Royalty bring multi-cultural festival to Cove

Special to the Leader-Press 

The Philippines, Guam, Samoa, Germany, Korea, Italy, and Mexico. These are just a handful of the countries expected to be represented at the inaugural Copperas Cove Multi-Cultural Festival scheduled Sept. 22 at Ogletree Gap Park. 
The event is the community service project of Ms. Five Hills Ashley Coombs whose platform of service is involving students in the arts, sports, dance, gymnastics and more to develop their talents and grow their minds and their bodies. 
“The funds raised at the multicultural festival will benefit Communities in Schools, an amazing program in CCISD, which will use the funding to help children afford extracurricular activities that will enhance their learning experience along with several other opportunities for our children to succeed in life.”
Coombs is heavily involved with children’s activities as the director of operations for GymKix, Copperas Cove’s largest provider of after-school and summer programs and has produced a multitude award-winning dance and gymnastic routines. Coombs herself is a championship dancer.
Edith Natividad, a former titleholder in the pageant program and now a member of the scholarship program’s committee, is co-chairing the event with Coombs. 
“I want our Copperas Cove and neighboring communities to get together. Copperas Cove is a culturally diverse population and this free event will be open for everyone to enjoy the live entertainment, different vendors, different food and various goods and wares from different cultures,” Natividad said. “I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time. Our neighboring cities have these types of events and there is no reason we cannot celebrate the various cultures that make up Copperas Cove too. Thanks to the royalty all coming together, this vision will come true.”
Natividad has also danced her entire life into adulthood, taking leadership positions with various dance groups including the local Filipino American Organization including serving as past president and servings as the vice president of the Multi-Cultural Association of Central Texas. Natividad has been a member of Polynesian Micronesia Dance Group since 2002. 
The Copperas Cove Multi-Cultural Festival will run 12 p.m.-6 p.m. at Ogletree Gap Park. Interested vendors and entertainment groups should contact fivehillspageant@gmail.com.