Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
By Jennifer Donovan, Director of News & Media Relations
University Marketing & Communications
Michigan Technological University
The Parade starts at 11 a.m. in downtown Hancock. It will cross the Portage Lift Bridge and march through downtown Houghton, winding up at the Dee Stadium, where a Multicultural Festival will begin at noon.
The Multicultural Festival features food and entertainment from the many nations that make up the Keweenaw’s international flavor and heritage. Some of the acts include the Kivajat Finnish folk dancers, belly dancing by 47 North, a Bollywood extravaganza performed by Michigan Technological University’s Indian Student Association, a Keweenaw Bay Indian Community performance, the Michigan Tech Dance Team, the Maple Sugar Folk and singer Jan Arnold.
Admission to the Multicultural Festival is free. Food booths will be selling fresh-made international specialties.
There will also be a crafts tent outside the Dee, and the upstairs ballroom in the stadium will feature quieter seating for diners and a series of Gappa talks by international students from Michigan Tech. Gappa is a Hindi word meaning “chit-chat,” a chance for Multicultural Festival guests to learn about and interact informally with international students.
This year’s headline act is China Gold, a martial arts-based performance featuring lighting, music, choreography and stage effects highlighting feats of athleticism and gymnastic prowess. They will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and no charge for students who have paid the Experience Tech fee. The headline act is sponsored in part by the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and the MUB Board.
The theme of this year’s Parade of Nations is “Think Globally, Celebrate Locally.”
