Festival Latino invites all to kick off heritage month

Festival Latino, the first celebration during National Hispanic Heritage Month, will begin tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Dunn Meadow, to give the community a first glance of the events to be held this month. \nThe festival is an “opportunity to bring Latinos and non-Latinos together from across the University and city of Bloomington to celebrate together and recognize (the Latino) presence in this community,” said Latino Culture Center and La Casa Director Lillian Casillas.\nFestival Latino will begin after an introduction by Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, who will read the National Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation, Casillas said. \n“The Mayor will be there to highlight the fact that Latinos are not just on campus, but in the community as well,” she said. \nFestival Latino, which is free and open to the public, will feature hands-on activities from Latin America, as well as food and music from the area. \nThe Mathers Museum of World Cultures will also be present, hosting a multitude of educational activities for both children and adults. \nAccording to an IU press release, the Mathers Museum will feature cuadros de dichos, or proverb pictures; milagros, or figurines made to represent a miracle or wish; and Incan dance bells, which are tied to a string and around the body to imitate ancient Incan and Quechua Indians’ dances. \nLocal Latino bands will be sharing the stage with Kruzan: salsa and merengue band Orquestra Son, Caribbean-influenced Bembe and Latin rock group Descarga.\nThe sponsors of Festival Latino are not solely from the IU campus; the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department has also been helping to coordinate the celebration.\n“(Latinos) are part of the tapestry of the United States, and it’s important for people to see and understand our culture,” Casillas said. “This festival will help them to learn and experience the many facets of the Hispanic culture.”