Introduction:
I always here how little there is to do here in Peoria, Illinois, but in my opinion this simply is not true. There is a lot to do here if you look hard enough. The Peoria Riverfront has many festivals and activities to do throughout the year, including the Peoria Food Fest, Irish Fest, and Oktoberfest. Peoria also has great community theater. Just last weekend for example corn stock theater was doing a performance of "The Color Purple". One ethnic group that one can always find being represented here is Indian Culture. In the past two months there have been two events that can in some way represent India.
India Fest:
Last weekend the Peoria Riverfront had India Fest hosted by the Indo-American Society. The stage featured people singing traditional Indian songs and performing traditional Indian dances. There were also a group of kids that sang the national anthem for both the United States and India. Near the end of the festival there was a group of young Indo-American's who performed a cover of Pink's "Just Give Me A Reason". The best part of this festival was all the food tents featuring local Indian Restaurants like Rasoi and Haldi. The line for Rasoi was so long that we didn't even get to try their food. They were serving dosa's, which is a little like a crape made of rice batter that is often filled with Marsala's or spiced potatoes. My favorite food booth was not run by a restaurant at all, but by volunteers raising money for the Center of Prevention of Abuse. They were serving a scrumptious dish called Pav Bhaji, a vegetable curry that is served with a buttered toasted bun.
Like many Peoria Riverfront Events, there was also a beer stall. They served the usual, beers, and things like Goose Island 312, but they also had a pretty good selection of Indian Beers, like King Fisher and Taj Mahol Premium Lagor. I ended up trying Hayward's 5000, a European strong beer. Out of the beers I have tried out of India, this has got to be my favorite. There was some debate among my husband and some of our friends as to whether or not this was indeed an Indian beer or an Australian beer. After a few minutes of debate, someone finally pulled out there smart phone and looked it up. It turns out that once upon a time, it had been an Australian beer, but by the 80's had moved to India.
The Secret Garden:
Another event that can be related back to India was corn stocks rendition of "The Secret Garden" from back in July. While it is true that most of the play takes place in England, it starts off in Bombay, India, and has an Indian theme throughout the play. It follows the story of a young girl who loses her parents in one of India's cholera epidemics. She is then moved to India to live with her widowed uncle, Archibald in a dreary house on the edge of an English Moore. The young girl, Mary (brilliantly played by Faustina Hoerderman), starts out as a lonely, spoiled child, but soon discovers new friends, family, and secrets at her new home. One of the main character's, Uncle Archibald Craven, played by Bart Shatto was actually played by a Broadway star who grew up here in the Peoria area. My favorite performance had to be by Mike Reams, who played Archibald's brother, Dr. Neville Craven. My husband also had a small part in the play, acting as the Fakir.
While at Corn Stock Theater you are not supposed to take pictures or video's of the play, but I still managed to sneak in a short video from close to the back row of the theater.
Up-coming:
If you missed these two events, there is still at least one more event this year that you can go to to experience Indian Culture. This is the "Experience India Fundraiser" also raising money for Center of Prevention of Abuse. This year it will be held October 2, the same day as Gandhi's birthday, at the Knights of Columbus Hall. It will feature Indian food catered by Rasoi, Traditional Indian Dance, and a silent auction. This is a great excuse to get out your Indian Attire and meet with friends. I did not have the pleasure of attending last year, but I was there a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun. You can learn more about this event on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1123751770986883/1124335884261805/. It should be a lot of fun.
Biryani in the Park:
Of course, you do not have to go to an event like these to experience India in Peoria. You can experience India anywhere. Last weekend some of my friends, actually made a spiced rice dish in Robinson Park over an open fire. Biryani is a traditional Indian and Pakistani rice dish that is usually very spicy. Much of the time it contains a spiced meat, marinated in Masalas and served with either yogurt or Raita, a watered down yogurt "salad" often with cucumbers, onions, mint, and/or cilantro (coriander) to cool the spices down. My friend Bhaskra made his with chicken. Traditionally it is cooked in a tandoori (or Indian brick oven). Here in the states, it is often cooked in a pot and then in the stove. Bhaskra made his in a cast iron pot. We showed up right before they left the park, but we were still able to eat some of their delicious biryani.
Work Cited:
Banerjee, Paroma. "Experience India Fundraiser". Facebook. Retrieved: 28 August 2015. Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1123751770986883/1124335884261805/
"Corn Stock Theater Presents: The Secret Garden." July 10-18.
