Turkish cultural festival held in Philadelphia

A Turkish cultural festival was held in Philadelphia on Saturday with the participation of many Americans and Turks from various US states. The festival was held at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park. Those living in the state of Pennsylvania were the main attendees of the festival, but there were also many visitors from New Jersey and Delaware who took great interest in the Turkish cultural fest. Speaking during the opening ceremony of the festival, Turkish Consul General in New York Levent Bilgen said distance is not important at all, adding that "what is most important is the union of hearts and ideas. President of the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) Ali Cınar stated that May is the month of festivals for Turks living in America. Cınar also invited people to the 32nd Turkish Day Parade that will be held in New York on May 18.The chairman of the Committee of Turkish Festival in Philadelphia, Orhan Bayram, thanked all the people who attended the festival. The attendees enjoyed sampling various foods of Turkish cuisine which were being sold in booths set up by Turks. The attendees also participated in the horon, a folk dance from the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, which was accompanied by a kemenche. Turkish pop singer Davut Guloglu gave a concert during the festival. Among the attendees of the festival were representatives of organizations such as the Turkish American Friendship Society of US (TAFSUS), the Young Turks Association, the Paterson Turkish American Society, the Giresun Turkish American Association, Ankara's Middle East Technical University (ODTU) Alumni Association, the Azerbaijan Society of America and the Turkish American Security Foundation (TSFO).