In 2011, 8000 people came to the Pakistani Independence Day celebration in Bolingbrook. This year, I wanted to go check it out, too. The founder, Talat Rashid, believes it’s the oldest continuous celebration in the Midwest, and maybe the whole country.
My friend Monica was in town and, since she’s always game for international foods and crafts, off we went. Festivities were advertised to start at noon but when we showed up at 1pm, folks told us that, well, actually, people didn’t really start showing up until 3. So, feeling very European and a bit dorky about being so punctual (we come from Dutch and German stock), we sheepishly wandered about to see what we could.
Here’s a glimpse of about half the tents (at 1pm), with Village Hall in the background. Note the huge American flag with the modest Pakistani flag hanging next to it (reflected in a window, too). I imagine when you’re creating a Pakistan Day, you have to be careful about things like this, celebrating a country that has a somewhat complicated relationship with your new home country. I have a feeling there weren’t many Oktoberfests back during World War II, for instance.
To our great disappointment, all the food tents were still being set up. There were pictures of samosas, mango ice cream, pakoras, and other yummy-looking things we didn’t recognize. But just pictures.
Instead, we window shopped. Loved this beautiful wooden furniture! Curiously, when we opened a beautiful inlaid chest, we found a refrigerator magnet with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson (quintessential American philosopher) inside:
In case you can’t see, it says: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” I actually have this on my own refrigerator.
I love America.
Just like any festival with booths in Bolingbrook, including the one at my own church, we were hit up by sales people — two chiropractors, an insurance agent, and three South Asian clothing shops with racks and racks of dresses and tunics in many many colors (why didn’t I get a picture?).
I hadn’t realized we have a local Muslim elementary school – Furqaan Academy. I had a nice chat with the woman at their booth. She gave me a calendar, because I got quite geeky excited about discovering my suburb is home to a Muslim school.
There was also a jewelry / henna tattooing booth. Monica does henna tattooing herself, and had one done:
(She’s starting a new job on Monday, so asked for a design on her leg since it’s easier to cover up.)
It was hot, humid, and kind of lonely, but we were glad we went. Next year? I’ll go at 3. Or 5. Still, it was neat to have even just a little glimpse of another aspect of Bolingbrook, Suburb of Diversity and Cultural Opportunity.
Since we were still hungry, we drove to an Indian restaurant in Downers Grove. They, in fact, had samosas you could eat.
Height of irony: on the way out I had Monica take my picture next to one of the village murals – this one, of 19th century Bolingbrook (when it was just farmland and wasn’t really called anything). Still, note the Furqaan Academy calendar in my hand. The U.S. has always been a land of immigrants and always will be a land of immigrants.
[…] However, although a colleague of mine told me that there was concern expressed at a Bolingbrook Christian clergy meeting, nothing happened publicly. Maybe I was disappointed not to be able to hold my sign, but only a tiny bit – I was relieved Bolingbrook could absorb a second mosque without getting up in arms. This was probably helped by the fact that our Village government – our mayor especially – has been involved with and supportive of the local Muslim community for at least the past 25 years, especially the Pakistani Independence Day festival every August (the oldest and largest in the country, last time I checked). I went with a friend to explore it in 2012. […]