Cultural Diversity is Spelled I-S-F

On a dismal, rainy afternoon, thousands of people flocked to North Penn High School on Saturday, to attend the 20th annual International Spring Festival.

"There's a lot of people here. I heard the parking lot is packed full.  That's a good indication that we have thousands of people here," said Tom Meyer, director of the Lansdale Public Library and coordinator of the International Spring Festival.

That's an understatement, as some in attendance had to actually park across Valley Forge Road in the Weis shopping center. 

One such person, Amanda Kemp, along with her four-year-old son Tyler, walked briskly through the steady afternoon rain, from McDonalds to the main entrance of the high school.

"We come out every year, but I've never had so much trouble finding a parking spot," said Kemp, as she shook out her umbrella. "I can't believe so many people are here!"

In its 20th occurrence, the International Spring Festival outdid itself, adding more performers, countries and vendors than ever before.  Guests were treated to a steady, though varying, bombardment of cultural diversity, manifesting through song, dance and food.

If you were interested in dance or music, there were performances by Zydeco-a-Go-Go, Voloshky's Ukranian Dance Ensemble, and the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble, in addition to many other artists who seemed to be lurking around every corner.

If you were hungry, the cafeteria contained food vendors from around the world.  It looked far more like a cafeteria at the United Nations than that of a high school in Lansdale.  There was Korean food, Hungarian food, Indian food, as well as hot dogs and pizza for those guests who refrain from expanding on their tastes.

The gymnasium was converted into multicultural flea market, with goods ranging from clothing, to jewelry and small crafts.  Additionally, there was a steady stream of musical performances on the main stage, and a kids area complete with a moon bounce, which was probably the only ordinary thing in the entire building.

Some of the countries represented were China, Ireland, Korea, Ukraine, Taiwan, Poland, Nepal, Jordan, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Jamaica, Peru, India, Argentina, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and the Philippines.  Newbies to the festival were Ecuador and Gabon, Africa, as well as a few others.

As if this wasn't overwhelming enough, there was also a health fair, and an exercise room with everything from Zumba to a booth allowing kids to experience the fun of Xbox 360 Kinect.

"We were running all different demonstrations for the International Spring Festival. Zumba demo, body combat, Bollywood and yoga," said Ryan Gillespie, branch director of LaCrest Health Center of the North Penn YMCA.

Gillespie added that all the styles of dance and aerobics on display, which lasted roughly 20 minutes each, were available at the North Penn YMCA.

Even local artist and painter Amy Rims made a cameo appearance, displaying her live action painting skills, much to the delight of the many children who passed by.

"The children love it," said Rims.  "These girls keep coming back to show their friends."

With so much going on, and potentially record-breaking attendance, the festival was an amazing success.  Now, only one question remains:  What do they do for an encore?

Check out our photo gallery, which contains more than 60 pictures from the ISF.  Also, check out our video coverage, which includes interviews with artists, performances, and much, much more.

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