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Midway's Monthly Message - First Edition
The Division Midway Alliance for Community Improvement (DMA) is happy to be rolling out its first e-newsletter.
DMA is committed to keeping the community, and all of our supporters, informed of news that is happening with DMA, as well as in and around Midway district.
Future articles will inform readers about what is happening with businesses in the district. Division Midway has many hidden gems waiting to be uncovered, polished, and displayed for others to discover, and DMA's newsletter will unearth those gems for you with a monthly Business Spotlight.
DMA plans to highlight volunteer support. Last year, over 225 volunteers dedicated over 3000 hours to help DMA become an organization that makes a difference. This newsletter will highlight many of those hard-working volunteers who deserve credit for the work they do. DMA will highlight one volunteer each month who makes a difference in our community. If you know a DMA volunteer you'd like to see highlighted in the newsletter, let us know. All of DMA's volunteers are important and, together, you can help us tell their stories.
DMA is also looking for guest writers to submit articles about issues that businesses care about. If your business supports other businesses such as a business attorney, accountant, etc., contact DMA’s staff at 503-841-5201 or email us at divisionmidwayalliance@gmail.com.
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Large Crowds Enjoyed Festival Entertainment
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2015 Festival of Nations A Huge Success
The African ShowBoyz are accustomed to playing to street-fair crowds, so when one says, the Festival of Nations “is the best festival we have been to,” who can doubt that. Why? “Because there are people from everywhere here.”
That feeling is echoed by other participants. The Festival was filled with “astoundingly awesome diversity,” says independent graphic artist John Klein.
“Everyone felt part of the event,” says Lorelei Young, president of the Division Midway Alliance, organizer of the event, “instead of being an outsider or apart.”
Past festivals were great, but switching the Festival name to encompass our dynamic community focused the planning committee’s efforts in a new direction, a success DMA will build on next year.
The Sept. 20 event at the Division Center parking lot was a resounding success. Over 5000 people attended. Sixty-four booths (there wasn’t a spot left), some for getting down to business – “The festival was a great success” for the Division Smiles office – and others just for fun: the line for face-painting had no end, kids were lured to welding by the metalworker, and “the running trains were enjoyed by kids of all ages,” reports Rick Bartko, of Garden Railway Society.
DMA owes a HUGE thank you to the volunteers who organized and labored to bring the Festival to the community. Thirty-five volunteers donated approximately 250 hours of service on September 20 with over 500 volunteer hours total contributed toward the planning and execution of this year’s Festival.
The entertainment was nonstop fun that had feet tapping and hips swaying. On stage the acts included the African ShowBoyz, Mandah, Grupo Latitudes, Zomi and Karenni Dancers from the Union of Myanmar, and Nepalese folk dancers, quite ready to step to a tune or two by the ShowBoyz. All this within earshot of the Taste of Nations food tent, which featured fare from Somalia and Ethiopia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Bhutan, as well as the Casa Del Sol and East Garden restaurants. Yummy!
So what could possibly be wrong? Graphic designer Klein has a “complaint.” “The only real problem,” he says, “there wasn’t enough of it, really.”
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