band and crowd

PRESS RELEASES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beth Kindig, Director of Marketing
Scarritt-Bennett Center
(615) 340-7501
bkindig@scarrittbennett.org

Becca Stinson, Marketing Associate
Scarritt-Bennett Center
(615) 340-8804
bstinson@scarrittbennett.org

 

13TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF CULTURES FESTIVAL TO BE HELD OCT. 3
Festival To Feature New Teen Area

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Sept. 16, 2009 – The 13th Annual Celebration of Cultures festival, to take place Saturday, Oct. 3 at Centennial Park, returns as the region’s largest and most authentic multi-cultural festival. The event is free and open to the public.

Named as a Southeast Tourism Society “Top 20 Event for Fall 2009,” the festival is presented by the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation and Scarritt-Bennett Center.

Celebration of Cultures aims to celebrate and embrace the cultural diversity of our community by encouraging understanding, appreciation and respect of the cultures of the Greater Nashville community through a fun-filled day of music, dance, food, children’s activities, a marketplace, and an educational component called “The Global Village.”

More than 40 cultures will be represented, food vendors will offer a sampling of cuisine from around the world, and entertainment will be provided on five different stages throughout the park. A children’s area will feature free interactive music and dance programs, storytelling, a children’s stage, nature activities, puppet shows and hands-on art projects presented by local Nashville organizations. “The Global Village” offers a glimpse of daily life in countries such as Panama, India, Mexico, Bolivia, Somalia, Japan, Jamaica, China and Kurdistan.

New to the festival this year will be an area for teens called TEENS UNITED!. In partnership with Oasis Center, TEENS UNITED! is being organized by a group of local teens from 10 different countries, including Mexico, Ethiopia, Haiti and Sudan. Highlights of the teen area include a stage that will feature entertainment such as teen drummers, dancers, and puppet shows; traditional costumes for festival goers to try on and have their photos taken in; a world map where people can mark their country of origin; and more.

Last year, 28,000 people attended the festival, making it the largest one-day attendance number in the event’s history.

What: Celebration of Cultures festival, a FREE event
- Global Village - Ethnic food
- World Market - TEENS UNITED!
- Children’s area - Entertainment on five different stages
When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Centennial Park
Who: More than 40 cultures and thousands of Middle Tennesseans
Cost: FREE
Parking: Free parking is available in the ground-level HCA parking lots off 25th
Ave. N. and throughout Centennial Park.
Web site: www.celebrationofcultures.org

Hi-res photos are available for download at http://www.celebrationofcultures.org/photo_downloads.php?PHPSESSID=bd56e66f20abb2745ca3d13c9355a6f8

About Scarritt-Bennett Center
Scarritt-Bennett Center is a nonprofit conference, retreat and education center committed to addressing social justice issues through programming that promotes cross-cultural understanding, education and spiritual renewal. The center is located on ten peaceful acres in the heart of Nashville, Tenn. Income from the rental of the center’s historic facilities for meetings, conferences and overnight accommodations supports the center’s efforts to present a variety of programs and events that encourage cultural awareness in Middle Tennessee, including the annual Celebration of Cultures festival and Diversity in Dialogue. For more information, visit www.scarrittbennett.org.

About Metro Parks
The Metro Parks and Recreation Department has a wide variety of facilities and programs to be enjoyed across Davidson County. Presently, there are 113 properties on more than 10,570 acres, plus seven municipal golf courses. Metro Parks offers something for everyone, including senior programs, special population programs, cultural arts classes, dog parks, a variety of trails, nature programs, sports leagues, art galleries and much more. For more information, visit www.nashville.gov/parks.

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August 3, 2009  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      

Contact:         

Beth Kindig, Director of Marketing
Scarritt-Bennett Center
(615) 340-7501
bkindig@scarrittbennett.org

 

Becca Stinson, Marketing Associate
Scarritt-Bennett Center
(615) 340-8804
bstinson@scarrittbennett.org

 

PLANS UNDERWAY FOR 2009 CELEBRATION OF CULTURES FESTIVAL
Festival To Be Held October 3

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – August 3, 2009 – The Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation and Scarritt-Bennett Center are partnering to bring the annual Celebration of Cultures festival to Nashville for its 13th year. This year’s festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Centennial Park.

Celebration of Cultures, a free event that aims to bring people together to celebrate the cultural diversity of our community, was named by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast for fall 2009. Last year, 28,000 people attended the festival, making it the largest one-day attendance number in the event’s history.

This year’s festival will showcase the dance, music, visual arts, cuisine and traditions of more than 40 cultures through the Global Village, World Market, children’s area and food area. Entertainment will be provided on five different stages throughout the park.

New to the festival this year will be an area exclusively for teens called TEENS UNITED!. In partnership with Oasis Center, TEENS UNITED! is being organized by a group of local teens from 10 different countries, including Palestine, Ethiopia, Haiti and Sudan.

Those interested in participating as volunteers, food vendors, world market vendors, children’s area activity hosts or sponsors can find application information at www.celebrationofcultures.org or by calling (615) 340-7450.

What:              Celebration of Cultures festival, a FREE event
- Global Village            - Ethnic food
- World Market            - TEENS UNITED!
- Children’s area           - Entertainment on five different stages
When:             Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
                        10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where:            Centennial Park
Who:               More than 40 cultures and thousands of Middle Tennesseans

About Scarritt-Bennett Center
Scarritt-Bennett Center is a nonprofit conference, retreat and education center committed to addressing social justice issues through programming that promotes cross-cultural understanding, education and spiritual renewal. The center is located on ten peaceful acres in the heart of Nashville, Tenn. Income from the rental of the center’s historic facilities for meetings, conferences and overnight accommodations supports the center’s efforts to present a variety of programs and events that encourage cultural awareness in Middle Tennessee, including the annual Celebration of Cultures festival and Diversity in Dialogue. For more information, visit www.scarrittbennett.org.

About Metro Parks
The Metro Parks and Recreation Department has a wide variety of facilities and programs to be enjoyed across Davidson County. Presently, there are 113 properties on more than 10,570 acres, plus seven municipal golf courses. Metro Parks offers something for everyone, including senior programs, special population programs, cultural arts classes, dog parks, a variety of trails, nature programs, sports leagues, art galleries and much more. For more information, visit www.nashville.gov/parks.

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MEDIA PHOTOS:
http://www.celebrationofcultures.org/photo_downloads.php

 

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August 5, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jackie Jones @ 862-8400
Lena Lucas @ 862-8442

 

CALL TO ARTISTS

Attention, Nashville’s Visual Artists. Metro Parks’ Centennial Art Center gallery seeks visual artists from around the world that now call Nashville home, to apply to exhibit in: NASHVILLE’S INTERNATIONALS, III, October 2 – 30, at Centennial Art Center. (This exhibit is part of Metro Parks' and Scarritt Bennett Center's "Celebration of Cultures".) Applicants must be legal immigrants. An application may be obtained online at: http://www.nashville.gov/parks/cac.htm. Click on, “Nashville’s Internationals, III, Call to Artists and Application.” You may also obtain an application at Centennial Art Center, 25th Ave. N. and Park Plaza corner of Centennial Park. PH (615) 862-8442. Application deadline, August 19.