One of Michigan Tech’s most celebrated annual events is returning to the community this Saturday, Sept. 16,. The 2017 Parade of Nations will begin at 11 a.m. with a parade beginning in Hancock and making its way across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and will end at the Dee Stadium in downtown Houghton around noon.
As a multicultural festival celebrating local representation of the diversity in our community, all are invited to march with other representatives of their native country. According to booth and fundraising chair Bob Wenc, holding up a poster that says “I love Parade of Nations” could enable participants to win two round-trip air tickets to Chicago, along with two nights at Chicago’s Fairfield Inn & Suites downtown. Participants must be at the Dee Stadium at 1 p.m. in order to win. The parade culminates with a large celebration inside of Dee Stadium (the “Multicultural Festival”), which will be transformed into a global marketplace with dining options from a wide variety of international cuisines, in addition to performers and children’s activities.
Wenc, a long-time member of the board of individuals involved in planning the event, shared some information about how the Parade of Nations is orchestrated each year, such as what goes into planning it and what students and community members can expect from the 28-year-old event returning to the community this Saturday. He shared, “We will have a total of 35 vendors…20 food vendors, and the rest [comprised of] craft and artist vendors.” Some of these will be located in a new “Crafters” tent outside the main entrance of the Dee Stadium.
“This year the Crafters’ selection and quality has been enhanced, and we hope that people will check them out,” Wenc said. He added, “We [also] have three new countries represented in our food booths,” referring to cuisine from Ukraine, Angola and Saudi Arabia. “We also have two new food booths representing two new restaurants soon-to-open in Houghton.” When asked how many students and community members are expected to attend, Wenc replied, “From an actual count in the past, we know that we have over 3,000 people attend between noon and 3 p.m.” Wenc remarked upon the experience of celebrating amid such a large crowd, sharing that “we added a new Lakeside dining tent which we hope will give people a pleasant alternative [to the noise and congestion of the crowd].” In addition to many exciting dining options, there will be approximately three hours of local and “multi-ethnic” entertainment taking place at the Multicultural Festival inside the Dee Stadium.
Wenc has been involved for most of the years since the tradition began, becoming much more involved in 2005 after retiring from his position at Tech, when the director of International Programs and Services asked him to work part-time in order to facilitate their contribution to the event. Wenc currently serves as the booth chair and the fundraising chair and puts in hundreds of hours each year. He relayed, “…two co-chairs Vienna Chapin and Brianna Tucker, along with 10 other members who come from Finlandia University, all over Houghton County and as far away as Baraga” also put in many, many hours of their own. “I look forward to the day of the event when it all comes together and everyone is having a great time,” he says, his long-time dedication to the event evidence of his passion for bringing it to life.
Following the day’s festivities, the Parade of Nations and the Rozsa Center are pleased to announce China Gold, a renowned performing arts group which will perform incredible feats of Chinese martial arts, dance and acrobatics. China Gold was recently aired on international television and reached almost 1.7 billion views worldwide. They showcase the well-known Dragon Dance, the Lion Dance, Wushu Shaolin Kung Fu and female chinese dancers. It’s a performance you will not want to miss; the headlining performance will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rozsa center. Be sure to get your tickets! The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children and free to students who have paid the Experience Tech Fee.
For more information and to reserve your spot, head on over to https://events.mtu.edu/event/china_gold#.Wbckq3qYqV4.
