Salem News
By Cate Lecuyer
10/30/07

BEVERLY - Feast on fresh sushi, twirl your fork around some spaghetti, order extra guacamole and dip freshly cracked lobster into butter - all during the same meal.
More than 30 local restaurants will contribute to the cuisine, but the North Shore YMCA buffet-style dining experience goes beyond the food. The Y's second annual International Fiesta will also feature entertainment like Irish step dancing, African drumming, belly dancing, Polynesian dancing and a Caribbean steel drum performance.

The three-hour fiesta starts at 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Last year, more than 100 people showed up, and the $3,500 in proceeds was enough to hire three international summer camp counselors. Sterling Woods Day Camp in Beverly hosted a counselor from Jamaica, Camp Spindrift in Gloucester hosted a counselor from China, and Children's Island Day Camp in Marblehead hosted a counselor from Ukraine. The children, ages 6 to 12, loved it, said Rob Hunt, director of product development.

"It opened up the eyes of kids in our program to new experiences and different cultures and traditions," he said.

This year, the YMCA hopes to bring counselors from across the world to all six of its North Shore branches, which also includes Salem, Ipswich and Haverhill. The program is part of a larger effort to increase international awareness, and take advantage of the nonprofit's status as a global organization.

"We have YMCAs in more than 120 countries," Hunt said.

In addition to hiring summer camp counselors, the North Shore YMCA wants to teach kids about specific countries during after school programs. Ideally, each YMCA branch would provide information about different food, dress, instruments, or traditions.

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