Eagle i: A celebration of cultures in Immokalee

For the last half of the 20th Century, the quiet and peaceful community of Immokalee became known for its cultural diversity and cultural contributions to Florida.

Immokalee in the 21st Century will become known for its celebration of cultural diversity and the contributions of many to make Immokalee an attractive place to live, work and play in this new Florida century.

The Celebration of Cultures, a rich and festive three-day community fiesta to celebrate the patchwork quilt Florida has become and in which Florida – and Immokalee – will prosper well into the 21st Century will take place Friday through Sunday.

With the exception of the Friday parade down Main Street, most of the events will take place at the Collier County Airport Park.

“We’re going to have a wonderful weekend,” said Penny Phillippi, executive director of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency.

“It’s going to be tremendous fun. It’s going to be educational and we’re going to celebrate the many people and cultures who now call Immokalee, ‘my home’.”

It is Phillippi’s vision for Immokalee that led to the Celebration of Cultures and it will be a party, a fiesta, unlike any other seen in South Florida. The weekend will also raise money for scholarships for Immokalee students.

In addition to the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the celebration is being sponsored by a wide range of organizations and businesses including the Eastern Collier Chamber of Commerce, Redlands Christian Migrant Association, Collier County Parks and Recreation, Glades Media, Beasley Broadcasting, the Seminole Casino, Ave Maria University, the U.S. Department of Commerce-Census 2010, RWA Consulting Engineers, the Immokalee Produce Center, Choice Environmental Services, the Collier County Tourist Development Council and many other Southwest Florida businesses. The festival is being funded in part by the Collier County Tourist Development Tax.

Dancers and musicians from all over the Western Hemisphere and right here at home will perform and entertain. Dance troupes and Mariachi from Mexico, dancers and entertainers from Guatemala and Haiti and Native American dancers and performers will fill the air with rich entertainment. Magicians and special shows will run throughout the 3-day festival. Food from many cultures will also dot the festival landscape.

The celebration begins at 6 p.m., Friday, with a parade down Immokalee’s Main Street led by the Consul General of Mexico serving as grand marshal. The parade will feature dancers and performers including at least two horseback contingents from Mexico and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

For more information, visit, ImmokaleeCelebration.com.