Kaleidoscope
festival returns to The Beach
By Amy Cucinella
On-line Forty-Niner
 Cal
State Long Beach’s annual Kaleidoscope celebration
will take place on campus Saturday from
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected to attract
20,000 to 30,000 people.
The event is the university’s largest festival
and will include games, food booths, rides,
hands- on activities, displays, merchandise
vendors, dance performances and music.
Kaleidoscope, which is meant to serve as
an open house to the Long Beach community,
provides free parking and there is no charge
for admittance.
Most of the festival’s activities are sponsored
by CSULB clubs and other student or faculty
groups. This year 147 different groups
will be participating in the festival and
95 of those are from this campus, said Zaniada
Stewart, coordinator of Kaleidoscope 2003.
Kaleidoscope provides an opportunity for
these groups to promote their organizations
and raise money, Stewart said.
Kaleidoscope, which has been a tradition
at CSULB since 1985, has a two-pronged theme.
It emphasizes the academic pursuits of the
university while also celebrating the diversity
of the university. One major attraction
that accomplishes both of these is the Cesar
Chavez Village, which is organized by many
of the international and cultural groups
on campus and has ethnic food booths and
also a stage for entertainment, Stewart
said.
Another popular program is the Kaleidocarnival,
put on by Associated Students Inc. in conjunction
with other campus clubs and organizations.
Kaleidocarnival will include 14 carnival-like
booths, a bounce house and a cotton candy
machine, said John Kitahara, A.S.I. special
events commissioner in charge of the carnival.
Tickets will be sold for those who wish
to play the games and prizes are awarded,
Kitahara said.
Although A.S.I. oversees the carnival, other
clubs are given a chance to join in and
set up a game booth or activity booth.
At the end of the day, the money raised
goes into one pot and is divided evenly
among the participating clubs, Kitahara
said.
“It should be fun. The main people
that attend are parents and their kids,
it’s geared toward kids,” Kitahara said.
“It is going to be a good day for weather
too.”
Another major attraction of Kaleidoscope
is the pushcart races sponsored by the CSULB
Center for Health Care Innovations/ Campus
Organized and United for Good Health Program.
“This is a race with little cars powered
by people’s muscles and running ability,”
said Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano, the director
of the event. “Last year we had tons
of people watching the race, it was huge.”
A total of 16 clubs, fraternities and sororities
will be competing in the pushcart race this
year.
The
festival is spread over the entire campus
and is divided into seven major areas, Stewart
said.
“We have a lot of community participation
in Kaleidoscope,” Stewart said. “I’d
like to have more student participation
though. Students don’t know about
it, but they should because it is for them
and by them.” |
