Diversity on full display at NCC International fest

Hundreds of people turned out for the international cuisine, ethnic dancing, games and crafts Sunday at the 13th annual International Festival at North Central College's Merner Field House.

Several Naperville-area cultural groups set up informational booths, and members of Irish, Indian, Chinese and Greek dance teams spent the afternoon performing for the audience.

Jordan Wendt and Sam Inman, both sophomore Japanese majors at the college, were among the volunteers at the festival.

"I had to take off work to come see this today," said, Inman, who recently returned from a study abroad session in Kyoto. "You don't often get to see this sort of stuff around here."

Toni Weber has been bringing students from her Irish dance team to perform since the festival's inception. This year, about 100 dancers performed six different routines.

"We're very loyal to North Central College and to the community," Weber said. "It's about showing your hometown pride."

This year, two area rotary clubs helped underwrite the cost of the event, said Jack Shindler, director of the school's International Programs office. He hopes the program could raise up to $2,500 to pay for scholarships for international students both studying at North Central College and those traveling outside the country to study.

"Today is certainly not meant to be a commercial event," Shindler said. "The purpose is to let people know about some of the ethnic groups present in our own community."