Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Festival to highlight organizations

Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Festival to highlight organizations
By TaLeiza Calloway • tcalloway@stcloudtimes.com • April 18, 2010

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Twitter FarkIt Type Size A A A SAUK RAPIDS — A celebration of school, community and culture is planned this week with the Celebrate Sauk Rapids-Rice Community Festival.

An effort celebrating the district’s program to build ties among community members, this is the first year for the celebration, said Shayne Kusler, the integration liaison for Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.
“Very few people are native to this area,” Kusler said. “What we wanted to do is find a way to get people together and appreciate everybody.”
Kusler said the event will feature music, entertainment and food from Cafe Renaissance, Somali Cafe, Asian House, Creative Catering and Mexican Village Too.
Free food samples will go to the first 300 attendees, and more food also will be available for purchase.
The first 250 families also will receive a free tote bag.
About 40 local organizations will be present to share information about community resources, said Denise Weekly, head of the planning committee.
Weekly said other activities include performances from the Stearns County Pachanga Society Quartet, student bands, Pacer Puppets, advocates for people with disabilities and a tae kwon do demonstration.
“Our event is to celebrate different cultures in our community and schools,” Weekly said. “We want it to be really inclusive of (what) the district and community have to offer.”
Sponsored by the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district, the free event will be 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday at Mississippi Heights Elementary School, 1003 Fourth St. S, Sauk Rapids.