Thanks to some Union students, residents of Schenectady's Hamilton
Hill can participate in a Latino Festival that will be fun for kids and educational for
their parents on Saturday, May 16, from noon to 6 p.m. at Hispanic Outreach Services, 801
Craig Street, Schenectady.
The festival is free and open to the public.
Union fraternity Phi Iota Alpha, in conjunction with Hispanic Outreach
Services, is sponsoring the festival, the theme of which is “You Can Always Do
More.”
The idea for the festival came two years ago when members of Phi Iota
Alpha participated in a similar event which, while informative, offered little in terms of
entertainment, said Greg Van Holt '99, fraternity vice president. “We brought
dominoes and started playing and a lot of young people got interested,” he recalls.
“This time, we wanted to do something that would get more people involved.”
Activities for children include basketball, dominoes, dance contests,
carnival games and face painting.
While the kids are enjoying the games, adults can visit the information
booths of non-profit organizations to learn more about community resources. Among those to
be represented are the League of Women Voters, who will sponsor voter registration; and
Schenectady Health Services, which will offer information on health care options.