Sonoma Valley residents need not travel thousands of miles to celebrate the cultures that blend in the shadow of magnificent Mount Everest. The Fourth Annual Katmandu Fall Festival will celebrate the sights and sounds, foods and goods that the friendly Nepalese share with their neighbors in India and Tibet. It all comes together in Sonoma’s Depot Park, Sat. Sept. 13 and Sun. Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The two-day festival will feature a bustling marketplace filled with vendors selling a wide variety of imported merchandise such as quality antiques, informative books, traditional clothing and hand-loomed rugs. Nepalese cuisine, beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Exotic elixirs, Himalayan crystals and many other examples of the healing arts will also be on hand.
“We are trying to make this year’s Katmandu Fall Festival as cultural as possible by representing the Himalayan’s regions and religions,” said Carol Vernal of the Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, which is hosting the event. “Everyone who enters will be greeted by a Nepali in traditional dress and will be bestowed a blessing when a tika placed on their forehead.”
Special to this year’s event is a photography exhibit of Mount Everest expeditions by Kami Sherpa. The Nepali-American artist will be present to talk about the difficulty he faced while capturing scenes of the world’s highest mountain in the face of sub-zero temperatures, high winds and unstable footing. The collection of breath-taking pictures will be displayed near the entrance of the Depot Museum.
Many live performers will entertain spectators with traditional music and dance performances both days of the festival. Special guest performers Baraka Moon will take to the stage Sunday at 2 p.m. Baraka Moon, which features musicians Geoffry Gordon, Stephen Kent and Ali Khan, is a fusion not only of musical styles, but of cultures and religions.
The popular festival benefits the Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides reconstructive surgery for underprivileged children with congenital defects and post-traumatic injuries in Nepal. According to the organization’s Web site, “The average cost of each operation is $200. This is a comprehensive, sustainable and growing program designed to meet the needs of the patient before during and after surgery.”
“Over the last three years the Katmandu Fall Festival has raised more than $30,000 for the Children’s Medical Aid Foundation and each year we raised twice what we raised the previous year,” added Vernal. “This year we are expecting to entertain and educate some 4,000 people.”
Money will by raised through the $10 suggested entry fee and by the sales of raffle tickets. The prizes: a two-week Mount Everest trek with Himalayan High Treks; a Sherpa-guided trek through Hanzell Vineyards; a Sonoma weekend package; and a deluxe spa package. Raffle tickets are $20 for one chance or $50 for three chances. A total of 200 tickets will be sold at the festival.
For more information about the Katmandu Fall Festival and the Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, visit: www.childrensmedaid.org.
