Thanks to the effort of local groups, the sounds of music and laughter filled the air on April 26 in a predominately African American neighborhood of Cambridge, Maryland as people from various cultures gathered together for the second annual Dorchester-Cambridge Multi-cultural Festival.

Like other American towns and cities, Cambridge, the county seat of Dorchester County, was ravaged by racial turmoil in the 1960’s. Though there has been improvement over the decades, additional help could never hurt.

So, in 2006, the Pine Street Committee (PSC) conceived the idea of an event that would bridge the various cultures of not only the city, but the county. “I kind of suggested it, because our community seems to be so fragmented when comes to trying to bring different sections of the town together,” committee member Octavene Saunders said.

As a result, the first festival was held in April 2007 with over 200 attending. This year’s event had over twice as many attendees.

There was an abundance of games, prizes, a silent auction, vendors, food and plenty of entertainment throughout the day, with General Manager of MTS Broadcasting Troy Hill being the emcee.

After the Color Guard marched at noon, Brother Garrick C. Cook of the Cambridge Church of Christ spoke on the topic, “Bridging our Cultures — We are One!”

A scavenger hunt for young children was held in the early afternoon as well as a coloring contest throughout the day.

Entertainment included singing by Juan Hernandez, the Pleasant Day Funsters, the Heavenly Sons of Joy, a demonstration of the Salsa by Salisbury University Professor Claire Kew, The Raging Unstoppables, and Bishop J. J. Green and The Anointed Five.

“This is what it is all about – togetherness,” said Deputy Ken White of the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office. “It gives us a chance to bring the cultures together.”

“This is great,” said Tina Williams (pictured above on the right) while enjoying the festival. “It’s bringing the community together. It’s bringing the kids together as well as giving them a lot community information.”

“An event like this is good at bringing people together, but I think we have a long way to go,” said Jeffery Saunders who added that he had concerns that there was a need for more jobs in the area.

According to the 2000 census, the racial makeup of Cambridge was 49.94 percent African American, 47.75 percent Caucasian, 0.16 percent Native American, 0.65 percent Asian, 0.01 percent Pacific Islander, 0.61 percent from other races, and 0.87 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44 percent of the population.

The festival was a joint effort of the PSC, Cambridge Main Street, Cambridge Police Department, Dorchester Arts Center, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Department, Dorchester Elks Lodge 223, Dorchester County Department of Tourism, Harriet Tubman Organization, John Lewis, WCEM-WAAI, and the West End Citizens Association.

Numerous pictures from the festival can be seen at Delmarvalous Dorchester.