Washington State University and the Pullman community welcome its students every fall with the National Lentil Festival on Aug. 16, often the first American cultural experience international students have at WSU.
As Pullman prepares for the festival, local organizers say the event serves as both a community celebration and a warm welcome for the influx of students.
Timed with the start of harvest season, the festival takes place just as about 200 new international students fly into the Palouse from around the globe. It reflects what many describe as a broader community effort to help international students feel at home in rural Washington.
“We roll out the red carpet and try to get everyone down to the park to experience the community,” said Alexis Foran, Lentil Festival director and interim executive director for the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. “Then we break bread and eat chili that is from locally sourced lentils.”
The festival kicks off with a 5K race at 7:30 a.m., followed by the parade down Main Street at 11 a.m. Music begins at 12:30 and continues until 10 p.m. These and many more events, vendors, and child-related activities can be found on the Lentil Festival website.
International Programs has had a presence at the Lentil Festival parade for at least the last decade, and some students join in soon after arriving in the U.S. to enjoy the smiling faces of the crowd, even if the students are still a little jet-lagged from their trip.
Another event that signals to international students that they are welcome in Pullman is the annual picnic hosted by the Rotary Club of Pullman, which partners with IP for the outdoor cookout. Staff from IP will help serve food and Ferdinand’s ice cream for dessert.
Eric Hollenbeck, the past Rotary Pullman president and current chair of the club’s international service committee, said the club has held the annual picnic for at least the past 35 years. The picnic used to be held concurrently with Lentil Fest but has since migrated to campus as a distinct event. This year, it will be hosted on the back lawn of Bryan Hall on Aug. 15. The picnic aims to celebrate international students’ arrival at WSU but is open to all students who want to attend.
“The picnic has evolved with culture and thinking as society changes and becomes more mindful,” Hollenbeck said. “Typically, it was your standard American fare of hamburgers and hot dogs, but over the past few years we’ve brought different elements … and offered a different variety of foods and become more mindful to vegetarian options and different cultures that can only have certain foods.”
Hollenbeck said part of Rotary’s mission is to build a more empathic, understanding world, and that includes interacting with people from other cultures. Rotary has a presence in more than 200 countries.
“The picnic is a way to be good stewards of the Pullman community,” he said. “Many international students recognize the Rotary logo and impact in their home country. It reinforces global connectedness and builds that community spirit.”
The Interim Vice President for International Programs, Paul Whitney, said the community benefits from the intercultural exchanges that happen at the festival.
“Employers of Cougs tell us they value the skills students get by interacting with people from around the world,” Whitney said. “It is an important part of being career-ready in a state like Washington.”
Lentil Festival Director Alexis Foran echoed that sentiment, noting that both WSU and Pullman are enriched by international students, not only during their time at the university, but when some choose to stay and build lives here.
“That kind of pride and positive experience can’t remove you from Pullman, that’s part of your experience wherever you are in the world.”
The Lentil Festival is still seeking volunteers. Sign up on the festival website to help serve some chili.
