On The Town Square celebration to transform the Oval
COLUMBUS – The serene surroundings of the Oval, located in the heart of The Ohio State University campus, will be transformed this weekend into a celebration of culture and diversity with an ”On The Town Square” celebration from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday (5/18).
The event, which last year entertained a record crowd of 4,500 people, is yet another aspect of the 2002 African American Heritage Festival highlighting the entire week (May 13 to 19).
The town square setting will offer sites of interests for children and adults. The Oval will showcase African American art, food and entertainment in addition to information booths. To date, 38 vendors have registered to participate.
Dionne Blue, coordinator of women student services and the vendor co-chair, said a lot of thought and hard work has gone into maintaining the integrity of the event.
”We sat down as a committee to hash out goals that would help make this event a positive experience and family oriented,” Blue said.
Fahari, the Swahili word for pride and the festival theme, became the top priority. ”The whole notion of maintaining pride in the community was just as important in our selection of vendors as it was in planning entertainment,” Blue added.
Student coordinators Joel Diaz, a junior and pre-business major, and Shantelle Jenkins, a senior majoring in journalism and political science, are pleased with the variety of interests that will be represented. One of the unique vendors participating will offer original handcrafted merchandise from East Africa. In addition, a live radio broadcast will be provided by WSMZ FM (103.1).
”The message that we are trying to send is one of celebration and appreciation,” said Diaz. ”Bringing the community together at a place such as the Oval provides an opportunity to experience the African American culture in a very unique way.”
”I think it is important for people of all cultural backgrounds to come together and learn more about African American culture,” said Jenkins. ”It’s an event where you can have a great time, learn about the culture and meet other people in the community.”
The celebration continues Saturday evening with ”Rock the Mike, Part II,” a dance being held in the parking lot of French Fieldhouse from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The festival wraps up Sunday with a return to the Oval for a campus cookout (noon to 4 p.m.) and a community area cleanup effort (noon to 3 p.m.).
For a complete list of events on the 24th African American Heritage Festival log on to: http://www.osuheritagefestival.com
