Hispanic Heritage celebrations start Friday

As the weather cools, Bloomington's cultural atmosphere heats with the excitement surrounding the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. \nFrom Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month puts a spotlight on Latino culture and history. The achievements of Hispanic-Americans have been celebrated since 1968 with a National Hispanic Heritage Week; however, it was not until 1988 that it became a 30-day event. Mayor Mark Kruzan first recognized the month as a Bloomington event in 2004.\n"Finally, this is a time that the limelight is on (the Latino community)," said Lillian Castillas, director of La Casa, IU's Latino Cultural Center. "This is when we're most excited and do our most programming." \nOne of these programs is Festival Latino, which Castillas described as "the most highly anticipated event of the month." The ninth annual Festival Latino is the Lotus Festival's only free concert event and will be held at Dunn Meadow. Castillas said she anticipates a huge crowd to enjoy the food, dancing, Latino musicians and information booths handing out literature about the Hispanic events and community in Bloomington. \nThe Hispanic events extend past the IU campus. At this weekend's Farmer's Market, an event called Fall Fiesta will take place for the first time. Beverly Calender-Anderson, the Safe and Civil City Director and organizer of the event, said the highlights include music from guitarist Isaac Salazar, poetry from Grupo de Teatro, a soccer demonstration and salsa dancing lessons. \n"One of the benefits of combining this event with the Farmer's Market is that some people will come for the market and some for the Fiesta," Calender-Anderson said. "This will really expand our audience." \nExpanding the Bloomington audience to Latino culture is what Hispanic Heritage Month is all about, Castillas said. \n"These events we have planned are going to break some stereotypes people have," she said. "They'll help them understand our culture better"