THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609290078
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 43 lines
Alvin De Jesus took the opportunity of a Hispanic festival at Mount Trashmore on Saturday to instill some Puerto Rican pride - and some caffeine - into festival-goers.
De Jesus has started importing coffee from his homeland and hopes to get a business going in Virginia Beach. Even though his potential customers are upscale restaurants, his table at Saturday's festival provided samples to those who wanted a java jolt from their homeland.
``The first thing that guy is asking is where is it from,'' De Jesus said of a visitor to his stand. ``Not from Puerto Rico, but where in Puerto Rico. It's just a little taste, but it takes them back to the country.''
Like De Jesus's coffee, the festival's goal was to give people with a common heritage a taste of their culture. And to demonstrate that there are as many differences within the Hispanic community as there are similarities.
``Just because we all speak Spanish it doesn't mean that we're the same,'' said Louisa Rodriguez, the program director and an active member of the National Organization for the Advancement of Hispanics.
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and Saturday's festival was not the first local celebration. Rodriguez organized a similar event last week at Mount Trashmore that drew 3,000 people.
Saturday's event had to compete with the Neptune Festival as well as some threatening skies, but by mid-afternoon families clad in clothes sporting the Puerto Rican flag were setting up picnic blankets to hear the entertainment.
A Newport News dance ensemble headed by Ruben Aguirre was to perform - ``like cha cha cha and all that,'' Rodriguez described it. Then there was Desert Wind - a belly dancing group - and Las Reboltosas, flamenco dancers.
``All of these people here,'' Rodgriguez said of those running the festival, ``they're not charging me anything - they wanted to help the community.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Joey Melendez of Virginia Beach raises the Puerto Rican flag
Saturday at a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Mount
Trashmore. Hundreds of people attended the event despite threatening
skies. by CNB