CelebrateErie to highlight community's spirit of diversity throughout festival

CelebrateErie isn't just about Erie's culture. It's about all of them, both together and individually.

"Since we started the event in 2018, we've wanted to showcase all that Erie has to offer," said Aaron Loncki, the city of Erie's marketing strategist and organizer of CelebrateErie. "A big part of our community is the diverse cultures that call Erie home. We know we have so many different cultures and we know that our diversity makes us stronger as a community and it’s important for us to come together to celebrate that."

He said the multi-cultural part of the 2022 festival won't have a section or a building or roped-off area reserved for "multicultural events" but that they'd be mixed in amongst the food, the music, the merchandise, and have them serve as the spirit of the party.

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"We wanted to have it spread out through the whole event this year," he said.

He said musical performances, food, dress and interactive spaces would give people more opportunities to discover each other along State Street, the heart of the city.

"What you’ll find different are cultural performances on every part of State Street," he said. "Multicultural, international and minority-owned businesses are integrated into the whole footprint of the event."

On Friday between 4 and 5 p.m. at the Family Stage, for example, three classical Indian dancers will perform solos and as a group, including Anjali Sahay, 46, an associate professor and program director of political science in the School of Public Service and Global Affairs at Gannon University.

"The dance I'm doing is named Kathak," she said, referring to one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. "I got a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, an apprenticeship grant, and I learned a piece as a tribute to my dance teacher's teacher. He passed away early this year, so it's in tribute to him."

Sahay's group, TAAL: A RevErie of Indian Classical Dancers, will also perform as a group. Her partners Shreelina Ghosh and Gunasheela Subbegowda will also perform Indian Classical Dances. Then her daughter and a group of friends will perform Bollywood dance, Sahay said.

She said she thinks organizers did a good job of including Erie's many cultures into the CeleberateErie experience.

"I think if you look at the lineup on all the days, it looks like a lot of different schools and groups are participating," she said. "I first performed in 2014. This is my third time performing and I actually enjoy it. I'm really happy to see (CelebrateErie) back."

Loncki also said the music and other performances will be as varied as Latin American bands and polka bands and steel drum bands with players from around the world. Find a complete list and musical schedule across five stages, at celebrateerie.com/celebrate-music/.

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Focus on culture as 'soul of CelebrateErie'

This year there also will be a barber shop on the street, lectures on Erie's rich diversity from the Jefferson Educational Society in City Council chambers, a walking tour of Erie's "new" downtown and an exploration of Erie's "Ellis Island."

Some of the lectures will feature Ellis Island, one from Erie’s Multicultural Liaison Committee, called "Welcoming and Promoting Opportunity for the New American Population," as well as a gallery of local arts sponsored by City Gallery.

"The gallery will have specifically made pieces that showcase local artists and their work," Loncki said. "We're pretty dedicated to making (culture) the soul of CelebrateErie."

The idea is to get Erieites, all of them, together in one place to teach, learn and celebrate each other, he said. Other features toward that end include:

Multicultural marketplace: local merchants representing cultures and goods from around the world.

Unique cuisine: International food vendors unique to Erie.

What's there to eat?: CelebrateErie food vendors spread from Perry Square to North Park Row and upper State

Jefferson Society Lecture Series: In addition to lectures already mentioned, also included are the following:

• Saturday, 4 p.m.: Celebrating Lake Erie: Working Together to Protect Our Greatest Asset, featuring Jennifer Tompkins, B.A.

• Sunday, 2 p.m.: Erie Politics: Old, New and Notable, featuring Patrick Cuneo

• Sunday, 3 p.m.: When Erie Was the Freshwater Fishing Capital of the World, featuring David Frew, Ph.D.

Hoops, corn hole and more

Aside from musical performances, the marketplace and lectures are some events that are just plain fun, including a 3-point shooting basketball tournament, corn hole set up in Perry Square and, on Saturday, a drum circle with One World Tribe.

"Anybody can participate in the drum circle," Loncki said. "We'll have drums available for people who want to jump in and learn about drumming."

Loncki said they've been working on the programs since January and they are excited to finally share it with the community.

"It's been a while since we could have a full-blown celebration because of COVID," Loncki said. "And our goal is to freshen it in a new way."

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Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNgeisler.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Celebrate Erie 2022 focused on diverse cultural music, food and dance