The ninth annual Jackson International Food and Art Festival took place on Sept. 23 at the Jackson Fairgrounds with a high attendance from both the Jackson and Union community. The event included well over 100 vendors representing a plethora of cultures from across the globe.
The event also included live entertainment of various kinds on both the outdoor and indoor stages. The festival, aiming to promote cultural awareness and cross-cultural engagement as well as celebrate the many cultures represented in the local area, was the biggest one yet. The festival was moved to the Jackson Fairgrounds this year. It formerly took place in downtown Jackson.
The event opened at 10 a.m. and was kicked off with the Parade of Cultures, a procession of many of the nations represented, at 11 a.m. The parade was followed by an Opening Ceremony shortly after. Various performances of differing origins and genres took place throughout the day. Vendors’ wares included food, drinks and craftsmanship from the background of the vendor. The countries represented included but were not limited to, Mexico, Guatemala, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Honduras and many others.
Members of the Union community were easily spotted at the event, as many students and professors were in attendance. Some members of the Union community were even involved as volunteers or vendors. Professor Haelim Allen of the Union Art Department has been a vendor two years in a row representing South Korea.
“It’s a means to come out of our shell,” Allen said. “It’s a means to interact with people from the community and especially the international community.”
“This was my first time, but it was great,” Emmeline Arehart, senior film studies major, said. “I think it’s easy for us and the Union community to be so focused on our schoolwork and what we’re doing that we just don’t have time to focus on the world. It’s a larger place.”
