Little Indonesia district dream still alive in Somersworth as 2023 festival arrives

SOMERSWORTH — Raude Raychel and Indonesian Community Connect are planning for a long-term future in the city as they also prepare for the 10th annual Indonesian Festival.

There is a large Indonesian population in Somersworth, the state's smallest city, and the ultimate dream is to raise tens of millions of dollars to create a Little Indonesia district. Indonesian Community Connect was founded in 2017, with that goal in mind.

But first there is the festival, scheduled to run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. It has been moved to Somersworth High School, with most events planned to be in the cafeteria, according to Raychel. This is due to the potential impact of Hurricane Lee, which, as of midweek, was expected to bring heavy rain to the area Saturday.

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Cultural center closed as dream of Little Indonesia is evaluated

In May 2021, Raychel, local political leaders and Indonesian ambassadors joined the community to celebrate the opening of a Little Indonesia Cultural Center at 156 High St. It featured a gift shop, arts center and a food pantry and hosted educational programs and services for the local Indonesian community.

The center has since closed, and Raychel said they are looking for a new location.

"That center was only on a two-year lease," she said. "We opened it to create awareness of who we are, of what we can offer the community. It was a good way to begin forming public-private partnerships by having a physical space. We are looking and may choose another, but our focus at the moment is on creating a primarily digital presence and on studying what our next moves will be."

Raychel said the center became very demanding, but plans now call for a year of study.

"We began in June and will continue through June 2024," Raychel said. "We want to find the best ways to maximize our resources and what we do. We want to find the way to create Little Indonesia."

Little Indonesia district dream in Somersworth remains lofty goal

Raychel said realistically creating a Little Indonesia district in Somersworth is a huge undertaking, with an estimated price tag of $40 million to $50 million.

"We are working in a phased approach," she said. "We are in phase 1 now but ready to enter phase 2. We are working locally, with the state, and with international groups to find more permanence. We are considering that phase 2 will need $8 million to $10 million to implement, and that includes funding ... a permanent space. In the meantime, we are keeping things like our culturally appropriate food pantry by working with area churches and other groups."

In phase 1, Raychel said the focus was on making connections.

"We worked with local businesses, with the municipal and state government," she said. "We reached out to social service agencies like (Community Action Partnership of Strafford County), to our federal delegations, and to our roots in Indonesia. We were pulled in so many different directions that we decided to take the year to look at where we are and where we want to go."

In phase 2, Raychel said plans for a permanent location will be based on creating a museum/exhibition space, with education spaces for people to come and learn about Indonesian culture. She said a shopping center and food halls are also part of the vision.

"We plan to do feasibility studies," she said. "We are redeveloping our team structure, looking at staffing on a bigger scale. We are truly in transition. We want to create a more detailed digital platform, so we are revamping our website."

Raychel said they are open to help. To learn more, visit indonesianconnect.org.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Little Indonesia district dream still alive in Somersworth NH