Taco Festival this Friday

The traditional taco becomes the terrific taco on Friday.

The much-loved staple of Mexican cooking finally gets its day in the sun - and its own party.

The Cultural Council of Yuma invites the community to come out Friday to celebrate Yuma's first Taco Festival.

"We hope people come and have a good time, eat some good food and listen to some great music," said Lourdes Sabori with the cultural council. "We plan to have a really good crowd, especially with the winter visitors back in Yuma."

The Taco Festival will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. along the 200 block of Main Street in Yuma.

The event is free to the public. Attendees may bring their own chairs. No alcohol will be sold at the event.

"We just want to celebrate the culinary traditions of Mexico," Sabori said. "Obviously the most popular is the taco."

The event will feature numerous taco vendors selling their specialties in a variety of styles.

"There are going to be tacos made of carne asada, chicken, pork and fish - all kinds," Sabori said. "And people are going to vote for the best taco."

There will be live entertainment throughout the day, and nonprofit groups will have informational booths for everyone to visit. Artists from the U.S. and Mexico will be displaying their creative works.

Sabori said she hopes the Taco Festival will become an annual favorite in Yuma.

"This is going to be a great family event. People need to pay for the tacos, but everything else is free and everyone is invited."

Tacos vendors and nonprofit groups can register to participate through Tuesday. For more information, call 783-2423 or send an e-mail to culturalcouncil@gmail.com.

Artists are coming to the event from Yuma County, as well as from the nearby Mexican communities of Los Algodones and San Luis Rio Colorado. Artists from Mexico will be bringing everything from jewelry to pottery. One artist, Juan Contreras, makes paper-mache dolls.

Folkloric dance groups from the region have been invited to perform, along with local mariachi and dance groups. Jazz band and mariachi group from Gadsden School District, for example, will perform that day. Ballet Missael, an internationally known dance group, will also share their talents that day.

Solo singers will include Efren Frias and Selena Barrera, the recent winner of Yuma Star.

Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.