22 SEP 08: IT'S A SMALLER WORLD, AFTER ALL

There was a free event in Columbus Sunday which featured local talent, and was both educational and entertaining. Of course, some people would hear that description and automatically think it's a church service - as long as they don't have to come forward to leave an offering.

But this free event was at the Civic Center - the annual Columbus International Festival. It celebrated the cultural backgrounds of our residents. And the were free to show off those backgrounds, without fear of the Minuteman Project filing lawsuits to have them deported.

I still have a "Unity Pledge" card I picked up and signed at the 1997 International Festival. It's a promise to "promote and practice friendship, cooperation and understanding among the various cultures of our city...." Yes, I try to live up to that promise. Why, back in May I went to a Mexican restaurant buffet....

It had been several years since I went to the International Festival, so I decided to pay it a visit Sunday. Much of the South Commons parking lot was off-limits, because of preparations for the Greater Columbus Fair. So if you want to ask for Asian versions of the Exchange Club foot-long hot dog, you'll have to wait a few more days.

The International Festival began with a "Parade of Countries." But for some reason, the parade took so long that it put the program about 20 minutes behind schedule. The late addition of France should NOT have made things so difficult....

About 20 "countries" were part of the Parade of Countries. But a few of them were not really countries at all. Guam is a U.S. territory. Last time I checked, Hawaii was still a U.S. state. And it's a good thing they went in alphabetical order, to keep China and Taiwan far apart.

A more fitting title for this event should have been the Parade of Nations - because you can have a nationality, without being part of a country. People in Central and Eastern Europe can tell you all about this, because they've been fighting about it for years.

The last nation to come forward in the parade was the United States - which the emcee declared "the best country in the whole wide world." The Unity Pledge talks about friendship and cooperation, but it doesn't say anything about suppressing pride.

The emcee declared only the United States would assimilate such a multitude of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, for a festival like this. Hmmmm - does this explain why Canada was left off the parade list?

After the parade with flags and native fashions, it was time for the nations to display native dances. But I confess -- I left before the fire stick dancers from Tahiti came out. So I missed a good test of Columbus EMS response time.

As usual, the International Festival featured booths on the main floor displaying various nationalities. For some odd reason, Switzerland had a booth - but was NOT part of the Parade of Countries. I thought this neutrality thing ended a few years ago....

There also were a few booths promoting local organizations. But when I was there, the table marked for One Columbus was empty. As Don Rickles might have said during Sunday night's Emmy Awards, hopefully the executives weren't holding another fundraiser 30 miles out of town.

The biggest surprise for me came when I asked about going up the Civic Center steps. In years past, more tables were set up in the concourse promoting community causes. But this year, the security people told me there was nothing. Nothing?! Not even the usual three tables displaying Lonnie Jackson's plaques?

I left with the feeling that the Columbus International Festival has lost some of the luster it had a few years ago. I'm not sure why, but some of it may be due to a lack of promotion. The only way I learned about this year's festival was through a poster at a grocery store -- and it was NOT near the taco shells and salsa jars at Wal-Mart.

The International Festival wasn't even listed on the schedule at the Columbus Civic Center web site. The Mayor's Commission on Unity and Diversity puts on this event - so what's going on here? Was the e-mail announcement written in the wrong language?

Sunday's event actually wrapped up a full weekend of cultural festivals. "Festival Viva" was held Saturday, organized by WHAL-AM 1460 at Plaza Sol. But all the entertainers had Spanish-language names -- so maybe the staff needs to sign some Unity Pledge cards of their own.

Now let's see what else made news on the opening day of National Stay-at-Home Week....

+ Columbus Police announced several arrests on pandering charges. Undercover officers reportedly posed as prostitutes at the Travel Inn Motel on Victory Drive. No, I don't know which line in the police budget is set aside for fishnet pantyhose.

(Wow, I guess this could prove it. There may be pandering underway on Victory Drive after all -- but far below the political billboards.)

+ Darrel Wright and Pashion Keller were named Columbus's Big Brother and Big Sister of the year. Again this year, the title of "Big Mamma" was reserved for that fireworks stand in Lee County.

+ The Atlanta Falcons flattened Kansas City 38-14. Something is terribly wrong in my home area - because the baseball team is peaking in mid-September, not the football team.

(I didn't realize former Jordan High School running back Dontrelle Savage was playing for Kansas City. A group from Jordan went to the game - and saw nothing short of a Savage beating.)

+ Instant Message to all the Georgia football fans: I hope you're happy now. Some people in Florida say your team should have dropped below them in the polls, because the Bulldogs won again.

SCHEDULED TUESDAY: The first comment in a while regarding Hurtsboro....

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