Try some multicultural activities this weekend

   This has to be one of those big weekends of the year for activities.  Kinda like the middle weekends of May.  You have chance to see Lance Armstrong race in the Ulman's Half Full triathlon for the Ulman Cancer Fund at Centennial Lake on Sunday morning.  Of course there is the big Virgin Mobile FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion this weekend for those who have their free tickets.

Here are two multicultural activities to consider:

The Orthodox Church of St. Matthew’s Multi-Cultural Festival

Please join us for our fifth annual festival – Saturday, October 6 & Sunday, October 7. 2 days of international culture, cuisine, and free live entertainment!

• Saturday, October 6; 11 am – 9 pm
• Sunday, October 7; 12 – 6 pm

Located at 7271 Eden Brook Drive, Columbia, MD  21046 (Columbia’s Kings Contrivance Village Center)

410.381.2284

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Oakland Mills 10th Annual Cultural Arts Festival ALL -STAR LINE-UP OF FREE ENTERTAINMENT! Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Festival Highlights All Star Entertainment! INFORMATION Festival will be held rain or shine.  We'll move into the Other Barn if the weather is inclement. Join us for the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Oakland Mills Cultural Arts Festival.   Highlights include free and continuous entertainment, free crafts for kids, local artisans selling their crafts, festival food and community information. Fun for all ages!  .

Performance on the Courtyard Stage 11:00 - 11:15 a.m.  OM High School Marching Band 11:15  - 12:15 p.m. Rocknoceros, the Kids Rock Band! 12:30 - 1:00 p.m.   Turner Dean of Magic  1:15 - 2:45 p.m.  Unity Reggae Band 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.   FunDrum Rhythm Circle On Saturday, October 6th, the Oakland Mills Community Association will host the tenth annual Oakland Mills Cultural Arts Festival. Rain or shine, the festival will be held at the Oakland Mills Village center, and will include fun for the whole family! Admission is free, and there will be continuous musical performances and activities from 11am to 4pm in the courtyard of the Other Barn. The performances will begin with the Oakland Mills High School Band as well as the award-winning and kid-friendly band "Rocknoceros".  "Rocknoceros" dominates the D.C./Baltimore area children's music scene and has performed even as far away as the world famous Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. Following "Rocknoceros", a local favorite "Turner, Dean of Magic" will thrill us with his tricks and his awesome balloon characters! Wind down with free wagon rides for our youngest fairgoers! Performances will also include the nationally renowned Reggae band "Unity Reggae", veterans of several US tours with 20 years of live performance experience under their belts. From there everyone can join in the fun with the "FunDrum Rhythm Circle" led by Jonathan Murray and groove to some improvised beats with the your friends and family! Local artisans and crafters will have wonderful items for sale. To make it even better, there will be multiple free activities as well; these include free health screenings, free carnival popcorn courtesy of The Columbia Bank, and arts and crafts for the kids led by Girl Scout Troop 1241. All in all, the festival provides a wonderful way to bring our entire community together through music, food, and just good old fashioned fun! So head down to the Other Barn at the Oakland Mills Village center on October 6th and spend the afternoon enjoying the festivities with your family, friends, and the rest of Columbia as well.