Get ready for a day of family fun and international entertainment on July 8 in Bunning Park.
International Day will feature a wide range of local, regional, and international entertainment, activities for kids, exotic foods and unique vendor items.
Admission is FREE of charge.
The celebration kicks off with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at 8:00 am. Entertainment begins at 10:00 am and continues throughout the day.
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Full Entertainment schedule:
10:00 Dave Pedri and the EIO Band
11:00 The Beggarmen
12:00 Kenshin Taiko
1:00 Polish Folk Dancers Krakowiacy
2:00 Pan Jumbies
3:00 Kenshin Taiko
4:00 The Beggarmen
5:00 Polish Folk Dancers Krakowiacy
6:00 Pan Jumbies
7:00 Dave Pedri and the EIO Band
8:00 Potcheen
In addition to hourly performances, there will be a kids’ area with crafts and activities. Tony Corona will be strolling through the park throughout the day playing the accordion. There will also be plenty of food vendors as well as over 20 imported beers available.
Dave Pedri and the EIO Band: 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Local musician Dave Pedri will be performing along with his wife Ruby, and Chynna Randall and Krysta Padilla. Dave and his band will be performing a variety of Polka, Waltz, Folk and country songs on accordion, with vocal accompaniment. They have been performing for over 20 years.
The Beggarmen: 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The Beggarmen, an Irish music band from Rock Springs, Wyoming, performs music both old and new in the Irish trad style. Fiddle, pennywhistle, bodhran, bass, and guitar combine to continue the great tradition of Irish music in America.
KENSHIN TAIKO: 12 noon and 3 p.m.
Kenshin means “Dedicated” in Japanese and Taiko means “drum.” It has often been said that drumming is the heartbeat of Japan. Taiko is a hundreds of years old tradition that is used to celebrate festivals and religious ceremonies and each song that they play has a name and a story behind it. The Japanese Taiko drummers will have a variety of large drums along with 17 drummers to entertain us at this year’s International Day celebration.
Polish Folk Dancers Krakowiacy: 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The group “Krakowiacy” was founded in October 2002 at St. Joseph Polish Roman-Catholic church in Denver, Colorado. They perform many of the national and regional dances representing the rich Polish culture. They perform the Polonaise as well as dances from the regions of Lublin, Silesia and Kashuby. Krakowiacy traditionally opens their performance with the Polonaise. They also encourage all participants and onlookers to dance a fun, popular Silesian dance, the Grozik.
Pan Jumbies: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Get your Caribbean groove on with Pan Jumbies. Led by acclaimed steel pan artist Don Prorak, Pan Jumbies mixes calypso, soca, reggae, ska, jazz, and more, into a vivid world-beat mosaic. The shimmering brilliance of the steel pans, the warm wooden tones of the marimba, and enigmatic vocals dance on the waves of the dynamic, funky rhythm section. Whether you come to listen, to dance, or just for the Caribbean vibe, Pan Jumbies delivers fun and musical artistry for audiences of all ages.
Potcheen: 8 p.m.
Potcheen (Pronounced Po-CHEEN) is “The original Moonshine Whiskey” . On rare occasions, it may contain dangerous levels of toxic alcohols just like the Colorado Celtic Pirates that have toured the country rocking crowds from New York to Alaska.
Potcheen was formed in Evergreen, CO in December 2003. Originally called the Potcheen Folk Band, the band dropped the “folk band” tag in 2007 when the band underwent its first major reorganization. One side decided to stick with the touring and Rock style, while the others decided to go traditional.
The Band has played close to three thousand shows from New York to Florida, Arizona to Alaska. and everything in between on their tourbuses
The Potcheen crew is made up of a collection of talents from all over the U.S. fusing musical backgrounds and cultures into one full throttle rhythmic stew. Not just a Celtic band, their wide range of music has allowed them to play with almost EVERY genre of music out there.
Tony Corona: Strolling throughout the day
Tony is a Rock Springs native, now living in Colorado, who has been performing at International Day since it was revived in the 90’s. Tony will be performing on the accordion throughout the day.
International Day celebrates the diverse heritage of Rock Springs each July. Known as the “Home of 56 Nationalities,” different cultures are celebrated all day through food, exhibits, costumes and live entertainment. It is the only ethnic festival of its kind in Wyoming.
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HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DAY:
International Day started back in the 1920’s, when Rock Springs was recognized to be a unique town. It was very rare that a community as small as Rock Springs would have a population that was so diverse. To have 56 nationalities in such a small area was unheard of throughout other areas of the Intermountain West. People got together and started International Day as a way of showcasing the large variety of ethnic songs and dances from the different community groups.
At that time, the event was held at the Elks Lodge and at the old Rialto Theater. It continued for years until the start of WWII. Due to changing times, the event died out. It started up again for a few years in the 1960’s, and then died out again. It was revived in the 1990’s and was held on B St. and on S. Main St. It has been at its current home in Bunning Park since 2003. Due to its growing success, it is in the 16th year of this recent revival.
Current committee members include Greg Bailey, Cindy Bailey, David Tate, Joanne Zotti, Maureen Hitt, Misty Simek, Joann Parnell, JT Larson, Logan Meeks, and Chad Banks. For more information visit RSInternationalDay.com.
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