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More than a hundred people milled around the commons area at Steamboat Springs High School on Tuesday night sampling food from Poland, Slovakia, Southeast Asia and Mexico.

Among the faces were people from Africa, several Latino countries and Eastern Europe. The sound of several languages blended into one murmur that night as Steamboat revealed its growing international side.

This was the third annual International Evening.

While attendees walked from one informational booth to another, Irish Step Dancers performed and the African Dance Troupe and drummers from Robin Getter's Center for Movement Arts gave a close-up rendition of their piece from the Steamboat Dance Theatre.

Amid the festive atmosphere, a few posters reminded passers-by of the theme of the evening. Everyone was gathered not just to celebrate diversity but also to remember that many of the international people in our community are here as asylum seekers, fleeing painful memories in their home countries.

In Steamboat, there is a small population of almost 20 Mauritanians who fled a bloody civil war along with 100,000 others. They made their way to the United States and then Steamboat Springs, not through a refugee resettlement program, but on their own, following leads for work from friends.

Phil Gazley, volunteer and church relations coordinator for the Lutheran Family Services Refugee Program, was the keynote speaker at Tuesday night's event.

He praised the efforts of the West African Care Team, a group of Steamboat residents who took the initiative to form friendships with the West African asylees and help them adjust to their new life and culture.

He also spoke about the bigger refugee picture beyond this mountain town.

He spoke about the situation in Darfur, Sudan, but also highlighted other tragedies of equal scale that are getting far less American press.

The Palestinian situation, he said, has created the largest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world.

As for the growing numbers of refugees escaping Sudan, he said, their situation is very similar to one experienced by the Mauritanians who live in Steamboat.

Debbie Ratliff, a volunteer at the event, stood in the back of the room listening closely. She and her husband moved to Steamboat a year ago from Denver. She spent 20 years of her life in Denver working with refugees through the Colorado Department of Education's English as a Second Language Program.

"Working with this population is always rewarding and never boring," she said.

-- To reach Autumn Phillips call 871-4210 or e-mail aphillips@steamboatpilot.com