Latino Festivals Gain Ground

Dressed in the Colombian national dress, Ruby Stover and her nephew were among thousands who attended the fourth annual Festival Latino on Saturday at Bayview Park.

"I'm here representing my country," Stover said. "I want to show how beautiful it is."

Stover had a booth at the festival, showcasing food, clothing, instruments and photographs of flowers native to her country.

"So many people have misconceptions about Colombia," Stover said. "There is so much culture that few know about."

RELATED

• Latino Festival

For those at the festival Saturday, there was plenty of culture to experience.

"Our culture is to celebrate life, family, friends and food," said Grace Resendez McCaffery, organizer and founder of the event. "Festivals like this is what most of us are used to."

To celebrate food, venders provided numerous authentic Latin-American dishes, from tamales to boiled green bananas.

"This is my grandmother's cooking on a plate," said festival attendee Evelyn Keith, whose plate included pernil, a pork dish; batata, which is Spanish sweet potatoes; and Puerto Rican rice and beans.

Not only was there plenty of food, but live entertainment from Alabama, Atlanta and Florida delighted the crowd with salsa, zumba and mambo dancing. Many of the groups were high-school Latin clubs that travel to Latin events and festivals to perform.

"There is so much creativity in the Latin community, and clubs like these provide the perfect outlet," said Alissa Murpher, sponsor of Club Latinos at Foley (Ala.) High School.

Other entertainment included a local zumba fitness group who led a group dance; a professional Aztec dancer; and a disc jockey from Fort Walton Beach.

Along with booths representing various Latin American countries, numerous organizations, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, had booths to provide information to the local Latino community.

"We want to educate and inform people about the 2010 Census to ensure that the minority is counted so that they may have a voice," said Tina M. Joshua, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau. Her booth provided information about the census in Spanish and English.

Other information booths included the Foster Home Development of Lakeview Center, Healthy Start, the Special Olympics and various Spanish-speaking organizations and churches.

"This festival is an opportunity for businesses to market to the Hispanic community and to provide them with important information in their language," McCaffery said.