For the week of May 28 - June 3, 2003

Two worlds,
one community

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For the next 10 weeks, Blaine County will be the venue for an extraordinary series of events that can only be described collectively as a cultural extravaganza.

From June 2 until Aug. 8, "Dos Culturas," Spanish for "Two Cultures," will celebrate the rich Hispanic world of the western hemisphere’s Spanish-speaking cultures—the arts, literature, cuisines, fashions, history, language, crafts and more.

Credit for this uncommonly enriching program goes to the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, which is assembling Anglo and Hispanic scholars, academics, artists, poets and authors, cooks, linguists and an array of support volunteers to coordinate the myriad of programs. Most are free, too.

In Section C of today’s Mountain Express, the full "Dos Culturas" program is presented in a four-page pullout section with times, places and other details of the events in the ongoing program. We encourage readers to save the section and attend events when possible.

Mind you, "Dos Culturas" is not only entertaining. This is a unique learning experience, an opportunity to explore the lifestyles and history of Hispanics, who now make up the fastest-growing group in Blaine County.

One of the more colorful and electrifying events will be the Fiesta del Sol June 21 in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park featuring mariachi bands, folk dancers and Hispanic crafts.

Other events include useful lectures by academics Errol Jones and Kathy Hodges, readings by poet Rigoberto Gonzãlez and fine arts exhibits by artists Betsabeé Romero and Alfredo Zalce.

Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, Blaine’s largely Mexican Hispanic population grew from 3 percent to nearly 11 percent—and still counting.

Although Hispanics are now a significant work and consumer force in the Wood River Valley, they are separated from the Anglo community by a large gap.

The "Dos Culturas" festival of events can help close that gap with an understanding of a culture that pre-dates the first settlements of what would become the United States. One need only look at the growing popularity of the annual "Trailing of the Sheep" weekend in which the culture of Basques in Idaho is celebrated and showcased for an indication of the importance of "Dos Culturas."

Those attending "Dos Culturas" events will discover that the Latin American flavor brought to the community by the growing number of Hispanic emigrants is a major plus for an area that prides itself on cultural riches.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.