Students, faculty members, and residents of the Galesburg-area community celebrated cultures from around the world at Knox College's 2014 International Fair, which wrapped up January 25 with a Cultural Showcase talent show and an international buffet. (Photo at top: The Parade of Flags, which opened the Cultural Showcase.)

Angela McNeal, a Knox sophomore from Oakland, California, performed in the Cultural Showcase as a member of Pandora's Box, a high-energy dance group.

Angela, who has a self-designed major in dance studies, said she enjoys I-Fair because she likes learning about people from all over the world.

"I've always been interested in being more culturally enriched," she said. "You learn about their clothing, food, dance - everything that their culture embodies, you see it at I-Fair."

Her favorite part? "The food."

"I just think it's really nice to see that people are so proud to display their culture," Angela added. "Here at Knox, you're able to do that."

David Roman, a Knox junior from Quito, Ecuador, participated in the Cultural Showcase as a member of Ritmo Caliente, a dance group that performed a variety of Latin dances, including salsa and meringue.

He also performed in the showcase last year, as part of a Bollywood dance group. This year, he said, the dances are more familiar to him because he learned them while growing up.

David said he is a big fan of I-Fair. "There's so much mixing of cultures. It opens so many perspectives for people," he said. "It's a great opportunity for showing our culture."

Greg and Sharon Mangieri of Galesburg invited Greg's co-worker, Yang Shuo, to join them at the International Fair events on Saturday. The two men work at China Railways Material-USA in Galesburg, and Yang -- originally from China -- just moved to Galesburg in October.

The Mangieris have been to I-Fair before.

"We just thought he would enjoy it," Greg said, adding that he hoped Yang would have the chance to meet other people from his native country.

"I love the talent, the food," Sharon said.

"This is the first time I'm in Galesburg and have seen so many Chinese people," said Yang. "I'm happy I can meet a lot of new friends and that I have more knowledge of Knox."

In addition to popular community events -- the Parade of Flags, student talent show and international buffet -- International Fair has grown to encompass a week of student-focused events and activities on the Knox College campus. This year, they included Traditional Outfit Day, a FIFA 14 videogame tournament and iMAG, a student-produced magazine of photos from around the world.

More photos from the week-long student campus celebration of International Fair 2014 at Knox College, and prior years, are available in a collection at the Knox College Flickr channel

International Fair 2014 photography by Jiaqi Li, Hadee Ahmadi.