In addition to the regular food and arts vendors, this Wednesday, La Paz Chattanooga will be co-hosting "Latino Day" at the Lookout Farmers Market at Highland Park Commons. On the last week of every month, La Paz will highlight a different Latin American country and offer a taste of that country's culture through music, food, games, and possibly even dance. This Wednesday'smarket will feature the cultural representation of the Dominican Republic.
Zumba classes will be held at 4:30 p.m.
at the Highland Park Commons pavilion. Merengue, bachata, and salsa music, the most popular music styles in the D.R., will fill the air and various Dominican culinary dishes will be offered as well, including mangu (mashed and flavored plantains, arroz con guandules (rice and guandule beans), tostones (fried plantains), Dominican coffee, and jugo de chinola (passion fruit juice). In addition, a special kids zone will highlight a few of the most popular neighborhood games that Dominican children play, including plakita (street baseball) and dominoes.
La Paz Chattanooga has also partnered with the UTC School of Nursing to offer free health screenings. And participants from La Paz's Lideres Comunitarias (Community Leaders Initiative) will also be on hand to sell their homemade Mexican paper baskets and jewelry.
"We are hoping that the Latino community in Chattanooga feels welcomed and appreciated by our Latino Days at the market," said Patrick Miles, director of Community Engagement at La Paz. "We would love to see a great turnout of area Latinos, and make them feel welcomed to an area farmers market. We further want to celebrate the various cultural backgrounds that comprise the Latino community here."
In addition to the "Latino Day" activities, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga will also be kicking off it's Summer Food and Fun initiative. Beginning this week in limited locations and opening in all locations on June 1, and continuing throughout the summer break, a number of community service organizations, led by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga, will be working to make sure that children who live below the poverty line receive free nutritious lunches. The program is administered in Tennessee by the Department of Human Services under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Through a partnership with United Way, Step One, Hamilton County Department of Nutrition and Youth and Family Department , the YMCA has helped establish over 85 food service sites in Hamilton County to serve this children during their summer vacation.
"Our staff and volunteers will take nutritious lunches to children where they live, in the poorest neighborhoods, in churches, recreation centers, schools and wherever else we need to be," said, Laura Horne, program director of the JA Henry Community YMCA.
If you are hoping to attend, the market runs from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at the Highland Park Commons, at 2000 Union Ave., adjacent to Redemption Point Church.
For more information on Latino Day at the Lookout Farmers Market at Highland Park Commons, please contact Patrick Miles at pmiles@lapazchattanooga.org. For information on the YMCA Summer Food and Fun Initiative, please contact Bill Rush at brush@ymcachattanooga.org. For information or to get involved in the Lookout Farmers Market at Highland Park Commons on a regular basis, contact Lori Carter at lookoutfarmersmarket@gmail.com.