Spice of India dancers at the Children’s Museum International Festival. (Photo by Rob Welton)
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world at its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 21. The family-friendly event will feature musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day, international food and culture booths, and crafts for children to make and take home.
The festival will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. February 21 at the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Food will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Children will be invited to make and take Chinese dragons, Japanese geisha masks, and Indian elephants at craft stations during the festival, as well as crafts at several International Bazaar booths.
Spice of India Dancers, a Knoxville troupe performing Indian classical dance, Bollywood dance, and fusion dance, will be the featured performers.
Other entertainers will be the Carib Sounds Jamaican Steel Drums, Lucia’s Arte Y Pasion Flamenca, the Knoxville Persian Music Ensemble, and Nermin Begovic on the accordion performing German, Austrian, and Slovenian polkas and waltzes.
Also appearing will be Taotao Long with a Kung Fu demonstration, the St. George Greek Dancers, Tenpenny Rapper Sword Dancers, Cantemos performing South American music, French Swing with Kukuly Uriarte, Hmong folk music from Laos with Brittany Moua, the Starving Six German Band, and Andrew Payzant on Scottish bagpipes.
Early Bird Special, David Neidig and Tom Smith, the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club, and Allen McBride on hammered dulcimer will entertain in the Appalachian Exhibit. Bob Grimac will lead festival goers in Chinese ribbon dancing to end the festival.
Food booths will have dishes available to purchase from China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
Culture booths will represent Appalachia, Belgium, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The Knoxville Area Model Railroaders will operate model trains at the World of Trains exhibit during the festival, and the Train Garden will be open, weather permitting.
The International Festival is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission. Sponsors include Centrus Energy Inc., Citizens National Bank, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Mayfield Dairy, The Oak Ridger, McDonald’s, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Knoxville Area Model Railroaders.
Admission to the International Festival is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $10 for children 3-18, and $1 off each category for museum members.
For more information, call Carroll Welch at the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074, ext. 105, or see the Children’s Museum website at www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.
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