Fiesta Latina showcases Hispanic culture

By Carolyn Casey
Rocky Mount Telegram

Monday, June 11, 2007

The Hispanic community brought culture and life to downtown Rocky Mount on Saturday with the second annual Fiesta Latina.

This year's festival more than doubled in size, attracting about 2,000 people to the 200 block of Southeast Main Street.

Telegram photo / Alan Campbell   Marisa Vasquez, right, performs Saturday with the dance group Ballet Folklorico Espiritu Hispano-Americano during Fiesta Latina.

Stages were set up at either end of the block to provide music, dancing, acting and children's games. Vendors sold food, photos and clothing, while local governments and businesses handed out information on how to find various services in the Twin Counties.

"We created this because we wanted to do some outreach for the Hispanic community, and there didn't seem to be a clear forum," said Ian Kipp, Rocky Mount's downtown development manager and co-chairman of the festival's planning committee.

Fiesta Latina shows the Hispanic population wants to share its time, culture and talents with the community, said Maria Antonia El Faysal, Kipp's co-chairwoman.

The event also dispels the misconception that all Hispanic people are from Mexico, El Faysal said. The Twin Counties' Hispanic population comes from dozens of countries such as Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia.

A parade of nations took place twice during the festival, El Faysal said. Children waved flags and wore traditional clothing from 12 countries.

The stage performances and food seemed to draw the most attention.

Linda Prezioso said she was looking forward to seeing the dancing and colorful costumes.

"We want to support all the cultures of our city," said Prezioso, who attended the event with her husband, Bob. "And I like the food."

The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, My Sister's House and Rocky Mount's police and fire departments were among the 25 agencies handing out information.

"Besides the cultural aspect, we're trying to get information out to the Hispanic population," Kipp said.

Both Nash and Edgecombe community colleges distributed information on their Basic Skills, General Education Development and English as a Second Language courses.

"For the Latinos in our community who are here, it's important for them to get their GED so they can get better jobs," said Desmond Sykes, a Basic Skills and writing instructor at Edgecombe Community College.

The event was sponsored by the city of Rocky Mount and the Downtown Merchants Association. The sponsors held the event on Main Street to reacquaint people with downtown, Kipp said.

In hundreds of cities and towns throughout the United States, civic leaders are working to bring life back to Main Street. Whether it's the major downtown corridor in a small town or the commercial center of a larger city, Main Street is being rediscovered. As they work to reinforce and rekindle the economic vitality and values that Main Street stands for, communities are utilizing the Main Street approach to community revitalization, and in North Carolina, communities are turning to the North Carolina Main Street Center (NCMSC) for assistance.

Early each year, the NCMSC organizes a conference for Main Street stakeholders, including government officials, not-for-profits and private individuals. The conference features plenary sessions, breakout sessions, social events and an awards ceremony. Conference attendance has averaged 400 people over the past 3 years. This year, Rocky Mount's Imperial Centre was selected to host the conference. Since attendees come from all over the state (as well as neighboring states,) accommodation will be needed. We expect that as many as 175 rooms will be needed for Wednesday, January 30th and Thursday, January, 31st, 2008.

For more information, you can download last year's conference guide from Morganton here: http://www.dca.commerce.state.nc.us/mainst/2007Booklet.pdf.

On October 9, 2006, the Rocky Mount City Council adopted the ordinance designating a portion of the Rocky Mount Central City National Historic District as a Local Historic Overlay District. The City zoning code protects a local historic district's assets by establishing a special design review process which assures the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness. This process ensures that proposed work is compatible with the nature of the historic property and contributes to the character of the historic district as a whole.

Plans for exterior alterations, new construction, demolitions, or moving of buildings are reviewed before any work may begin and the building permit is issued. This includes plans for additions to existing buildings, removal or enclosure of storefronts, erection of signs, and the addition of retaining walls and fences.

The Rocky Mount Historic Preservation Commission is charged with overseeing all exterior changes in a local district. The Commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Committee Room (3rd Floor) at City Hall. The public is invited to attend these meetings.