World of fun this weekend
8/11/2010The melting pot will boil over this weekend with two major ethnic festivals taking place in the Toledo area.
The Festival of India will celebrate the subcontinent's vast culture Saturday while the Birmingham Ethnic Festival will honor the area's rich Hungarian background Sunday.
The Festival of India will be Saturday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. and has been moved to Tam-O-Shanter, 7060 Sylvania Ave., from the previous years' location at the Hindu Temple.
The move is meant to symbolize that the festival - called Jai Ho!, which is a celebration of life - is not simply a religious event but also an exploration of culture, said one of the organizers, Arun Agarwal.
"We needed a bigger space for the amount of publicity we're doing this year - we're expecting more people - and for more parking, which has always been a problem at the temple."
The festival will feature dancing, Indian food from various regions of the huge country, jewelry making, and activities for children.
Information: 419-843-4440 or hindutempleof
toledo.org.
The theme of the 36th annual Birmingham Ethnic Festival is "A Sunday in the Old Country" and it will be from noon to 10 p.m. at Consaul and Front streets in East Toledo.
The festival begins at St. Stephen Catholic Church with the ringing of the bells and will include speakers and the Hungarian National Anthem.
The family-oriented event features Hungarian and ethnic foods, arts and crafts exhibits, cultural displays, and a variety of music, dance, and entertainment.
St. Stephen Catholic Church, the Hungarian Club of Toledo, and Calvin United Church of Christ will feature chicken paprikas and kolbasz dinners, as well as Hungarian pastries, paprikas noodles and gravy, kolbasz sandwiches, stuffed cabbages, and szallona sutes.
The Marine Corps League will feature Mexican foods, along with hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, and corn-on-the-cob. VFW Post 4906 is serving shish kabob, pigs-in-the-blankets, sausage dogs, and szallona sutes.
Although most of the events will take place Sunday, the annual waiters' race, children's crafts, and a goulash dinner are planned for Saturday.
Details at birminghamethnicfestival.org.