Culture Fest Still a Diverse Draw for Skokie

Garbed in bright red, gold and black Ottoman costume, Robin Coffman gingerly walked alongside her daughter Julie La Susa and granddaugther Scarlett Gibbs, following a performance at the 21st annual Skokie Festival of Cultures last Saturday.

The three were in matching traditional costumes from Turkey, one of the more than three dozen countries featured at the annual springtime festival celebrating Skokie's long tradition of diversity.

Curiously, they have no Turkish ancestry. And they are not residents of Skokie either. 

"I'm all-Irish but I'm doing Turkish dancing," Coffman said, explaining her culture-bending sensibility. Her group traveled from Milwaukee to showcase its Turkish dance skill. 

It was Coffman's third time to participate in the Skokie event, which has expanded in popularity since starting in 1990. 

"This event is something you hear about in Springfield," state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said about the word around the state capital.

"When I tell them we have almost 70 languages spoken in the Village of Skokie, they don't get that," Lang said.  "So I've invited them all to come up here and maybe one of these days, they'll take [up] my invitation."

According to Skokie Park District Board President Michael Reid, the festival has drawn  400,000 visitors over its more than 20-year run.

In March, that number got a boost once again as visitors flock to Oakton Park to witness the many performances and booth attractions despite the erratic weather. 

The two-day event is a "perfect venue to showcase our many similarities and differences through traditional ethnic folk arts," said Reid. 

For Coffman the event is a celebration of cultural diversity not just in Skokie but across the Chicagoland and beyond.  

"They're important in understanding all kinds of people from all different backgrounds," said Coffman, whose granddaughter Gibbs adding that it is important to celebrate diversity because it "broadens horizons and shows that other kids can do it."

U.S. Rep. Daniel Biss (D-IL) said that while diversity "is nice on paper," Skokie has proven that it can be done. 

"It really starts to mean something when you don't just have people who happen to live near each other, but you have people who talk to each other, teach each other, participate in cultural activities together and build a tightly knit close community," he said.

"That's of course exactly what's this event is about, and that's really what this village is all about," Biss added.