Jujare, Arvind. Personal Conversation. 22 August 2015
Nagesh, Somya. Personal Conversation. 26 August 2015
Sayeed, Arthi. "Come Spirit Come Charm". Facebook. Published: 18 July 2015. Retrieved: 28 August 2015. https://www.facebook.com/arthi.asranisayeed?fref=ts
I always here how little there is to do here in Peoria, Illinois, but in my opinion this simply is not true. There is a lot to do here if you look hard enough. The Peoria Riverfront has many festivals and activities to do throughout the year, including the Peoria Food Fest, Irish Fest, and Oktoberfest. Peoria also has great community theater. Just last weekend for example corn stock theater was doing a performance of "The Color Purple". One ethnic group that one can always find being represented here is Indian Culture. In the past two months there have been two events that can in some way represent India.
India Fest:
Last weekend the Peoria Riverfront had India Fest hosted by the Indo-American Society. The stage featured people singing traditional Indian songs and performing traditional Indian dances. There were also a group of kids that sang the national anthem for both the United States and India. Near the end of the festival there was a group of young Indo-American's who performed a cover of Pink's "Just Give Me A Reason". The best part of this festival was all the food tents featuring local Indian Restaurants like Rasoi and Haldi. The line for Rasoi was so long that we didn't even get to try their food. They were serving dosa's, which is a little like a crape made of rice batter that is often filled with Marsala's or spiced potatoes. My favorite food booth was not run by a restaurant at all, but by volunteers raising money for the Center of Prevention of Abuse. They were serving a scrumptious dish called Pav Bhaji, a vegetable curry that is served with a buttered toasted bun.
Like many Peoria Riverfront Events, there was also a beer stall. They served the usual, beers, and things like Goose Island 312, but they also had a pretty good selection of Indian Beers, like King Fisher and Taj Mahol Premium Lagor. I ended up trying Hayward's 5000, a European strong beer. Out of the beers I have tried out of India, this has got to be my favorite. There was some debate among my husband and some of our friends as to whether or not this was indeed an Indian beer or an Australian beer. After a few minutes of debate, someone finally pulled out there smart phone and looked it up. It turns out that once upon a time, it had been an Australian beer, but by the 80's had moved to India.
The Secret Garden:
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| Come Spirit Come Charm. By: Arthi Asrani Sayeed |
While at Corn Stock Theater you are not supposed to take pictures or video's of the play, but I still managed to sneak in a short video from close to the back row of the theater.
Up-coming:
If you missed these two events, there is still at least one more event this year that you can go to to experience Indian Culture. This is the "Experience India Fundraiser" also raising money for Center of Prevention of Abuse. This year it will be held October 2, the same day as Gandhi's birthday, at the Knights of Columbus Hall. It will feature Indian food catered by Rasoi, Traditional Indian Dance, and a silent auction. This is a great excuse to get out your Indian Attire and meet with friends. I did not have the pleasure of attending last year, but I was there a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun. You can learn more about this event on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1123751770986883/1124335884261805/. It should be a lot of fun.
Biryani in the Park:
Of course, you do not have to go to an event like these to experience India in Peoria. You can experience India anywhere. Last weekend some of my friends, actually made a spiced rice dish in Robinson Park over an open fire. Biryani is a traditional Indian and Pakistani rice dish that is usually very spicy. Much of the time it contains a spiced meat, marinated in Masalas and served with either yogurt or Raita, a watered down yogurt "salad" often with cucumbers, onions, mint, and/or cilantro (coriander) to cool the spices down. My friend Bhaskra made his with chicken. Traditionally it is cooked in a tandoori (or Indian brick oven). Here in the states, it is often cooked in a pot and then in the stove. Bhaskra made his in a cast iron pot. We showed up right before they left the park, but we were still able to eat some of their delicious biryani.
Work Cited:
Banerjee, Paroma. "Experience India Fundraiser". Facebook. Retrieved: 28 August 2015. Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1123751770986883/1124335884261805/
"Corn Stock Theater Presents: The Secret Garden." July 10-18.
Jujare, Arvind. Personal Conversation. 22 August 2015
Nagesh, Somya. Personal Conversation. 26 August 2015
Sayeed, Arthi. "Come Spirit Come Charm". Facebook. Published: 18 July 2015. Retrieved: 28 August 2015. https://www.facebook.com/arthi.asranisayeed?fref=ts
