One of my favorite community events will be making its return later this month.

The modern iteration of Weirton’s Festival of Nations was started in 2009 by representatives of the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center. Billed as a celebration of the “melting pot” of cultures in the Weirton community, the idea was to reflect and pay tribute to a similar celebration developed by Weirton Steel employees as part of 1934 Labor Day festivities.

According to research by local historian Dennis Jones, that celebration was inspired by a pageant at Weir High School in 1929, showcasing the various nationalities which had come to the area.

The original festival took place from 1934 to 1944 as a way to not only celebrate our cultural heritage, but also to bring the community closer together.

In Jones’ book “Weirton – A Pageant of Nations,” it says the first celebration drew an estimated 10,000 people to Marland Heights Park, viewing as groups representing 10 ethnicities performed songs and dances reflective of their culture. An 11th group, representing the United States, came in last before all of them joined together to sing the national anthem.

Other activities, including a series of sporting events between teams representing the various departments at Weirton Steel, would take place throughout the area of what is now the city of Weirton.

Similar celebrations continued until the 1940s, when – with the U.S. joining the efforts of World War II – observances often took a more somber tone focused on the ideas of patriotism and remembering the service of the nation’s military.

Observances of the festival would stop before the war ended.

It was brought back, though, through the efforts of the museum, guided by Dr. J.K. Luthra.

The first couple of years, the new Festival of Nations was held at the Weirton Event Center, with performances on the stage and a few vendors and informational booths under the covered pavilion area.

As it grew, and with a few weather scares, it was decided to move the festival to the gymnasium of the Millsop Community Center.

The modern festival would typically start with a “parade” featuring representatives of the various groups taking part each year, many dressed in regalia of their heritage, some waving flags of their cultural ancestry, and all ready to share some aspect of their familial origins.

Informational booths would be set up on the gym floor, with tables offering food from around the world for purchase lined up along the walls. Groups took the stage to share traditional songs and dances.

Unfortunately, as with many things, the COVID pandemic put a halt to our festival, with organizers concerned about having large groups of people gathered together at that time. It’s taken a few years, but the Festival of Nations is set to return, once again at the Millsop Community Center, on March 22.

A group of community volunteers has been working for the last several months to put it all together, with the goal of bringing back a celebration of our area’s rich history.

While I’ve been invited to attend some of the committee’s planning meetings, I haven’t been able to make any of them, but I’m sure they will make it a wonderful event, with several hours of performances, food, and other festivities.

Our area truly is a melting pot, with the blood and heritage of many peoples having called it home over the years. From its original inhabitants, to the beginning of European settlements, to the immigration waves of the early 1900s which brought many families to the Upper Ohio Valley, to those who arrived within the last few decades, our community is reflective of the world and it should be celebrated.

Hopefully, this relaunch of Weirton’s Festival of Nations has the success of previous runs, and is able to grow. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a full day of activities taking place throughout the community just as in the days of its original iteration?

Until then, I hope to see a large turnout on March 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as our community celebrates its unique heritage and history.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)