LATIN FESTIVAL WILL MARK 9-11 WITH OBSERVANCES.Byline: Hector Hector, in Greek mythology, leader and greatest hero of the Trojan troops during the Trojan War. He was the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, the husband of Andromache, and the father by her of Astyanax. In the Iliad he is portrayed as the courageous mainstay of Trojan resistance. He was killed by Achilles in revenge for the death of Patroclus. Hector had several hero cults, most notably at Troy and Thebes. Gonzalez Staff Writer Like everything else in America, Las Fiestas FIESTA - Fokker's Integrated Engineering System for Thermal Analysis (software suite for temperature calculation of spacecraft) FIESTA - Formation Internationale en Epidémiologie et Statistique de Terrain Approfondies (French) Patrias, this month's celebration marking the independence of Mexico and other Latin American countries, has been reshaped - probably forever - by Sept. 11, 2001. Planners of fiestas set for this weekend - which happen to coincide with the deadliest terrorist attacks in U.S. history - say they have made it a point to incorporate moments of silence and other observances into the otherwise celebratory events. ``I grew up here, so I'm very sensitive to Sept. 11. It breaks my heart,'' said Frances Guerrero, marketing and promotions manager at Spanish-language television station Telemundo (Channel 52) in Burbank, which is sponsoring a weekend-long Fiestas Patrias event in downtown Los Angeles. ``But at the same time, we are a Spanish-language station, and we have to serve the Hispanic community.'' At the Telemundo event, which is expected to draw thousands to Los Angeles' historic Olvera Street, all festivities will stop at 5 p.m. Saturday for a moment of silence in remembrance of the thousands killed in the attacks, Guerrero said. In addition, the entertainers scheduled to perform will arrive in firetrucks in tribute to the emergency personnel who died, she added. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, occurring so close to Fiestas Patrias, prompted many groups and cities to cancel festivities that year. What were to be the first Latin Grammy awards also were delayed by months as the nation struggled to recover from the tragedy. Nativo Lopez, national chairman of the Mexican American Opportunities Foundation, said it is ``more than appropriate'' to incorporate Sept. 11 observances into Fiestas Patrias events, noting that hundreds of Latino immigrant workers were among the 9-11 victims. ``I think people have a broader cultural appreciation for the Fiestas Patrias, and certainly Anglos were not the only ones who lost their lives on Sept. 11. Our community was also hit very hard by this,'' he said. ``It's only right that moments of silent reflection are incorporated in the events to remember all of those who died in the tragedy.'' Hector Gonzalez, (562) 698-0955 hector.gonzalez(at)sgvn.com |
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