The annual Keene International Festival filled Fuller Park and the Keene Recreation Center with color, music and the smell of food Saturday. Food booths and arts and crafts stalls offered locals a taste of the global cultures represented in the Monadnock Region, from Finnish cuisine to Pakistani clothing. Numerous activities and workshops invited attendees to learn about African drumming, enjoy a performance of Haitian dance, or page through Keene Public Library books in a variety of languages
An annual staple in recent years, the festival celebrates and honors the cultural diversity of the Monadnock Region.
“The first step in respecting and knowing about other cultures initiates from becoming aware of others being around,” lead organizer Ritu Budakoti said in an email, adding that the region has a diversity of people and cultures who can all come together at the international festival.
Led by Budakoti, the planning committee included Andy Bohannon, Julie Moulton, Melinda Belden, Lisa Abohatab, Aggie Cersosimo, Carrah Fisk Hennessey, Amy Kraemer, Hunter Kirschner, Lori Goldring, Milena Lima and Jennifer Alexander. They represent various local organizations such as the Keene School District, Keene India Association, Keene Public Library, City of Keene Human Rights Committee, and Keene Community Education.
Food vendors served up a variety of delicacies, with long lines of locals queuing up to purchase Somali sambusas, Greek spanokopita, and Jamaican jerk chicken.
Some vendors, like the Greek booth, are International Festival veterans with dedicated local fans. Christa Athanasopoulos, who was helping at the booth, said they’d had people stop by before they even opened for the morning. “They said ‘we’re here for you’,” she said.
The booth’s baklava sundaes are always a hit, Sue Maydwell, who was worked the booth at the festival several times, said.
For Jack Luxmoore, of Dublin, who attended the festival with his mother, Sophie, and friends, the crab rangoons from Peterborough’s Kogetsu at the Boiler House were a big hit.
“I love having all the different foods,” Sophie Luxmoore said. “We travel to eat.”
It was the Luxmoores’ first time at the festival. Jack’s friend Noah Jordan-Amberg, also of Dublin, has attended several times, but remained impressed with this year’s event. “It’s very delightful,” he said.
At the stage, more than a hundred people gathered to watch performances of dance and music.
Seven-year-old Elakkiyan Devi Dayalam performed Varde Mataram, the national song of India, on the keyboard. He said he had been practicing for half an hour to an hour every day for two months. Asked how it felt to perform in front of so many people, he said “It feels amazing.”
Firebird, a Morris dance troupe, performed several traditional Molly and Border-style English folk dances. The troupe told the crowd they’re always looking for new members. Like the festival itself, they seek to welcome all.
“We welcome all ages, all genders, all everything,” said Kim Wallach, who performs vocals and accordion with Firebird.
Alexandrian Zuser, one of the dancers, said they’re looking for “anyone who wants to dance and be silly.”
In the Global Bazaar, clothing and jewelry shimmered in the sunshine – some made locally and some from as far away as Pakistan.
Aizaz Ali staffed a booth stocked with clothing and shoes made in Pakistan. Ali said it was his second time working at the festival and, just after 11 a.m., it was already shaping up to be another good year.
“Everyone that comes here is very intrigued by the patterns and by traditional clothes,” Ali said.
Samantha Brault has attended past festivals, but this was her first year as a vendor, selling earrings she makes from beads collected on her travels around the world.
“Every bead has a history,” Brault said, pointing out beads from the American southwest and a recent trip to Lithuania.
For Brault, who is from Keene, making jewelry is a way to explore her Indigenous heritage. She first started making earrings several years ago, while training for a boxing competition. “I needed something pretty and feminine in my life,” she explained.
Brault’s earrings were a hit at the festival; by 11:30, she had already sold six pairs. “People seem really happy with what’s out and really interested,” she said.
From the sparkle of Brault’s earrings to the sound of Devi Dayalam’s music to the taste of Maydwell’s baklava, the festival was a display of Keene’s diversity for all five senses.
“We are a diverse city, welcoming to people from across the globe,” Mayor Jay Kahn said in his opening speech. “That makes us a richer, more diverse, and more global community.”
Abigail Ham can be reached at aham@keenesentinel.com or at (603) 355-8554.
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