THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 19, 1995 TAG: 9509190161
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
If there's one thing at which Virginians excel, it is eating.
Not that we are greedier than others, there are just more things to eat.
You have to eat in self-defense. It is almost a case of eat or be et.
In the autumn, when days are cool and blue, a festival occurs around here nearly every day.
A body could exist moving from festival to festival around Hampton Roads if he or she elected to gather provender in that eclectic way.
From farms and waters come barbecue and fish fries, oysters and clams to roast, shad to plank, crabs to pick and Brunswick stews, a host of dishes from which to choose.
A new fest is the Multicultural Festival on Saturday at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.
It will roll many festivals into one.
One of the coordinators, Ernest Marshall, said Monday that vendors and chefs will offer Caribbean, Hispanic, Italian, Greek, Slavic and soul food, smoked turkey legs and fried chicken.
Music to match will be played on three stages in the green Trophy Park. Admission is free; food prices will be reasonable, Marshall said.
``It will be a smorgasbord of music,'' he said.
One may pause at a stage to hear a sea chantey and mosey to another to catch country-western and drift to a third for jazz, blues or gospel.
There will be line dancing, shag dancing, dragon dancing and several kinds of drumming from the Caribbean to the African style, as well as bagpipers.
One may loiter at a group of women drummers and try to discern if their style differs from that of male drummers. Can they play up a storm?
This festive event, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday near Gate 3 of the Naval Shipyard, will be the finale of a weeklong celebration of many cultures and an awareness of achievements of those with disabilities.
The weekday events are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Today, Cassandra Newby of Norfolk State University will talk of ``history in your own back yard.'' Roberto Henriques will play Latin music, and Thomas Bryant Jr. will discuss a program about the disabled.
Wednesday will feature Jamie Ware, scholarship coordinator for United Indians of Virginia, and Bob Hutchinson, fishing and hunting editor of The Virginian-Pilot.
Thursday a federal women's program will offer state Sen. Louise Lucas and Lisa Parker, moderator of the Women's Issues Forum.
A multicultural play will open Friday's diversions. Eduardo Pablo Maglaya of the Philippine Embassy will speak.
Saturday we eat and enjoy music.
Announcing the first annual festival, the shipyard's commander, Capt. William R. Klemm, said that Awareness Week will ``celebrate the differences that make up this nation and recognize the strength that is derived from our diversity.'' by CNB