Area Awash in Cultural Arts, `Amalgam' of Social Events

The festival exhibits the diversity of arts and artists in American culture at various locations throughout Orange and Durham counties.

In its fourth year, the festival is sponsored by the Cultural Arts Group and the Carrboro Branch Library in conjunction with community cultural organizations.

"The festival is an amalgam of different events over the course of three months," said Nerys Levy of Cultural Arts Group.

The festival is designed to increase the public's awareness of other cultures.

Lorenzo "Logie" Meachum will help celebrate Black History Month by performing dramatic storytelling, singing and reciting poetry at the Carrboro Branch Library at 3 p.m. Feb. 18.

A Native American powwow will take place Feb. 17 at the N.C. School of Science and Math's Charles R. Eilber Physical Education Center in Durham.

"The powwow is a social, cultural and educational event that Native American people from all over the East Coast will come to and celebrate their culture for that one day," said Joe Liles, sponsor of the school's Native American Club.

"The annual powwow was started by Native American students nine years ago as part of an effort to make the school better known among all the Native American communities of the state," he said.

Intertribal dancing is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. There will be a feast for dancers and singers from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

But Levy said the culmination of the festival is the annual community dinner celebrating cultural diversity. The annual dinner will be held at McDougle Middle School on Old Fayetteville Road, Carrboro, at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 18.

It will feature traditional Southern dishes from Mama Dip's Kitchen, located at 408 W. Rosemary St., and other traditional foods and desserts from local restaurants and community organizations.

Mildred Council, owner of Mama Dip's Kitchen, will host the dinner.

"We try to bring people of different cultures together to share their culture," she said.

"A lot of people may have traditional singing, dancing or storytelling in their homes that the whole community could enjoy together."

The dinner will feature performances by storyteller Louise Kessel, the Children's Gospel Choir and the Eastern Bull Singers Native American Drum Group. Latino music and presenters from the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation also will be featured.

Tickets are $7.50 and are available at Carrboro Branch Library, Mama Dip's Kitchen and The Inkspot.

In the final week of the Community Arts Festival, "Our Common Ground," an African-American art exhibit sponsored by the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill will be featured at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill.

The exhibit will run from March 2 to March 28 and will feature the work of five African-American artists.

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