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Latino Days, August 5 and 7
Cuyahoga County Fair organizers this year are hoping to distinguish itself from the many other festivals and fairs in the Cleveland area by tapping into a long, overlooked, but rapidly growing Latino population.
The Cuyahoga Fair in Berea, Ohio for the first time will offer two Latino Days which will celebrate Northwest Ohio’s Latino culture with a line-up of musical and dance performances and various activities.
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Latino Days will be held August 5 and August 7, 2014. The fair, which will be held from August 4-10, is expected to attract more than 150,000 people this year, organizers say.
“I’m very proud of what we’re doing to welcome the Latino community,” said Candyce Traci, a spokeswoman for All-Media Design Group, the Cleveland-based company that was hired to organize and promote the fair’s Latino Days. “It’s something we’ve want to do on an annual basis. This is a trial run.”
According to 2014 U.S. Census estimates, Cuyahoga County is home to about 10,000 Latino residents.
The first Latino Day, Tuesday, August 5, will feature performances by cultural dancers, mariachi, free Salsa dancing lessons and a Salsa contest. The second, which will be on Thursday, will feature musical performances by various local artists, including: Justo Saborit, Grupo Son Gitano, Papa Ruiz y Su Merengüe and bachata star Domenic Marte from The Voice, a popular TV contest show. Other local talent will include Guitonsky, Catt, Mika Nova and Poly Del Mambo.
The Cuyahoga County Fair, which has had several name changes over the years, was first held in 1829 in the downtown public square, said David Stephan, who sits on the festival’s board of directors. The fair was relocated to its current location around 1895, which is why most people believe the fair has only been in existence for 118 years, he said.
Fair organizers previously tried an “international theme,” but decided they would be more successful if they focused on one or two different cultures, said Stephan.
“We’re trying to make the fair more competitive with other fairs in Cleveland,” said Stephan. “We’re anxious to see how it goes.”
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