Seymour High School junior Macie Fletcher is fascinated by the culture of Mexico.
Enrolled in Spanish, she is learning how to speak the language along with studying the history and customs of the country and its people.
Several of Fletcher’s friends and classmates are Latino, having come from Mexico or other Spanish speaking countries, and she also loves Mexican food, she said.
This year, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May), and earn some extra credit in her Spanish class, Fletcher attended the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on Thursday evening at Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour.
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And she’s glad she did.
“It’s great,” she said. “We’re studying about Cinco de Mayo in class and it’s really interesting.”
Often confused with Mexico’s Independence Day which is celebrated Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican army’s victory against French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico, said Melly Apsley, a SICA member who helped organize the celebration at the art center.
The event featured traditional Mexican music and a dance performance by Ballet Folklorico, a Mexican dance group out of Columbus.
Alondra Montelongo and Jocelyn Aguilar are members and both said they enjoy getting all dressed up in colorful gowns, putting flowers in their hair and demonstrating the dances they have learned.
“We have fun dancing,” Aguilar said.
“And people like to watch and clap for us,” Montelongo added.
Guests could also paint Mexican flags and other ceramics and snack on several Mexican appetizers and drinks donated by Mi Casa Mexican Restaurante and Panaderia de Seymour (Seymour Bakery).
Snacks such as quesadillas, chips, salsa and guacamole, flautas and churros were popular with those in attendance.
Fletcher said her favorite was the taquitos.
“But I like it all,” she said.
This was the second year for SICA to host the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta as a way to celebrate the Mexican culture and help the community better understand and appreciate its residents from Mexico.
Attendance was down from last year, though, as cooler weather and the threat of rain kept some people away.
Although she was born in Texas, Apsley has lived in Mexico and said celebrating and sharing her heritage with others is important to her.
“We want to show people who we are, what we are about and what we have to offer,” Apsley said. “I have a lot of passion for being part of that.”
She currently lives in North Vernon but worked as an interpreter at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour before retiring.
Apsley said the event, along with others including the Latino Council of Jackson County’s Hispanic Mother’s Day program Friday at Seymour-Jackson Elementary School are “so needed,” today to help communities be more accepting of and inviting to diversity.
“There is so much about Mexico that is beautiful and it’s worth learning about and getting to see that beauty,” she said. “I love the culture, the art and music and dancing and of course the food. It’s truly a fiesta.”
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This summer, Southern Indiana Center for the Arts will teach young children about the art of Europe in its annual youth summer art camps.
Registrations are still underway for those in preschool through sixth grade. The week long sessions begin June 6 and run through July 1.
Camps are on the following dates:
Preschool-Kindergarten (Ages 4, 5 and 6), June 6-10
Fourth-sixth grade, June 13- 17
First-third grade, June 20-24 or June 27-July 1
Camps begin at 9 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. each day.
These spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. All students interested in art camp must fill out an application and the camp fees must be submitted with the application in order to reserve a space. Camps are for the grade you are currently in.
Each day the campers spend 3 ½ hours with four different teaching artists working on a variety of projects involving everything from painting to clay pottery.
Registration is $55 per student for SICA members and $90 for non-members. All art supplies are included. A closing program and display of art work will be on the Friday of each camp at 12:30.
To reserve a spot in SICA’s Summer Art Camp, call 812-522-2278 or e-mail [email protected]. You may also register at the art center Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SICA is located at 2001 N. Ewing St. in Seymour. Memberships may also be purchased through the SICA office and new members will receive camp discounts. One-year SICA memberships are available at $25.00 for individuals and $50.00 for a family and include discounts for future classes and events at the center as well. Grandparents who have a SICA Family Membership may enroll their grandchildren at the member’s discount rate.
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