Olé at the Rozsa: Food, Music and Laughter on Saturday’s Parade of Nations Menu

This year's Parade of Nations will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, in Hancock. (Logo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

By Cyndi Perkins*
Posted Sept. 11, 2018, on Michigan Tech News
Reprinted in part here with permission
2017 Parade videos and photos by Keweenaw Now

Guitar playing and juggling require nimble fingers, and the audience will witness both when Parade of Nations headliner -- the madcap international act Olé! -- performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 15), at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

The performance caps off a day of festivities that begin when the 29th annual Parade of Nations steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday in Hancock. The flag-flying procession -- including floats, horses, marchers in the traditional ceremonial clothing of their countries and the Huskies Pep Band -- makes its way across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge to Dee Stadium on the Houghton waterfront.

Michigan Tech's Pep Band kicks off the 2017 Parade of Nations in Hancock. (Videos by Keweenaw Now)

At the Dee, the Multicultural Festival features 11 international performances on the main stage and 22 food booths serving cuisine from around the world at affordable prices. Pony rides, a book sale and art projects from local youth add to the fun. Outdoor dining will again be available this year to ease traffic congestion, and a projection screen is designed to make viewing activities on the main stage more accessible. Trivia contests and prizes will be awarded throughout the day -- the biggest of which is a drawing for a Chicago getaway package.

Indian students show off some of their lively modern dances -- a favorite performance at the Multicultural Festival.

More videos and photos of the 2017 Parade of Nations:

Participants in the 2017 Parade of Nations assemble on the Quincy Green in Hancock. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)

Japanese students from Finlandia University, in elegant dress, pose for a photo with their English instructor, Janice Cox-Adolphs.

Cindy Miller, second from left, teacher of Spanish and French at Calumet High School, regularly participates in the Parade of Nations with her students.

Gustavo Bourdieu and friends display the Argentine flag as they cross the Portage Lift Bridge. A group from Bangladesh follows.

Chinese students display their float and dragon as they approach the Judges' Table at the Parade.

Members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) sing and dance during the 2017 Parade of Nations.

During the 2017 Multicultural Festival following the Parade, Betty Chavis, co-founder of the Parade of Nations in 1990, expresses her thanks to the community for continuing the event, now in its 29th year.

Click here for Cyndi Perkins' full story on the 2018 Parade of Nations.

* Guest author Cyndi Perkins is an award-winning editor, journalist and columnist who writes feature articles for Michigan Tech University.

** For more photos of the 2017 Parade of Nations, see our Slide Show here.