Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 26 2004

Glendale carnival for peace planned

Peace It Together event to promote diversity in south Glendale with
food and dancing.

By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press

SOUTHWEST GLENDALE – Charged with organizing a community event at the
Pacific Community Center, Community Services Coordinator Onnig
Bulanikian dipped into his past experiences.

At Pierce College, Bulanikian participated in a weeklong cultural
event that showcased the school’s diversity. Modeled after that
event, Bulanikian developed Peace It Together, a daylong event to
showcase the cultural diversity in south Glendale.

The event, which includes cultural dance groups, carnival games and a
variety of food, will be at the Pacific Community Center, 501 S.
Pacific Ave., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s very important to educate the community about cultural
diversity,” Bulanikian said. “Southern Glendale is mainly populated
with Hispanics, Armenians and Filipinos. I’m trying to get them
together, to be united and work as one. The main thing is education.”

Saturday’s event focuses on education through exposure. A handful of
dance groups, including Quetzal Folklorico, Flamenco Dancers,
Hawaiian Hula Dancers and Hamazkayin Armenian Dancers, will
demonstrate dances native to their cultures. All of the dancers
volunteered their time.

“It’s always fun to see what other people do in their cultures –
dancing-wise, food-wise, language-wise, look-wise, it’s always neat,”
said Ari Libaridian, an instructor with the Hamazkayin Armenian
Dancers. “And you always make new friends.”

Youth outreach and other city divisions will have booths during the
day, and the Pacific Branch Library will present World of Stories, a
cultural story time, at 3:30 p.m.

If successful, Bulanikian said Peace It Together could become an
annual event. The event is free, with lunch prices ranging from $3 to
$5 per entrée. For more information, call the Pacific Community
Center at 548-4098.