Testimonials 2011
Had a great time at the festival on a saturday. Great food, beautiful and colorful costume dancers, lots of music to dance to. This was my first time at the event and certain will not be my last.
Check out my photos at the event: http://rmuego.smugmug.com/Other/Anatolian-Festival-2011/19426471_t7SZPF#1519407274_sWwDcpB
Mel Jenkins
Dear Friends with the Anatolian Festival...
I was fortunate enough to visit your wonderful festival 2 years ago, but to my sadness, missed it last year. This year I told many friends, homeschooling families, and they were all so pleased to attend.
Here are some excerpts from my communities reaction on facebook to your event:
- (We) had so much fun at the festival today! We loved the music, dancing, food and all the evil-eye accesories :-0 Thank you for posting on FB!
- We went yesterday and really enjoyed this.
- Olivia LOVED the artistry! She could have watched the ebru for hours. Food was divine. I agree with Julie, for the younger set there was a bit too much reading (I loved it!) Perhaps one of the lovely reinactors at each area could have given a short talk about the info included on their posters? Also, it may have been a function of coming on a week day, but we would have enjoyed even more dancing/music/demos. We really enjoyed the ones we did see! BTW thanks SO much for sharing about this with us!
- We ate our way through. Loved this page, describing all the food: http://www.anatolianfestival.org/foodlist I loved the Künefe, David had 2 of the chicken meatball sandwiches, 2 plates of the sticky ice cream, and Gozleme with spinach & cheese - can't remember what else, but it was wonderful!
- I absolutely LOVED walking "through time" and reading about each culture as we went through the archways. The reenactors were not very versed in their costumes, but were able to tell us about what was written on the walls. And they were very happy to pose with the kids for pictures. The Trojan Horse was awesome. He told us the original would have been about 10 times bigger and held hundreds of soldiers inside! Costumes great everywhere! We didn't eat there. And I had to leave to get Gwyn from Coast Live Oak so missed the dancing. But friends stayed with my little ones. Fun day!!!
- I love the entry through time. It is fascinating! All the sets are stunning. The friendliness of the staff and entertainers as they share their culture really shines.
- I LOVED the entry (tons of info, actual "gateways" were beautiful, costumed actors - so friendly and willing to take photos), folk dancing, and country backdrops (colliseum and church were incredible)! The whirling dervish was not what I had expected and I, too, wish they had explained what we were watching!! Also, wished they had some hands-on activities for kids .. even if for a small fee. And they told us there were no supplemental materials, even though they had school days ... would have been nice to have a print brochure, materials online, or something there to purchase for a minimal price. My old brain just can't retain all that information!
- We loved it too! We arrived around 1:00 as the school groups were leaving. The artisans were amazing. We somehow missed all the dancing, but ate plenty of food.
- We missed you all! got there much later then we anticipated. Thank you so much for telling us about it. We LOVED it!
I hope these testimonials help. Your event is like no other, and we are huge fans. Hope to see you next year!
Blessings,
Laurel Ward
I heard a rumor this may have been the last year, due to budget concerns.
This would be a tragic thing. We greatly enjoyed all that was presented on our trip. The festival was incredible and I have told so many people about it. Many of them hope to catch it next year, as we hope to return again for more learning, thanks for this opportunity to learn about such important history and culture.
Carissa
This is the most thoughtfully representation of Turkey and its history....no detail was left out. Something for all....history, wonderful food, dancing, entertainment, learning, kids section, and most of all the friendliness of everyone. Incredibly organized....you thought of everything....including security. Extremely well done.....thank you for this.....
Jean Tudor and friends.
Dear Organizers,
Again, your festival has been a superb experience for our family. We arrived to the call of the adhan and sampled many wonderful foods. We will mark our calendars from now for next year.
For those on a small budget we think your festival offers a wonderful setting for a wedding. You have the Masjid, the exciting places to visit, tasteful entertainment and wonderful foods.
Please do come back next year.
Sincerely,
Karima Khatib
I would just like to tell you how much my family has loved going to this event for the past 4 years! The music, food, desserts and scenery are very well put together and so enjoyable. I truly hope that you keep this event alive in Orange County for years to come! My husband is from Bodrum, Turkey and we don't get back there often so it is so nice to have a piece of home brought to us every year! Good luck and we hope to see you next year!
