The board of the Elaine Bacon Literacy Program would like to thank the many international and local people and organizations who made Saturday’s first-ever Keweenaw International Children’s Festival at the Portage Lake District Library a huge success! The library was jam-packed for hours as children and their parents milled around listening and dancing to stories, songs, and folk music from around the world. The children created crafts and saw beautiful displays of many cultures, among them Brazil, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
The children were eager to get their geography bingo cards stamped at every display they visited. Two little girls were seen searching high and low at the library in order to record the most fish of various colors. Another brave little girl (Ameya from India) stood next to her mom and sang two beautiful songs from her culture.
And the food! Members of International Neighbors, our Elaine Bacon Literacy Program and the local community provided samples of the most tasty and beautiful food from their home countries. Much of the food was gluten free and all of it prepared with love and pride.
Children and adults heaped their plates with such foods as Chin Chin from Nigeria, Egyptian Baklava, Harra Esbaou from Syria, Manakeesh and Hummus from Jordan, Brazil’s Pão de queijo, Thailand’s Pad Thai, Pan de Muerto from Mexico, and Sholeh Zard and Yazdi from Persia.
In all, dozens of countries were represented at the festival! We owe the first big thank you to Puti Ceniza Akbar for getting this festival idea off the ground and following its progress through the grant and production stages and into a reality. Thank you to the planning committee team who eagerly helped with this festival: Kelsey Gross, Archiford Shumbamhini, Purva Fatnani, and on behalf of PLDL teams: Catherine Gardner, Holly Nemiroff, and Paula McCambridge.
Thanks to the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation and the Keweenaw Community Foundation for their support and to the hardworking staff at the Portage Lake District Library for providing the space and energy to make this event work so smoothly. Thanks also to the many performers, including the Copper Country Suzuki Association and the Finnish American Folk School. Pennie’s Home Bakery and Laurium Bites contributed additional treats.
Mostly, we want to thank the children of the Copper Country for their eager curiosity and enthusiasm to learn about other cultures!
Media coverage:
https://www.mininggazette.com/news/front-page/2025/11/its-a-celebration-2/
https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/11/22/children-immersed-themselves-in-different-cultures-up-festival/
Photo Booth: https://ktcreativephotography.pixieset.com/kicfest2025/
Hope to see you next year!
Elaine Bacon Literacy Program 