HOLA Ohio plans Taco Festival in Painesville - The News-Herald
Published by: The News-Herald
By Bryson Durst
Original Article found here
HOLA Ohio is planning to bring what it calls “a fiesta of flavor and culture” to Painesville Square.
The group’s Taco Festival will include entertainment, cultural presentations and many taco varieties. The free event will run for most of the day on Sept. 13 at Painesville’s Veterans Park, 1 Liberty St.
HOLA said that visitors can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Taco Festival, which kicks off at 10:30 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m.
The food lineup includes tacos with steak, chicken and other meats, as well as tacos featuring cactus paddles, potatoes and beans. HOLA added that there will also be tacos de nada, or “nothing tacos,” which will have no fillings but can hold different toppings.
Other food options will include quesadillas, burritos, tortas and aguas frescas.
In addition to trying “the most authentic tacos,” HOLA said that visitors can also participate in craft workshops.
One of the workshops that HOLA announced will be led by Rafael Figuera. He worked with the group last year to prepare figures for its Dia de Muertos festival.
“Rafael specializes in cartoneria, the Mexican art of papier-mache, a folk tradition dating back to the 18th century,” HOLA said. “He’ll be at the Taco Festival in a tent showing anyone who would like to learn how to make smaller versions of the figurines for themselves.”
A Painesville City announcement said that the Taco Festival will include kids activities, a margarita bar and vendors.
The festival is also scheduled to feature performances from HOLA’s Folkloric Dancers at noon and 5:15 p.m., chances to get “sweet surprises” from its collection of three pinatas at 12:30 p.m. and lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling, at 4 p.m.
Performances will include Celtic folk rock band The Irish Troubadours at 3 p.m., Painesville norteno band Los Implacables at 6 p.m. and banda music and dance performers Grupo Inkieto at 7.
The Taco Festival will also include a cultural presentation from the Yaqui people, who are indigenous to the Sonoran Desert region of the United States and Mexico. HOLA hosted an event last year highlighting the Yaqui people and their Deer Songs.
HOLA said that the Yaqui pascola music, deer dance and deer songs will be performed at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. during the Taco Festival. A city announcement added that the deer dance is sacred and cannot be filmed or photographed, unless by approved media.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Yaqui people can also visit the HOLA Community Center at 265 N. State St. from 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 12 for the “Voices of the Desert: An Evening with the Yaqui” event. HOLA said that event will include a panel discussion, history, storytelling, a traditional Yaqui meal and a time for questions and answers.
The Voices of the Desert event is free, but attendees must register by calling HOLA at 440-210-4222.