By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — Mercer County is one of the state’s most culturally diverse regions with 12 municipalities that are home to citizens of a host of ethnicities and countries of origin.
In celebration of this rich heritage, the county hosted its fourth annual Cultural Festival on Oct. 11 in Mercer County Park in West Windsor. The one-day festival celebrates many cultures through traditional art demonstrations, live music and dance performances.
Xing Ming of West Windsor, who was attending the event for the second year in a row, said he enjoys tasting the different cuisine and the exposure to the various cultural arts.
"Where else can you find an international food court featuring some of the best ethnic foods in the region," he asked.
It was a good thing there were a lot of dancing and strolling opportunities at the festival so people could work off a few calories between all of the great tastes from around the world in the International Food Truck Court such as Waffle DeLys, which has won a number of prizes for its Belgium waffles with a French twist; Undrgrnd Donuts, which is ranked No. 3 on Zagat’s list of the "Hottest Food Trucks in the U.S." and the Mexi-Flip Taco Truck, which specializes in neo-traditional Mexican tacos and prepared sauces made using heirloom recipes.
Sisters Shirley and Margaret Brown of Trenton were there for the cultural song and dance demonstrations, which started at noon with Csurdongolo, a Hungarian folk dance ensemble.
The Shantys, an Irish folk band kept their toes tapping with some of Ireland’s most lively traditional and pub tunes.
"From Irish music to mariachi, we’re in for a fun day of culture," Shirley Brown said.
At 1 p.m. Prerna School of Indian Dance took the stage before Vivaci Ballerini e Voce d’Italia. The latter, which translates as "Lively Dancers and Voices of Italy" has been around since 1972 when it was founded by Elba Farabegoli Gurzau, a woman passionate about preserving the many wonderful folk traditions of Italy.
Mariachi Nuevo Mexico, a Mexican group, performed before Shen Yun Productions, which includes Chinese Lion dancers who performed the mythic ritual dance for enjoyment and luck.
Sabrosongo filled the air with the Latin music of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela and Egun Omode got the crowd going with a lively African dance.
The performances concluded with the Odessa Klezmer Band, which played traditional Jewish, Gypsy and Romanian music; Ballet Folklorico Peru, a Peruvian dance troupe; and the Shishya School of Performing Arts, which performed in the Bharathanatyam style of classical Indian dance that originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu.
Festival-goers also perused an international crafters’ bazaar where unique handmade products were for sale including woven baskets, jams and Emi Kamikaze Kawase jewelry.
Other cultural attractions included Chief Gray Owl Thunderheart and Roger Crazywolf Saenz welcoming visitors to their teepee and Hedrew Hammer Blacksmith Daniel Lapidow displaying his ways with fire and metal.
