Did you know Springfield, Missouri is home to more than 7,500 diverse people from around the world? That’s enough to pack Hammons Field! Mark your calendar for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 14 on Historic Commercial Street for SGF CultureFest, a first-ever event showcasing ethnic talents, foods and businesses.
“SGF CultureFest will celebrate rich ethnic diversity and heritage, allow attendees to collaborate with global-minded Springfield residents and cultivate a welcoming city for people from around the world,” said event organizer Saehee Duran, who is a lead pastor for Life360 Church’s Intercultural Campus and volunteers as a chaplain with the Springfield Police Department.
Planning for SGF CultureFest began in June 2018 when a handful of community leaders gathered to start a conversation about hosting a city-wide celebration of ethnic cultures, Duran said.
“Our leadership team has grown since then, now including Samuel Knox with Minorities in Business and Unite Publication, Yolande Lorge with Grupo Latinoamericano, Cheryl Clay with NAACP Springfield, Sangyeal Lee with Korean Association, Kristina Lor with Hoyu America Co., Joe Gidman with Cafe Cusco, Cora Scott and Sharon Spain with the City of Springfield, Jennifer McClure with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Rebekah Thomas with International Institute of Southwest Missouri, and other organizations representing various ethnic groups and cultures,” she added.
Entertainers, vendors, sponsors and volunteers are still needed for the event. If interested, please visit sgfculturefest.com or email SGFculturefest@gmail.com.
According to the website, even if your organization can’t participate in the event this year, please sign up to join SGF CultureFest’s online directory, which features organizations in Springfield that showcase diversity or offer resources to diverse groups of people in the community.