NACC’s 18th Annual Latino Festival is June 10th

News

Wednesday, 31 May 2023 12:30

RAINSVILLE – The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) has chosen the Northeast Alabama Community College Annual Latino Festival (NACC) as a featured event in the state community college system this year as the ACCS celebrates is Diamond Jubilee (Sixtieth Anniversary.) The NACC Latino Festival will be held Saturday, June 10, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the college campus in Rainsville.

“We are honored to have the Latino Festival chosen for this,” stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell. “Each college in the System has an event featured and the Latino Festival is ours.” According to the ACCS, there are some 800 events held at community colleges campus each year. Many are held at Northeast with Intelligent.com having named Northeast as having the best cultural events and activities in the community college system.

This is the 18th year that NACC has held the Festival, making it one of the longest running Latino Festivals in Alabama. The festival is always a fun and colorful event, featuring Latino arts and crafts, dance, food, and more. “The Festival has plenty of activities for children with Latino games, inflatable bouncers, face painting, pinata smashing, and even a pony ride. The event also features a mariachi band and displays of traditional Latino dance by students from area schools with authentic costumes.

“The Festival is a really fun day for everyone involved and it highlights the heritage of those who comprise a large segment of our local population – Latinos,” stated Campbell. Campbell and then Event Planner Susan Webb served as the first Directors. Tresha McClain now serves as Director with a Committee that assists with the planning. The Committee consists of Jarrod Blackwell, Stephen Brewer, Chasley Brown, Juani Macias-Christian, Amy LaCount, Lizeth Gonzalez, Dean Jeff Hawes, Donna Moore, Meg Nippers, Joan Reeves, Dawn Saint, Andrea Shepard, Kayleigh Smith, Seferina Valey, and Steven Whited.

“Our faculty and staff give their time to conduct the Festival. Staff serve as volunteers. I can’t say enough about how our faculty and staff put this Festival on,” Campbell said. “Their involvement has made the Festival one of the top events in the state, and their work has brought together people from different cultures that are blending together.”
Admission to the Festival is free to all. The Festival is one of many events open to the public at Northeast, including the Music on the Mountain Concert, the Foundation Gala, a performance by the Alabama Ballet, plays conducted by the renowned NACC Theatre Department, the Sand Mountain Soiree, Social Graces, the Arts and Humanities Writers’ Forum, and the Foundation Golf Scramble.

Additionally, the College has men’s and women’s golf teams and will be adding men’s and women’s cross country in the fall of 2023. A women’s softball complete with a state-of-the art softball field will be added in the fall of 2024.

Other sports, including soccer, are being considered. “I believe that the role of a community college should include providing these type of activities for the community it serves,” Campbell stated. “We greatly enjoy our interaction with the community and getting to know the people in our area that we serve.”

For more information about Northeast Alabama Community College, visit nacc.edu or download the OneACCS app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Follow NACC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest announcements, current events, and more.