Guten Tag. Bonjour. Buenos Dias. Hello. The Guthrie Memorial Library is pleased to bring back our Multi-Cultural Day on Saturday, March 12th, from 10 am to 2:30 pm. The library would like to invite you and your families to attend this exciting event. Exploring twelve diverse nations in one day here at the library might just be a fun way to get ready to welcome back the great, big world. Representatives of each nation will be on hand to answer questions, share cultural facts and experiences, and offer bite-sized treats that give a taste of the country.
Culture is not a continent of nations, though, or food, which is why the library has planned several other exciting moments for attendees. Hanover’s very own Joe Clarke will demonstrate his percussion prowess with a drumming demonstration at both 10 and 10:30 in the Children’s Programming Room. Attendees can also sign up to practice and play along with Joe. Attendees seeking more music should proceed to the Hormel Reading Room for a performance by the area’s greatest downhome Celtic band, Cormorant’s Fancy.
Hanover’s Derek So, of So’s Taekwondo, will be on hand offering demonstrations and short lessons for the kids from 1 until 2 pm in the Bare Center. This might be the perfect way to burn off the energy from all the delicious pastries, brownies, and cake on offer during the day’s volunteer-run bake sale. Attendees are advised to bring cash to make purchases, as well as to pay for the bottled water the library will also be offering. Make sure the kids leave room for candy, though, because the library will be offering not just one, but two chances, to smash a Piñata and scramble for that sugary goodness. Regardless, there will be a prize for all the children through the day’s flag-coloring contest. Every child who colors in the flags will receive a prize before they leave.
You’ll start your journey in Mexico, the third largest country in Latin America, before taking flight in Guatemala. Did you know that the country’s name is derived from the language of the indigenous population, but researchers are unsure of its meaning or derivation? These are the kind of fascinating facts participants can learn as they take part in the day. Our next stop is Peru, and we may remain thankful for air travel, because before flight, travelers wishing to cross the Andes—and therefore from one side of the country to the other—had to engage in an incredibly long journey that involved the Amazon, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Isthmus of Panama, and the Pacific. That would certainly take longer than Multi-Cultural Day, so do not forget that boarding pass.
Our next stop will be The Dominican Republic. This island finds its shores lashed by the Atlantic Ocean to the North and the Caribbean to the south, so if you have enough time on this journey you could swim in both bodies of water in the same day. Did you know Colombia is twice the size of France? Maybe that explains how it can kiss the warm waters of the Caribbean to the north and ease into the Pacific to the west. Let’s head North, where we can sail to North America, then traverse the continent to the Northeast, former homeland of the brutally displaced Iroquois Nation, one of the First Peoples on the continent.
Sailing across the Atlantic on a Cunard Line ship takes ten-days. We plan on arriving in France in as little time as it takes your family to cross a room. Did you know that France can boast of having 265 varieties of cheeses? Neighboring Germany also produces some pungent cheese, but if your family were to visit the original Hannover for some to try then they would need to spell the city name with two N’s. That is because Hanover is the anglicization of the original city’s name.
Let’s take a flight to Africa. Cameroon’s name originated with the Portuguese, Rio dos Camarões (“River of Prawns”), the name given when their explorers moved through the local land and came across the river’s estuary in relief with the nearby mountains. We’re heading to Ghana, famous for being the first black African country to achieve independence from colonial rule. Ghana is known today for being one of the leading countries of Africa.
Our final destinations will be in Asia. First stop: China. China has the largest population in the world and is surpassed in size only by Canada and Russia. Leaving China, we move to South Korea. Did you know that South Korea has not one, but two volcanic islands? You can learn other interesting facts like this at the festival, in addition to the complimentary food sample offered by each table, alongside other cultural artifacts and totems on display. Those who want to learn a new language can start easily by visiting the YCL’s access page for Rocket Languages, a completely free electronic resource. So, stow your carry on. Check your bags. Please do not forget your passports and boarding passes. Come hungry, bring cash for the bake sale and bottled water, please do not forget your mask, and stay late for the show. Adios, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, until then!
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