A single street in Athens became the home to dozens of nations from around the globe Saturday.
The International Street Fair attracted hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds to Court Street.
“This year’s theme, The World in Athens and Athens in the World, is very appropriate for what we’re about,” said Ohio University President Roderick McDavis as the event opened. “We have 1,800 international students from over 100 countries attending Ohio University.
“Know that you are such a significant part of what we try to do at Ohio University.”
The fair began with a parade of flags down Court Street, where international and American students showed their excitement for the day’s events.
Booths with crafts, food, jewelry and information about different cultures could all be found at the International Street Fair. Some of these booths had the specific goal of educating others about different countries or cultures. One such group is AIESEC, which in English stands for International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences.
“We’re AIESEC, and we’re all about sharing cultural experiences globally,” said Sharmaine Wilcox, the group’s president and a sophomore studying international business and accounting.
AIESEC decided to put a map together on which visitors could try to correctly match facts with the country they relate to. One question was, “In which country do 25 million adults live with their parents?” The answer: the United States.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we make a map of the world and put random facts everywhere and see what people really know?,’ ” Wilcox said. “So far, we’ve only had about two people get the countries right.”
Bob Prebe, an 1998 OU graduate, came to the event when he was a college student. Now, he and his wife bring their four children along.
“This is probably our favorite fair in Athens because it’s a very family-friendly event,” Prebe said. “It’s a good community feel here, good food. I love the dancing and music too — back when we were students as well, all the way up until now.”
When attendees needed a break from dancing to the music, they could stuff themselves with a number of ethnic foods.
The OU Tropical Disease Institute collaborated with local Cuban-inspired restaurant Sol to offer empanadas, which are stuffed pastries commonly served in Latin America, for passersby, as well as a few other dishes. Conor Tong, a member of the institute, said this was the first year of the partnership. A portion of the institute funds raised at the fair went toward Ecuadorians afflicted with Chagas disease, a parasitic infection.
The Association of Nigerians sold Chin Chin, which, as group member Kemi Isaiah said, is a fried Nigerian dessert usually composed of dough and sugar.
But, Isaiah added, association members tossed in some cinnamon and nutmeg for their own take on the popular African snack.
“It’s cool sharing our culture and getting to know other people’s culture,” Isaiah said.
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