This Valentine’s Day, downtown will be bustling with romantic events for couples to take part in, but Johnson City Culture Night hopes to host a unique event that will highlight culture.
The group will host a Valentine’s Gala at Langston Education and Arts Development, Inc. The night will feature Afro-Caribbean food, live music and interpretive dancing. The selection of food includes curry goat, curry chicken, jerk chicken and jellof rice.
JCCN Director Doris Kaifa said the event and food choices are something new and exciting that this area rarely offers.
“My goal has been bringing the community together, especially on a holiday – on a special evening for Valentine’s Day,” Kaifa said. “We do not have too many things around here where we can all just come together and share the love, something that we share in different cultures and food than we eat all the time, promoting inclusion and showcasing cultures in our community.”
This event is also a fundraiser for the organization’s upcoming fashion show on March 28. The money raised will go toward offsetting the costs. ETSU student and organization committee member Besiah Fahngon addressed the finances firsthand.
“From the first year we had [the fashion show] in 2018 to now, there have been some rising costs,” Fahngon said. “We are just trying to expand and use more models, more designers, just more decorations in the hall. Basically we want the fundraisers to still align with our mission.”
As part of Black History Month, some of these outfits will be shown at the gala. Kaifa described the gala as giving Johnson City the choice to do something new and learn more about Johnson City Culture Night.
The event starts at 7 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. Attendees are recommended to be 18 or older. Tickets range from $20 for students, $25 for a single community member and $40 for a couple.
“Hopefully people come to the Valentine’s Day event to have that special evening with their loved one, while at the same time doing something different,” Fahngon said.
