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Warsaw Parks Department will host the fourth annual Celebraci-n Latina in Central Park Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m.
The festival, which comes days before Hispanic Heritage Month, replaced Warsaw's Cinco de Mayo festival in 2002, and now celebrates a broader history of Latin America.
"The whole event is to celebrate the Hispanic family and bring everyone together," Parks Department Activities Director Janelle Wilson said. "In general, we try to program for everyone and anyone. This is the one event where we focus on a specific culture, but everyone's welcome to come."
The entire event is free to the public, and, according to Wilson, will be family-oriented from 1 to 4 p.m. Pinatas, pony rides, balloon animals and face painting will be available through vendors at the east picnic shelter and parking lot.
K-Paz de Guanajuato, a local band, will begin live entertainment at 1 p.m. at the Central Park Plaza and will play again at 7:30 p.m.
Bands Los Vencedores del Norte (3:30 to 5 p.m.) and Las Hechiceras de la Jungla (8:30 to 10 p.m.) also will take the stage during the night as well as a presentation by Colombian Dancers (5 to 5:30 p.m.) and a Mariachi Band (6 to 7:30 p.m.).
Food vendors will be available throughout the day, selling ethnic foods from Mexico and El Salvador. Also for sale during the celebraci-n will be t-shirts, blankets, ponchos and other arts and crafts.
"We tried to schedule the day so that it would allow for shift acceptance," Wilson said. "This way, people could come whenever they get off of work, and it gives people the possibility to take a break and come back later if they'd like."
Wilson estimates 6,000 people will attend Saturday's events, and said past years of the festival were very successful.
Wilson can be contacted at 574-372-9554 for more information or for those wishing to volunteer.
