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Mosaic Music Festival brings diversity to Labor Day weekend

August 30, 2012

This Labor Day weekend, residents of the Lansing area will get the chance to experience dragons, country music and Arabic performances — all within miles of MSU.
The Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art, or MICA, will host the third annual Michigan Mosaic Music Festival in downtown Lansing.
The free show, started in 2010, is expected to be a mesh of all sorts of cultural performances.
The neighborhoodwide event will include activities embracing Asian, Arabic and African culture.
MICA volunteer and local musician Mike Skory said the festival is meant to help young people in the area experience other cultures and different sides of Lansing.

“Lansing has gotta be a cool place,” Skory said. “We want people, when they’re done at MSU or LCC, to want to stay in Michigan, stay in Lansing. We want leaders of companies to think Lansing is a cool place.”

The performance lineup includes West Michigan’s Kris Hitchcock and Small Town Son, rockabilly band Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys and numerous cultural dance performances. The festival also will feature kite making and t“he Capital City Dragon Boat Race”:http://capitalcitydragonboat.com/ on the water for festival attendees to participate in and watch.

Born and raised in Lansing, Skory said the festival will be a step up from last year’s show.
“We have high-level multicultural acts all day Saturday and Sunday to represent the mid-Michigan area,” he said.

Skory said he first became involved with MICA after attending the Lansing JazzFest, and has made it his mission to diversify the exposure of local music ever since.
“I love music and meeting musicians — I’m kind of a groupie,” he said. “I really believe in the mission of MICA.”

According to Josh Pugh, a representative for MICA, some students choose to volunteer to help out with the festival for the overall experience.

“(We’re) always looking for volunteers,” he said. “It’s a good way to become involved in community.”
MICA Executive Assistant Rosy Goacher said the festival is a the perfect opportunity to be exposed to other cultures within the Lansing community.

“It’s another setting that lets people experience a lot of different groups in a pleasant, great environment,” she said.

Goacher said above all, the festival will bring together residents of all ages and beliefs to appreciate the city.

“This festival is built on priorities that the city established to celebrate Lansing’s cultural diversity and labor community,” she said.

Skory said he hopes that mid-Michigan will acquire a love for the festival in the future and encourage others to attend.

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