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Grand Rapids, MI (January 19, 2010) – The DTE Energy Foundation Ethnic Heritage Festival will be held from 9 am – 5 pm, Saturday, February 6 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.  Visitors will receive free admission to the Museum to enjoy music, dance, crafts, displays and food representing various ethnic groups that call West Michigan home. 

 

The Planetarium will present gratis Everybody’s Sky: Star Stories from Around the World at 11 am, and 1, 2 and 4 pm.  Guest can also view the Museum’s permanent exhibit “Newcomers: The People of This Place” which highlights over forty ethnic groups and looks at the personal journey stories of people who’ve settled in the greater Grand Rapids area.  Carousel rides will also be free.

 

Colorful and varied performances are scheduled throughout the day on two different stages.  Guests will enjoy the talents of Irish, Pacific Island and Indian dance groups; the sounds of the multicultural drum group WaZoBia and others.  Visitors can listen to storytellers and participate in craft demonstrations.  A variety of ethnic foods will be available for purchase, and visitors over the age of 21 can sample beers from around the world (including Australia, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Germany, Argentina and Belgium) from 1-4 pm for just $6.  A showcase of traditional and modern ethnic fashions will begin at 12:30 pm hosted by Storm Team 8 Meteorologist and eightWest Co-HostTerri DeBoer.

 

Members of ethnic organizations will staff display tables throughout the three floors of the Museum, sharing their unique cultures with guests.  Groups already signed up to attend include the Asian Center, Congress of North American Bosniaks, the Edelweiss Society, Finnish American Society of West Central Michigan, Grand Rapids Scottish Society, Latvian Association of Grand Rapids, the Multicultural Language School, Sons of Norway and the Western Michigan Genealogical Society.

 

The Public Museum of Grand Rapids has a long history of presenting exhibitions and programs on ethnicity and cultural change. For information call 616/456-3977 or go to www.grmuseum.org.      
 


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