Tour the World at Annual "Festival of Nations," 
Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, June 8-9

	From Irish folktales to Chinese calligraphy and everything in between, the third annual Festival of Nations will celebrate the St. Louis area's "melting pot" of cultural diversity on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 at historic Tower Grove Park.  

	Kicking off the two days of festivities will be the colorful "Parade of Nations" along South Grand Avenue, starting at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 8.  The parade begins at Grand and Utah (St. Pius V Church) and proceeds north on South Grand through the neighborhood's bustling "international district" of ethnic restaurants and shops.  Participating in the parade will be dozens of area ethnic groups and families decked out in traditional dress, as well as neighborhood organizations, performers, and local police and fire departments.  

	Immediately following the parade, the two-day Festival of Nations gets underway in the southeast corner of Tower Grove Park.  Festival hours are Saturday, June 8, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 9, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Entrance into the Festival is free and open to the public.  Foods and beverages as well as ethnic gifts galore will be available for purchase 
	
	This year, the Festival will feature the taste, music, art and culture of people from more than 50 different nations who now call St. Louis their home.

	Delicious foods from around the world.   This year's Festival of Nations will feature a wide array of taste-bud-tantalizing ethnic foods sure to satisfy anyone's hunger - from Brazilian feijoada (black beans with meat) to Ethiopian alechua (spicy cooked vegetables).  

	National cuisines already slated to appear at Festival of Nations this year include:  Brazilian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Horn of African, Polish, Mexican, Romanian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.  In addition, good old American favorites - hamburgers, hot dogs. and corn-on-the-cob - will also be available. 

	Ethnic music and dance performances.  This year's Festival will feature more than 40 different ethnic musical and dance performances on two stages in Tower Grove Park.  Among the entertainment highlights of the weekend are:

·       Los Compradres Mariachis, Mexican troubadours. 
·       Iranian music with Farshid and Company 
·       Folkloric Group Colombia, a troupe of talented dancers in native costumes. 
·       Sunshine and the Community Performance Ensemble, an East St. Louis troupe of dancers and drummers recreate the high-energy performances of Senegal, West Africa.

Children's Activities.  The Festival will feature a variety of children's activities, including several talented and fascinating storytellers:

·       Bobby Norfolk, a Grammy Award winner, shares folktales from his African heritage. 
·       Storyteller Deloris Santha (aka Grandmother Coyote) shares tales of the Iroquois using puppets and hand-beaded garments.

·       Daniel Romano will regale young and old alike with his Irish stories. 

Artisan Demonstrations and Workshops.  The Festival will feature various local residents sharing their skills including:

·       Silas Gebreyesus and Worlenshe Teshale, from Ethiopia, will demonstrate the art of spinning raw cotton into thread.

·       Sheow Hwey Chang teaches children to create their own Chinese calligraphy. 
·       Istar Mohammed, a refugee from Somalia, delights children and adults alike with her exotic and beautiful henna body art (temporary tattoos).

·       Peter Moszyk, German woodcarving, and Roya Rahimi, Afghan embroidery. 

	Crafts and gift items.  Looking for unusual gifts for family members and friends?  Want to get a head start on holiday shopping?  Then check out the nearly dozen ethnic-oriented vendors representing countries from Russia to Ecuador who will be at Festival of Nations this year.

	Soccer Matches.  Local men's soccer teams will compete for the second annual St. Louis International Soccer Cup.  This two-day invitational tournament features a half-field 6-on-6 player match-up of teams from St. Louis's ethnic communities, including African, Bosnian, Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and South American amateur players.  The soccer matches, which will be held in Tower Grove Park near the Roger and Arsenal intersection, are also free and open to the public.  A shuttle bus will run between the festival site and the soccer fields.

	All Festival of Nations activities, except the soccer matches, will be held in or near the southeast portion of Tower Grove Park, located near the intersection of Grand and Arsenal Avenues.  The park is less than one mile south of the Grand and Interstate 44 intersection in St. Louis.  Street parking is available and Bi-State bus lines serve the South Grand/Tower Grove Park area.  

	Festival of Nations is sponsored by the non-profit International Institute of Saint Louis.  Since 1919, the International Institute has been helping immigrants and refugees become productive citizens in the St. Louis area.  For further information about the Festival of Nations, call (314) 773-9090, ext. 121, or visit the organization's Web site at www.intlinst.org.