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Every year on the third Saturday of August, First Presbyterian Church holds a city-wide multicultural festival to "celebrate diversity and reach beyond ourselves". Thousands of visitors come to enjoy a day of cultural activities at different booths, watch a variety of shows and enjoy ethnic foods of different origins.
It all started in 1999, when First Presbyterian Church Session approved the proposal of Winny Lin, a Chinese-American member who later became an elder. Two other elders, Marisue Coy and Helen Sears, plus Winny on the Planning Committee led the whole congregation into a new ministry. Through the years, leadership changes, Linda Young, Mary Dixon Baker, Creda Heffelfinger, and Marna Loucks all served on the Planning Committee. Now Debbie McCoy has agreed to lead on. Many church families contribute their time and talents on that whole day to serve. Children have grown with more understanding of others' culture and heritage. What is more? Many public schools such as Burns Middle School, Owensboro Middle School and College View Middle School started their own multicultural fair to teach their students about diversity.
The 7th Annual Multicultural Festival was held August 20, 2005, from noon until 6 p.m. Even before the opening ceremony, people strolled on the lawn of First Presbyterian Church to the sound of a brass band playing the music of different countries. Over 20 booths representing Native Americans, Czech, Haiti, Central America, Japan, China, Philippines, Ukraine, Nigeria, Syria, Scotland and Ireland offered artifacts and information about their countries. Children and adults moved from booth to booth to find the answers to the multicultural quiz, as well as collect scavenger hunt items such as Scottish shortbread, a Chinese seal, Irish shamrocks and dried mango Tamarind. Many local schools gave extra credit to students who turned in a completed quiz. Not only it was fun, it was educational as well.
To enhance the festive atmosphere, shows were held on two stages every half-hour. There were dances by local Chinese, the Asian Indians, the Filipinos, and Kentucky cloggers. Bands performed, choirs sang, and karate students showed off their martial art skills.
Food was a great attraction. The food court offered a taste of Chinese, Filipino, Italian, African-American and American cuisine, with egg rolls, gumbo, hot dogs, and Italian sandwiches being favorite items with the crowd.
All of this was made possible with countless hours of work by volunteers of FPC and hundreds of community volunteers including Boy Scout Troop 611, students from area high schools, members of many churches of all denominations, and numerous local organizations. What an opportunity to learn about one another in such a fun setting! After all, the United States of America is a melting pot.
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