Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Abby Harvey Hera Novak, a member of the Shimmy Sister dance group, performs a dance at the annual International Fall Festival Saturday.

Hundreds of Eau Claire residents crowded Barstow Street Saturday afternoon to partake in the International Fall Festival. The event, which was voted 2007's No. 1 best festival in Volume One's "Best of the Chippewa Valley" survey, took place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Eau Claire.

"The international fest was a good way to bring the community together," sophomore Joe Mullaney said. "There was a lot of local people there, with a lot of different activities and booths displaying different cultural items."

One Tree Martial Arts kicked off the festival. The group demonstrated their eastern-Asian style of fighting to the crowds that gathered on the streets. The next group, Sharon Brendemuehl and Bellydancers, represented the Middle East with their dancing abilities. The third performers, Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, represented the Appalachian region with their clog dancing.

"We had a lot of fun," Brendemuehl said. "I think the show went well and we had a nice crowd. There was more people at our performance than we expected."

Klezmazel, the fourth performers, represented the Eastern European region. In addition to playing Klezmer, the traditional music of Eastern European Jews, the band also plays polkas, waltzes and hymns. Greg Herriges, the fifth performer of the day, represented South and East Asia with his style of music.

The Parade of Nations marched down Barstow Street at 3 p.m. The parade, led by Elk Mound's marching band, consisted of representatives from all the regions and nationalities at the festival.

"There were some nice bands playing. They were very entertaining," Mullaney said. "The marching band was good; it was good to see locals in the parade."

Peter Phippen, a flute musician, was the next performance at the festival. The final performer of the day was the Nick Seeger Band.

In addition to the World Stage Acts, the festival also consisted of international food, crafts vendors, inflatables and a petting zoo. Plans are already in the works for next year's International Fall Festival.

"We would like to perform more," Brendemuehl said. "We talked directly with someone about performing again next year. We received a lot of nice comments."

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