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Once
again, Taste of Takoma balances fun with health
BY
PETE DELEA
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The
third annual Taste of Takoma Park was held on April
at Columbia Union College giving the community an opportunity
to explore the various cultures the city has to offer.
"This
event is all about bringing everybody together,"
said Kelly Allen, festival coordinator. "It is
a chance to celebrate the diversity of our community."
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Columbia
Union College's Acro-Airs demonstrate their study of
pyramids.
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The event
featured food vendors such as Savory selling crepes suzettes
and the Pizza Palace dishing slices out to the crowd.
Festival-goers
also had a chance to sit back, eat funnel cake, and listen
to music featuring Deewane, a group composed of Indian entertainers,
and the folk group Sultans of Swing.
The festival's
entertainment was not just for the adults, but for kids of
all ages.
The most
popular attraction for the children was the opportunity to
get their face painted.
The children
had a wide range of options from flowers to a rainbow, which
5-year-old Azalea of Takoma Park chose.
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Music
was made and heard all afternoon at the festival.
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"My
favorite color is blue and I like to draw rainbows,"
said Azalea.
Azalea
was not the only one who got their face painted. Takoma Park
resident Jansen Josheph, 25, also decided to get in on the
action, giving the face painters freedom to paint whatever
they wanted on his head.
"It's
a palette for them to express themselves," said Joseph,
who at the end of the day had a fluorescent green head.
Besides
the entertainment of the day, the community also was able
to pick up some information from the activists supporting
the purple line, register to vote, and participate in various
tests provided by Washington Adventist Hospital.
The hospital
along, with student nurses from the college, provided blood
pressure and osteoporosis screenings, as well as a dermascan
which uses a black light to show which areas of your face
which are dry, oily, sensitive, or rough. It can also detect
sun damage.
Judy Lichty,
director of prevention and wellness at the hospital said that
the tests were being administered so that they can catch problems
before it's too late.
"We
try to find people at risk of osteoprosis and prevent the
actual effects of it," said Lichty.
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A
festival-goer gets a bear hug.
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Allen
said it was a great opportunity for the college students
because the event was planned entirely by students.
She said it was a new experience for herself and hopes
it was for the community.
"I
hope everyone learned something new about Takoma Park
today," said Allen.
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For
more photos of Taste of Takoma, click here
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