HOW TO GO
WHAT: 15th annual Multicultural Arts Festival
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 18
WHERE: Douglass Park in Middletown
Although Middletown hasn’t had wards for several years, the residents of the former 2nd Ward still come together each year to demonstrate pride in their community.
On June 18, the Second Ward Community Council will present the 15th annual Multicultural Arts Festival at Douglass Park. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wanda Glover, who chairs the community organization, said organizers work hard to create various activities such as community and political forums, youth gatherings and a Christmas party in addition to the annual festival.
She also said the city of Middletown and the Middletown Community Foundation do a lot to make the annual event successful. In addition, the event is also being sponsored by the city, William B. Pollard Elks Lodge No. 456, and 3 R Development, Inc.
“We want to bring something to the community that is family-oriented and fun,” Glover said. “We hope to partner more with other organizations to make the community better.”
The festival will feature games, food, raffles, bounce houses, information booths from the city and other community and social service agencies and a voter registration station. In addition, there will be a health fair from 10 a.m. to noon, providing various screenings where some eligible participants could receive a $10 Kroger gift card.
There will also be live entertainment that includes children’s dance and drill teams from local organizations, churches and Rosa Parks Elementary School. Singer Audrey Whitaker Wright and Eddie Osborne will also be performing for the festival as well as Reggie Harmon & Friends, an area jazz group.
Glover said organizers also receive a lot of volunteer help from young people in the neighborhood.
“There’s not a lot going on in town for young people and this gives them a day to have fun,” she said.
This year’s festival will have a parade starting at 10 a.m. from Old South Park and will proceed to Lincoln Street to 11th Avenue to Minnesota Avenue and ends at Frederick Douglass Park.
Thomas Kimbrough and Jack Fitzpatrick, both former long-time directors of the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center will serve as grand marshals, Glover said.
“(The Second Ward Community Council) is still working and we still want to be a part of the Middletown community,” Glover said. “But we’re still the 2nd Ward and we take pride in that.”
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