25 Jul 2022 Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated with festival
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Seis Puentes Education and Resource Center will host the Second Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Art and Food Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17, at Argenta Plaza, 510 Main Street.
“Our goal is to both give an opportunity for the local Hispanic community to celebrate our heritage and to educate the non-Hispanic community about the Hispanic culture,” said Raul Fernandez, Executive Director of Seis Puentes. “We hope to bring people together by providing the atmosphere and tools for an open, friendly cultural exchange.”
Free and open to the public, the family-friendly event will celebrate the Latinx culture and Hispanic heritage with food trucks, art vendors and entertainment. Sponsored by the North Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the event’s live entertainment will feature Arkansas Latinx talent, including Ballet Quetzalli.
“For our first festival in 2021, we started small to build relationships with our partners and get a feel for the flow of the event,” Fernandez said. “This year we’re really ramping it up with more programming, like free workshops, and working with more community partners.”
New this year are free dance workshops with Ballet Quetzalli and interactive activities with Laman Library and Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. Local food trucks and vendors will include Kalua’s, DolceLuna Bakery and Tacos Godoy. Seis Puentes will also issue identification cards as part of the North Little Rock Municipal ID Program. Those interested can stop by the North Little Rock CVB board room at 600 Main Street (next to Argenta Plaza).
Other partners and sponsors include The City of North Little Rock, Latino Art Project, Argenta Community Theater, First Security and Gwatney Chevrolet. For more information, visit seispuentes.org or join the event on Facebook.
Started in 1968, National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed in the U.S. every year Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 to celebrate “the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.” For more information, visit www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov.
