With dancing and crafts scheduled, Renton Technical College is holding its “Hands On!” Festival June 9.

The festival showcases the college’s technical training programs, with craft tables, information booths, a crane-folding project and participatory dancing. This includes square dancing with caller RTC instructor Stephen Cole and line dancing taught by English as a Second Language Instructor Lilian Egbejimba. The evening will finish with line-dancing.

This free event will be held in the campus cafeteria and is for all ages.

Students are preparing for the event by folding 1,000 origami cranes, symbols of peace, healing and loyalty, which they are asking the community to help them finish at the festival.

“The act of folding is very quiet and requires that you focus your attention. So it refreshes the mind and spirit,” said Liz Falconer, RTC curriculum and technology specialist. “Since this year’s festival theme is “Hands On!,” we are doing this to celebrate the simple, yet beautiful things we can create with our hands.”

Students in RTC Instructor Dave Parker’s welding class are constructing a crane holder to be on display at the festival and afterwards in the campus library in a special “Crane Alcove” for reflection.

There will also be other crafts available for the public to make, such as creating wearable Japanese-style “Kabuto” hats out of newspaper, making and decorating hand silhouettes, paper flowers, bracelets and greeting cards using watercolors and salt.

There will also be a “Henna for your Hands” booth and another booth where visitors can have their name written in six different languages. Booths will be run by the school’s English as a Second Language students, who come from all over the world.

The school’s first found art competition will be on display and visitors are asked to vote on their favorites.

Hot dogs, cookies, chips and lemonade will be served at the festival.

The event is sponsored by the RTC Foundation, King County Library System and the Renton Municipal Arts Commission.

Hands On! events

DATE: Thursday, June 9,  4 p.m.- 9 p.m.

WHERE: RTC cafeteria, 3000 N.E. Fourth St., Renton

FOR MORE INFO: Contact Liz Falconer at lfalconer@rtc.edu or call 425-235-7905.

SCHEDULE:

4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Information tables, craft booths, crane folding project open

5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Free hot dogs – buffet-style dining

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Participatory dance

6:30 p.m., Welcome by Mayor Denis Law

6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Square dance with Stephen Cole

7:45 p.m., Found art winners announcement

8 p.m. – 8:45 p.m., Line dancing