Friday night, April 26, the Missouri Department of Conservation's free event, “Cultural Connections With Nature” will show community members how other countries and cultures celebrate the outdoors.
“I think it’s something unifying in something that we all have in common,” said Betzaida Rivera, a naturalist at MDC. “We all remember a smell from the Earth when it’s raining. We all remember a bird that we liked or an animal we liked. That gets into the way we communicate, the way we relate and the way we take care of nature.”
She explains why learning about how other cultures view and protect nature connects us with one another and brings us together as a community.
“When we see everyone representing who they are and where they belong, it just makes them own something, so when you make someone feel welcome and make someone feel that you celebrate your differences, they take pride in that and they take care of not only the environment, but each other.”
Representatives from members of the multicultural community will have tables at the event to showcase how other cultures in southwest Missouri and elsewhere celebrate the outdoors.
“We will have games, food trucks, booths with different organizations," she said. "We will have gifts, and the live performances will be going on at the same time. We will have traditional dances from 10 countries."
The event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and it is free for all ages to attend.
Parking and shuttles will be available at the nearby Living Memorial Park at 4323 S. Nature Center Way.
The event will be held rain or shine.