Festival transports Eastern Iowans to the Far East

Watch a live dragon dance, enjoy crab meat egg rolls, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and chicken on a stick, while learning about Myanmar, the Philippines and Laos.

Do all of this Saturday without leaving Cedar Rapids.

Immerse in Asian culture Saturday during the Asian Cultural Festival at the McGrath Amphitheatre.

Festival chair Brandy Lovan said she was inspired to create the festival in part because she wanted the public to know 'there's a lot of diversity here.'

'Growing up as an Asian family, we're still accustomed to our culture and we love it when other people are involved, too,' she said.

The festival will begin at 1 p.m. at amphitheater and continue until dusk. Admission is free.

There will be several food vendors selling cuisine, including Chinese food, sticky rice, Pad Thai, bubble tea and pork on a stick. Visit 'villages' each featuring a different Asian country.

Each village will have maps and information about language, environment and about culture. There will be artifacts, art and traditional clothing on display. Some stations also will have interactive activities such as origami.

There will be villages for India, Tai Dam, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and Nepal.

In addition to the dragon dance, there will be Bollywood dancers, a Pilipino (Filipino) dance group and other singers. There also will be vendors and businesses with career opportunities.

Des Moines-based Gimikk will perform.

Sandy Xayasouk and Anthony Brown have helped organize this first-time festival, funded with $10,000 collected through fundraisers.

The festival is not just intended to educate non-Asians about the culture, Lovan said.

'Within our own culture, too, the more and more later generations, we forget what our culture is all about,' she said. 'This is who we are, love yourself, love your culture and don't forget where you came from.'

IF YOU GO

•What

: Asian Cultural Festival

•When

: 1 p.m. to dusk Saturday

•Where

: McGrath Amphitheatre, 475 First St., Cedar Rapids

•Cost

: Free