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Many Mountains Fall Festival to celebrate Appalachian, Latinx cultures Sept. 20-Oct. 7

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2022) — Next week will kick off the Many Mountains Fall Festival, a student-led, weekslong celebration of Appalachian and Latinx cultures. Including arts, music, food and dance, the festival celebrates Appalachian cultural diversity with a special emphasis on Latinx experiences and expressions in the region. The week will be anchored by a performance by Cornbread & Tortillas, a dynamic bilingual production that features stories, music and dancing.

The festival is a collaboration between the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program; the Appalachian Research Community (a registered student organization); the Department of Hispanic Studies; the Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Program; the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music; and the Mountain Fiesta in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Other partners include the Latino Student Union, Martin Luther King CenterKentucky State University Cooperative Extension, UK Asian American Association and the UK Bluegrass Ensemble.

“I’m so thrilled to implement a hometown project — The Mountain Fiesta — here at the University of Kentucky," said Alan Luc, student organizer. "The Many Mountains Festival de Otoño emphasizes creating a thoughtful event programming that offers community members an opportunity to celebrate each other through the universal languages of arts, dance, music, food and traditions. This year, we emphasize the similarities and differences of Latin American and Appalachian culture. We hope you enjoy, explore and celebrate the diverse community here in the Bluegrass.”

All events are free and open to the public. The cooking demonstration requires pre-registration. The salsa dance workshop requires pre-registration and participants must be a UK student or have a campus recreation membership. The soccer games require pre-registration and an entry fee.

The Many Mountains Fall Festival is funded through the Vice President for Institutional Diversity Inclusive Excellence Student Programming Grant.

Events include:

Malina Brothers —  6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the John Jacob Niles Gallery/Little Fine Arts Library.

Join us for a musical performance by the Malina Brothers, an extraordinary fusion of Bluegrass and Baroque music from the Czech Republic.

Spanish Spelling Bee — 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, in the Esports Lounge and Theater.

Sponsored by the MLK Center, this bee will feature a few rounds of increasingly harder words that participants can expect to be in Spanish, as well as in dialects and languages such as Nahuatl, Mayan, Haitian, Portuguese and more from around Latin America. The program will also offer bits of information of culture and history throughout.

The Mountain Fiesta at Cumberland Gap — noon Saturday, Sept. 24, downtown Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.

The UK Appalachian Center will be tabling at the Mountain Fiesta. The Mountain Fiesta is a homemade celebration of Latin American and Appalachian culture, created with the vision of giving our community the opportunity to interact, sing, dance and learn about the beauty and diversity of Latin America.

Soup Beans & Spice! Appalachian/Latinx Foodways Workshop — 1-3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in the Funkhouser Building Kitchen, Room 207 .

This cooking workshop will feature Andrea Muñoz, sustainable agriculture and nutrition education program assistant at the Whitley County Extension Office. She will be teaching participants how to make porotos con riendas, a traditional Chilean bean soup, as well as traditional Appalachian soup beans. Participants need to pre-register for the workshop.

"The Mountain Fiesta: Bridging the Gap and Building Community in Rural Appalachia" Documentary Film Screening and Discussion — 5-6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, Niles Gallery.

Join us for a screening and discussion of featuring filmmakers Roderico Yool-Díaz and Emily (Gibson) Rhyne of Iximché Media.

AppalAsians in Conversation — 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, basement of Donovan Hall.

Join undergraduate students Alan Luc and Aryan Patel in a conversation about what it means to juggle cultural identities as Asian American Appalachians. This event is co-sponsored by the UK Asian American Association.

Salsa Dancing Workshop — 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in Alumni Gym Studio A.

Come learn how to salsa dance by instructors from the Salsa Center Dance Studio. Participants must be a UK student or have a campus recreation membership. Participants need to pre-register for the workshop.

Pick-Up Soccer Games — 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, Johnson Center Fields.

The Latino Student Union invites all students to join an 8 vs. 8 pick-up soccer tournament at the Johnson Center intramural field! This event will be held as a small tournament with winner and runner-up receiving an award. Pre-registration is required and teams should pay an entry fee.

Cornbread & Tortillas — 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, Worsham Cinema in the Gatton Student Center.

Cornbread & Tortillas is a dynamic bilingual production that features stories, music and dancing. Audiences will journey from the Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky to Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador and beyond, exploring connections.

Tall, Dark and Handsome – "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" Series — noon, Friday, Sept. 30, Niles Gallery.

Come listen to some folk and acoustic jazz from Tall, Dark and Handsome, as a part of the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series sponsored by the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music.

Many Mountains Fall Festival — 1-5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, lawn of UK Appalachian Center, 640 Maxwelton Court.

Join us on the Appalachian Center Lawn (Bosworth Lawn) just off of S. Limestone for a fun filled day of food, music, dance and celebration of Appalachian and Latinx culture! Enjoy free food from Nathan’s Taqueria, visit booths from various organizations on campus and listen to some amazing music! Full schedule of events for the festival include: 

  • 1 p.m. — Sophia Enriquez, Mexilachian Music.
  • 2 p.m. —  Fernando Moya and Yani Vozos, Andean Instruments Demonstration.
  • 2:45 p.m. — Paulina Vazquez, Ballet Folklórico de México.
  • 3:15 p.m. —  CornMaiz, String Band Music.
  • 4 p.m. —  UK Bluegrass Ensemble.

Festival Latino de Lexington — 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2, in the Courthouse Square, downtown Lexington. 

Check out the great booths, crafts, food, music and dancing at the Festival Latino de Lexington downtown starting Friday, Sept. 30, and running through the weekend.

Appalachian Flatfooting Dance Workshop – "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" series —  noon Friday, Oct. 7, Niles Gallery.

Join us for an Appalachian Flatfooting Workshop with Carla Gover through the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series sponsored by the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.