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Multi-Cultural Festival to offer fun

PARKERSBURG – The 20th annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival will feature three days of food, fun, entertainment and activities at City Park in Parkersburg.

The festival runs from June 19-21 with free admission all weekend. The hours are 6-10 p.m. June 19, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. June 20 and noon-6 p.m. June 21.

The festival will have an Asian theme on opening night June 19. The main stage will kick off with the Hung Kuen Mo Kwoon Lion Dancers and then complete the night with the Hiuchi Taiko drummers. On the Arts in Motion stage, Professor Bubblemaker will be performing Nankin Tamasudare, a Japanese street performance art that combines poetry, rhythm and a magic folding mat to tell a story which is illustrated by the bamboo folding mat taking the shapes told of in the story.

Among the other entertainers featured through the weekend will be Elcee Noveno-Westfall, Corrlach, Hamer Sisters, Madam Gigi’s Outrageous Can Can Dancers, Davina and the Vagabonds Band, The Burning Dawn, Freedom Band, Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers and a variety of others.

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national blues scene with their high-energy live shows, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time.

Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers is a four-piece string band based out of Pittsburgh, Pa. It combines a variety of influences ranging from Old-Time, Bluegrass, Country, Jazz, Rock and 1930’s style swing music. Formerly known as The Weedrags, the group formed in 2010 and has been seen at venues and festivals all over the region.

Elcee Noveno-Westfall was born and lived most of her life in Metro Manila in the Philippines. She is now a resident of Davisville. She is a former member of the International Culture Team at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and was awarded Most Outstanding member. She will be sharing her culture through music and song with songs Philippine and English languages.

The Burning Dawn is a fire performance troupe based in the Mid-Ohio Valley that specializes in several disciplines of the fire arts. For the last decade, it has been wowing crowds with its blend of fire manipulation, performance art and dance.

In addition to the Main Stage performances, there will also be entertainment and activities at the International Boulevard, the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame Traveling Museum, the Children’s Activity Center in the Pavilion, History Hitting the Road, and the Arts in Motion Tent. Live Arts is a modern-edge addition to this year’s festival showcasing established artists’ work from the Mid-Ohio Valley with live painting on Sunday.

The International Boulevard will be Saturday from noon-6 p.m. with exhibits from several nations. There will be children’s arts and crafts in the Pavilion both days, a hula hoop making demonstration, a drum-making workshop for kids with Baba Jubal on Saturday. The History Hitting the Road program is an exhibit of 1800s Appalachia.

The Arts in Motion (AIM) Stage is an expanded venue for local artists and performers during the festival. The stage will feature dance demonstrations and lessons, drum circle participation, and a hula hoop jam, among other activities.

The schedule for the 2015 Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival on the Main Stage and Arts in Motion (AIM) Stage includes:

JUNE 19

* 6 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies (Main Stage)

* 6-8 p.m.: Sumi-e Japanese Paintings (Arts In Motion Stage); Asian Tea Display (AIM Stage)

* 6:30 p.m.: Tiffany Ahdia (Bollywood Dancer) (Main Stage)

* 6:45 p.m.: Nankin Tamasudare Japanese Street Performance by Professor Bubblemaker (AIM Stage)

* 7-10 p.m.: Hung Kuen Mo Kwoon Lion Dancers and Hiuchi Taiko Drummers (Main Stage);JUNE 20

* 7:15 p.m.: Cartoon Fun with J.D. Williamson (AIM Stage)

* 7:45 p.m.: Nankin Tamasudare Japanese Street Performance by Professor Bubblemaker (AIM Stage)

* 8:15 p.m.: Cartoon Fun with J.D. Williamson (AIM Stage)

JUNE 20

* 11 a.m.: High Schools That Rock (Main Stage)

* 11:15 a.m.: Zoot Suit Magician (AIM Stage)

* 11:30 a.m.: Elcee Noveno-Westfall (Filipino Singer) (Main Stage)

* Noon: Professor Bubblemaker (Main Stage)

* 12:45 p.m.: African Drumming/Storytelling (AIM Stage)

* 1 p.m.: Corrlach (Irish Band) (Main Stage)

* 2 p.m.: Hamer Sisters (Bellydance) (Main Stage); Zumba Workshop (AIM Stage)

* 3 p.m.: S.H. Kang’s Tae Kwon Do (Main Stage)

* 3:15 p.m.: Bellydance 101 Workshop (AIM Stage)

* 4 p.m.: Madame Gigi’s Outrageous Can Can Dancers (Main Stage)

* 4:30 p.m.: Lawrence Green – Ugata Drummers (African drumming) (Main Stage); Hula Hoop Workshop (AIM Stage)

* 5:30 p.m.: Madame Gigi’s Outrageous Can Can Dancers (Main Stage)

* 5:45 p.m.: African Drumming Workshop (AIM Stage)

* 6:30 p.m.: Davina and the Vagabonds Band (Main Stage)

* 7 p.m.: Professor Bubblemaker (AIM Stage)

* 8 p.m.: Burning Dawn (fire performance) (Main Stage)

* 8:30 p.m.: Freedom Band (Reggae) (Main Stage)

JUNE 21

* Noon: Interfaith Prayer (Main Stage)

* 12:30 p.m.: TBD (Main Stage); History Alive! Sacagawea (AIM Stage)

* 1 p.m.: Pipes and Drums of St. Andrew (Main Stage)

* 1:45 p.m.: Professor Bubblemaker (AIM Stage)

* 2 p.m.: Graham Denmon (Electric violinist) (Main Stage)

* 3 p.m.: St. Haralambos Hellenic Greek Dancers (Main Stage); Live Arts – Painting, Monologues, Music and More (AIM Stage); Shakespeare Movement and Monologues (AIM Stage)

* 4 p.m.: Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers (Old Time, Bluegrass, Country) (Main Stage); Lydia Hyde (Acoustic Songstress) (AIM Stage)

* 5 p.m.: Phillip’s Bird (Main Stage)

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