To celebrate the diversity of culture in Carthage, the annual Festival of Friends will be held from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Carthage Central Park.

Sponsored primarily by the Alliance of Southwest Missouri, the event allows participants to travel around the world within the confines of Central Park.

“We want to bring a knowledge and understanding of the different cultures within our little community,” said Robin Standridge, drug-free communities coordinator for the Alliance of Southwest Missouri. “We are not a very large place, but we have a lot of diversity and we want to show our community just how incredible that is.”
I

n addition to the many entertainment groups showing dance and music from different cultures, there also will be booths highlighting 13 countries and two Indian tribes.
Entertainment

The Carthage High School will supply a musical ensemble and will play the national anthem and the Webb City High School ROTC will present the colors.

Entertainment groups include: The Alliance Dance Crew, Laos Dancers, the Intertribal Youth Council from Jay, Okla., Troupe Sarrab which will perform Middle Eastern dance, and Kufara, an African drumming group.

Cultural Displays
The different groups will have on display various clothing, music, games, food, recipes and anything else that depicts their country’s culture.

Displays this year include: An authentic Indian tee-pee, the Blackfeet Tribe, the Athabaskin Tribe and booths from the Philippines, Hungary, Africa, USA, Germany, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Cuba, Laos, Egypt, Romania and Guatemala.

Non-Profit Groups
There also will be several non-profit groups at the Festival of Friends.

Those groups are: George Washington Carver National Monument, Precious Moments Foundation, Jasper County 4-H, Family Neighborhood Center, Parent Link, Girl Scouts, McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital, The Alliance of Southwest Missouri, Parents as Teachers, Master Gardeners, Division of Child Services, Missouri Conservation Department and the Jasper County Health Department. The Jasper County Clerk also will be there to allow people to register to vote.

Standridge said she is expecting up to 1,000 people.

“They can get their passport and travel around the world,” said Standridge. “We will have lots and lots of door prizes and we also will sell t-shirts this year. All the proceeds will go back into the festival fund.

Committee members include: Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau, RES, McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital, Arvest Bank, Nancy and Jerry Perry, Ulmers, Curves, SMB, The Alliance for Southwest Missouri, Carthage Police Department, Fairview Greenhouse, University of Missouri Extension, Family Literacy Center, Jasper County 4-H and Carthage R-9 School District.
In the event of rain, the Festival of Friends will be in the First Baptist Church across the street from the park.