Carla Clark | For The Republic The Toyota Material Handling, Japan booth, serves foods during Ethnic Expo in Columbus, Ind, Friday, October 13, 2023.
Columbus’ biggest buffet known as the Ethnic Expo international festival unfolded Friday with the assorted aroma of seemingly every delectable dish imaginable wafting among a strong crowd at Second and Washington streets. And it seemed fitting that, two hours after the event opened, host country Japan boasted the longest line of nearly 30 customers waiting among the 33 food booths — seven more than last year.
Leticia Hernandez was among those patient people.
“Japanese food is my favorite,” Hernandez said in Spanish through a translator. “I just really love the flavor and the texture.”
Therein lies one of the beauties of Expo, launched by Columbus first lady Barbara Stewart in 1984 as a way of making internationals feel more at home here — and also as a way of building bridges and friendships. One brief walk through the crowd among the food or international bazaar vendors demonstrates multiple languages spoken and multiple nations represented in a small-but-cosmopolitan community that is home to global corporations.
Jody Coffman, Expo coordinator and the city’s communications and events coordinator, mentioned that this year’s event, which continues today from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., is nearly back up to the overall size of the gathering before the COVID pandemic struck in 2020. Besides food, Expo features a broad range of music, dance, and this year even includes a Japanese kimono fashion revue.
“I feel like we’re going to continue to grow,” Coffman said.
Data collection service Placer.ai reported that last year’s Ethnic Expo attracted approximately 18,500 people over two days, according to the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
Erin Hawkins, the visitors center’s director of marketing, said that estimates show that about one-third of attendees come from outside Bartholomew County.
“This is the kind of event that sets Columbus apart and gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our aspiration to be a welcoming community,” Hawkins said.
Staff at kidscommons museum downtown manned a booth Friday to present children’s activities for the first time in several years at Expo. They helped children create their own Zen gardens, in keeping with the Japanese theme, with sand, seashells and related materials, courtesy of museum educator Erica Fortner.
“This is about teaching children a little bit about stress relief,” said Whitney Hartwell, museum executive director.
Youngsters of a variety of nationalities took advantage of the creativity just after lunchtime. Plus, other youngsters such as 10-year-old Noah Ellis wandered to Japan’s corner of the festival, where they participated in a homemade game of colorful water balloon fishing with the help of volunteer Kazuki Yoshida.
Yet, his favorite part of Expo was the chocolate he purchased at the Switzerland booth.
“This is great just to see all the different cultures here,” said his mother, Elizabeth Ellis. “And it’s great to be able to introduce the kids to all the different types of food.”
Today’s schedule
11 a.m. — Booths open.
12-1 p.m. – Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums
2-3 p.m. – Cummins Diversity Choir
3-4 p.m. – Mariachi sol Jalisciense
4-6 p.m. – Columbus Symphony Orchestra Brass Band
4:15-4:45 p.m. – JASI Yosakio Dance and Workshop
5-5:30 p.m. – Japanese Fashion Review
5:30-6 p.m. – Japanese Kendo/Iaido Show
6-8 p.m. – Singer/guitarist Marissa Fullenkamp
6:15-7 p.m. – Southern Indiana Taiko
7:15-7:45 p.m. – Southern Indiana Taiko Workshop
8:30-10 p.m. – Brett Wiscons and the Benders
