoken word/poetry.

Be sure to come hungry because there will also be a variety of food vendors serving up traditional dishes from their respective cultures. Last year, I got the most delicious plate from Jamaican Yard Vibes. Ox tails, yams, greens, and macaroni and cheese. Vendor applications are open now if you know someone who would be interested in cooking it up for the crowd. I always look forward to the food options. Last year there was a Native Taco booth and Pamir served their traditional Afghan cuisine.

Jeff Moles is the Director of Christian Education & Mission at First Presbyterian Church.  I love this story he shared about the 2022 Multicultural Festival, “This was a highlight of the time I have lived in Owensboro. I will never forget seeing a young boy from Ukraine lead the People’s Parade, men from Afghanistan proudly singing their anthem, or families from Burma sharing their food. The world has come to us in so many ways, and it is a holy experience to encounter the traditions, hospitality, and joy of people who have made their home here."

All countries will have booths where you can learn about their culture and heritage.  Before you make your rounds, stop by the Festival Information Booth and pick up a Passport to help navigate the array of booths. Past participating countries/cultures represented have been Bolivia, Cuba, Cyprus, Ghana, Korea, Myanmar/Burma, Native Hawaiian & Native American, New Zealand, Owensboro's Black community, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, and the LGBTQ+ community.

The International Center here in Owensboro represents the many countries their clients have come from including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, Congo, and Ukraine to name a few.

The organizers of this event say they have a vision of Owensboro as a community that welcomes all people. Such a wonderful thing to aspire to!  Thank you to sponsors Owensboro Health, Thacker Wealth & Retirement - Raymond James, Southern Star,  Boardwalk Pipeline, UniFirst, First Presbyterian Church, Atmos Energy, Independence Bank, and Kurtz Auction.

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