More Than 60 Nations to be Represented at July 24-25 Event in Tower Grove Park

(ST. LOUIS--) July 9, 2004----Become a world traveler in one weekend without ever leaving St. Louis at the International Institute's annual "Festival of Nations." The event will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25 in beautiful Tower Grove Park on St. Louis' Near South Side. The St. Louis area's foreign-born residents will share the traditions of their native lands at this lively, colorful outdoor festival, which showcases ethnic foods, music, dance, arts and crafts and the cultures of newcomers from around the world who now call St. Louis home.

Festival hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 24, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 25. The festival will be held in the southeast corner of Tower Grove Park, near the corner of Grand and Arsenal avenues.

By tradition, the festival will kick off with the vibrant "Parade of Nations," beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. This colorful parade, which features local ethnic groups and neighborhood organizations as well as spirited dancers, musicians and street performers, steps off at Grand and Utah Street (at St. Pius V Church), proceeds north on Grand and ends at the main (east) entrance to Tower Grove Park.This year's Festival of Nations includes several new features such as the Village Green, where festival-goers can join in on informal, free dance lessons including Spanish Flamenco, popular Indian dancing and the Mexican Hat Dance. Also debuting will be the World Music Stage, where visitors can enjoy, among others, local world music favorites Farshid Etniko, Chia Band, Clave Sol and new sensation, Africa's Voice in the World.

More than 60 food and gift booths, ethnic craft and cultural demonstrations, and two stages of non-stop dance and musical entertainment will highlight this year's Festival of Nations. In addition, a wide range of children's activities, including arts and crafts, face-painting and an international petting zoo, will be on site. Foods, beverages and authentic hand-made gift items will be available for purchase.

"The Festival of Nations is the perfect opportunity for people of all ages to experience and celebrate the surprising international diversity that exists here in St. Louis," said Anna Crosslin, president of the International Institute of St. Louis, the not-for-profit agency that organizes and sponsors the event. "Best of all, there is no admission charge. All music and dance performances and even the children's activities are free."

Crosslin added that the Festival of Nations holds particular importance this year due to the cancellation, for budgetary and production reasons, of the Institute's popular International Folkfest in October. "Though we've sponsored the smaller Folkfest for the past 12 years, the Festival of Nations has grown exponentially," she explained. "With limited energy and production funding, it made eminent sense to merge the two festivals, which feature many of the same organizations, in order to generate greater impact in the community."

Festival of Nations is made possible with the generous support of the Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, Emmis Communications and KMOV-TV. Additional support is being provided by Willert Home Products, Western Union, The Boeing Company, Coldwell Banker Gundaker, Starbucks, Commerce Bank and Webster University.

Since 1919, the International Institute has been providing adjustment services to new Americans in St. Louis, helping them become productive citizens, and promoting public awareness of the important contribution ethnic diversity makes to the St. Louis area economy and quality of life. In 2004, some 8,000 refugees and immigrants of 85 ethnicities will benefit from English classes, job placement services and mental health and economic development programs at the Institute. For more information, log on to www.iistl.org.