The Human Rights Commission of Paynesville and the Paynesville Area Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring the fourth annual Festival of Ethnic Traditions at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1. The festival is located between the Paynesville Area High School and the U.S. Army Reserve Center on west Minnesota Hwy. 23. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Entertainment will include Hmong dancers, Scandinavian musicians, Chinese lion dancers, Japanese drummers, Bavarian/Swiss musicians and Mexican folklore dancers. There will also be games, a petting zoo and inflatable bouncers for kids. International foods will be for sale, and door prize drawings will be held throughout the afternoon. Some seating is available, but you may also bring your own lawn chair. The festival is intended to display the history of our ethnic backgrounds and to foster a mutual understanding of the many cultures comprising our great state and nation. Cultural awareness and understanding are critical in today’s multicultural society, and whatever we can do to promote the concept of a peaceful coexistence will benefit everyone.
