Kaleidoscope
brings campus together
By Mari Shinkai
On-line Forty-Niner
 Cal
State Long Beach will celebrate the 18th
annual Kaleidoscope festival with more than
150 programs including campus organizations.
Each organization hopes to share different
cultural contributions and themes with as
many of 30,000 individuals who are expected
to be there on Saturday.
Kaleidoscope, part carnival, bazaar and
information fair, offers something for a
broad range of interests. Campus organizations
use this event to publicize their activities
and raise funds. Retailers sell arts, crafts
and food to passersby.
The focus for Kaleidoscope is to bring the
community and campus together, said Cynthia
Romo, women’s chair of La Raza Student Coalition.
“We want to celebrate our culture with others
with our traditional food, carne asada,”
Romo said.
According to Romo, all 12 Latino organizations
at Cal State Long Beach will collaborate
together and sell different food and items,
which represent the Latino culture.
“We hope to get a really great turnout,
so we can actually show the community that
we’re involved and working together as a
campus corporation,” Roma said.
As always, the selection of foods will be
as diverse as the event itself, from basic
American food and Mexican to Japanese and
authentic Turkish cuisine.
Newcomers, like Nikkei Student Union, will
expect a good turnout at Kaleidoscope. Mandy
M. Kusumoto and Jin Togawa will represent
Japanese custom by selling a Japanese popular
desert, mocha ice cream, which is covered
by a vanilla-like confectionery.
“We want to let people touch upon Japanese
culture. It’s good opportunity not only
for others but for us to learn about our
customs and identity,” Jin Togawa, secretary
of Nikkei Student Union said.
“We’re also looking to get our name out
there as well and see what others have to
offer because it’s our first time,” said
Mandy M. Kusumoto, another member of Nikkei
Student Union.
Nikkei Student Union seeks to expand its
position into new areas through the opportunity,
Togawa explained.
The Japan Club has decided to offer a balloon
darts game for children.
Takeshi Ishikawa, vice president of the
Japan Club hopes to experience a “great
time with children” at Kaleidoscope.
“Many members, like me, are from Japan and
have less of a chance to take part in the
community. We’ll be happy if our program
will be something pleasant for families
to look back on,” Ishikawa said.
Junior economics major, Kana Matsushita,
said Kaleidoscope is “one of Southern California’s
most popular family-oriented festivals since
1985,” and it is an “overall opportunity
to learn about anything you’ve never been
involved in.”
“Events like Kaleidoscope attract so many
people who don’t usually participate in
extracurricular activities offered on campus,”
Matsushita said.
Many other campuses and communities highlight
the cultural activities, including the Cesar
Chavez Village and World Stage, the Kaleidocarnival
the African Marketplace, and the Alumni
Pavilion and Children’s Day.
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