Area Turks plan to expand the Cedar Valley’s cultural knowledge through their new center on Main Street in Cedar Falls.
The Turkish American Society of Iowa plans an opening ceremony Saturday for the center, 1402 Main St., intended to expose area residents to Turkish cooking, coffee and art.
The event kicks off at 2 p.m. and will include a ribbon cutting, food, a brief film about Turkey and a presentation. The event will wrap up about 5 p.m. with a musical performance directed by Nurhak Tuncer, a graduate student in the University of Northern Iowa School of Music.
The society sprung out of the Iowa Dialog Center, which hosted cultural events on the UNI campus starting in 2005. Society president Recayi “Reg” Pecen said 10 to 13 area families support the center, as well as a number of students from UNI.
Most of the families are professionals, engineers or professors. They work closely with Turkish students.
Pecen said Turkish parents, sometimes reluctant to send their children to the United States, have been pleased with what they find in Iowa. He expects more Turkish students will find their way to Iowa as it becomes better known.
“They know New York and California, so they don’t know the beauty of the Midwest, particularly the safety,” Pecen said.
The Turkish American Society aims to increase understanding between Turks coming to America and Cedar Valley residents.
“We would like to have as many people as possible, especially our neighbors,” Pecen said.
In the future, the society plans to have Turkish cooking classes, likely starting with how to make baklava.
Wcfcourier.com
Leave a Reply