Latino festival returns to Keyport Saturday BY LAUREN PIRO Correspondent FILE PHOTO The ninth annual Spanish-American Festival will begin at noon Saturday at First and Broad streets, Keyport. KEYPORT - The flavor and style of Latino culture will fill Keyport on Saturday during the ninth annual Spanish-American Festival. Organizers from the Spanish American Club of Keyport hope that this year's celebration will have as much success as it has in the past. "Last year, over a thousand people came to our event," Festival Committee Chairman Carlos Maldonado said. "We expect many more as our programming of fun-filled activities and entertainers has increased for this year's event." Entertainment includes a large lineup of bands and other performers, including Proyecto Clemente, Grupo Caribe, DJ Lady C La Comai de NJ, Que Bochinche!!! and dance troupe Xochipilli Bailes Mexicano. Those in attendance will also get the chance to visit many vendor booths, most notably those offering cuisine from places such as Puerto Rico, Mexico and Peru. The event will include many activities for children, such as a dance contest and sack races. The club will also present plaques to its local scholarship winners this year. "It's always for the kids," said Festival Committee member Virginia Maldonado, highlighting the many projects the club works on during the year. "That's what we're about." At the festival, however, the club will recognize the older part of its community as well. "We're honoring the senior citizens," Virginia Maldonado said. "That is this year's focus of the festival." A "Latin Seniors Tribute" with the Monmouth County Veterans and Senior Affairs Association, the Keyport Seniors Center and the Royal Senior Care Medical Adult Day Service, will be presented. The groups will share information about community-service projects as well as offer seniors medical advice with a registered nurse present. The event is sponsored by many local businesses. Carlos Maldonado noted his gratitude to the club's many local friends for their support for the festival and also for the club's ongoing mission to promote the advancement and achievements of Hispanics in the Bayshore area. The event reflects the club's efforts to acquaint the surrounding communities with Latino culture, and give new life to the new generation running the club. "We're bringing back what our parents did then," Virginia Maldonado said, referring to when the club began. "The club did a lot for the community then, and we're trying to continue that." The festival is an all-day event beginning at noon and will be held at the waterfront in Keyport, on the corner of Broad and First streets.