LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce brought back an event that educates people on the diverse backgrounds present in our area.
The new Amphitheatre downtown provided the perfect venue to restart the Multicultural Expo for the first time in about ten years. All of the exhibitors are residents of the county, representing countries like Panama, India, and Japan.
Throughout the whole day, groups took to the stage to present music, dance, and poetry of their nation. You could also stroll through and visit several booths to see real examples of traditional clothing, taste food and drinks, and ask questions. With so many large employers in the region, there's more diversity around than people may realize.
"I hope the folks in our Lima community come out today and just really learn from each one of them and understand the value and greatness that these folks bring to our community, and everything that we don't know, hopefully, they will learn today," said Julie Klingler, the director of programs and community development with the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce.
Many exhibitors showed people who visited items like musical instruments that look very different but are used in traditions similar to those in the United States.
"You hold it this way, and then you just do it with like a little wire. It's just like one of the typical stuff that we use. It's mostly used during Christmas because we go out in these really big caravans and we sing Christmas carols," Melanie Velasquez-Caban, whose family moved to the United States from Puerto Rico, explained, holding a wooden instrument from her culture.
The chamber plans to continue throwing the Multicultural Expo every September.
