The first performance at the inaugural Cultural Celebration Day in Lansing was a puppet presentation by Jes Onayo.
The library assistant at Thornton Fractional South High School and associate at the Lansing Public Library was nervous during her Puppets Around the World performance to children and adults.
“I’m still nervous,” the 24-year-old Lansing resident said more than 10 minutes after her show. “I’ve done public speaking before. As a kid, I was raised to do stuff like that.
“But performing and singing and being emotional? That’s crazy. That’s very hard.”
But she got through it in fine form as her 30-minute show featured puppets from France, China, England and Kermit the Frog representing the United States.
Education, entertainment and music from various countries and cultures was the theme of Saturday’s event, held at the Fox Pointe venue and grounds.
Entertainment and music from Indonesia, Ireland, Brazil, Jamaica, Germany, India and other countries were represented.
A kids zone sponsored by the library featured projects and games from North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceana.
Friends of the Gamelan, a musical group that plays Indonesian music, performs at Lansing’s Cultural Celebration Day Aug. 17, 2024, at the Fox Pointe facility. (Jeff Vorva/for the Daily Southtown)
On and off rain showers kept workers, vendors and the estimated 800 patrons on their toes for most of the 8 1/2 hour event.
Onayo, who has lived in Lansing all of her life, said she like the idea of celebrating various cultures.
“I think it’s genuinely beautiful,” she said. “In the past 20 years Lansing has gotten so much bigger in the amount of people and cultures we have.”
Despite her angst and self-appraisal of her debut, she said she is raring to do it again next year and beyond.
“In 20 years, I would be really embarrassed thinking about today’s show but by then I hope I could be a puppet veteran — I’ll be Jes Henson,” she said referring to the late famous Muppets creator Jim Henson.
One-year-old twins Violet, left, and Cristiano Palacios, of Calumet City, start to work on a project Aug. 17, 2024, at Cultural Celebration Day in Lansing. (Jeff Vorva/for the Daily Southtown)
Those who showed up to the event early were impressed with culture offerings.
“We came for the kids’ activities,” said Karen Jimenez, of Calumet City, who brought three children. “It’s a pretty nice idea to explore and learn about different cultures. I’m interested in all of them.”
Hammond’s Mary LeVan, 95, wearing a shirt that read All-American Booty Shaking Machine, said she planned to stay the whole event after doing Zumba and hiking 5 miles in the morning.
“I’m looking forward to Solange Posey (Brazilian music) and the Tango Street Dance Studio (Latin dance),” she said. “I love coming out here (to Fox Pointe). I come out to the Wednesday concerts and meet all of my friends here.”
Jamaica was well represented as the Chicago nonprofit group Jamaican4Life sold food, had a booth selling crafts and had members of its organization engage in a dance performance.
Chicago’s Ripton Watson, vice president of the organization who has lived in Kingston, Jamaica, and Portland, Oregon, was happy to be a part of the historic inaugural cultural extravaganza.
“This is a great event and we’re looking forward to doing our best because we want to come back to an event like this,” Watson said. “We’ll be back here bigger and better.”
The group’s president is East Hazel Crest resident Judith Wilson, and she said she enjoyed seeing all of the different countries represented, and said that’s a reason the group jumped into the project so enthusiastically.
Her group, filled with people born and raised in Jamaica, is all about helping others.
“We bring medical equipment back to Jamaica to the rural areas,” she said. “It’s a bunch of friends and we got together 10 years ago, and we decided we wanted to do something for our country.”
Despite some people’s perception that Jamaica is a fun-in-the-sand vacation paradise, there are poor areas as well, Wilson said.
“We help the people who are less fortunate,” she said. “They wake up early in the morning and they don’t even know if they will have water to make some tea.”
She said in the Chicago area, the group supports abused women’s organizations and groups that help the homeless. She said during the holidays, the group will host a toy drive for children in shelters.
Watson and Wilson try to make as many trips as they can to their home country. Earlier this year, Watson celebrated his 60th birthday in Jamaica and plans to return in October.
Wilson says she goes back for visits and for charity work.
“I’ve been there three time already this year,” she said. “We love America, but we miss Jamaica.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
