Saturday, May 1, 2021
Idlewild Park
10 am – 2 pm

Vaccines are Free – No ID Required – Must be over 18 years old

Vaccinations will take place outdoors.  The event will feature live music & entertainment and arts and crafts activities for kids!  Masks will be required and social distancing protocols enforced.  Everything is free and open to the public.

Vaccine Registration Form – English

Formulario de Registro de Vacunas – Espanol

Contact Suzy Moore with any questions 410-200-8660 or suzy@avalonfoundation.org

Partners

Choptank Community Health

Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center

Department of Economic Development and Tourism

Department of Social Services

Easton Parks and Rec

P.E.A.C.E

Talbot Vaccine Equity Work Group

Sponsors

Easton Utilities

Healthy Talbot

Long & Foster Realtors Annie Raymond, Martha Suss, Gary Marquardt & Hugo’s Kitchen

PFLAG Mid-Shore

Talbot Association of Clergy & Laity (TACL)

Town of Easton

For over 20 years, friends & neighbors have gathered at Idlewild Park in Easton, MD to celebrate the cultural diversity of our community through music, dance, art, crafts, games, food and more.  The Festival celebrates cultural diversity by providing programming that positively showcases cultural differences and encourages people to share and celebrate in unity.  “Planning events during a pandemic presents significant challenges,” states Suzy Moore, the Artistic Director for the Avalon Foundation.  “Historically, international food has been a focus of the annual event, but for many reasons, that is just not feasible this year.”

Through its prior work operating the COVID vaccine call center for the Talbot County Health Department, the Avalon Foundation staff became keenly aware that vaccine distribution was not a one size fits all proposition in Talbot County and that Choptank Community Health was providing much needed options.  “We know that the pandemic has disproportionally affected our communities of color, pivoting the focus of the Festival to concentrate on health and wellness seemed like a logical move and our dream became to use the Multicultural Festival as an opportunity to bring access to vaccines. When it was announced that Choptank Community Health was chosen for the program that provides for federally directed distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, it felt like it could be a perfect match” explains Jessica Bellis, Avalon Foundation Chief Operating Officer.

While planning for the Festival is still in development, through this newly formed partnership those attending the Festival on May 1, 2021 in Idlewild Park in Easton, MD will enjoy live music from local and regional groups, learn from exhibitors about health related services available to them in the County, have their blood pressure checked and register for school based medical care for their children.  The Avalon promises crafts and socially distanced activities to occupy children while their parents get vaccinated with the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (available to anyone over the age of 18+) through Choptank Community Health.  Masks will be a requirement to participate in the festival and all best safety practices will be observed.

“We are excited to present this outdoor vaccination opportunity.  What a great way to get vaccinated – being entertained with live music while you wait, activities to occupy your kids and a feel good celebration of PEACE?  We are hoping many of our friends and neighbours use this as a chance to get vaccinated and we are so grateful to Choptank Community Health for making this a possibility” stated Moore.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, acting as a health/wellness exhibitor or if you are with a group that would like to utilize this event to vaccinate your members contact Suzy Moore at suzy@avalonfoundation.org.  For more information about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the vaccination process contact Lucie Hughes at Choptank Community Health at lhughes@choptankhealth.org. More information will be coming soon at avalonfoundation.org

The Festival is organized by a committee of people representing a diverse array of community groups and faith based organizations.  It features curated live entertainment provided by community groups and regional acts.  Historically more than 40 vendors such as Healthy Talbot, ChesMRC, the Talbot County Free Library, the Department of Social Services, Adkins Arboretum and more have used this event to engage and educate people across the community. For More Information Contact Artistic Director, Suzy Moore, suzy@avalonfoundation.org or 410-200-8660

With support from Talbot County Arts Council and Maryland State Arts Council.

Originally created by P.E.A.C.E. and debuting in 2000, the Multicultural Festival is a celebration of the rich diversity within our community, including the distinct heritages dating back several generations, and members of the numerous ethnic groups who have come to call this area their home.  As our community has grown, so has the Multicultural Festival, and in 2009 Talbot County P.E.A.C.E partnered with the Avalon Foundation to accommodate the Festival’s growing popularity.

Contact Suzy Moore to get involved at 410-822-0345.

The Multicultural Festival celebrates cultural diversity by providing events that positively showcase cultural differences and encourages people to share and celebrate in unity.