UMANI Festival returns Saturday

MOSES LAKE — The second annual UMANI festival takes place Saturday in Moses Lake, and it looks to be even bigger than the first.

“It's going to be similar to last year except a little bigger and a little better,” said Shawn Cardwell, executive director of Columbia Basin Allied Arts and a member of the festival’s planning committee. “We have a few more performing (artists), we have different workshops and we have a few more elements, like a mechanical bull. We've also extended it a couple of hours.”

The festival takes place from noon to 8 p.m. on Third Avenue between Sinkiuse Square and Alder Street. It’s scheduled to fall smack in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is Sept. 15-Oct. 15, according to Connie Baulne, operations supervisor at the Moses Lake library and another planning committee member.

The UMANI festival celebrates the wide variety of cultures found in Latin America. The musical lineup includes Andean folk music, Mexican mariachi, Cuban dance music and more. There will be a low-rider parade and car show as well, and lots of vendor and resource booths to visit.

“The library had wanted to do something like this about three or four years prior, but we just didn't have the means or the connections,” Baulne said. “So when we started working with the Creative District, they were like, ‘Hey, we want to do a thing.’ And I was like, ‘Well, we have this idea that we really want to do, because this is a large demographic of our population that doesn't get honored in any way really around here.’ And it was a really good fit.”

Several performers will be returning from last year’s celebration. Los Hermanos de los Andes, based in Orem, Utah, use historically authentic instruments to reproduce music dating back to the ancient Incan Empire, according to their website. There’s a local folklórico dance group called Mexico de mis Colores, and SuperSones will bring the Cuban musical tradition called “Son,” which merges Spanish guitar and harmony with Afro-Cuban rhythms. SuperSones will also perform at an after-party following the festival, Cardwell said.

Also returning are Mariachi Huenachi, a group of Wenatchee High School mariachi enthusiasts who have been seen at a number of Basin festivals.

“Those kids are amazing,” Baulne said. “Last year, they had one of our librarians just sobbing because they played a song that his mom used to sing to him. He started singing along and he got all choked up.”

There are some new faces as well. CeAtl Tonalli offers a different kind of Mexican performance: the traditional dance of the pre-Columbian Aztecs. Dance was a way of marking significant events, according to CeAtl Tonalli’s social media, from the birth of a baby to victory in battle, or as religious expressions to honor the gods.

Also new is Terror/Cactus, the musical project of Buenos Aires-born Martin Celasco. Terror/Cactus melds Argentine folk, Peruvian chicha and Colombian cumbia with psychedelic electronic rhythms.

Other Moses Lake institutions will play a part as well. The Moses Lake Museum & Art Center will have an interactive display of toys that visitors can play with, and the library will be there to remind people that it’s a free resource and always available for folks to use, unlike in some countries where libraries charge money.

“So for us, it's like, ‘No, no, we're here and we want to help,’” Baulne said. “Everybody's welcomed, and we want it to be a safe, welcoming place.”

The UMANI festival is funded through donations and grants, Cardwell said, raised with the help of Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services and the Moses Lake Creative District, among others. Some of the money raised goes to an annual scholarship through Big Bend Community College for a student of Hispanic heritage who shows promise in serving the community at large, she added. Nayeli Garcia of Quincy was awarded a $2,000 scholarship from last year’s festival.

“A lot of people ask, is (the UMANI Festival) only for people with Hispanic heritage?” Cardwell said. “It is not. I like to say it's for us, by us. It is a representation of our community, by the community.”

“I got a lot of really positive feedback (last year),” Baulne said. “People saying ‘Thank you for doing this. This is great. We wish you to know, to make sure you do it again.’ It's very humbling to be a part of it.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.