FOND DU LAC – This Sunday holds your chance to tour Latin America with authentic food and music, or join in on a shouting match or jalapeño-eating contest, all in one place.
The Latin Flavor festival will offer food, activities and events reminiscent of a traditional Latin American festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Prayer Garden of Holy Family Church, 271 Fourth Street Way. The event will be preceded by a 10 a.m. bilingual English and Spanish Mass.
Previously a host of Taste of Mexico, the Holy Family Catholic Community this year expanded the representation to include cultural touches of other Hispanic countries like Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
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“Our Hispanic community is an integral part of not only Holy Family, but also Fond du Lac as well, and we are excited for the opportunity to host this event to celebrate their heritage, just as we celebrate the heritage of our German parishioners with Oktoberfest,” Holy Family Catholic Community Pastor Ryan Pruess said.
Handmade booths representing each country will offer foods including tacos, tamales, arepas, corn cocktail and flour fritters with salsa. Drinks such as Horchata and sodas will also be available.
The Mariachi Zamora band, Masivo Show and DJ Estrella will provide live music all afternoon. A folkloric dance group from Dance Academy of Mexico will represent different regions of Mexico.
Amidst the food booths and music, attendees can also participate in a ring toss or balloon darts, as well as a variety of contests: dance, jalapeño eating, shouting or joke-telling.
Shouting contests, known as El Grito, involve contestants shouting as long as they possibly can, in tribute to “Grito des Delores,” the battle cry that was said to have started the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in September1810.
Celebrations like Latin Flavor honor the history of the war — which ended in September 1821 — and the varied Latin American culture in Fond du Lac and beyond.
Fond du Lac County’s Hispanic population has and continues to grow, now accounting for around 6.4% of the population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
Within the city of Fond du Lac, Hispanic residents number around 3,834 out of the estimated 44,678 people living here.
Admission to the Latin Flavor festival is free and open to all, with food and raffle tickets available to purchase. Parking will be available in the church’s west lot, and the rain location will be at Holy Family Parish Hall.
For more information or updates, visit facebook.com/HolyFamilyFdL.
Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.
