Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off in grand style on Tuesday, September 13th, at the North Miami City Council meeting with the art unveiling of Protección by Cuban-born artist, Nereida Garcia Ferraz, and the fun continues this Saturday at North Miami’s La Gran Fiesta. The festivities will be held from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. at the MOCA Plaza located at 770 NE 125 ST in Downtown North Miami. Grammy Award winner Marlow Rosado y La Riqueña will headline the event hosted by Rodrigo Duran of AMOR 107.5 and Maria Cristina Ruiz of WQBA 1140 AM. Children of all ages will enjoy amazing stories and magic by Merlina the Magician and Puppeteer presenting throughout the night in the Children’s Alley. Miami-Dade County Animal Services will also be on site with many pets available for adoption. Adoptions are FREE for dogs over 4 months, and all cats and kittens. Adoptions include spay/neuter surgery, microchip, vaccines, and a one-year license tag for dogs. 

During Hispanic Heritage Month, the city of North Miami partnered with REFORMA to bring awareness to the humanitarian refugee crisis of over 70,000 children crossing the southern border into the United States. The North Miami Public Library will be collecting children's books in Spanish to be delivered to children in detention centers, shelters, and group homes around the country. Book donations will be accepted at the Library through the end of October.   

More events for the month include Bookmaking as Art workshops for children and adults, a Salsa and Domino Fest, and much more. All the events are free and open to the public. For a full listing of Hispanic Heritage Month activities in North Miami, visit northmiamifl/celebrate.