The world got smaller Saturday at the seventh annual Families of Ames Celebrate EthnicitieS festival, if only for a little while.

The celebration, known as FACES, which began in 2001, drew a crowd of all ages to Ames City Hall to experience the unique talents of some of the cultures that have come to make up Ames and central Iowa. Ames Mayor Ann Campbell praised the support of the assembled crowd, which included numerous children who attended both as performers and spectators.

“I am glad everyone decided to come out today. I am especially glad to see all these young people taking an interest in diversity,” Campbell said. “It’s great to have lots of kids out in the audience running around.”

In the morning, visitors had the opportunity to mingle at their own pace, browsing booths created by organizations from Iowa State and the greater central Iowa community. After lunch, FACES became a stage exhibition, giving each culture a chance to demonstrate how it celebrates itself through performance.

The afternoon’s featured performer was Paxton Williams, an ISU alumnus and executive director of the George Washington Carver Birthplace District Association. Paxton performed a one-man play as Carver, Iowa State’s historic first black graduate, highlighting the struggles and accomplishments of the “Plant Doctor” whose friendship and expertise were sought by such historical figures as Joseph Stalin, Henry Ford and Mahatma Gandhi. His performance established a theme that people and things are too often “thrown away,” a fate Carver nearly met upon being denied enrollment on one of his first attempts to enter college, but persevered to overcome.

“I learned long ago that how far you go in this life has to do with your intention with others,” Williams said, in character. “Your compassion for the aged, the benefit you provide for the weak and the strong. And some day if you are lucky, you will have it all.”

Other performances included dances from Latin America, the Middle East, Thailand, Malaysia and Zeta Phi Zeta step dancing, a style show of traditional African clothing, as well as musical performances by the Ames Children’s Choir and the Turkish Student Association.

Ames resident Mellie Brown has attended the FACES festival each year since its inception. Although she had a few favorites in the show, she said, her appreciation was for the public’s chance to learn about the elements of the central Iowa community.

“It is interesting to see what all we have in this town that is good, free entertainment,” Brown said.

Behind the scenes, Ames resident Valerie Williamson, who has participated in past festivals performing the Argentinean Tango, volunteered backstage at this year’s show, keeping the exhibition on track. She said the best part of each year’s FACES festival has been meeting people eager to add their cultural perspective to the celebration.

“Everyone gets to share what they do and what they know,” Williamson said. “Ames, I think, is very fortunate to have people who share. It is so easy to just sit back and not share what you have.”