Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
A variety of collard-based dishes will be offered at the festival. At a wellness and sustainability pavilion, festivalgo-
ers will have access to information on topics such as
nutrition and energy conservation.
The Champion, Thursday, October 15 - 21,2015
Music including reggae, jazz, blues, gospel and other genres will
be performed at the festival. Photos by Robert Ross
Festival to celebrate collards
by Kathy Mitchell
Nobantu Ankoanda
is on a mission to promote
healthy living, especially in
Black communities. Inspired
by a garlic festival in her na
tive California, Ankoanda
decided to create her own
festival around a nutritious
food. She chose one already
popular in her adopted state
of Georgia—collard greens.
Now in its sixth year
locally, the Collard Green
Festival this year will be Sat
urday, Oct. 24—rescheduled
from the original Sept. 26
date—hosted for the third
consecutive year by the city
of Lithonia and Mayor Deb
orah A. Jackson.
Popular in Asia, Africa,
North and South America,
collard greens are among the
world’s most healthful food,
according to whfood.com
and other sources. “Collard
greens, rich in color, texture
and taste, are a staple food
deeply rooted in the history
of Black Americans,” states
material prepared by festival
organizers. “With even more
calcium than kale and a high
concentration of other nutri
ents such as iron, vitamin A,
vitamin C and beta-carotene,
collard greens are arguably
the healthiest greens in the
world.”
The festival continues to
grow, according to Ankoan
da, who said there are more
activities and more attendees
each year. This year, ap
proximately 1,500 people are
expected. “Some people who
had planned to come found
themselves unable to after we
changed the date because of
weather, but perhaps some
who weren’t able to come
in September will be able to
make the October date,” she
said, noting that festival or
ganizers are trying to arrange
to move the event to a nearby
school if the weather is again
inhospitable.
In planning the festival,
Ankoanda borrowed an idea
from the garlic festival: cre
ate ice cream flavored with
the theme food. “When I
first approached people with
the idea of collard green ice
cream the reaction was ‘I
don’t think so,”’ Ankoanda
recalled. But, she said, per
sistence paid and she and a
collaborator developed a col-
lard ice cream that those who
sampled it agreed was tasty—
so tasty that the collabora
tor marketed it on his own,
leaving Ankoanda unable
to legally make and sell the
product she helped create.
“I had to start over, make
some changes and produce
a different collard ice cream.
It’s the most popular item at
the festival. People line up to
get it,” Ankoanda said. The
frozen treat is gluten-free
and safe for those who are
lactose intolerant, she added.
In addition to collard
ice cream, festivalgoers can
Sherry Boston
DEKALB COUNTY SOLICITOR-GENERAL
www.dekalbsolicitorgeneral.org
404.371.2201
Please Join Us for Our 5 th Annual
Community Resource Fair and Symposium on
BUILDING BRIDGES, MAKING CONNECTIONS:
COORDINATING A COMMUNITY RESPONSE
TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
(free breakfast to begin at 8:00 a.m.)
PLEASE BRING YOUR USED CELL PHONES
TO DONATE THROUGH VERIZON'S HOPELINE
Manuel Maloof Auditorium
1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, Georgia
ESVP BY OCTOBER 16, 2015 TO:
Deputy Chief SVU/Community Outreach
SONJA BROWN
404.371.2234 snbrown@dekalbcountyga.gov
MAKING DEKALB SAFER FOR ALL
October is National Domestic
Violence Awareness Month
look forward to collard
chips, collard salads, collard
dumplings, collard dip and
a host of other unusual culi
nary creations built around
the theme vegetable as well
as collards prepared many
ways. There also will be
foods that pair well with col
lard greens such as hot water
cornhread and other fresh
vegetable such as tomatoes
and onions.
New this year is “A Taste
See Festival on page 6A
Doc Talks
Upcoming Seminars at DeKalb Medical
The ABC’s of Breast Cancer
Prevention & Bling Your Bra
Thursday, October 27
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Community Room at DeKalb
Medical - Hillandale campus
While most people are aware
of breast cancer, many forget
to take the steps to detect
the disease in its early
stages. Learn what to
do to reduce your risk
of developing breast
cancer from physicians
and nurse navigators
who focus on how to be a
good steward of your health by
making diet and lifestyle
Bring a bra to “bling” or decorate
on that we provide. Decorated
bras will be displayed at the
hospital Breast Centers.
Call 770.233.7393 or visit
www.dekalbmedical.org.
Iman
Breast Cancer Survivor
DeKalb Medical
Hillandale
For a referral to a DeKalb Medical physician or to reserve
your space for these free seminars, please call 770.233.7393.
Light refreshments will be served. Parking is free.
www.dekalbmedical.org Jjdekalbmedical