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Spanish Heritage Festival unites Valley’s Hispanic community
Photo
Antonio Montanez of Campbell eats a pastelillos de carne or meat pie on Sunday during the Spanish Heritage Festival.
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
It may be true that pictures can tell part of a story, and the items Herminia and Arnold Lees sold do just that.
Specifically, they tell the partial story of a festival.
“Everything is authentic,” Arnold Lees said, referring to the coin purses, finger puppets, colorful pillowcases, hand-crafted dolls and numerous other pieces of merchandise the Youngstown couple sold.
Everything also was part of the third annual Youngstown Spanish Heritage Festival. The two-day family-oriented event got underway Saturday on East Federal Street downtown.
Arnold and Herminia Lees also were among an estimated 17 local and regional vendors who took part in the fest, the main purpose of which was to raise money to provide a college scholarship for someone in the Hispanic community, Vicky Rivera, the YSHF’s president, noted Sunday.
The gathering also was to allow participants to deepen their appreciation of others’ cultures while learning more about their own, she explained.
For nearly four decades, Herminia Lees has bought in Peru products such as small flutes she and her husband sold at the festival for $4 and $9. Other items from 75 cents to $5 included key chains, llama pins, hand-painted and bamboo necklaces, and leather, ceramic and bamboo bracelets.
“We mostly do this for nonprofits now,” said Arnold, adding that the couple attends between six and 10 festivals yearly.
Assisting the Lees was their granddaughter, Alexandria Rodemoyer.
Also for sale were ball caps, assorted colorful jewelry, flip-flops, Peruvian dolls from $6 to $15 and T-shirts with a variety of Puerto Rican themes, as well as those with pictures of popular reggae singer Bob Marley.
Adding her own sense of color and flair to things was Tina Henderson, owner of a 6-year-old New Castle, Pa.-based business called Airbrush by Tina.
“I use textile paint,” Henderson said, referring to the main material that, for example, was used to design a replica of the Puerto Rican flag on a T-shirt.
She also had on hand a drawstring bag on which was painted a heart with zebra stripes, as well as a swimming team’s initials painted on a pair of sweat pants.
Henderson, who also owns a nail salon, said she enjoys creating airbrushed designs and logos based on customers’ requests.
A festival description would be incomplete without mention of the variety of ethnic food. Preparing plenty of rice, pinchos (chicken and beef kabob), tamales and other such foods was Juan Carlos Eyzaguirre of Youngstown, a chef who moved to the area about eight years ago from New York City.
Many of Sunday’s attendees cheered and bellowed while watching a series of kicks, bounces and flips that made up several amateur wrestling matches.
Others had a festive time Saturday and Sunday dancing and listening to Latin music from local bands such as Trio Riqueno, Union Musical, the Latin Jazz Players, the Labra Bros. and Manuel Vazquez, along with Cleveland-based Escentia.
Providing additional entertainment were the Spanish Evangelical Dancers.
Some vendors had pamphlets, brochures and articles from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Pride Youngstown and the Foster Parent Association of Mahoning County. Also on hand was information on the what some groups view as the dangers of hydraulic fracturing.
Rivera thanked fellow YSHF committee members Marita Emmert, Carlos Rivera and Bob Yeager for putting the event together. She also expressed gratitude and pride regarding the unifying effects of the festival.
“We have a large base of Latin people in Youngstown,” she added. “It’s nice to see everybody get together.”