Our Town: Lilburn

Lilburn City Park, 76 Main Street

770-638-2225; www.cityoflilburn.com

As a 40-year resident of Lilburn, former mayor Diana Preston has seen significant changes in the Gwinnett county town, but the most striking change has come in the growth of ethnic diversity.

“I remember 30 years ago when my daughter was in the third grade, she came home all excited that there was a new Hispanic student in her class who spoke Spanish,” recalled Preston, whose background also includes being an ESL coordinator in the Gwinnett schools. “We’ve come a long way in those years. We’re now a burgeoning merchant community that represents countries around the world, yet we’re still a small town.”

Linking those two ideas, Preston mobilized the community to create the city’s first celebration of its international mix. The “Small Town, Big World” event taking place next week will bring together a melange of the city’s cultural, civic and business groups.

“We are a small town, yet we have so many world connections,” said Preston. “It’s important to learn different customs and cultures to promote understanding. This event will engage the entire community, with people coming together and learning about each other. And it’s a venue where people of different ethnicities and cultures can show the pride in their heritage.”

The four-hour festival features presentations by representatives of several local consulates, as well as music, dance, food, exhibits, soccer demonstrations and a parade of flags representing the countries of local residents. The flags are courtesy of the First Baptist Lilburn Church, where 15 language congregations meet.

“Lilburn today has a population that’s close to 30 percent Hispanic, 15 percent Asian, 15 percent African-American and 40 percent white,” said Preston. “More than 100 languages are spoken in the schools.”

Preston has been working on the event since March, contacting local schools and churches as well as businesses. The main supporters are the Lilburn Community Partnership, SafetySmart Lilburn and the city itself. Margot Ashley, president of SafetySmart Lilburn, got her group involved as a way to engage the community.

“We thought this would be a way to help people become more comfortable with each other by doing something together they enjoy,” she said.

Organizing a community-wide event for the first time, has been a challenge, Preston said. “But we’ve received terrific support, even from many minority businesses that have not ever supported events like this in the past,” she said. “It’s turning out to be truly a community event.”