FAIRMONT- This Saturday the Fairmont Opera House will hold Fairmont Festivál; a celebration of Latin American culture. In addition to the Opera House’s normal staff, a committee of Fairmont locals representing Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela have also been involved in the planning for this event.

The event is meant for all members of the community.

“The Opera House is a place for everybody; it doesn’t matter how much money you make, what you look like, what country you’re from, it doesn’t matter. Art, music, dance and experiences like this are for everybody. I’m a farm kid from Dunnell, and I get to run this place; if this was for a specific type of person, I wouldn’t be allowed here,” said Fairmont Opera House Executive Director Blake Potthoff.

The event will feature a concert from LADAMA, an ensemble of women from across the Americas. It will also include samples of Latin American cuisine made by Fairmont community members.

Members of LADAMA come from four different countries; Brazil, Columbia, the United States and Venezuela. The group’s music is a pan-American fusion that combines elements and techniques from a diverse range of styles and genres across the two continents. Their songs feature both traditional acoustic instruments from their respective countries and modern synthesizers. In their performances members of the group take turns as lead singer and outside of their performances, they lead youth workshops and public music-making events. The group’s music has received very positive reviews from publications such as the Boston Globe and National Public Radio.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. and will consist of two 45 minute sets separated by a 15 minute intermission. It will be preceded and followed by community gatherings in the Opera House’s lounge. Members of the committee will also prepare samples of traditional foods from their respective countries which will be available during these periods.

In addition to the food, the Opera House will have its bar open to make specialty drinks from Latin America. The first session will begin at 5 p.m. and will continue until the beginning of the concert at 7 p.m. The second will begin immediately after the concert is over and will continue until around midnight.

The event was made possible in part by two grants, the first of which was a Small Town Grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a regional nonprofit which funds economic and early childhood development programs, as well as cultural initiatives. According to information on SMIF’s website, the explicit purpose of the grant was to allow the Opera House to “add community and cultural events in conjunction with their shows to make a more welcoming experience for everyone in the community.”

The Opera House also received funding from Arts Midwest, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit which funds arts programs in the Midwest region. In 2019 the Opera House was selected as one of the hosts of a concert series which was planned to feature four different performers from four different countries over a two year span. As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic the Opera House was only able to host one of these performances and in response Arts Midwest dispersed some of the series’ remaining funds to fund this event.

Potthoff encouraged people to attend the event even if it’s not something they would normally be interested in.

“We want people to step out of their comfort zone, because it’s the only way we can continue to grow. We can become better, more productive members of societies by saying ‘I’m uncomfortable right now, but that’s an opportunity to learn,'” said Potthoff.

LADAMA will perform one time at the Opera House. Tickets for the event are available both online and at the door on Saturday.