Despite the organizing committee and City administration working hard to meet the requirements to facilitate the first-ever Heritage Day event in Chestermere, according to a press release, the Aug. 5 event was cancelled Aug. 2.
"The organizing committee has a great vision for the success of this event," the release stated. "They have decided to consider rescheduling the event in 2020, which would provide sufficient time to plan a safe and successful public event. This will ensure that the City can continue to support our community members to put on the best possible event for the public to enjoy."
ORIGINAL STORY THAT RAN IN THE JULY 13 ROCKY VIEW WEEKLY:
Chestermere celebrates local cultures with festival
The Multicultural Society of Chestermere’s first-ever Heritage Day event Aug. 5 will give area residents the opportunity to celebrate the community’s diverse cultural backgrounds.
“[We want to] respect the land we live on right now, currently, and honour the heritage that we came from,” said Satish Lal, president of the multicultural society.
According to Lal, the society’s past events have been so popular, organizers have had to turn people away. The demand for a larger celebration gave the society the idea to host an event outside, where organizers could accommodate more people and activities as they wouldn’t be limited by space.
The event’s timing lined up with Heritage Day, Lal said giving the society the perfect opportunity to recognize the various cultures represented in Chestermere, including Indigenous Peoples. The intention, according to Lal, is to bring the community together and celebrate its multiculturalism – to help people understand why different cultures “dress up the way they do, why they have certain celebrations or why they have different practices in life,” he added.
“[The event is] to have a better understanding of our neighbours and the people in the community, and to celebrate together as a family,” he said. “Whether they are from one country or one household, we live in Chestermere…as an extended family and we share differences, yet we live together united.”
Attendees can experience a variety of food and performances from several different cultures, according to Lal, including India, Peru and the Philippines. He added the festival will feature speeches from the City’s mayor, along with a variety of music and dancing showcases throughout the day.
In the evening, Lal said, the event will close with a special Ganga Aarti celebration – an Indian celebration that involves sending fire, in the form of a candle, floating down a river as an offering to the Goddess Ganga.
The event, hosted through a partnership with the City of Chestermere, is free for anyone to attend – however, those looking to enjoy a meal at the festival will need to pay for their food. The community is encouraged to visit John Peake Memorial Park from 12 to 5 p.m. to enjoy all of the culture Chestermere has to offer, Lal added.
“This is a great opportunity for us to promote not just our culture, but everyone's culture, and to promote multiculturalism,” he said.
