Don Hoch Director

STATE OF WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON STATE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

1111 Israel Road S.W. P.O. Box 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650 (360) 902-8500

NEWS
11-036

Media contact: Sandy Mealing, (360) 902-8559 Sandy.Mealing@parks.wa.gov Jens Lund, (360) 902-8526 Jens.Lund@parks.wa.gov Wash. Telecommunications Relay Service: (800) 833-6388

Peace Arch State Park plays host to international concert series

OLYMPIA July 13, 2011 The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Folk Arts in the Parks Program invites the public to attend the Peace Arch International Concert Series at Peace Arch State Park in Blaine. The outdoor concerts are scheduled 2 p.m. Sundays from Aug. 14 to Sept. 4. The concerts celebrate the Pacific Northwests international cultures and features Acadien, Arabian, Cambodian, Middle Eastern, Polynesian and Qubcois cultural dance and music. Peace Arch International Concert Series performances are free. The Discover Pass is not required to attend the concerts. The schedule of performances includes: Aug. 14 MB Orchestra with master ud player Maurice Sadak Rouman & the Shahrazad Dance Ensemble: Music and dance of Arab cultures and the Middle East Aug. 21 Kalevaria United Methodist Church Youth Group of Tacoma: Polynesian dances, choral songs and drumming from Samoa

Aug. 28 La Famille Lger: Acadien and Qubcois house party music and dance from eastern Canada Sept. 4 Cambodian Classical & Folk Dance and Music: Cambodian music and dance from Tacoma area performing groups The Peace Arch International Concert Series is part of a broader series of events celebrating Washingtons diverse cultures and presented by the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program. The program is a partnership between the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Arts Commission and Northwest Heritage Resources with funding provided by National Endowment for the Arts, Washington State Arts Commission and Washington State Parks Foundation program grants. For a full schedule of Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program events, visit www.parks.wa.gov/events. All concerts are accessible to persons with disabilities. If special accommodations are required in order to attend the concert events, please call (360) 902-8526 or the Washington Telecommunications Relay Service (800) 833-6388. Requests must be made in advance. Peace Arch State Parks is a day-use park that commemorates treaties and agreements that arose from the War of 1812. Celebrating the unguarded United States/Canadian border that stretches from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Peace Arch State Park features horticultural exhibitions and the giant, commemorative, concrete arch that straddles the border of the two nations. The United States and Canada co-maintain the monument. The park is located at 100 A Street in Blaine, adjacent to the Peace Arch Port of Entry, where Interstate 5 and British Columbia Highway 99 connect. From the American side of the border, take Exit 276 from I-5. From the Canadian side, enter on foot through Peace Arch Provincial Park from the parking lot at the Highway 99 Beach Road exit. Canadian residents entering on foot may attend the concerts without customs or border-crossing formalities. The Commission manages a diverse system of more than 100 state parks and recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation. The 98-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013. Washington State Parks is now on Twitter at WaStatePks_NEWS and YouTube at WashingtonStateParks.

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