Today: International Festival at Children’s Museum

Crafts, cuisines, and entertainment from world cultures will be presented at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge International Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, February 25.

The family-friendly International Festival will have musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day at the Children’s Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Children may “make and take” crafts, and several booths will offer activities and crafts for children.

Raya Quttaineh and María Guzmán of WBIR-TV will serve as festival emcees. Quttaineh, originally from Jordan, is a morning anchor and reporter. Guzmán, originally from Nicaragua, is a bilingual journalist reporting in English and in Spanish for the Spanish newscast Noticias WBIR. Both came to the United States as children with their families.

Entertainers will include Katrien Sevrin of Belladance, who performs and teaches Middle Eastern dance; the Tennessee Irish Dancers, students taught by professional and champion Irish dancer Katie Carver; a Shamisen performance on a Japanese banjo-style instrument; and a traditional Japanese story, Kamishibai.

The Missing Goats will perform Irish and Americana music with a three piece-band: Steve Reddick on guitar and vocals, Tom Beehan on banjo and vocals, and Bill Walker on accordion.

Among activities during the day will be:

• Crafts for children to make and take home, including a bean shaker, a platypus paper craft, and a 3D paper doll of Baba Marta, the Bulgarian “Mother Spring.”
• A green tea ceremony in the Imagination Gallery, hosted by the Asian Culture Center.
• Postage stamps from many countries available for collecting in the Craft and Science Room, hosted by the Knoxville Philatelic Society.
• Opportunities to learn Morse code and how to communicate with other countries through amateur radio, hosted by the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club in the Discovery Lab.
• Visits to the model train layouts of the Knoxville Area Model Railroaders in the World of Trains exhibit.

Food vendors will have dishes available to purchase. They include Norwegian desserts by Sons of Norway; onigiri (Japanese rice balls) by the Asian Culture Center; cookies and toffee by Handmade Toffee and Treats; boba tea and Korean-style hot dogs; Irish cakes by Tennessee Irish Dancers; tacos, nachos, and horchata by Alebrijes Mexican Cuisine; Bolivian empanadas and salteñas by Empanadas Bolivianas; Cuban sandwiches, tres leches cake, and other desserts by Mucho Gusto 4 U.

Hola Hora Latina, an organization promoting unity by creating bridges between the Hispanic/LatinX communities and the community, will host an information booth, as will Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, a resource for the East Tennessee Latino community and for East Tennessee regarding the Latino community.

Kris Harris Light will have a booth with her photography. Other booths include a Shamisen display and Japanese craft sales, an origami activity by the Asian Culture Center, and Colombian craft sales by Eveling Monsalve. State Farm Agent Anntionette Crowell will host a booth, and the Children’s Museum will have items for sale.

The International Festival is supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission. Online tickets are available for a 20 percent discount at $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for children ages 3-17, with a small surcharge, at this site: https://bit.ly/CMORIF2023. Children’s Museum members have free admission with proof of membership at the door.

Admission to the International Festival at the door is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $10 for children 3-17. Children 2 and under are free.

For more information, call the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074, or see the Children’s Museum web site at http://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.