Fiesta! A Celebration of Latino Culture-Now Thru Sat. In Waterloo

So far it's been a great summer in the Cedar Valley. The Sturgis Falls celebration saw great weather along with huge attendance. In early June, "My Waterloo Days" was welcomed back from a summer off and was a huge success. Now as we gear up for more fun like Ragbrai passing through town on July 28th, Iowa Irish Fest coming up in early August, and the Cedar Valley Pridefest at the end of August, it's almost time to Fiesta!

The Waterloo Center for the Arts in partnership with community organizations and businesses will host Fiesta: A Celebration of Latino Culture, a series of free family-friendly events that celebrate Latino culture and diversity in the Cedar Valley. This year’s festival is planned for Thursday, July 8th through Saturday, July 10th at the RiverLoop Amphitheatre in downtown Waterloo.

According to a press release some of the fun festivities include:

Thursday, July 8 - The Waterloo Municipal Band will be performing Quien Sera as part of its concert set for the evening which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The piece, a bolero-mambo, was written by Mexican composer Pablo Beltran Ruiz. American audiences may be more familiar with the song’s English version, "Sway", by Michael Buble. The performance will also feature a Latin dance performance.

Friday, July 9  - The Waterloo Center for the Arts will present the musical drama Selena in Spanish with English subtitles as part of its Cinema on the Cedar outdoor summer film series (starting at dusk). The evening will feature fun family activities starting at 6:00 p.m. including a piñata breaking at 7:00 p.m., a Zumba dance with Angelica Rodriguez at 7:45 p.m., and children’s activities and cultural displays throughout the evening.

Saturday, July 10 - RiverLoop Rhythms will present a free show featuring  Tropicante playing traditional Latin dance music from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event will also include boxing and soccer demonstrations and traditional Latino dance performances.

Many Latinos call the Cedar Valley home

According to U.S. Census Bureau, this includes over 3,800 people in Waterloo or just about 7%, and about 880 people in Cedar Falls or just over 2% of the population.

After last summer's cancelations, I know I won't be missing any of the area's fun events. Watch for me, I'll be the one swinging wildly at the pinata and doing my embarrassing "dad dance" moves to the mambo.