Spotty showers couldn’t wash out the color of Bowling Green’s International Festival as the cultural event made its return to Circus Square Park on Saturday, putting the community’s diversity center stage.

Amid the disruption of 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic, last year’s festival was held virtually, but for longtime vendor Sandy Sanchez – who offered a mix of Ecuadorian and Peruvian handmade crafts – this year’s festival was as vibrant as any other.

Sanchez, who is Ecuadorian, has attended the festival for 30 years and said it gives her a chance to show off her own culture authentically.

“The things that I sell are handmade by people,” Sanchez said, drawing a contrast between merchandise and the mass-produced swag you’d see at any other festival.

The sounds of Sanchez’s Andean clay bird water whistles chirped throughout the park, a popular item she had to offer. Between drawing in customers, Sanchez also enjoyed taking in the sights at several cultural stages set up throughout the park.

Overcoming a slight rain delay Saturday morning, Tuatha Dea – which bills itself as a “Celtic, tribal, Gypsy rock ground with an Appalachian steampunk edge” – made its return to the festival.

Other stages around the park showcased African drums, Nepali cultural dances and Cajun and Zydeco accordion music.

Louisville resident Grace Jackson, of Nubian Grace, made her debut at the event Saturday, selling a mix of colorful Liberian headwraps, matching earrings and face masks featuring West African patterns.

“I love to see what I can imagine come to life,” Jackson said of her craft, which she also called cathartic for her.

Jackson brings painstaking attention to when she creates a new headwrap, with an eye for coordination and ensembles.

“I’m always on the hunt for beautiful fabric,” said Jackson, who said she’s come to be known as the “headwrap lady.” Her work can be found at nubiangrace.com.

In Liberia, where Jackson hails from, a woman’s headwrap can indicate her marital status, protect her hair or be worn as a statement piece.

“We like to say it’s our crown,” she said. “It’s just another way to express yourself.”

At a nearby booth, which chimed with the sound of Myanmarese percussion instruments, San Yee was dressed in the traditional gown of her people – the Thai Yai.

Yee was representing the larger Shan ethnic group, one of many vibrant ethnic groups from Myanmar, the southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma.

Yee said she appreciated the opportunities for cultural exchange the International Festival offers.

“I think it’s very interesting to connect to the community that I’m in,” Yee said.

Between helping out at the booth for the grassroots community organizing group Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, attendees Francisco Serrano and Daisy Carter took some time to check out the sights and sounds of the festival.

Carter, herself the coordinator at the mutual aid organization Rise and Shine, said she hoped the spirit of the International Festival wouldn’t be a one-off and the community would continue to support diverse business owners all year long.

“I would love to see this more in Bowling Green,” she said.

Serrano agreed, hoping the community wouldn’t let their support be a one-time deal.

“The next step is going out to support those communities,” he said.