The Annual KU CREES Spring Festival returns March 1 to Liberty Hall from 1-4 PM and is free and open to all. Here are 5 reasons why you should attend this year's event!
1. Performances
Mavka Dancers by Dan Oetting
Each year, the CREES Spring Festival features musical and dance performances from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. This year we are pleased to welcome back Mavka Ukrainian Dance Group. Mavka brings spectacular high-energy renditions of traditional Ukrainian folk and character dance to the stage. Their performances have something for everyone, from bright, creatively authentic costumes to upbeat exciting dances from across Ukraine. Radiating positivity, they are united by a passion for Ukraine and its culture that is truly contagious!
Gerald Trimble and Jambaroque by Dan Oetting
Gerald Trimble and Jambaroque, a six-piece group based in Kansas City, will perform traditional music from Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and the Caucasus. Their performance will showcase rare and historic traditional instruments from the region, and it is bound to get you dancing!
2. Food
The spring festival takes place each year in early March, right around the ancient Slavic spring holiday Maslenitsa. Maslenitsa, known as Butter Week or Crepe Week. Bliny, or crepes, are a traditional food to have at Maslenitsa. They symbolize the sun, which is tied to the return of spring. Bliny can be served savory or sweet, with a variety of toppings. CREES prepares HUNDREDS of bliny for the festival. Bliny and non-alcoholic beverages are available for free. Alcohol is available for purchase through the Liberty Hall bar.
3. Photobooth
A photobooth always make a party more fun! The CREES Spring Festival is delighted to partner with Big Happy Photobooth each year to provide a fun space for festival goers to bring home lasting memories. This isn't any ordinary photobooth, however. Props for the CREES Spring Festival photobooth are all Eastern European and Eurasian themed, hand-crafted by the CREES team.
Each photobooth prop has a corresponding information sheet on display, explaining what the prop is, what culture it's from, and where to learn more about it. CREES is an educational center after all! You can also learn about the different photobooth props and their place in Eastern European or Eurasian culture on the spring festival website. We try to add at least one new prop each year.
4. Crafts & Displays
The festival features an art area for kids and craft-loving adults to try their hands at art forms tradition to Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Learn to make Polish wycianki (papercut art-pictured above), color a Ukrainian pysanka (decorated egg), make Bulgarian Martenitsa dolls, and more! Information about each craft will be on display for those who want to learn more.
Azurite Geode from Mikheyevskoe Mine, Chelyabinsk Oblast, South Ural Region, Russia
The festival will also have a display of stunning mineral specimens from Eastern Europe and Eurasia by Summit’s Steps Minerals. Summit’s Steps is a small, family-owned and operated shop and the spring festival’s main sponsor this year. The mineral display will allow festival goers to explore the diverse natural beauty of the region and learn about some of the minerals only found in this part of the world.
5. Prizes & Partnerships
CREES gives away prizes throughout the festival as another way to let festival goers take home a piece of Eastern Europe or Eurasia. In addition to a CREES swag bag, this year’s prizes include a gorgeous 11 x 17 framed piece of ebru (Turkish paper marbling), and a decorative lacquer plate featuring Russia’s iconic St. Basil’s cathedral.
CREES is pleased to welcome the Czech-Slovak Club of Kansas City to the festival this year. The Czech and Slovak Club was organized to preserve, perpetuate, and share the traditions and customs of those of Czech and Slovak descent. The club shares this heritage at meetings through food, fellowship, music, and educational programs for the entire family. The club will have an information table for those interested in learning more.
This event is sponsored by Summit's Steps Minerals and Central Bank.
