S2 Ep1744: SPIFFS 50th ANNIVERSARY Executive Director JoEllen Schilke Previews March 5-7 Festivities

Host Nanette Wiser got a sneak peek at the 30th Annual SPIFFS festival at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park March 5-7 (March 5-6 for schoolchildren; March 7 open to all). The St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS), founded in 1975, is a unique, independent non-profit in St. Pete that promotes multiculturalism through its annual Folk Fair and community events. Created to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, it unites 25+ ethnic groups to showcase international food, dance, and crafts. Travel the world in a day at this international event. St. Petersburg International ​Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS) has been dedicated to preserving and celebrating cultural heritages since 1975. Their mission is to provide a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds to come together, learn, and share the beauty of diverse traditions. Through their festivals, events, sister city programs and member organizations, they work together to promote cultural understanding and unity within our community. Many member groups have dance groups that are available to perform throughout the community and the global representation this year features Senegal, and France is back as well.Member GroupsAfrican-American - RacewithoutismAlbania - BESA Tampa BayBulgarian Learning Center "Rodina"Suncoast Association of Chinese Americans (SACA).Eritro-American Society Of Tampa Bay IncFilipino-American Club of Pinellas CountyGerman American Friendship Society of PinellasFlorida Hmong Community, Inc.Volunteers of Indian Culture and Arts (VICAS)​Suncoast Irish & Gaelic HeritageJamaican Carifesta​​Japan-America Society of Tampa Bay, Inc.Mexican:  Mexico VivoMongolian American Cultural OrganizationPanama Healthcare Impact FoundationRussian Heritage Scottish Cultural Society of St. PetersburgSt. Sava Serbian Orthodox ChurchTaiwanese American Cultural OrganizationThai Association of Tampa Bay, Inc. Ukrainian American AssociationVietnamese-American Association of​ St. PetersburgHISTORY Established in 1975-1976 by Bethia Caffery, a writer for the Evening Independent, who sought to highlight the area's hidden cultural diversity, it was created as an umbrella organization to foster cultural awareness and tolerance, often described as the "United Nations of St. Petersburg". The first major fair in 1976 at the Bayfront Center was a massive hit, requiring the fire marshal to close the doors due to high attendance. Originally held in March, it evolved into a major October event in locations like the former ThunderDome (now Tropicana Field) and Vinoy Park and now is in Pinellas Park.