CRANBERRY TWP — People can discover and celebrate the township's diverse cultures through the fourth annual CranFest.

The free event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road. It's part international food, music and dance festival and part showcase of local government services.

“It's nice to see what is here locally,” said Sonia Jaiswal, event coordinator. “Sometimes people have no idea that all these cultures are here.”

“Cranberry is one of the few places that fosters diversity and inclusion in a very big way,” said Charles Hawkins, coordinator for the Cranberry Area Diversity Network, the group that puts on the event.

New this year are dedicated information tables for major world religions. Christianity, Islam and Hinduism will be represented, Jaiswal said.

“This is to tell people about the religions that are here and for people to know about the resources,” she said.

Cultural groups will perform dances, songs and other demonstrations throughout the day in the gym and the Town Square in the center of the municipal center. Ireland, China, the Philippines, Middle East, South Korea, Thailand, India and Native American will be represented.

Food booths with international fare from 11 countries will be available for people to taste their way across the world, including South Korea, Colombia, Pakistan, China, Peru, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Native American. New this year are foods from Hungary and Italy, Jaiswal said.

There will be a number of informational booths from cultural groups and local advocacy groups like Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians & Gays or PFLAG, CADN Special Needs and Mental Wellness Coalitions and North Hills Genealogists. People can learn more about the groups and participate in activities like arts and crafts and henna tattoos.

“The idea is to open the hearts and minds of people to their neighbors and residents in the area,” said Gary Winterhalter, coordinator with the diversity network. “And if we can do that then we've achieved a level of success, even if it's only a couple of people.”

Through the Cranberry at Your Service portion of the event, visitors can learn about how the township's various departments operate. Representatives from public works, public safety, parks and recreation, Cranberry Highlands, communications, engineering, fire department, EMS and customer service will be on hand to talk, answer questions and give demonstrations.

In the rear parking lot, a Touch-a-Truck event will explore some of Cranberry's fleet of vehicles and equipment.

CranFest began in 2015 as a way to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion for people of all cultures, ages, abilities and sexual orientations, “and to show that Cranberry Township and the area is a welcoming community,” Hawkins said.

For more information, visit the township website at www.cranberrytownship.org.