By Guy Chapman
While Corsicana sits a long way from the Pacific Ocean, a part of that experience comes to town this weekend.
The Micronesian Festival is set from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Wolens Special Events Center, located at 3200 W. Seventh Ave. on the Navarro College campus. The event is free and open to the public, featuring traditional food and cultural performances.
The community behind the festival has deep roots in Corsicana, tracing back to 1947, when the United Nations designated the Pacific island nations of Micronesia as U.S. trust territories. In the 1980s, three of the four nations chose to self-govern, signing the Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the United States. The agreement allows Micronesians to live, work and study in the U.S.
A special grant through the program selected colleges across the country, including institutions in Michigan, Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, and Texas, to host students. Navarro College was among them.
Harold Crouch, then the college’s international counselor, established what became the Micronesian Student Program at Navarro. Through it, students began arriving in Corsicana. Many completed their studies and remained in the community.
Today, Corsicana is home to residents from all four Micronesian nations: the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The latter includes the states of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae, each with distinct languages and customs.
While the COFA agreement expired in 2023 and underwent months of renegotiation, President Joe Biden signed a renewed version in 2024, maintaining ties between the United States and the island nations.
This year’s festival also includes a community donation drive organized through Navarro College to support families affected by Super Typhoon Sinlaku across Micronesia and the Mariana Islands. Many communities in the region are dealing with damaged homes, widespread power outages, and limited access to clean water.
Organizers are collecting shelf-stable, non-hazardous items, including drinking water, canned and non-perishable foods such as tuna, SPAM, rice, ramen, and peanut butter, along with flashlights, solar lights, extension cords, tarps, rope, duct tape, and gloves. Drop-off collection will take place during the festival at the Wolens Special Events Center.
Hazardous materials, including fuel, chemicals and lithium-ion batteries, will not be accepted.
Saturday’s festival is a chance for Corsicana to see the results of that long-standing relationship in person: And for this year, also give something back.
Social Media
Communication
Bookmarking
Developer
Entertainment
Academic
Finance
Lifestyle
About Author
Discover more from THE NAVCO CHRONICLE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.