Despite what the Jules Verne novel said, there’s no need to go around the world in 80 days when you can do it in just one when the Lexington Park Business Association holds its inaugural Community Culture & Cuisine event this weekend.
“I am very excited about this event because we’ll have so many new and exciting things we have never seen before in Lexington Park,” Kristin Kauffman, the event coordinator for the business association, said. “It’s going to be something to remember for the future.”
Kauffman added there are plans to make the Community Cuisine & Culture a “signature event,” and that the event includes the top three main languages spoken in St. Mary’s — English, Spanish and Tagalog, a Filipino dialect.
The event, planned for this Saturday, June 29, at St. Mary’s Square in Lexington Park, will highlight the flavors, cultures, entertainment, art and pastimes of such countries as Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Philippines.
The event will feature the Piscataway Nation singers as well as dancers performing an interactive traditional pow-wow, traditional Tinikling dances by the Filipino American Association of Southern Maryland and an Indian classical performance from India. In addition, there will be a St. Patrick’s pub sing featuring toasts, limericks and music from the British Isles by the band Some Assembly.
“I’m really excited,” said Jamaries Kilgore, who is helping to organize a dominos tournament. “It’s really the first time for the community to do something like this. Living here 14 years so it’s nice that the community is pulling this off and I’m looking forward to a great event.”
Kilgore said dominos has a huge presence and that “at almost every get-together there will be at least one table of dominos with different generations playing.” She said she was taught the game by her parents and grandparents.
The game, which is usually played with two teams of two players each and can be played with several variations, is a combination of skill and luck.
“The basic rule is to make sure the tile you’re putting in matches the other one,” Kilgore said. “And then once you get a little bit more advanced regardless of [which variation] you’re playing, you kind of know what is left on the board. It’s kind of similar to card counting. You’re trying to guess what the other players have [in their hand].”
Players will compete for hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes, and registration ends the night of June 28.
There will also be musical selections from The Newtowne Players’ cast of “Big Fish the Musical,” which opens July 5.
Shemika Renee will perform in the morning as a historical interpreter, there will be open hearth cooking by Historic St. Mary’s City, a class on how to make a piñata and Zumba sessions.
There will also be exhibits and demonstrations as well as an interactive children’s activity zone.
Those who are looking to exact a small measure of revenge toward county officials will get their chance with a dunk tank with volunteers (victims?) such as St. Mary’s Commissioner Scott Ostrow (R), Great Mills High School Principal BeeJay Dothard and St. Mary’s County Volunteer EMS Chief Shawn Davidson. Proceeds from the dunk tank will go toward the future YMCA.
And, there will be about 10 food trucks serving a variety of food and beverages, along with nearby restaurants.
“I’ve seen the list so it looks like a delicious treat for everyone who wants to try something different,” Kilgore said of the event, which has numerous sponsors.
She added that given the chance, participants should definitely try mofongo, which is made of plantains or yucca and is “kind of a staple for Puerto Ricans.”
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