Sunday marked the 41st annual Multicultural Festival in Timmins at the McIntyre Arena.
Marjorie Boyd, the event’s organizer, said the festival has seen great success since its beginning in 1974, and plans to continue to be an annual event as long as possible.
Other arenas and venues have been used over the years including the festival’s original location at the South Porcupine Museum, but Boyd says that the McIntyre Arena seems to be the best venue for the festival given its central location, parking availability and size.
During opening ceremonies which included a parade and introduction of Nations, Mayor Steve Black, MPP Gilles Bisson, and MP Charlie Angus gave speeches regarding the diverse nature of Timmins culture and the importance of celebrating the community’s various ethnic groups.
Opening declaration was completed by Michael Doody, and Marjorie Boyd.
The event is designed to showcase the many cultures that make up Timmins and area.
Booths were set up by the participating groups with food offerings, which are usually the most popular attraction of the festival.
Groups from Austria, China, Croatia, India, Finland, Germany, Jamaica, and the Netherlands were among the 15 total booths at the festival this year.
The newest booth to join in the festivities was a booth with traditional foods, and items from Holland.
The festival also had entertainment provided by the French group who had dancers preforming to three French songs, the Scottish group which showcased the talents of the Timmins Police Pipe Band with Pipe Major Tom Luke; and a second Scottish performance from the Northern Ontario School of Scottish Dance was seen later in the day.
Performances from the Chinese group which demonstrated tai chi, and the Filipino group which preformed two traditional dances were also on the entertainment list for the day.
“People come for the food, let’s be honest. We have great entertainment, but it’s about the food,” Boyd also mentioned.
There was no shortage of choice with the 15 booths offering various food items including jerk chicken by the Jamaican group, Indian tacos and bannock by the First Nations booth, Sugar Pies by the French,
Booths opened their sales at 1pm after the opening ceremonies, and by 2 p.m. some tables had already sold out of many of their traditional foods.
“We hope the weather will bring people into us. It is starting to rain and sometimes that will deter people,” said Boyd prior to the opening ceremonies; but with hundreds in attendance, this year’s festival was definitely a successful one.
(PHOTO: Members of the French group march in Sunday's parade. Jennifer Massie for TimminsToday)
