International Festival at Children’s Museum to feature entertainers, food, crafts

Posted at 2:18 pm February 14, 2018
By Kay Brookshire Leave a Comment

The Knox Accordion-AIRs, Wolfgang Schaber and Linda Warren, will be featured performers at the Children’s Museum International Festival on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Knox Accordion-AIRs will be the featured performer when the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge hosts its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 17. The lively accordion duo will join Native American dancers, Greek and Indian folk dancers, hip hop dancers, and others during the multi-cultural festival, a press release said.

The family-friendly International Festival will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world, with musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day and crafts for children to make and take home. The festival entertainment will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Children’s Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

The Knox Accordion-AIRs are Wolfgang Schaber and Linda Warren. Schaber began studying the accordion as a child in his home country of Austria, the press release said. Warren, who describes herself as “a Tennessee girl through and through,” has been playing accordion since she was six. She enjoys squeezing country, rock ‘n roll, and Memphis blues and gospel music on her accordion. Schaber enjoys playing polkas, marches, a waltz or two, folk tunes, and classical music.

“The accordion is the most beautiful musical instrument to see, the most delightful musical instrument to hear and the most versatile musical instrument ever created on God’s green earth,” Warren said. Among the duo’s favorite tunes is “Mama’s Got a Squeeze Box.”

Other performers include Einstein Simplified Comedy Improv, Lucia’s Arte Y Pasión Flamenca Dancers, Greg Carney Hip Hop Dancers, Bella Belly Dancers, National Martial Arts, School of Rock, Spice of India dancers, Dance Tonight ballroom dancing, Meraki Greek Dancers from St. George Greek Orthodox Church, and the Native American Dancers.

Among arts and crafts demonstrations will be basket weaving by Fox Hollow Creations in the Museum’s Appalachian Exhibit and corn shuck doll demonstrations by Broadway Studios and Gallery.

Food vendors will have dishes from nearly a dozen countries available to purchase. They include Spice of India, Sassy Pants Sweets and Treats, Kumi Alderman with Japanese Mochi, Retro Taco, Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen, Wood Oven Eats and Catering, Greek Desserts, Sons of Norway, Bolivia Empanadas, and Brown’s Boneyard BBQ.

Hosting cultural and crafts booths will be Nuestros Niῆos, a non-profit offering Guatemalan crafts; Sons of Norway; Spice of India; Shigeko Uppuluri with Japanese origami; Kris Light, with photographs, jewelry, and crafts; Noah Build DeArk; Hampton Wood Carving and Jewelry; June Bug Designs, Native American Jewelry; Ukrainian Painted Eggs, Spirit of the Veteran and Warrior; and Spirit Winds.

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 supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission. International Festival sponsors include Gary Sturm of Mortgage Investors Group and The Landes Team with Realty Executives. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is assisting with the event. Mayfield Dairy, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, the DoubleTree Hotel, and the Holiday Inn are in-kind sponsors.

Admission to the International Festival is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $10 for children 3-17, and $1 off each category for museum members. The event is free for children two and under. For more information, call the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074, or see the Children’s Museum website at www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

This press release and photo were submitted by Kay Brookshire.

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