For more information about the River of Hope, see A ‘River of Hope’ brings Madison Together for COVID-19 Relief. Photos taken from Madison River of Hope Raises New Crown Relief Fund (note: text in Chinese).
The organizers of the International Festival of North Alabama (iFest) - the board members, the International Society of Huntsville, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) M. Louis Salmon Library, and the UAH Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - have been carefully tracking developments related to the COVID-19 situation and after some consideration have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 iFest event, which was set to be held on September 26, 2020 at the UAH campus. With the situation involving COVID-19 still developing and there still being a large amount of uncertainty about how the situation will be impacting the state of Alabama, the city of Huntsville, and the campus this fall, the organizers have decided to focus on the health and safety of the many wonderful volunteers, organizations, and attendees that have made iFest possible these many years.
This would have been the eleventh year of bringing together thousands of people to celebrate the diversity and rich culture of north Alabama and the Tennessee Valley area, and we regret not being able to share that with you this year. We have seen dozens of countries represented, a large number of musical acts and performances, and a great many people who have given freely of their time to make each year more memorable than the last. We have been proud to be part of something so rich and vibrant and to watch it grow into the festival it is today.
In our continued mission to promote the international community of the area and to broaden awareness, we are looking into alternative events to hold later once we know more about the current situation and are more able to plan such. And we look forward to bringing back the International Festival of North Alabama next year and making it another great experience for everyone to enjoy. We remain committed to our amazing community and appreciate the support we have received this year and all the years we have had the honor to work with you.
For updates, please follow us here http://www.internationalsocietyofhuntsville.org and on Facebook (Annual International Festival of North Alabama and The International Society of Huntsville).
With our supporters and members health our primary concern, ISH will be suspending all social events until May when we will be reevaluating the schedule.
Festival Chair: Belinda Ong
Festival Co-Chair: Melody Ng
Sponsorship Chair: Michelle Ross
Sponsorship Co-Chair: Michael Ayokanmbi
Sponsorship Co-Chair: Gloria Vergara
Sponsorship Co-Chair: Amy Zhang
Sponsorship Co-Chair: Mark Jackson
Sponsorship Co-Chair: Aladin Beshir
PR/Marketing Chair: Jim Zielinski
PR/Marketing Co-Chair: Suci Brooks
PR/Marketing Co-Chair: Fabiana Cantoni
Treasurer Chair: Barbara Liaw
Countries Chair: Michelle Ross
Performances Chair: Melody Ng
Performances Co-Chair: Kayla Wright
Food Truck and Food Vendor Chair: Michelle Ross
Open Air Vendor and Indoor Booth Chair: Briseida Cardwell
Open Air Vendor and Indoor Booth Co-Chair: Flora Johnson
Volunteers Chair: Rebecca Brothers
Volunteers Co-Chair: Sai Susheel Praneeth Kode
Logistic Chair: Ron Schwertfeger
Logistic Co-Chair: Joshua Verble
Logistic Co-Chair: Gopinath Polasani Vasu
Signage Chair: Maria Kimpe
Graphics and Website: Doug Bolden
Hospitality Room Chair: Leslie Grant
Hospitality Room Co-Chair: Elena Olariu
Hospitality Room Co-Chair: Kathryn Carroll
rsvp@internationalsocietyofhuntsville.org
