All of ���ѱ�’s first-semester, first-year students are required to attend the festival – surely one of the most fun “requirements” a student could have. The university is providing free shuttle transportation from the Campus Commons to the festival site at every half hour, from the time the festival opens at noon to its 6 p.m. closing. (On-site parking is restricted – check the for more details.)

“We believe your hearts will be enlarged with the love you will find here, where smiles and hugs and beats that set your feet to dancing will re-energize your spirits in the beauty we share together,” say the festival co-chairs, Vauna Brown and David Kreider, on the event website. (Kreider, who has been a festival organizer for a number of years, holds three degrees from EMU.)

In this, its 17th year, the festival is recognized as an annual tradition in Harrisonburg, perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in Virginia. Harrisonburg is also one of the most harmoniously livable cities in America by . Festival organizers believe this is not a coincidence.

“We have a lot of refugees in our community because of the Anabaptist movements and the responsibilities they feel to help refugees settle here in our community,” explains Brown. In the early years of refugee re-settlement, “some of the churches had monthly potlucks and during those potlucks they would sit around and have a brainstorming about what they could do to [further] help.” From this brainstorming came the idea of a festival.

Local civic leaders – from the hospitals to the educational systems to city government – have not only endorsed the festival, they have stepped up to help create a hospitable climate in Harrisonburg. This year’s list of reads like a business and non-profit “Who’s Who” of Harrisonburg, with two of the top eight sponsors being EMU and the , founded and directed by EMU alumni.

“This year we are really focusing on unity and on the richness of our differences, which bring us together into a whole,” says Heidi Jablonski, an 2014 EMU grad who is assisting Brown and Kreider. “These differences draw people together to make the valley such an interesting and dynamic place.”

���ѱ�’s with a renowned children’s performer, Jose-Luis Orozco, at 2:15 p.m. This is one of the eight musical performances of the day, which wraps up with the dance-rhythms of a new Eritrean band, Zara.

of ���ѱ�’s is coordinating the making of unity flags, which are somewhat akin to Tibetan prayer flags. “This is a community art project for anyone – children, teenagers, adults – anyone is welcome at the ‘peace and justice area’ close to Pavilion 12,” she said.

“Participants will get a blank square of fabric and they will be able to put on symbols or prayers or poems that talk about unity,” said Amstutz. “Then, if they want, they can take them with them. Or they can pin them on pieces of string, which will be hung around the pavilion.” She noted that this activity fits with ���ѱ�’s focus on .

The festival also provides opportunities for fledgling entrepreneurs to get their start, says Brown, pointing out that at least three restaurants – the , , and – got their first exposures at past festivals.

Some 230 first-year and about 35 transfer students at ��ݮ���� spent Saturday afternoon, Aug. 27, learning about some of the 47 languages and cultures represented in the greater Harrisonburg area as part of their orientation to the campus and larger community.

Activities began with a welcome ceremony at Court Square Theater in downtown Harrisonburg that included comments from Harrisonburg mayor Larry Rogers and Vaunda Brown, coordinator of an International Festival held at Hillandale Park each September. Students then fanned out into the community in groups of 15-20 for the afternoon.

Representatives of more than 30 participating groups, agencies and churches gave information on their programs, shared personal stories of how they got involved, identified needs they see among the people they serve and talked about how students can get involved.

In extemporaneous remarks, Mayor Rogers commended the students for choosing EMU as their place to study, while noting that they will be "part of the greatest little city in the U.S." for the next while.

He invited interested students to sit in on city council meetings, which are open to the public, to see local government in action firsthand.

"I want you to be careful, to look out for your own safety while you’re here, Rogers said, "But I also expect each of you to be successful in your studies and whatever careers you choose."

Photo by Jim Bishop

Organizations that students visited ranged from the Salvation Army, Blacks Run Greenway and Harrisonburg Children’s Museum to Mercy House, Camp Still Meadows, Our Community Place and A World of Good: Gift and Thrift, Artisan’s Hope and Booksavers. Two groups joined a family reunion of one of the deacons of First Baptist Church in the Northeast neighborhood. EMU students were invited to get acquainted, eat and join the celebration.

EMU alumnus Steve Shenk, director of the being developed west of Harrisonburg, told a student group stories of the Mennonites and Church of the Brethren precarious situation as pacifists during the Civil War period, noting that "the Shenandoah Valley became one of the most devastated areas of the South." He identified possible volunteer opportunities for students to get involved with the heritage project.

First-year student Emily Sims from Perkasie, Pa., said she "enjoyed being able to learn about Harrisonburg right at the outset," adding that "it’s easier to get to know people in the small group setting."

Student Joshua Mann, Suffolk, Va., echoed Sims’ sentiments, noting that the experience "put us outside the box, exposing us to new people and ideas that we can go back and talk about."

Students learn about Shenandoah Bicycle Co. in downtown Harrisonburg.
Photo by Emily Huffman

"We wanted students to get acquainted with the complexity of living here