by The Tempe Festival of Arts will roll out next weekend and leaders of the nonprofit that connects the city with cities in 10 countries doesn’t want people to forget about them.
The festival will run 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, through Sunday, March 10, downtown, offering over 350 artists from across the country, numerous local musical groups and musicians, a Kids Block and copious food options.
At multiple spots downtown, the festival also will feature over two dozen street entertainers, henna artists, musicians, magicians, caricature artists, along with other fun entertainment.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Kid’s Block will feature a zany one-man show called “Dangerously Fun Juggling” by James R. Juggler as well as Atomic Balloons with several designs kids can choose from.
Tempe Sisters Cities hopes festival attendees stop by the Hackett House as they peruse the other attractions.
Built in 1888 as Tempe’s first bakery, Hackett House is headquarters for Tempe Sisters Cities, which has built relations with the 10 cities around the globe that include exchanges of students, educators and other professionals.
The cities are Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia; Regensburg, Germany; Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Zhenjiang, China; Timbuktu, Mali; Beaulieu sur Mer, France; Carlow, Ireland; Cuenca, Ecuador; Cusco, Peru; Trollhätten, Sweden; and Agra City, India.
Besides exchange, Tempe Sister Cities also participates in a variety of humanitarian programs.
It has partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to ship almost $400,000 worth of new medical supplies and equipment to the hospital in Hilla. The hospital serves the entire region of nearly half a million people but was chronically lacking sterile, useable medical supplies.
“Thanks to efforts by Tempe Sister Cities and Project C.U.R.E., the hospital was supplied with tools to better serve its patients,” the organization says on its website.
Tempe Sister Cities also has distributed over 700 wheelchairs to three of its sister cities.
While learning about these programs, a visit to Hackett House will give festival visitors a chance to catch their breath and help the nonprofit, said volunteer Kerry Camberg, one of the many volunteers who power the Sisters Cities organization.
“You can rest your feet and take a break in our shaded Bavarian style wine and beer garden, sip a drink and grab a snack,” said Camberg.
“Our experienced volunteers will be on hand to provide information on Hackett House’s current role as headquarters to Tempe Sister Cities,” Camberg said, saying fest goers can also “look around our community rooms with information and artifacts from our host cities.
“The can take note of our plaques listing our high school students that have exchanged abroad since 1971,” she added, and “see how we bring the world together one friendship at a time.”
The nonprofit also has a unique gift shop that helps fund its various activities, including student and other exchanges.
And visitors will “learn about two of our upcoming events,” Camberg said.
They include the Mother’s Day Tea on May 5, when “our bakers prepare an amazing spread of ‘high tea’ food items going back to the roots of our original bakery days” and the Cultural Dinner Night celebrating Agra, India, on April 19.
Tickets for both events are available at the gift shop or hacketthouse.org.
