Sikh Resource Society, Schaumburg, IL and the Gurdwara Nanak Darwar Sahib, Olathe, KS participate in the Johnson County Old Settlers Fair
The Sikh Resource Society, Schaumburg, IL represented by S.Davinder Singh (IL Representative) and Ishwinder Singh Chattha (Kansas Representative), in conjunction with the many volunteers of the Gurdwara Nanak Darwar Sahib, Olathe, KS set up an exhibit and a food stall at one of the largest county fairs in the nation.
The ‘Old Settlers Fair’ held in Johnson County is held once a year and this year around 200,000 people attended it over a period of three days from September 7th – 9th, 2017.
Sikh Resource Society the newest member of the American Sikh Council (ASC) along with the Sikhs from the Nanak Darwar Gurdwara Sahib spent three days in Olathe, Kansas educating local Kansans about Sikhs and their contributions in America.
Free vegetarian food, bottled water and Gatorade were distributed from morning till night to those attending the fair while explaining the concept of langar, equality and the Sikh way of life.
A looped video presentation which explained about the Sikh heritage was setup for all those attendees wanting to learn by watching and listening to the informational videos.
Several hundred turbans/dastaars were tied while talking about what the turban/dastaar represents and how the fundamentals of love, unity, equal rights, social justice, womens equality and social activism are at the core of the Sikh ideology and way of life. These attributes are something which all Americans respect and understand as the basis of the American constitution.
Many of volunteers explained to the public about the involvement of Sikhs in the US armed forces and in the previous two World Wars. They also answered questions about the Sikh way of life and the distinct Sikh identity.
Since the local Gurdwara was within the Fairgrounds a few members took visitors on a short tour of the Gurdwara for those who were curious and interested to learn further.
On Saturday September 9th, 2017 approximately 70,000 attended the Old Settler's Parade which was held from 9 am - 12 pm. The local Sikhs also participated in the parade. The Kansan Sikhs not only had their own float in this parade, but they also handed out bottles of water to viewers attending this event along the parade route.
Over 7,500 brochures were given out and the response was overwhelmingly positive and visitors were very appreciative of the langar and dissemination of educational literature. Even the local sheriff’s department wanted more information on the Sikh heritage.