Eighth Annual Salsa on the Square in Gettysburg October 3

(9/6) The eighth annual Salsa on the Square will take place from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday, October 3, in Gettysburg. Sponsored by Project Gettysburg- León (PGL), the event will celebrate 30 years of Gettysburg's Sister City relationship with Leon, Nicaragua. Salsa on the Square is a Fiesta meant to celebrate the contribution of Latino people to the economy and culture of Adams County.

According to Karl Mattson of Gettysburg College’s Center for Public Service, of which PGL is part, the event is a local centerpiece of Hispanic Awareness Month, which honors not only Latino contributions to America, but the independence of the five Central American counties: Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The Dance will take place on the first block of Carlisle Street, which will be closed from Lincoln Square to the railroad tracks. For the fifth consecutive year, the celebration will feature the Latino music of Hector Rosado and his Orquesta* A-CHE. DJ Solalinda will be on hand to play dance music between the sets. [*note: this is the correct Spanish spelling].

Local food vendors will include Casa de la Cultura, El Costeno, Tania's, the Ragged Edge, Gettysburg College Servo Express, and the Ugly Mug. Gettysburg College students will organize children's games and activities. The Gigantona, a large Nicaraguan folk doll, will again make her appearance.

The Nicaraguan Ambassador of Nicaragua to the U.S., Francisco Campbell, and his wife, Miriam Hooker, will attend the event and bring greetings from Nicaragua. Gettysburg Mayor William Troxell will read a proclamation declaring October 3, Hispanic Awareness Day in Gettysburg.

The event is partially funded through grants from the Adams County Community Foundation, the Rotary Club of Gettysburg, the Adams County Fruit Growers Association, Rice Fruit Company, the Nancy Cushing-Daniels Fund, and the Young Growers Alliance of Adams County. The Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College is also a major contributor. The Salsa Dance is produced in association with the Gettysburg Area Retail Merchants Association working together with PGL for the greater good of Gettysburg.

To learn more about Project Gettysburg-León, its projects in Nicaragua, and its student and community delegations to that country, see http://www.gettysburg-leon.org.