Benton County Fair Plays Host To Cultural Event [VIDEO]

SAUK RAPIDS - The second day of the Benton County Fair held a special event at the activity square. An American Indian Pow Wow was put on by the St. Cloud State University American Indian Center and the Benton County Agricultural Society.

Tracy Scapanski-Schumann is a member of the Agricultural Society. She says it's been fun to bring a new event to this year's fair.

We like to treat our fair as an open class room for people of all ages, and what better to put on an a very fun and educational event for them to come and experience a pow wow hands on.

Agricultural Society member Joe Scapanski agrees, saying he has learned a lot about the American Indian Culture.

Scapanski says, "Knowledge is power. I think because we don't know what's going on between different cultures. I think there's a stigma that we're different but yet we're not. This country has been a melting pot, it should still be a melting pot in my belief, and this is part of it."

This American Indian Pow Wow has been two years in the making. Both Tracy and Joe say this was a great way to learn about another culture.

Tracy says,

We really need to bridge the gaps of stereotypes, and to really explore the unknown. I think that people have a fear of the unknown, and they have all sorts of these different stereotypes. With that being said we wanted to create this educational event.

Joe says,

Everybody I believe is always on the same page. It doesn't matter if you are rich or if you're poor, what color of your skin is, it doesn't matter. We're all hear to enjoy the same thing, to learn, to be with one another. It's a great place.