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 Fourth Annual Latino Street Festival, Saturday, April 29, in downtown Ithaca.

The event will take place in the 100 block of West State Street, between Cayuga and Geneva streets, from noon to 7 p.m. The day's activities will include music, games and learning activities for children, and a talent show with group and individual performers from Ithaca, Cornell and Ithaca College. Local vendors from Ithaca will sell typical Latino meals and local service agencies will have information booths. This year's festival also will feature live music by Mariachi Real de Mexico and by the salsa/merengue band Jig-E, both from New York City.

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 Phenomenon, Ithaca Capoeira Troupe, Sabor Latino, Orgullo Latino, as well as the Ithaca Tangueros. The food festival will feature dishes from the various Latino nationalities living in Ithaca and from Mary Ann Grady's La Cocina Latina.

Human service agencies will staff booths to provide information about the myriad of services available in Ithaca and Tompkins County. Cornell and Ithaca College student organizations will provide learning activities and games for children, and there will be a design competition for youngsters sponsored by the Cornell Society of Hispanic Engineers.

The Latino festival, organizers say, is a community-building event that helps Cornell and the greater Ithaca Latino communities get to know each other better and learn of their differences in unity. 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 with an unprecedented opportunity to learn about the local Latino community, its growth, civic accomplishments, ethnic and social diversity and cultural richness.

The event this year is sponsored by the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County and Lambda Upsilon Lambda/La Unidad Latina Fraternity of Cornell. Co-sponsors include Lambda Theta Phi Fraternidad Latina, the city of Ithaca, the Ithaca Downtown Partnership and Ithaca College. For more information on the festival, call (607) 277-8699 or (607) 253-0903.