Nod to Pamplona to open Latino Festival
Published 9:02 am Tuesday, April 29, 2014
An annual festival will put an unusual twist on the famed “Running of the Bulls” this Saturday.
But instead of Pamplona, Jonesborough’s Main Street will be the venue.
And bulls? No.
Instead, roller-skating, horn-wearing Little City Roller Girls armed with foam rubber “hooves” will chase challengers in a sprint down Main Street at the fifth annual Corazón Latino Festival.
East Tennessee State University’s Language and Culture Resource Center and the Hispanic American Student Community Alliance organized the festival, which will be held from noon to 10 p.m. along Main Street.
The free public event will begin with the mock “Running of the Bulls.”
More is in store after the opening event: Brazilian Fire Dancers at 1 p.m., Latin jazz at 4 p.m., a Latino Pride Parade at 6 p.m., Latin dancing instruction at 7 p.m., and the Main Latino Pop Band at 8 p.m. Food vendors will sell Hispanic specialty foods throughout the day.
Special activities include the Corazón Sano workshops in Spanish and English offering blood pressure tests, information on common health difficulties, and demonstrations showing cooking traditional Hispanic foods in healthy ways.
The Arte y Cine area features an art walk, storytelling and a Student Film Showcase.
A ChicoZone will provide face painting, bilingual children’s stories, an obstacle course and craft projects.
Pasaporte a Las Americas will allow visitors to travel all of Latin America without leaving home through the assistance of goodwill ambassadors sharing the culture of their country of origin.
For more information, call Juan Avila of the Language and Culture Resource Center at 439-8352, or visit facebook.com/CorazonLatinoFestival.