Expand your horizons

If you would like to learn about other cultures, Celebrate Erie, which runs Thursday through Sunday, is the perfect venue to do so.

While the multicultural marketplace takes place on State Street, there will be an Erie Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Town Hall meeting inside Bagnoni Council Chambers on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

The town hall is sponsored by the Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the city of Erie and organized by Niken Astari Carpenter, executive assistant and refugee and immigration liaison for Erie Mayor Joe Schember, and Anjali Sahay, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at Gannon University.

At the town hall, participants can air concerns and ask questions, including queries about operating a business. "In my country, if I have money and want to sell kabobs, I open a barbecue," says Astari Carpenter, who is from Indonesia. In this country, prospective business owners have to know about zoning, licensing and other requirements.

Although the town hall is focused on Asian Americans, it will be of interest for anyone in Erie seeking to learn more about diverse cultures. It will be especially useful for those for whom English is a second language, she said. — Liz Allen

Erie AAPI: Asian American & Pacific Islander Community Town Hall

Aug. 19 – 1 to 3 p.m. / Bagnoni Chamber, Erie City Hall, 626 State St.