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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Jamaican stilt walkers showed off their balancing skills as they towered above the crowd. Lithuanian women waved their flags of yellow, green and red. Panamanian dancers spread their wide, graceful skirts. And Dominican dancers performed a routine as they marched in the parade.</p><p>Those were just a few of the scenes from last year&#8217;s Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. Visitors can expect similar sights in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, when the third annual event takes place, celebrating the music, dancing and food of many of the ethnic groups that have made their way into the melting pot of Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;Honestly, I was surprised at how many different cultural associations were on hand,&#8221; Vanessa Yao from the Multicultural International Club at King&#8217;s College told a reporter after marching in last year&#8217;s parade. &#8220;It is very comforting to know that Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding areas are diverse.&#8221;</p><p>This year&#8217;s event begins at 11 a.m. with the Multicultural Parade, which will proceed along the last few blocks of South Main Street to Public Square. After the parade, the festival continues on the Square until 9 p.m.</p><p>It&#8217;s the kind of event where people can mingle and learn about each other&#8217;s traditions. Last year, for example, Wilkes University student Mmachi Dimoriaku explained as she helped a group of fellow students prepare to perform dances from Nigeria and Ivory Coast that the dancers wanted to be barefoot so they&#8217;d be &#8220;more rooted to the ground and to the Earth.&#8221;</p><p>People sampled food from various vendors, children examined displays of flags from around the world, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, may have come up with the best description of the day. &#8220;It&#8217;s an affirmation that America is melting pot and that we embrace all backgrounds and cultures,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It makes me proud to be an American.&#8221;</p><p>Times Leader Media Group is the media sponsor of the Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival.</p><p><strong><ins>Festival-related road and parking closures</ins></strong></p><p><ins>South Main Street, between Ross Street and Public Square, will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday during the multicultural parade.</ins></p><p><ins>There will be no parking on Public Square from 9:30 a.m. through 9 p.m. during the festival.</ins></p><p><ins>Attendees are encouraged to use downtown parking garages.</ins></p><p><ins>The parade will start at the intersection of South Main and South streets and will continue down South Main Street, turning left onto Public Square. The festival begins immediately following the parade and lasts until 9 p.m.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mexican dancers perform along South Main Street during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_1-1-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mexican dancers perform along South Main Street during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_10-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dancers from the Dominican Republic perform a routine at the Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_10-1-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dancers from the Dominican Republic perform a routine at the Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_11-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Matthew Price, then 8, of Kingston, and his mom, Mary Harris, study the flag of Malaysia and over 100 others on display in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Public Square during last year&#8217;s Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_11-1-.jpg</photo2><caption2>Matthew Price, then 8, of Kingston, and his mom, Mary Harris, study the flag of Malaysia and over 100 others on display in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Public Square during last year&#8217;s Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_5-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Lithuanian Women&#8217;s Club of Wyoming Valley wave their flags during last year&#8217;s Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_5-1-.jpg</photo3><caption3>Members of the Lithuanian Women&#8217;s Club of Wyoming Valley wave their flags during last year&#8217;s Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_6-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">People along the parade route take photos of two Jamaican stilt walkers as they approach Public Square in Wilkes-Barre during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_6-1-.jpg</photo4><caption4>People along the parade route take photos of two Jamaican stilt walkers as they approach Public Square in Wilkes-Barre during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_7-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Talal Alanazi, center, joins students from King&#8217;s College during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_7-1-.jpg</photo5><caption5>Talal Alanazi, center, joins students from King&#8217;s College during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption5><photoCredit5>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_8-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Panamanian delegation shows its cultural pride as members walk along the parade route during a previous Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_8-1-.jpg</photo6><caption6>The Panamanian delegation shows its cultural pride as members walk along the parade route during a previous Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival. </caption6><photoCredit6>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_9-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the international community carry national flags as they turn onto Public Square during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_TTL091618Multicultural_9-1-.jpg</photo7><caption7>Members of the international community carry national flags as they turn onto Public Square during the 2018 Multicultural Parade &amp; Festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre. </caption7><photoCredit7>Bill Tarutis File Photos | For Times Leader </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Parade, festival put diversity on display</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Festival-related road and parking closures</strong></p><p>South Main Street, between Ross Street and Public Square, will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday during the multicultural parade.</p><p>There will be no parking on Public Square from 9:30 a.m. through 9 p.m. during the festival.</p><p>Attendees are encouraged to use downtown parking garages.</p><p>The parade will start at the intersection of South Main and South streets and will continue down South Main Street, turning left onto Public Square. The festival begins immediately following the parade and lasts until 9 p.m.</p></factboxMeta></div>

Multicultural Parade, Festival to put diversity on display