LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – The inaugural Community Culture & Cuisine event will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in St. Mary’s Square Shopping Center in Lexington Park, MD. Attendance is free! The event will be a family-friendly celebration of the diverse culture, cuisine, community, arts & entertainment in Lexington Park and beyond!
Wynne Briscoe heads up the Lexington Park Business Association’s events committee. “We wanted to celebrate all that is exciting and fun and different about Lexington Park,” said Briscoe. “Something different than a food truck festival or concert.” Then, in a brainstorming session with Commissioner Scott Ostrow and other community stakeholders, the idea for the Community Culture & Cuisine was born.
The CCC’s Entertainment Coordinator Kristin Kauffman hit the ground running recruiting local entertainment. “We’re excited because the Piscataway Nation Singers and Dancers will be performing an interactive traditional pow-wow,” said Kauffman. “Another exciting performance is from the Filipino American Association of Southern Maryland. They’ll be entertaining us with three traditional dances throughout the day.” There’s a Pub Sing, a performance from the Newtowne Players, an Indian Cultural Fusion dance, Ms. Story’s Living History performance, and more.
“And that’s just one of the stages at the event,” Kauffman said. “We have three stages, and one is just for children.” The Kinderplatz children’s area will have a play-and-learn area from Pure Play Every Day, a sidewalk chalk section, and a small performance stage for story time presented by the St. Mary’s County Library.
The Pabellón de Actividades boasts a dominoes tournament (preregistration required), travel-themed board games from St. Mary’s Board Gamers, a pinata-making demonstration, and a public tile mosaic painting project which will later be displayed at St. Mary’s Caring Soup Kitchen. Other interactive activities include splatter art from the Mad Splatter Shack, an open-hearth cooking demonstration from Historic St. Mary’s City, and a graffiti wall led by artist Tom Rogers.
“We can’t forget about the amazing food that Lexington Park has at its heart,” said Briscoe. “Great Mills Road alone has cuisines from all over the world, and we wanted to capture that.” There will be food trucks and food booths selling many different cuisine options, and there is a shaded area for dining. “You’ll be able to find fair food, but you’ll also find stuffed ham, barbecue, mofongo, lumpia, and everything in between.”
Rounding out the event are all the community partners that the CCC is excited to collaborate with. “We’ll have everything from live oysters from the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association to jewelry sales from the Piscataway Nation, and lawn games at the Cedar Point credit union booth,” said Kauffman. “This event has all the fun, but also provides a lot of resources to support the needs of the community.”
The LexBA is able to bring this event to the community in partnership with the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation and through the generosity of its major sponsors: St. Mary’s County Arts Council, Southern Maryland Folklife Center, Shore United Bank, Cedar Point Federal Credit Union, Southern Maryland Center for Independent Living, DevonShire Perfect Events Company, Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, Precise Systems, Verizon Business, Delegate Brian Crosby, MIL Corporation, Dyson Building Center, St. Mary’s County Government, and many other sponsors.
Community, Culture & Cuisine will be an annual signature event of the Lexington Park Business Association (LexBA) in partnership with the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation (CDC). All proceeds from this year’s event will fund the CDC’s mission of revitalizing Lexington Park through investment in residential and commercial communities. For more information about the event, visit https://stmaryscdc.org/lexba.