Peace be with you,
Melanie Kurutas
Mother to Alexis, 5, William, 3,
and Baby Kurutas, due in November
I just wanted to say how great and enjoyable the Turkish Festival was. This was my first year and I LOVED It. It was very nicely organized. The people were so polite and welcoming. The food and entertainment was awesome !! I have gone to many events in the last 6 months and I have to say that this was the most well organized of them all and the most entertaining for me. Please don't let this year be the last to have over here in Orange County. I would love you guys to have it again next year over here so I can go again.
Yussef
Thank you so much for the Anatolian festival. I've never seen anything like it! My family's background is vastly different but we really value giving children a multicultural upbringing and teaching tolerance. My young daughter had such a good time wandering around in the buildings. We loved the shows, the facades, and the food, but most of all I feel happy knowing she will grow up comfortable around people who look, sound, and dress different from her. One tiny step towards world peace, and you guys made it possible. Please do it again when she's bigger so I will have time to read all the fascinating historical information!
Alexandra Noyes
Thank you for putting on yet another great event! This was our second year attending and we so enjoyed it! I truly appreciate the professional and beautiful atmosphere you have created with the festival. Everything is so well thought out and planned and I really appreciate all the hard work it takes to put on such a huge event. May God reward all the organizers and staff for bringing the history and culture of Turkey to us here in Orange County.
Munire Ezzeldine
We went to the Festival Saturday and just loved it! Since we are born and bred in California we didn't understand the food signs. We were standing in a food line and asked a lady behind us what this was and if it was meat as I am vegan. She said she was Turkish and loved the dish, but yes it was meat. I asked about the wrap she was holding and she asked me if I wanted a bite? It was meat also, but she was so nice as all the people at the festival!
We will be back next year but can you get better signs on the food items for those of us who have a different diet? Also, maybe spread out the food vendors as this was the most busy area.
Thanks so much for a fun day!
Denise
I just wanted to drop a few lines of thank to all of the organizers and workers and sponsors of the Anatolian festival. I attended 3 years and each year is great! I missed seeing the larger band this year but i didn't take away from the overall beauty of the event. All of the workers were extremely friendly and accommodating and despite the number of people it didn't feel overly crowded or unorganized. The food lines moved quickly. The kids had a ball and the the atmosphere was just clean and sublime. People of all ages and ethnicities, religious beliefs and culture could appreciate this festival and I hope it continues for many years to come.
Thank you again
Victoria Caldwell
Thank you for having the Turkish festival in OC. It was very enjoyable.
I took my Uncle who was visiting from over seas and he enjoyed it a lot. He enjoyed hearing the AZAN and praying is the famous masjid. Congratulations for all your hard work.
I would love this event to come back next year.
Sahar
I just want to thank you for giving my daughters and I the opportunity to come explore the Turkish culture, history and food. The amount of information and detail to bringing everything alive was outstanding. We enjoyed a cooking demo, music, tasting Turkish food and drinks, exploring the beautiful art of marbling and glass blowing and brought home some wonderful pieces, as well. And those dressed in costume were a feast for the eyes. Loved it! We felt like we spent the afternoon in Turkey (Turkiye?).
Thank you for the experience!
Best,
Stephanie Simpson
Hello,
We thought the festival was very nice and all the festival employees really kind and helpful. We very much enjoyed attending. We also want to recommend three people who we felt did an outstanding job and made the Festival look *extremely* good as an educational/academic experience:
- The *lady* who stood at the Hittite gate
- The *gentleman* who stood at the Phrygian gate
- The *gentleman* who stood at the Ottoman gate
All of these three people knew their information *extremely* well, and could have gone on talking and educating the kids for hours. They made a great impression, set a great example and the kids were very enthusiastic re-explaining what they learned about the Hittites, Phrygians and Ottomans from these three people. And they went out to find out more about Anatolia and Turkey! Fantastic job and congratulations to those three employees! We could not talk to all employees at the gates, but those three made a deep impression.
*** Please, hire those three individuals again!!!! ***
However, we have two suggestions:
1) The festival was advertised as an educational event, so much so that schools were specially invited. It was therefore disappointing to find that the "gates of civilization" were not in chronological order, even though the dates were clearly written on the side panels long the walls. For example, the Commagenes were expected to appear after the Hittites, not the other way around, right at the entrance of the festival. The correct chronological order appears on the official website.
2) The employees representing the civilization should be well-read about the civilization they represent.
Thank you for the festival.
I attend the Turkish festival for the first time for me. It was great and I really like it. It is well organized, and the worker were polite and welcoming. Also, the food was super!! I am planning next year to bring my whole family and friends to the Turkish festival.
Thanks again to all, and see you next year :)
See U in 2012,
Eiman Albarazi