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It’s been 25 years since Rogue Valley residents gathered in Alba Park for the first Greater Medford Multicultural Fair. A few things have changed. The fair, featuring food, drink and live entertainment, now takes place in Pear Blossom Park. It added a Cultural Conversations Cafe to create space for sharing personal experiences amid the festivities. But the spirit of the fair has remained consistent, said organizer Debra Lee. “It always has a magical environment,” she said. “Everybody’s happy and in a spirit of celebration.” The fair continues to grow, and this year will feature Woodburn High School’s mariachi band — the oldest high school mariachi band in Oregon — as well as dance and music from Hawaii, India and Africa. “Our focus is to make sure that everyone feels welcome,” Lee said. A number of people have attended the fair every year since it began, she said, and she attended before being involved as an organizer. Gilda Montenegro-Fix, another organizer, ushered in the Cultural Conversations Cafe, which brings people together over food and drink for dialogue and storytelling. Montenegro-Fix describes the cafe as “a space out of the buzzing fair that’s kind of more quiet, where we have coffee and pastries and tables and chairs and people there helping you connect with each other.” Conversations about ethnicity, race and diversity can sometimes lead to tension or fear, but Montenegro-Fix said the cafe is “wide open, and for the six hours we’re there, there are volunteers offering basically just a friendly space, a safe space.” In her work as a cultural agility trainer and consultant, Montenegro-Fix said more companies are asking for help to be more inclusive. “It’s part of a positive change,” she said. An ever-changing rotation of performing artists share their cultures with fair attendees through music and dance. Leilani Kahananui is a founding member of the Ashland-based hula school Halau Hula o Na Pua o Hawaii Nei. She and several of her classes will perform the storytelling dance form at 12:45 p.m. “After we’re done, we’ll get a lot of people who come up and talk story with us,” Kahananui said. “We kind of pull everybody in, and we’re one big family,” she said. “We welcome newcomers all the time.” The event is free and open to the public; food and drinks can be purchased. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Kaylee Tornay at [email protected] or 541-776-4497. Follow her on Twitter @ka_tornay. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Kaylee Tornay at [email protected] or 541-776-4497. Follow her on Twitter @ka_tornay .