SPRINGDALE, Arkansas — The Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese (ACOM) is hosting the 4th annual Stroll the Atolls event at Shiloh Square in Springdale.
The festival celebrates the Marshallese culture and heritage with the Northwest Arkansas community and beyond. This year's theme for the festival is navigation.
They'll showcase how their community has navigated for thousands of years using primitive knowledge. One tool their coordinators have presented is the Medo, or a stick chart that maps out the stars, ocean waves and currents, and the locations of the islands.
The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History partnered with ACOM to put on a Marshallese Weaving Workshop. The interactive workshop will have weaving demonstrations and opportunities for guests to try it out. It takes place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the event.
Anyone visiting the festival can expect a full afternoon of traditional live music, food, and dances. The event won't exclusively showcase the Marshallese community, however, as there are other Pacific islands represented with vendors expected.
In previous years, the event was held at the Jones Center before making its way to Shiloh Square. It may be their biggest event yet as ACOM says they've doubled the number of vendors compared to 2022 Stroll the Atolls. Emma Avenue will be closed as their vendors and stages will spill out from Shiloh Square to the surrounding area.
The festival will take place at Shiloh Square from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, you can visit the ACOM website.
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