o What: Russian-American Cultural Festival 2010. Called Soberiha, meaning “to get together,” the festival works to unite American and Russian cultures through music, song and dance.
o When: Noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 21.
o Where: Esther Short Park, West Eighth and Columbia streets, Vancouver.
o Cost: Free. Donations of blankets, toiletries, clean clothing and nonperishable food items will be accepted for local shelters.
o Information: http://folkfestival.do.am, 360-980-6698, eschtina@yahoo.com.
For Tina and Tony Esch, cultural exchange and celebration of diversity are both a passion and a way of life. Tina, a native of Russia, met Tony, an American and now her husband, online. She moved from Moscow to Vancouver in 2004 to be with him, and together they founded Am-Ru International Association, a nonprofit group focused on fostering connections between Americans and Russians.
o What: Russian-American Cultural Festival 2010. Called Soberiha, meaning "to get together," the festival works to unite American and Russian cultures through music, song and dance.
o When: Noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 21.
o Where: Esther Short Park, West Eighth and Columbia streets, Vancouver.
o Cost: Free. Donations of blankets, toiletries, clean clothing and nonperishable food items will be accepted for local shelters.
o Information:http://folkfestival.do.am, 360-980-6698, eschtina@yahoo.com.
“We are an international family,” Tina Esch said. “We would like to develop friendly relationships between the Russian and American communities.”
One way they try to strengthen intercultural relations is through Am-Ru’s annual Russian-American Cultural Festival. The Aug. 21 event will be the fifth such festival, and the first time Esther Short Park has played host. Past years’ festivals have taken place at Lewisville Park, Paradise Point State Park and Leverich Park.
The 2008 festival drew about 1,800 people, though last year’s was much smaller due to a lack of funding. This year Am-Ru secured sponsorships and hopes at least 3,000 people will attend. Tina expects the event will benefit from proximity to the Vancouver Farmers Market.
The event is called Soberiha, meaning “to get together.” Soberiha in old-time Russia was a celebration of the last days of summer.
“It’s a giant fair,” Esch said.
The festival will feature live music and dance performances, poetry readings, face painting and games. Traditional Russian foods such as blini will be available for purchase. Artisans will be on hand selling their wares, including jewelry, wood carvings and paintings.
The festival is free, but people are asked to bring donations such as blankets, toiletries, clean clothing and nonperishable food items for Share and Open House Ministries.
The day’s entertainment, like the festival itself, is multicultural. Children from the Slavic Christian Academy in Vancouver will perform folk songs and dances in traditional Russian and Ukrainian costumes. Students and teachers from FyreBird Studio in Beaverton, Ore., will give traditional Russian performances, as well.
Portland musician Leonid Nosov will play the bayan, a Russian instrument similar to the accordion. The Russian American Colony Singers are coming from Alaska to perform.
Esch herself will sing traditional Russian songs with Portland-based musician Boris Smolyanskiy. They will invite the public to sing along. To create a mix of old and modern, the Vancouver-based Russian band Imprint will perform contemporary songs at the event.
Other expected performers include Woodland band Deep Impact; Portland band Naimles; Portland-based Brazilian band z’Bumba and Ivan-da-Marya, a Russian folk dance group from Redmond.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt and Clark County Treasurer Doug Lasher, vice president of Am-Ru, will be among the speakers at the festival.
Also expected to speak is the grandson of Valery Chkalov, one of three Soviet aviators who flew nonstop from Moscow over the North Pole to Vancouver in 1937. He and his son — Chkalov’s great-grandson — will be visiting from Russia.
“We’re trying to create opportunities for people to share their cultural experiences,” Lasher said. “Hopefully it brings people together to experience and celebrate the wide differences that we have here in our country and in Clark County.”
Mary Ann Albright: maryann.albright@columbian.com, 360-735-4507.
