April 7, 2009 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
Advertisements
By the end of the day, the crowd was up on its feet, dancing to the Indian folk music by Jhankaar on the Star Anise Stage. The heat was turned up at the first ever Keep Austin Spicy Festival on Saturday, March 28. The event was a fundraiser for SAHELI for Austin Families, SafePlace and the Capital Area Food Bank and SafePlace.
With food and drink from local area restaurants, plus crafts and arts from local artists, the event was a success with the crowd. More than 2,000 people – double the expected number – attended the event.
“We were pleasantly surprised, with it being our inaugural event,” said Linda Phan, executive director for SAHELI. “We wanted it to be family friendly and interesting where you could learn something new. As a collective, [Austinites] have a very curious mind about what’s happening in other parts of the world, as well as our community.”
The festival not only served to raise funds and awareness about SAHELI and its services, but also helped foster a greater sense of community with support from Asian businesses, donors and volunteers.
“It was important for the Asian community to have something we could work on together,” Phan said. “We had a lot of cultural collaborations. We were very happy all that synergism was happening.”
And that support extended to festival goers as well. Attendees brought their families and friends to have fun and help a good cause.
“I’m here to show support. If it’s a fundraiser for SAHELI, I’ll be there,” said Josephine Singlee, who said she made sure to get off early from work to enjoy the festival.
There was henna hand painting, children’s crafts, a yoga workshop, and entertainment all throughout the day. The Spicy Senioritas were an audience hit with their Bollywood dance routine.
“It was a great fun for a good cause,” said one of the dancers.
For more information on SAHELI, see the Asian Austin story “SAHELI Spices Things Up” and visit www.saheli-austin.org.
ADVERTISEMENTS
0 comments - be the first to comment!