Students at Aus Shoalin Kung-Fu Academy practice traditional Chinese lion dancing for their performance during Saturdays International Festival. Photo by Clinton Lewis

Little girls will don kimonos. A Chinese lion will dance to the beat of a drum. Exotic food will be sold and children from all over the world will paint a mural to celebrate diversity during the Bowling Green International Festival in Fountain Square Park on Saturday. We are all people that are from other countries and we like to bring diversity and growth and to participate in this city, a welcoming city, said Coqui Llontop, a Peruvian musician who lives in Bowling Green and will perform at the festival. Llontop will perform a song he wrote about Bowling Green as well as up-beat Latin music and songs from his CD, Searching for Virgins, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.In Peru, Llontop wrote jingles and music for documentaries. He came to the United States to be near his brother and parents, who live in Bowling Green. Hes one of hundreds of foreign citizens, immigrants and life-long U.S. citizens who will be at the International Festival. Festival Executive Director Kim Mason is looking forward to the day. My family goes to a lot of festivals and the International Festival is our favorite, she said. Theres so much sight, sound and color. The color this year will come from groups like The Jump Gypsies, who will perform Irish/Scottish music and dance, and St. Josephs Hispanic Dance Band, who will play salsa, cumbia and merengie. There will be traditional American Bluegrass music, Arabic folkloric dance, Messianic Jewish singers and dancers and much more. Tom Pardue is excited about members at Au Shaolins Arts Kung Fu Academy, which he runs in Bowling Green, dancing under a giant Chinese lion costume. Weve got some 6-year-olds and 5-year-olds involved in our lion dance, which is usually performed as a celebration of the Chinese New Year, he said. They will be accompanied by Kung Fu Grand Master Au Seng of Hawaii. Pardue is looking forward to meeting many who will travel to Bowling Green to perform. If theres one thing weve learned over the course of the past year, (it is) weve got to have an understanding of other societies, he said. Exhibitors from around the world will offer a taste of various cultures throughout the festival Saturday. One woman will make American corn husk dolls. There will be an English Maypole. There will be African American accessories and other items made by people from many countries. To satisfy taste buds there will be virgin tropical Cuban drinks, Armenian cheese and candies, German brauts and beer, Bosnian barbecued sheep, Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer cuisine, El Salvadoran and Mexican food, Norwegian cookies and Indian food from Taj Palace in Bowling Green and much more. If youre inclined to exercise your brain, you can learn to write a little something in French, German or Spanish at the festival. Kids on the Block will teach international puppet making. For children there will be storytelling, bookmark making and all kinds of games, which will be provided by Hooks Entertainment. The Interfaith Council and Spirit of Hope will have exhibits about religious faiths from around the globe. The day will end with a Rock Around the World Street Dance from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.The dance will feature music from around the world, a dance contest and lighting and special effects, including large-screen projections of the audience. Llontop is looking forward to the music. I like to listen to every kind of music because music is culture, he said. For more information on the International Festival, visit www.bginternationalfest.com