DANCERS FROM SOUTH KOREA, above, have been performing throughout the area all week in preparation for Summerfest International.
The Bountiful/Davis Summerfest International festival kicks into high gear today, Aug. 6, with opening ceremonies that will mark the beginning of three days of food, art, and international music and dance that celebrates artistry from all across the world.
“It stimulates creativity and excitement about culture, other people’s cultural heritage, global friendship, dance, music, costumes, and a host of other things,” said Bountiful/Davis Art Center (BDAC) Executive Director Emma Dugal. Many of the events are free. “It has a real impact.”
Summerfest dancers and musical groups from Hungary, South Korea, China, Poland, Spain, and Romania have already taken part in the Aug. 5 Street Dance and Taste of the Town South, as well as school dances and a picnic in the park earlier this week.
“Someone came and taught the international groups how to play harmonica,” said Dugal. “The musicians were especially quick to pick it up, and soon they were just jamming away.”
Tonight (Aug. 6) at the Bountiful City Park (400 North and 200 West), the international groups will be at the Summerfest opening ceremonies to take part in the annual Parade of Nations, as well as taking to the stage for individual performances. Also taking part in the opening ceremony will be the Native American music and dance group Morning Star.
A full day’s worth of activities begins at 10 a.m. Aug. 7, with musician Ryan Miller performing on the park’s Grass Roots stage. Dances on the main stage start at 11 a.m., with Chile Una Postal and Celtic Beat Irish Dance rotating with the international dance groups until 9 p.m. that night.
Other local musical performers, including Dan Flynn on the Didjeridoo, will make their appearances on the Grass Roots stage. The Davis County Library will also be sponsoring “Stories from Around the World,” sharing international stories for kids and adults alike.
Elsewhere at the festival will be art booths from dozens of different artists, and visitors can vote on their favorites and purchase $1 buttons that will get them into prize drawings for some of their creations. A Children’s Art Yard, sponsored by the BDAC education committee, will include five different stations where kids can make international art of their own.
The festival continues on Aug. 8, with a Chuck Wagon Breakfast at 8 a.m. sponsored by the Bountiful/Davis Art Center and the First Southern Baptist Church of Bountiful. A full day’s worth of dancing, music, storytelling and art starts at the same time as it did the day before, and ends with closing ceremonies at 9:30 p.m. on the main stage.
“Summerfest has a ripple effect,” said Dugal. “The performers come here and have good experiences, then bring them back to their own countries and make other people want to come.”
“It has a positive impact on the world.”
jwardell@davisclipper.com
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