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SALT LAKE CITY — Hispanic Heritage Month doesn't officially start until Sept. 15, but action to mark the occasion gets a head start on Saturday with activities in Salt Lake City and Ogden.
The Latinx Hispanic Health and Heritage Fair goes from noon to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be held along Rio Grande Street between 100 South and 50 North at The Gateway in Salt Lake City. The free event "is an opportunity to explore the richness and diversity of Latinx/Hispanic cultures while promoting health and wellness," reads the event website.
The food, music, dance and clothing of more than 30 countries will be featured, along with booths from organizations promoting health and wellness. Organizers include the University of Utah Health, the Utah Jazz and Take Care Utah, which promotes access to health care.
In Ogden, LUPEC, which promotes education within the Latino community, is hosting the Ogden Hispanic Festival for the eighth year in a row on Saturday from 1-8 p.m. It will be held at the Ogden Amphitheater at 343 E. 25th St. and feature Hispanic food and an array of performers, including a mariachi group, folkloric dancers representing Mexico, Chile and Peru and more.
Hispanic Heritage Month actually goes from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and is meant to to put a focus on Hispanic history and culture. The Latinx Hispanic Health and Heritage Fair and the Ogden Hispanic Festival are just two of many activities in Utah to mark the month.
"While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communities beyond this month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods and much more," reads the website of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Latino. "Hispanic Heritage Month provides an additional opportunity to explore the incredible impact Latinas and Latinos have had on the United States for generations."
Hispanic Heritage Month is timed with the independence anniversaries of several countries — Sept. 15 in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Sept. 16 in Mexico; and Sept. 18 in Chile.
Here are details of some of the other events planned around Utah — the list isn't necessarily all-inclusive — many on Sept. 14:
- The Utah Central American Festival is set for Sept. 14 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and will be held at 3725 W. 4100 South in West Valley City, where Vamos Health, one of the sponsors, is located. The Salvadoran Consulate of Salt Lake City and the Guatemalan Consulate of Denver are also backers of the event.
- The Mexican Consulate of Utah is hosting a celebration to mark the 214th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Gallivan Center at 239 S. Main in Salt Lake City. It will feature mariachi music, Mexican folkloric dancing and more.
- The Salvadoran and Latino Community of Utah is hosting a celebration on Sept. 14 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Kearns Library at 4275 W. 5345 South in Kearns.
- The Cache Valley Media Group is organizing a Latino festival on Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. along Center Street in Logan.
- North Salt Lake is hosting a Latino and Hispanic Heritage event on Sept. 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Legacy Park.
