The Hermanos of La Unidad Latina/Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc. of Cornell University and the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County are hosting the third annual Latino Street Festival, Saturday, May 1, in downtown Ithaca.

The event will take place in the 300 block of West Court Street, across from the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), from noon to 6 p.m. The day's activities will include music, games and learning activities for children, a talent show with group and individual performers from Cornell, Ithaca College, Beverly J. Martin Elementary School and Ithaca High School, local vendors selling typical Latino dishes, information booths manned by local service agencies, and a fashion show presented by Da' Spot, a youth-managed clothing store on the Commons.

The talent show will provide the community with the opportunity to enjoy music and dance performances ranging from Argentine tango to urban Latino stepping, including performances by Cornell's Sabor Latino and Ithaca College's Orgullo latino, as well as Our Ithaca Tangueros. The food festival will feature dishes from the various Latino nationalities living in Ithaca and Mary Ann Grady's "La Cocina Latina."

Human services agencies will staff booths to provide information about the myriad services available in Ithaca and the county. Cornell and Ithaca College student organizations will provide fun learning activities and games for children and parents.

The Latino festival is a community building event that helps the Cornell and greater Ithaca Latino communities get to know each other better and learn of their differences in unity, organizers say. The festival, they add, will be an opportunity for Latinos to understand each other better and celebrate shared language and culture through food, art performances, education and recreation. It also will provide the greater Ithaca community an opportunity to learn about the local Latino community, its growth, civic accomplishments, ethnic and social diversity and cultural richness.

The event is sponsored by the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, Lambda Upsilon Lambda/La Unidad Latina Fraternity, Inc., and it is co-sponsored by GIAC.