Latino Fest goes virtual September 12 @ 1 pm!

Latino Fest goes virtual 

The 90-minute video featuring Madras Latino business owners and individuals will air Saturday, Sept. 12 

By Holly Scholz, Madras Pioneer 

Due to COVID-19 and the state mandates, the Latino Community Association is taking its annual Latino Fest event online, allowing anyone to participate virtually.

The Third Annual Latino Fest will air from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 on the LCA website and Latino Fest Facebook page through YouTube

Latino Fest celebrates the Latin American cultures and heritages of many Madras and Jefferson County families. For the past two years, it has been held in Sahalee Park.

“It’s not going to be the same, but we’re not going to skip this year without celebrating the diversity of our community,” said Ana Bueno, LCA client services coordinator for Madras and Redmond who helps plan the event. “We’d like to still promote our culture of diversity in Central Oregon, not only Jefferson County, and support Latino small businesses and Latino programs.”

This year’s event will be a visual experience and will include interviews from local Latinx business owners, short cultural videos of local Latinx individuals showcasing their countries, and a celebration of the resilience of Central Oregon’s Latinx community.

LCA Development Manager Cynthia Jurgensen said the virtual event will focus on interviews with representatives from five Madras businesses as well as eight local emcees who will share their experiences. Four performing artists and seven cultural videos from Latin American countries will also be featured during the Latino Fest. Zavi Borja will share information about the Vamanos Outside Program that is launching this month.

“Jesse Locke of Unlocked Films is doing all of the video work,” Jurgensen said, adding that it is a compilation of individual videos that Locke has filmed and created into one video. “Jesse is an incredible photographer and videographer. He knows how to capture a subject, reflecting their beauty.”

LCA has $12,900 dollars in support from the City of Madras, Jefferson County (Cultural Coalition and Department of Public Health), St. Charles, Bend Immigration, BendBroadband and Kim Schmith of Madras Acupuncture.

“It’s going to be a beautiful event,” Bueno said, noting that Madras is a unique community. “It’s interesting to see how diversity is celebrated in our community.”

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Saturday, Sept. 12 @ 1-2:30 p.m.

A link to the YouTube video will be shared online at www.latinocommunityassociation.org and on Facebook at Latino Fest.