Save the date!

The 18th Annual International Friendship Festival will be held in Sherin Memorial Park on Saturday, June 24th from Noon until 5 p.m. and will feature various cultural musical performances, kids craft stations, artist booths, delicious food and so much more!

The Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee will host its 17th International Friendship Festival this year on Saturday, June 18, at Sherin Park in Pelican Rapids, Minn.

 The International Friendship Festival offers families in the region a food and entertainment experience featuring performers from six different cultures and ethnic food samples from the native countries of Pelican Rapids residents.

 New Event This Year

New this year is a project called Voices and Visions of Resilience. Organizers plan to have an audio booth at the event to record videos of local people interviewing their friends and loved ones about their lives. Each person will leave with a virtual link to watch and share their interview online.

 At the same time, a long muslin banner will be used for community engagement by artist Nancy Valentine to help people paint, draw or write their stories of resilience. In addition, filmmaker Deb Wallwork will produce and edit a documentary video combining the words and the art. Plans are to exhibit the video and the banner at the Pelican Rapids Public Library and the Otter Tail County Historical Society later in the summer.

 Food options include local Mexican food, American BBQ, Vietnamese egg rolls, sambusa (meat pies), Gyros, Italian Ices, Somali tea, and ethnic desserts. Craft demonstrations will feature arts from around the world, and kid's activities include a piñata, a bouncy house, and kid-friendly crafts. The entertainment schedule and performers are noted below.

 Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee is almost twice as old as the Friendship Festival

The Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee was formed in 1992 with a mission "to promote cultural awareness and foster respect, appreciation, and understanding that crosses cultural barriers by providing opportunities for dialogue, learning, sharing and socializing through art, music and food." 

 The goal of the Friendship Festival is to bring people from diverse backgrounds together through music and food. For new immigrants to the United States, it will be a celebration of things that they may have lost in coming to a new country. For long-time locals, it will be an introduction to sounds and flavors with which they might not be familiar but which are becoming a part of the history and culture of Otter Tail County. But for everyone attending, it will be a celebration of incredible music, bright flavors, and new friends. 

 The 2022 Schedule:

10:45-11:15 Band of Faith

11:15-11:30 Multi-Lingual Introductions and honored guests

11:30-12:15 Klezmaniacs

12:30-1:15 Vietnamese Traditional Music of MN

1:30-2:15 Fargo Spelmannslag

2:30-3:15 Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca

3:30-4:15 Buffalo river Drum and Dance Group

4:30-5:15 Somali Dance Troupe

5:15-5:30 Closing

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN PELICAN RAPIDS WALKING TOUR

A great way to kick off Friendship Festival activities is to learn more about the history of Pelican Rapids. Chris Schuelke from the Otter Tail County Historical Society is leading a walking tour of historic downtown Pelican Rapids on Friday, June 17, 7 p.m. Meet outside of the Public Library on Mill.

First person accounts of Pelican Rapids abound, thanks to scores of oral histories conducted by Marguerite Andrews , the grand dame of Pelican Rapids history. The evolution of Pelican Rapids from a town populated by old stock Americans and Scandinavian immigrants to an ethnically diverse community is the story of America itself. Regardless of language or skin color, the aspirations, challenges, triumphs and tragedies of generations of Pelican residents are remarkably similar. The tour weaves together the hidden architectural treasures of downtown along with the stories of people and events that define the community.

Cost of the tour is $8.

For more information contact OTCHS at 218-736-6038.

UPDATE: This month’s Diversity Dinner has been CANCELLED. We will see you back next month, same time - same place!


In 2018, the Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee began an experiment that became a wonderful tradition – diversity dinners at the Pelican Rapids Public Library.

Like a traditional Minnesota potluck, people brought food from home to share – some even brought a hot dish or Jello, but others brought German sauerkraut, Bosnian pita, Somali rice, Greek baklava, Mexican tacos, or Indian candy.

The people at these gatherings were as diverse as the food; young and old, Caucasian, Latino, and Black. As people began to appreciate each other, conversations ranged from "getting to know you" questions to discussions on housing, jobs, soccer, family, and school. Along the way, we became friends and built a community.

Our Diversity Dinners are the last Sunday of the month at the Pelican Rapids Public Library.

Everyone is welcome. Bring food to share and join your neighbors at the Pelican Rapids Public Library – to celebrate our diversity, our lives, and our community. We’ll provide beverages, plates, cups, and utensils (or you can bring your own.)

These informal get-togethers are opportunities to discover our similarities, appreciate our differences, build meaningful relationships, examine our biases, and eat good food. It’s difficult for most of us to step outside our circle of family and friends. That’s why we suggest that everyone bring a friend and a dish to share. These diversity dinners offer us opportunities to create connections, come together as a community, and enjoy some very good food!

Diversity Dinners Resume Sunday, April 24!

In 2018, the Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee began an experiment that became a wonderful tradition – diversity dinners at the Pelican Rapids Public Library.

Like a traditional Minnesota potluck, people brought food from home to share – some even brought a hot dish or Jello, but others brought German sauerkraut, Bosnian pita, Somali rice, Greek baklava, Mexican tacos, or Indian candy.

The people at these gatherings were as diverse as the food; young and old, Caucasian, Latino, and Black. As people began to appreciate each other, conversations ranged from "getting to know you" questions to discussions on housing, jobs, soccer, family, and school. Along the way, we became friends and built a community.

Our Diversity Dinners are the last Sunday of the month at the Pelican Rapids Public Library.

Everyone is welcome. Bring food to share and join your neighbors at the Pelican Rapids Public Library – to celebrate our diversity, our lives, and our community. We’ll provide beverages, plates, cups, and utensils (or you can bring your own.)

These informal get-togethers are opportunities to discover our similarities, appreciate our differences, build meaningful relationships, examine our biases, and eat good food. It’s difficult for most of us to step outside our circle of family and friends. That’s why we suggest that everyone bring a friend and a dish to share. These diversity dinners offer us opportunities to create connections, come together as a community, and enjoy some very good food!