A cultural parade will kick off the eighth annual Latinos Unidos of West Liberty “Fiesta Latina” this Saturday afternoon beginning at about 3 p.m. in the downtown West Liberty business district area.
The parade highlights an afternoon of traditional Latin-American dishes, Mexican treats and drinks, crafts, games, jump houses, music and dancing, along with the famous train rides for youngsters. The festival continues until 10 p.m.
Francisco Martinez of West Liberty is chairman of the overall event and invites anyone to participate in the short parade. He hopes area residents come out, participate and enjoy the music.
Started in 2017, the festival honors the independence celebrations of Latin American countries, Latin culture and civic spirit, officials said. It has been a celebration in West Liberty for many years, coordinated with the Children’s Festival that begins at 10 a.m. and features puppet shows and activities from throughout the Midwest. It ends at 3 p.m.
Guanajuato band performs at 8 p.m.
The free event will be held on Third Street. Music will be provided by Viento y Sol, a band directly from Guanajuato, Mexico, at 8 p.m., preceeded by Grupo Rival, a band from Chicago, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with other performances from Compaza Los Chinelos and Corazon Del Baile.
Danzas Y Ballett Folkloricus will also perform traditional Latino dance routines on the streets from 3 -5:30 p.m.
The event is free to the public compliments of many local sponsors including the MidwestOne Bank, Giri LLC, Green State Community Foundation and Meza Construction. Others financially supporting the event include West Liberty Foods, All American Concrete, Inc., PSSI, New York Dollar Store, Estrada Construction and Remodeling as well as Sonido El Iluminachion Nonada.
There will also be raffle drawings at 7:30 p.m., with all proceeds going to Latinos Unidos of West Liberty.
Watch the Latinos Unidos West Liberty Facebook page for updated information.