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This
article appeared in the Roseville Granite Bay Style magazine,
September 2006 issue. Click on the image below to read the article.
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Story appeared in the Sacramento Bee
South Placer Roseville section
Published Thursday, September
14, 2006
Park Events Share Same Goal
Hispanic Heritage, One Root festivals will celebrate diversity.
by Edgar Sanchez
The
joyful crooning of Mexican mariachis and the mesmerizing
beat of Jamaican reggae will be among the sounds at simultaneous
festivals next weekend at Rose- ville's Royer Park.
Three local nonprofits are collaborating to put on the cultural
and musical extravaganza that will culminate with a concert
by Mumbo Gumbo, one of Sacramento's most famous world beat
groups.
Admission and parking are free both days, and people of
all ethnicities are invited.
The seventh annual Hispanic Heritage Festival will celebrate
the September independence days of Mexico, El Salvador and
six other Latin American nations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday
and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 17.
The eighth annual One Root Festival also will take place
from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sept. 17 -- with the
goal of enhancing harmony among all people, according to
organizers.
Both festivals will feature food and music from around the
world.
First-day entertainers will include Mariachi Juvenil Guadalajara
of Sacramento and Sister I-Live, a reggae band from the Bay
Area, as well as Aztec dancers and a multicultural youth
group that will perform dances from Hawaii, the Philippines
and other islands.
Second-day performers will include Loco Bloco, a multicultural
artistic group from the Bay Area, the island dancers and
Mumbo Gumbo wrapping things up at 6 p.m. on the Gazebo Stage.
Mumbo Gumbo's performance is being sponsored by Performing
Arts of Roseville.
Holding the events on a weekend will allow for two days
of cultural sharing, organizers said.
"The different cultures of the world contain fascinating
and unique characteristics," said Rene Aguilera, president
of the Hispanic Empowerment Association of Roseville, the
creator of the Hispanic Heritage Festival.
"It's our responsibility ... to seek ways to bring
the world together, to share each other's cultures," he
said.
And the best way to do it, is by "building bridges,
not walls" in the community, said Sahib Lanre Hassan,
a Roseville businessman and the driving force behind the
One Root Festival.
"One Root Festival is not about raising money, but
about raising awareness" that people from around the
world "share a lot in common," said Hassan of the
Dunia United Congress, the nonprofit umbrella group for One
Root.
"The more we come together, the easier it is to remember
that we are all the same people underneath," he said.
By combining resources, the three nonprofits will put on
a memorable event, said Mark Murphy of Performing Arts for
Roseville.
"I think it's a great collaboration, bringing several
groups together to create one weekend of free music for the
city," he said.
Performing Arts of Roseville is in its 16th year of offering
free music at Royer Park, at Douglas Boulevard and Park Drive.
The group also sponsors music programs in local schools. For
details, call (916) 532-5998 or (916) 774-8229, or go to
www.hear2000.org or www.oneroot.org.
About the writer:
The Bee's Edgar Sanchez can be reached at (916)773-7359 or
esanchez@sacbee.com.
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