Last year, I had the chance to attend the Marianas Festival in Fairview, Oregon, and I am still thinking about it.
The food was amazing. The music was hitting. The vendors showed up. Families filled the park. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling, hugging, sharing stories, and celebrating where we come from.
It felt like one huge family reunion thousands of miles away from home.
But what stayed with me the most was not only how much fun we had. It was seeing how proud everyone was to be connected to the Marianas.
People in the Pacific Northwest are hungry for our culture. They want the food. They want the music. They want the language, the stories, and the feeling of being surrounded by people who understand them.
That is what Tommy, Bertina, and the entire MÅGI team are creating.
They are not simply putting together an event.
They are building a home away from home.
What Does MÅGI Stand For?
MÅGI stands for the Marianas Alliance for Growth of Islanders.
MÅGI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage of the Chamorro and Refaluwasch/Carolinian people while creating unity, education, opportunity, and empowerment within the Marianas community.
Their work is about making sure our customs, traditions, arts, food, music, dance, and stories continue for the next generation.
It is also about supporting our artists, performers, food vendors, small businesses, and cultural teachers. MÅGI gives our people a place to share their gifts, earn income, meet new customers, and feel proud of what they represent.
The words “Maila’ Mågi” invite people to “come here.”
That invitation is simple, but it says so much:
Come eat with us.
Come learn with us.
Come dance with us.
Come share your story.
Come be part of the family.
Divided by the Land, Connected by the Ocean
One of MÅGI’s main messages is:
“Divided by the Land, Connected by the Ocean.”
“Man Apattáo gi Tano’, lao Man Chetton gi Tasi.”
Our people may live in different places now. Some are in Guam. Some are in Saipan, Tinian, or Luta. Others have built lives in Oregon, Washington, California, Texas, or somewhere else across the country.
But the ocean does not have to separate us.
It can connect us.
MÅGI’s mission brings together the Chamorro diaspora from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with the Refaluwasch/Carolinian community. Their goal is to create pride, belonging, understanding, and unity across the entire Marianas family.
That is what I love about Marianas Fest.
It is not only Guam.
It is not only the CNMI.
It is the Marianas—together.
Saipan. Tinian. Luta. Guam. Our Refaluwasch brothers and sisters. Our families who were born back home. Our children who may have been born stateside. And everyone whose life has been touched by our islands.
Tommy and Bertina Are Helping Keep the Fire Alive
I have a lot of love and respect for Tommy and Bertina.
What they are helping build takes a tremendous amount of work.
People see the performances, food, vendors, and crowds on festival day. They may not see all the meetings, phone calls, fundraising, planning, setup, cleanup, stress, and time away from family that happen behind the scenes.
Tommy, Bertina, the staff, and the volunteers continue to put in that work because they understand how important this is.
They are keeping the fire alive for people who cannot fly home whenever they feel mahalang.
They are creating a place where someone can hear island music, smell food cooking, see cultural dancing, speak with people from home, and feel like they are back in the village—even if only for one day.
That matters.
Culture, Community and Opportunity
Marianas Fest is a party, but it is also much bigger than a party.
The festival gives performers a stage. It gives artists and makers a marketplace. It gives food vendors a chance to share the flavors of home. It gives families access to helpful community resources.
At the 2024 festival, MÅGI reported hosting 57 vendors and 15 resource booths, including organizations offering health, financial, and community support.
The festival has continued to grow. MÅGI reports that attendance grew from more than 8,000 people in 2024 to more than 20,000 in 2025.
That growth tells us something.
Our people want this.
Our children need this.
And the Pacific Northwest is showing that Marianas culture is alive, strong, and growing.
A Reminder Not to Take Home for Granted
Being at Marianas Fest also reminded me how blessed we are back home.
On Guam and throughout the Marianas, we can sometimes take the little things for granted.
We hear the language. We eat the food. We see the ocean. We visit family. We feel the warmth. We experience the Håfa Adai and inafa’maolek spirit in everyday life.
But when you meet someone who has not been home in 10, 20, or even 30 years, you see how much those little things mean.
You see the emotion when the music begins.
You see families filling their plates with food they grew up eating.
You see parents teaching their children where their family comes from.
It makes you realize that our culture is not small.
It is powerful.
And we all have a responsibility to protect it, share it, and pass it forward.
We Are Coming Back for Marianas Festival 2026
I am proud to say that Blades by Crank will be back for Marianas Festival 2026.
The full experience begins with a pre-show concert on Thursday, August 27, followed by cultural workshops on Friday, August 28. The main festival is now one big day on Saturday, August 29, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview, Oregon.
I will be bringing a limited batch of SHINARP Blades by Crank knives inspired by our islands, stories, and culture.
My two little Cranks will also be coming out with me. They will be representing Village Kids and selling their own merchandise.
That makes this trip even more special.
They will not only hear me talk about supporting our community. They will get to experience it. They will meet our people, see our culture being celebrated, and learn what it means to build something with pride.
That is how culture continues.
One story at a time.
One meal at a time.
One song at a time.
One child at a time.
Come Celebrate With Us
To Tommy, Bertina, the MÅGI staff, every volunteer, sponsor, performer, vendor, cultural teacher, and family helping make this possible:
Si Yu’us Ma’åse.
Thank you for keeping the Marianas spirit alive in the Pacific Northwest.
Thank you for reminding our people that no matter how far away they may live, they still have a village.
And thank you for showing the next generation that being from the Marianas is something to carry with pride.
PNW familia, Blades by Crank and the Village Kids are coming back.
Come eat. Come dance. Come support the vendors. Come learn something new. Come say buenas at our booth.
Most importantly, come celebrate who we are.
Maila’ Mågi. Stay SHINARP, and Biba Marianas!
—Frank “The Crank” Camacho