2012 Global Oklahoma at Rose State College raises awareness about Haiti

Cold weather on a dreary Saturday afternoon only made it easier on the English knights during the Global Oklahoma 2012 Festival at Rose State College.

“Layers,” Sanders said with a laugh. “That's the secret to staying warm. It's how they stayed warm in medieval England, too.”

A member of the re-enactment group, The Arthurian Order of Avalon, and a chiropractor and anatomy professor the rest of the year, Sanders attended the festival to represent his English and Celtic heritage.

Food vendors offered a taste of different cultures while a variety of performances, from Indonesian music to Native American dancing, unfolded at four stages set up around the campus mall.

Lisa Price, the festival's director, said more than 20 countries from around the world were represented this year. But organizers chose to put their primary focus on one particular country beset by recent tragedy: Haiti.

“One of the primary reasons we wanted to feature Haiti this year is due to the hardships that have occurred there,” Price said. “We want to offer the opportunity at the festival this year for approved relief organizations and projects to come to the festival and generate support and raise awareness for what they are doing in Haiti.”