MJHips---Ramblings on Festival

When searching for my first newscast story, I was torn between two ideas...rare, I KNOW! I couldn't decide if I should cover a stop the violence rally or the annual Middle East Festival, after reading about them in the Post-Standard. Because I'd previously covered a stop the violence summer camp, I decided to go with the festival...something new and exciting.
The festival was very lively when I arrived with three friends from class---Marissa, Richard and Sean---who immediately rushed off to feast on the many culinary delights on display. I headed inside to the marketplace to find people to interview. The marketplace, where people were selling Middle Eastern jewlrey, clothing and trinkets, was much less impressive than the food stands outside.
After talking to a few vendors and customers inside, I headed back outside into the bright sunlight to find my next victims. Most of the people I spoke with of Middle Eastern descent had relatives from Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
I joined a group of ladies waiting to see their grandchildren perform in the festive arabic dances. There, I spoke at length with an elderly woman named Betty from Geneva, New York---the home of my undergraduate college. She fascinated me---as her parents had moved to Geneva from Syria. She said Geneva had a large Syrian population---something I was not aware of my entire four years at college. However, I wasn't surprised---college for me revolved around schoolwork and partying...I didn't make enough effort to immerse myself in my surrounding community.