The aroma of pho, tacos and gyros wafts from food trucks as people of various ages gather outside the Lucie Stern Community Center, drawn in by colorful booths and vibrant traditional outfits awaiting inside. Yesterday, Palo Alto’s Community Services Department kicked off its first-ever Around the World in a Day Festival, celebrating the city’s diverse cultures.
With a diverse lineup of performances, Lance LeDrew, event organizer and Community Services Department recreation coordinator, said he hopes to make the festival an annual tradition.
“Today, the event had performances of folks from India, Brazil and a group from Mexico,” LeDrew said before the event. “It’s a celebration of the community of Palo Alto, so I encourage people to come down and really get an appreciation for the citizens and the folks who live here in Palo Alto. Next year’s going to be bigger and better.”
Nerija Sinkeviciute-Titus, an artist from Lithuania, intended to share and introduce her culture to others through her booth.
“I am showing my ceramics and really wanted to share our heritage and our culture with the community here in Palo Alto,” Sinkeviciute-Titus said. “Somebody came by, and they did not know what Lithuania was or where it was. … We’re definitely sort of just introducing ourselves again and again because we’re a very small country.”
LeDrew said the event’s objective was for people to better understand the culture in Palo Alto.
“It’s for people to discover the various cultures that make up the community and how we can all get along and understand each other and appreciate each other for who we are,” LeDrew said.
According to LeDrew, planning the event took several months of preparation.
“We started by researching to find out what kind of cultural groups there are in the city,” LeDrew said. “Then we started looking for cultural performers in the city and seeing if they’d be interested in performing.”
Sinkeviciute-Titus said this event was the first time she could significantly represent her work and culture on a large scale.
“I am so glad we got the invitation,” Sinkeviciute-Titus said. “There are not that many booths, so we are a big percentage of the people showing their work, and I’m very glad to be here…We used to go to these elementary schools, middle schools, and even Paly, but this is the first time for the entire Palo Alto.”
