OCTOBER 2006

WHO WON THE CAR?
One of the most highly anticipated events of
the festival was the drawing for a 2006
Range Rover Sport HSE, with a suggested
retail price of $59,350. Thousands of people
crowded around the stage Sunday evening as
the winning names were drawn. A little over
$1,000 tickets were sold at $100 each.
The Shallal family of Sterling Heights —
Ghayda, Naiel, Francis and Franchesca —
were the lucky winners of the car.
Second prize, $1,500 cash, went to
Naseem Kathawa of Sterling Heights.
Third prize, $1,000 cash, went to Samir
Maroki of Sterling Heights.
Fourth through seventh prizes, a year’s
worth of Stroh’s Ice Cream donated by
Country Fresh, went to: Simon Jonna of West
Bloomfield, Saber Kassab of Birmingham,
Debbie McDonald of Lathrup Village, and
Rodney Gappy of West Bloomfield.
From left, Howard Openo of World of Erhard with the Shallal family of Sterling Heights: Ghayda, Naiel, Francis and Franchesca.
Unseasonable temperatures did
nothing to keep the crowds
from converging on
Southfield’s Civic Center
lawn last month for the
Chaldean Festival. Some
estimates put the crowd at
more than 10,000 on Sunday,
September 10.
The hordes warmed the hearts of festival organizers,
who suffered through a very slow Saturday
thanks to steady rainfall. But by early afternoon on
Sunday, it was clear that people were not letting
the cool weather keep them away. The festival
raised about $25,000 for the Chaldean Chamber
Foundation, the charitable arm of the Chaldean
American Chamber of Commerce, which organized
the event.
People of all races and faiths attended, though
the predominant presence was, not surprisingly,
Chaldean. Children jostled and played, teens held
hands, older men worked their worry beads, parents
pushed strollers and generations of families
walked together as they took in the sights.
“This festival is way overdue for our community,”
said Carl Dallo, who chaired the event with Ed
Babbie. “We need to unite our community a little
more from east side to west side. There is a big
divider — I don’t know if it’s Woodward or
Telegraph, but we are not united. This is a good
start, a wonderful good start.”
Babbie said the festival had many goals, including
benefiting businesses and “displaying our culture
to non-Chaldeans.” Enid Brown, who lives in
Franklin, said she came for just that reason. “I wanted
to learn more about the Chaldean culture,” she
said as she perused the literature at the chamber
booth. “I try to attend all different kinds of events.”
Whether they were selling American-style
hamburgers or Middle Eastern specialties, the
various food vendors did a brisk business. Forty
merchants sold everything from mortgages to
jewelry, banking services to statues.
Women sat and chatted, men smoked the
hooka and a group of youngsters sat in a circle to
play cards. Nearby, an impromptu foosball tournament
broke out.
“This is a great event for the Chaldean community,”
said Paul Jonna, one of the dozens of
volunteers, as he worked the Chaldean
Chamber Party Store. “It’s an event that brings
our community together,” agreed Flora Kuza,
who volunteered to work at the festival both
days.
A variety of performers took to the stage,
with rap and pop music the flavor of the afternoon
and authentic Chaldean music getting
everyone moving as the day progressed. People
held hands and danced the khigga, depka and
shaikhani in a circle around the raffle grand
prize — a 2006 Range Rover Sport.
The children’s area was a bit hit, with kids
doing the three-legged race and spirited tugs of
war. Over at the large inflatables, children
scrambled up and down slides and mazes. “Easy,”
is how Yasmeen Sarafa, 5 1/2 years old,
described her ascent to the top of the rock wall.
At the dunk tank, volunteers braved the frigid
water as gleeful participants hit their mark.
The line for balloon animals and airbrush tattoos
never let up, while next door, people sat
patiently as their caricature was drawn. One little
boy seemed to miss the point of the exaggerated
drawings. “But,” he said in disbelief after
being presented with his fanciful portrait, “I
look like a cartoon!”
30 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2006