National Hispanic Heritage Month at the Ferguson Library

The Ferguson Library will host a variety of special events during Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), to be celebrated from September 15 to October 15.

Exploring this year’s theme of Prosperity, Power and Progress, the library’s HHM commemoration begins Friday, September 15 at 3:30 p.m. with an after-school screening of The Book of Life at the Main Library. This animated feature tells the story of Manolo, a young man torn between pleasing his family and following his heart who embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds.

On Saturday September 23 at 11 a.m., the South End Branch will host Music, Movement & Stories, a bilingual program for all ages where people can meet members of the community while listening to stories and grooving to Latin music. The event will be held again on Saturday, September 30.

On September 24 at 2 p.m. at the Main Library, the cultural organizations Crisol Acuarela Arte y Cultura and Grupo Quetzal will host a bilingual HHM celebration for all ages highlighting the social, economic and cultural contributions of Latinas to the Stamford community. The event will also feature performances that represent different Latin American artistic and folkloric traditions.

Music fans can enjoy performances by pianist Juan David Corrales at the South End Branch September 29 at 6:30 p.m., and Zully Ramos & The OGs, who will will return to the Main Library Sunday, October 1 at 2:30 p.m. to perform Latin jazz classics and pop and rock hits.

During Latino Arts & Crafts, another after-school program to be held Friday, October 6 at 3:30 p.m. at the Main Library, children will create art work in the folkloric styles of woven Ojos de Dios (God’s eyes), Taino rock carving and traditional Mexican Amate painting. They can also build their own Hispanic American history book using stickers that depict dozens of inspirational pioneers in government, science and technology, business, the arts and more.

On Saturday, October 7 at 2 p.m., dancers from the Taller Portal Norteño academy will also return to the Main Library to perform the Peruvian marinera, a partner dance that reenacts courtship through stylized movement and colorful costumes.

Closing the library’s HHM events is a Latin American Film Festival at the Main Library that begins Wednesday, October 11 at 6 p.m. and continues on consecutive Wednesdays. The films to be shown are Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tortilla Soup and Gloria.