Unity in the Community continues its work bringing people together

Unity in the Community, the annual multicultural celebration, returns to Riverfront Park on Saturday with the theme “Embracing Culture and Diversity.”

The festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., includes a Cultural Village, children’s activities, senior resource center and a health fair, as well as choirs, dancers and drummers performing on the main stage near the Clocktower.

One of the big draws each year is free school supplies, said co-executive director April Anderson. This year they’ll be handing out 1,000 bags.

To receive a bag of supplies, children in kindergarten through eighth grade must go to the Cultural Village and get “passports” stamped. The booths in the village will be run by people from different countries, with pictures, maps and items from their homelands. Some will be dressed in native garb.

There will be a limited supply of free bike helmets available, too.

Unity in the Community is run by NW Unity, a nonprofit that formed in 2014 to take over leadership of the event.

Anderson said she loves the hustle and bustle of the day.

“It’s so cool to see everybody from everywhere together,” she said.

“They’re coming together to celebrate, embrace our differences.”