Driving up I-65 into Kentucky, you’ll notice a couple of big names upon entering Warren County – Fruit of the Loom and Corvette. Even if I’m just driving through Bowling Green on my way elsewhere, for fun I’ll check in on social media with my location as Fruit of the Loom Headquarters. The comments I receive always brighten my trip. Still, there are so many other reasons Bowling Green brings a smile to my face with its people being the primary reason. In a town of about 75,000 people, I am inspired by its diverse culture and how well anyone and everyone is received. 

I’m reminded of a Mark Twain quote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” But, whether you are able to travel or not, Bowling Green is one of those Southern towns that just may surprise you as it offers a certain anecdote similar to the one Twain wrote about.

 A shining example is the annual Bowling Green International Festival. From Bosnia to Burma and everywhere in between, you can easily eat your way through the world. Along with dances and musical performances, consider this festival your passport to experience the world without ever even stepping foot on a plane. 

Take the Colombian food truck, Parce Burgers, for example. A Whopper didn’t hold a candle to the giant hamburguesa that Paulo Coronado, co-owner and chef of Parce Burgers, shared with me while at the festival. Coronado told me that the main difference that a Colombian burger has as opposed to an American burger is that it features sweet ingredients, plus they're huge – double the size, actually. They’re also very rich. Some have pineapple, others have hashbrowns, and lots of sauces such as cilantro, pineapple, mayo, and ranch.  

Parce is actually Colombian slang for friendship, which is more than a mouthful considering Coronado’s life story. How she came to the states is one of persistence and determination – above all the friendship she has with her forever home of Bowling Green, Kentucky. 

Her mother raised all nine of her children as a single parent in Colombia. Coronado remembers those days as one of grave danger, as it was during a time when politically motivated violence was at an all time high. Terrified to remain in her hometown, her mother packed up the family and traveled by bus for three days to Ecuador where they would spend the next two years. “My mom went to the U.S. Embassy every day asking them to send us to the United States as refugees. She worked by selling things in the buses. Finally they gave us all a Visa to come here,” Coronado remembers all too well that time because while in Ecuador one of her sisters was kidnapped, ”My mom was very persistent in order to protect her family. We finally got here in 2003.” 

The family had a choice of Miami or Bowling Green for their refugee resettlement residence. Her mother chose Bowling Green because she saw Bowling Green as a real shot at peaceful living. “I was raised here, but have never forgotten my roots,” Coronado says that she chose to remain in Bowling Green as she now has a son and embraces all that the community offers. “People love us. You see other places where people are racists. They don’t like people of different races. But, here we are very loved. It’s a very diverse community, and the different cultures is what I love most about Bowling Green,” she smiles. 

Coronado isn’t alone. The story of resilience is one many new Bowling Green residents share. In fact, the city will soon welcome more than 600 new refugees, according to Debbie Wilson – a volunteer for the International Center of Kentucky (ICOK). Wilson told me that the majority of the refugees will be coming from Africa and Burma where “Many of them were born and raised in refugee camps, and have never been out until they come here.” A retired school teacher, Wilson teaches English as a second language for ICOK. 

The adults agree to participate in a four to six-month program in which volunteers like Wilson teach them English and other important skills necessary to thrive in their new environment. “It’s so much more difficult for the adults because I only have them two hours per day, three days weekly…the children have more time during the school year. But, I love the adults. They’re just so thankful to be here. They want to learn so badly,” Wilson adds that when they have to leave the program and work full-time, “It’s sad for me.” 

Other services offered by ICOK include but are not limited to assisting the school enrollment process for refugee children, getting their vaccinations, housing, and everyday life skills such as how to open a bank account, and even showing them how to work their home appliances. “We have case managers for everything,” Wilson explains.

To date, the ICOK has helped resettle over 10,000 refugees, victims of human trafficking, and immigrants from 30 countries around the world.

“We have a legal and moral obligation to protect people fleeing bombs, bullets and tyrants, and throughout history those people have enriched our society.”— Juliet Stevenson

Purchase tickets for the 2024 event here: https://www.bginternationalfest.com