Published: October 10, 2008 10:10 am      

Laurel Library to host International Day

Free Oct. 14 event includes handmade crafts, gift items, film showings and workshops

Special to The Times-Tribune

The Laurel Campus of Somerset Community College and the Laurel County Public Library will host an International Day on Tuesday at the Laurel County Public Library. The event is free and the public is invited.

The official title of the event is “International Day: Celebrating the cultures of our friends and neighbors.”

One of the most interesting features of the day will be the Ten Thousand Villages Sale from 1-3 p.m. This event will feature handmade craft items from around the world. The gift items and art in this collection were made by artisans in more than 30 different countries. Through Ten Thousand Villages, each artisan is paid a fair amount for the work that is sold. The Friends of the Laurel County Public Library is sponsoring this event and a portion of each sale will go to the library.

The International Day will begin at 9 a.m. with the Clint Eastwood film “Letters from Iwo Jima.” The film is in Japanese with English sub-titles and is the sister film to Eastwood’s film “Flags of our Fathers.” The film tells the story of the battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of Japanese soldiers. Following the film, at about 11:30 a.m., there will be a discussion about the history of Japanese-American relations and Japanese culture led by Laurel Campus of SCC Professors Melinda Allen, Rob Spencer and Richard Krause. The film is rated “R.”

An International Craft and Games Workshop will begin at 1 p.m. Belinda Gadd and Aaron Bradley from SCC will lead an interactive workshop exploring children’s crafts and games from around the world.

At 3 p.m. The duo, Odela Drum and Dance, will perform some traditional African music and dance, as well as share some of their unique heritage.

Camino Flamenco will inspire an appreciation of Spain’s culture, language and history through their music and dance beginning at 4:30 p.m.

At 6 p.m. an International Costume Show, sponsored by the Laurel County Extension Homemakers, will demonstrate how a country’s culture is reflected in traditional dress with a beautiful collection of costumes from around the world.

At 7 p.m. Hong Shao will perform on the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument. Shao will also talk about Chinese culture and customs.

A poster exhibit by students from the Laurel Campus of SCC will be on display from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be two types of posters: those that identify and provide information about a specific country and those that examine international social problems.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be a number of tabletop exhibits presented by local community members with international ties. Some of the exhibits will include China, the Middle East, Korea, Germany, Africa and India.

The International Day is being sponsored in part through a community grant from Wal-Mart.

The Laurel County Public Library is located just off Kentucky 192 Bypass between stoplights No. 9 and No. 10. For more information call (606) 864-5759