8th Annual Diversity Celebration April 7

ASU Hosts Free Concerts, Workshops and Food Open to the Public

Story by Anna Oakes

Over 20 entertainment performances will take place throughout the Diversity Celebration, including Pop Ferguson & Blues Revenue, Orville Hicks, the Red Herring Puppets, Dry Creek Medicine Drums and the Lost Jewels of the Ghawazee

For the past eight years, Appalachian State University has held an annual Diversity Celebration to underscore its commitment to diversity and expose the campus and community to a multiplicity of cultures, talents, perspectives, arts and foods found in this region and around the world.

This year, the free event takes place on Tuesday, April 7, from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union on the ASU campus. The Diversity Celebration also includes the 13th Unity Festival—a community event that has taken place since 1992—and the third annual People of the Planet Soccer Tournament, which will take place on Sunday, April 5, at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

The Diversity Celebration is a free, family friendly event that is open to the High Country community. The celebration is funded in part by ASU’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance, the Office of International Education and Development, the Office of Multicultural Student Development, Black Student Association, Parents Association, Staff Council, Hubbard Center, and Black Faculty and Staff Association; the Watauga County Arts Council with Grassroots funds from the North Carolina Arts Council; and a number of individual and business donors.

Community members who use the Rivers Street parking deck can request a free parking pass for the Diversity Celebration. Other free parking is available after 3:00 p.m. in the Rivers Street bike lanes and in the new Belk Library parking deck and elsewhere on campus after 5:00 p.m. For photos, campus and Plemmons Student Union maps and information about bringing student groups, click to www.celebration.appstate.edu. For additional info, call 828-262-6252 or 828-262-2144. 

All of the Tuesday, April 7, Diversity Celebration events will take place in various rooms of the Plemmons Student Union. Following is a schedule of performances, workshops and other events by venue. For more information about each of the performers, click to www.celebration.appstate.edu.

Grandfather Ballroom
Appalachian Food Services will cater a free sampling of foods from across the globe, including empanadas (Brazil), palak paneer (Pakistan), sushi (Japan), sweet potato latkes (Israel), “pop” (Africa) and Kazakh salad (Kazakstan).

Roan Mountain Room
Red Herring Puppet Theater, 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.; Pop Ferguson and the Blues Revue, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m.; TV Barnett and the Roan Mountain Moonshiners, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. 

Cascades Café
Crys Matthews, 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.; Mexico Mariachi 2000, 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.; The Butterpats at 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.; ASU Extension Chords, 7:00 to 7:15 p.m.; H20 Hip Hop Oasis, 7:45 to 8:00 p.m.; Urban Legacy, 8:00 to 8:15 p.m. 

Crossroads Coffeehouse
Gabrielle Simmons, 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.; Meade Richter and Band, 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.; Three Graces Entertainment International Dances with Saphira, 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.; Turbo Pro Project, 7:45 to 8:30 p.m. 

Dry Creek Medicine Drum will be performing at Summit Trail Solarium from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m.

Summit Trail Solarium
Dry Creek Medicine Drum, 3:00 to 3:45 p.m.; ASU South African Choir, 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.; ASU African Ensemble, 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.; ASU Japanese Taiko Drum Ensemble, 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.; Lost Jewels of the Ghawazee, 7:45 to 7:45 p.m.; and ASU Gospel Choir, 8:15 to 9:00 p.m.

University Bookstore
Old-time music group Kirby, Welch and Stone, 3:00 p.m.

Whitewater Café
Indian sitar music with K. Sridhar, 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.

Linville Falls Room
World Dance and Music Workshops
Latin American salsa with ASU’s Hispanic Student Association, 3:00 to 3:45 p.m.; the Brazilian dance and martial art of Capoeira with Gabrielle Passajou, 4:00 to 5:15 p.m.; contemporary African Zuke dance with Baba Ndiaye at 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.; West African traditional dances with ASU African Ensemble, 6:00 to 6:45 p.m.; contra dancing with Mark Freed, Jesse Edgerton and JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians), 7:00 to 7:45 p.m.; and flatfooting and circle dance with Mark Freed, Rebecca Keeter and JAM, 7:45 to 8:15 p.m.

Orville Hicks will be sharing Appalachian folktales at the Multicultural Center from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Multicultural Center
World Stories
Appalachian folktales with Orville Hicks, 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.; Welsh folktales with Mary Gray, 3:45 to 4:15 p.m.; Appalachian folktales with Julia Ebel, 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.; “How to Sing in German,” a presentation by the Baha’i community, 5:15 to 5:30 p.m.; dancing, singing and storytelling with the Native American Council, 5:30 to 5:50 p.m.; "The Underground Railroad: Follow the Drinking Gourd” with Audrey Tate and Rev. Morris Hatton, 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.; author Judith Geary reads from her book Getorix: The Eagle and the Bull, 6:45 to 7:00 p.m.; Brazil songs, dances and stories, 7:15 to 7:30 p.m.; author Bill Kaiser reads from his book Bloodroot, 7:45 to 8:00 p.m.; dancing, singing and storytelling by First Year Seminar, 8:15 to 8:30 p.m.; and author Nora Percival reads from her book Silver Pages on the Lawn, 8:45 to 9:00 p.m.

Blue Ridge Ballroom        
World Bazaar
The World Bazaar is the Unity Festival portion of the Diversity Celebration that features hands-on activities and lessons that are especially appropriate for families and children. Held from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., the World Bazaar includes decorating an auto-rickshaw (Pakistan), Mehandi hand painting, Kolam drawing, Bollywood clips (India), bocce ball (Italy), traditional mountain home-making and farming skills, toy making, spinning, weaving, bedspread knotting and stories of the Underground Railroad and many other activities.

People of the Planet Soccer Tournament April 5 Registration Deadline Friday

Pictured above are adult participants in last year’s People of the Planet Soccer Tournament.

The game of soccer, known as football in most parts of the world, has been a unifying force across the globe. On Sunday, April 5, children and adults from many countries will unite to kick off the Diversity Celebration with the third annual People of the Planet Soccer Tournament at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, a faculty member in the Computer Science Department at ASU, had a dream of bringing people from all over to world to play soccer together in a tournament. As a result, the People of the Planet Soccer Tournament has become a permanent part of the annual Diversity Celebration at ASU.

The tournament will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This year, players from U.S. and many countries across the world will play on the four adult teams. In addition to the adult teams will be soccer matches for youth boys and girls in U6 (ages 5 to 6), U8 (7 to 8), U10 (9 to 10) and U12 (11 to 12). Also, children can register to carry small flags with the players before each game. All players will receive a custom-made jersey and a medallion made for the event.

Parents are encouraged to register their children at www.cs.appstate.edu/soccer/ to play or to carry flags. The deadline for registration has been extended to Friday, March 27.
The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, tournament coordinator, at 828- 262-7009 or rt@cs.appstate.edu.

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