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Latino Hispanic American Community Center readies 15th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival in Allison Hill
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Summary
Organizers say the 15th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival will draw thousands to Allison Hill on Saturday, with music, food vendors, children’s activities and a flag parade; the event also serves as the center’s primary fundraiser.
Gloria Merrick, executive director of the Latino Hispanic American Community Center, told Harrisburg City Council the center expects “over 2,000 people again” at the fifteenth annual Hispanic Heritage Festival scheduled for Saturday in Allison Hill.
Merrick said the festival, now in its 15th year, will feature live music including Tito Puente Jr., dancing in the street, food from neighborhood restaurants, children’s activities, a domino tournament and a midday program honoring sponsors and elected officials. “For us, this is our annual fundraiser, and it is very, very important to us,” Merrick said, adding that the event raises about $50,000 through sponsorships and vendor sales.
The festival flyer and presentation shown to council lists restaurants from the Allison Hill corridor and a bilingual program. Merrick said advertising in local outlets, including ABC27 and PennLive, brings visitors from outside Harrisburg; she noted past attendees have arrived from Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore. Organizers said many neighborhood restaurants will serve outdoors and that most on-site activities for children are free while food is sold at modest prices.
Merrick described parade traditions that follow the noon program: a children’s flag parade featuring the 24 Latin American flags represented at the event, and a brief program at about 12:15 p.m. that typically lasts 15–20 minutes and includes sponsor recognition and elected‑official shoutouts. She also outlined entertainment and youth activities — including bilingual puppet programming provided by WITF — and said the festival aims to immerse children in Hispanic cultural traditions.
Merrick listed major sponsors present at the slide deck: PNC, Capital Blue, Explore Harrisburg (connector to Hershey), the Hershey Company (providing candy), Pepsi (providing beverages) and grants/endorsements from tourism and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She said some funding for programming has come through the city tourism commission and state arts support, and that the center is approaching a new level of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts recognition that could require a larger headline act in future years.
Council thanked Merrick for the presentation and wished her a speedy recovery from a knee injury she mentioned at the start of her remarks.
Organizers noted basic logistics (vendors, entertainment lineup, and times) were included in the slide materials provided to council. The festival is open to the public and council members encouraged residents to attend and support Allison Hill businesses.
