12th Annual Latino Expo This Weekend

The 12th Annual Latino Expo is this weekend, Sat. and Sun. 12n - 5 pm. May 5 - 6 at the East Haven High School, 35 Wheelbarrow Lane, East Haven, CT. Free Admission

There are 4 areas for you to visit.

 Area I.  When you walk in the building, you will see our Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity brothers.  Lambda Theta Phi is celebrating its 36th year and is the oldest Latin fraternity in the country.  Our brothers have been volunteering at the Latino Expos for the last 5 years.  They are wonderful mentors for the young children.  

This year, they will be helping you discover your innate skills sets. We will have four computers in the lobby set up for you to test yourself.  This test will help define the things you love to do, what makes you proud when you do them and most of all, what careers need your skills!

You can even take it one step further and look at the careers and see if you might need some more education to be successful in those fields.

The brothers will be right there to help you manage the program if you run into problems.

The next areas you will want to visit are the Expo and the Conference.  Both are downstairs.  The Expo is in the Atrium Cafeteria and the Conference is in the Technology Center.  In between both will be the Hot 93.7 street team!  They will be mixing it up and getting everyone dancing.

Area II. In the Expo there are lots of activities and stuff to do for all ages.  First, you will notice the News 8 cooking demo areas.  Neil Fuentes - the Singing Chef and an East Haven resident -  will be presenting 2 cooking demos each day.  Neil has appeared on CT Style 30 times!  He is also one of 3 national celebrities on the Food Network representing Sabra foods.  Sabra will be launching webisodes featuring Neil’s recipes and Neil's singing talent.  Neil is also the lead singer of Sonido Libre.  His 11 person Latin jazz band will be featured on Sunday from 3:45 - 4:45.

For the little children, the Hagaman Memorial Library will be sponsoring the “Reading Princess”.  The Princess will be reading beloved children’s stories in English and Spanish.  The library will be registering new borrowers, promoting the summer reading program, expanding their adult titles and introducing new magazines.

The Town of East Haven’s Police department is looking for recruits.  They would love to speak with everyone interested in a career in law enforcement. Returning military personnel may not know about the need in East Haven’s police department and the depth of the hiring opportunities. Others will be stopping by the Police booth to sit on their Harley Davidson motorcycle and take pictures. Everyone’s invited to come and get your Harley On!

East Haven Rotary Club members will be meeting parents with young children for their Amber alert program. The Rotary Club is bringing information about their organization and applications for new memberships.

The Lions Club of East Haven’s members will be providing free eye screenings for 2 hours, Sunday, 1 - 3pm. Diabetes and other life threatening diseases have been discovered by the eye screenings the Lions Club provides. They too are looking for new members.

At 15, many Latinas have a Quinceañera. The ‘Quiñci Corner of CT’ will feature gowns and accessories. One lucky winner will win a dream gown.  Sponsored by Fashions by Trevette, Ivette has native knowledge of all Hispanic Cultural Events and knows how to outfit the entire party.

The variety and depth of information in every booth is amazing. At the Latino Expo, you can meet with banks, financial planners, view and purchase original art including oil paintings, sip on a virgin Piña Colada, meet with CHESLA and see how a student loan is only 5.99% through the state’s program vs. the Federal Parent Plus loans at 7.99%, meet with the CT Housing Finance Authority about buying a home, learn about becoming a foster parent, get insurance for you home, car, business and health, meet with dentists and learn about oral care, become a model, register to vote, apply for careers and jobs, check out the very latest in cellular products, meet with colleges and meet with recruiters from 3 different military divisions, all looking for people that want to become officers. 

Area  III. The Conference is offering one hour sessions with experts in their fields in a panel format. On Saturday, Starting with Healthcare at 12:40 - 1:40, Jobs at 2:10 - 3:10 and Education at 3:40 - 4:40. On Sunday, the conference begins with 2 workshops; How to Establish Credit, presented in English and Spanish by the U.S. Small Business Administration at 12:40 and 1:10. Wrapping up the two days is a panel on business.  The entired conference is in English except for the Credit workshop at 1:10 on Sunday. We will be taping the sessions for playback on Public Access for all to see and learn what is provided at the Latino Expo.

Area IV.  Our Cultural Stage will make people stop going to Disney to see dolls dancing and singing,“It’s a Small World After All”!  Who needs Epcot?  Right here in CT we have so many folkloric groups from so many countries, we are rich with cross cultural experiences. 

2 days of Live Music and Dance from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru and Columbia, folkloric, Latin jazz, Latin rock, hip hop, reggaeton, R & B and pop has something to please everyone. Students from East Haven high school will also be showcasing their talents.

This is the largest multicultural showcase in the Northeast!

Whether you are Hispanic or not, it does not matter. You will enjoy the Latino Expo.  We offer two days of information and resources you may not know you are missing.  Our doors and hearts are open to everyone.  It is a true, loving, diverse experience.

Mayor Maturo will be present both days of the Latino Expo and wants to meet everyone.  Please bring your family and friends. Discover the 12th annual Latino Expo. 

If you have aspirations but don’t know how to get the resources to fulfill your goals, you can find many resources this weekend that will help you.  When Hartford became the home for so many refugees from Bosnia, the new refugees came to the Latino Expo, year after year, to learn what resources are available.

Don’t forget, our opening ceremony will begin on Saturday at 12n.  Enjoy!