Coming to Rousakis Plaza on River Street Saturday, Sept. 10: The sixth annual Fiesta Latina, with live music and other entertainment – muy caliente! – from 11 a.m. until 8 in the evening.
Along with Savannah’s premiere salsa band Grupo Kachimbo, the lineup includes Atlanta’s phenomenal Orquesta con Clase, plus Iraida Valdivia, Fusion Latina, Diego Val, Hinesville’s Orgullo Paname dance troupe, Miss Lucia, Tradici on Latina and others.
Fiesta Latina is a production of Armstrong Atlantic State University’s HOLA (Hispanic Outreach and Leadership at Armstrong) and the Latin American Services Organization.
The pan–cultural celebration – admission is free – also features a tasty selection of food for sale, from various Latin American counties.
Live art demonstrations, cultural info booths, kids’ stuff – including face–painting and a magician – round out the package.
For more info, call (912) 238–2032.
News and notes
• Tickets are available now for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra season opener, The American Spirit, a 5 p.m. concert Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Lucas Theatre. Owing to the significance of the date, it’s a program of music by (mostly) American composers, including Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein (Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is also in the lineup). Tickets, $16–$100, are on sale at scadboxoffice.com.
• Savannah’s favorite reggae rock band Passafire will release its fourth full–length album, Start From Scratch, on Sept. 20. The band is currently on the road as part of the cross–country Vans Warped Tour.
• The Royce Learning Center’s 5th annual “Evening of Jazz,” Sept. 16 at the Lucas Theatre, features Savannah violinist Ricardo Ochoa and his hand–picked group, plus a performance by Seersucker Live, a literacy performance group of local writers. It’s a benefit for Royce’s Adult and Community Education program, and your $75 VIP ticket entitles you to a pre–show food and drink reception at 45 Bistro. Regular (performance only) tickets start at $15.
• The “Laughs For Lemonade” comedy show returns to Savannah Thursday, Sept. 29. This multi–headliner yuk–fest (at the Lucas) is a fundraiser for Mom’s Lemonade Fund, a support group for ovarian cancer research at Memorial University Medical Center. The standup comedy names are Karen Morgan – she was here for the 2010 show – and Vic Henley.
• Christian rock band Casting Crowns will perform in the Martin Luther King Arena Oct. 15. Tickets for the Come to the Well tour are available locally at Christian booksellers.
• Rocktoberfest, Oct. 22 at New Life Church, will feature multiple bands including the Chariot, Gideon, Sent By Ravens, Me & the Trinity and Heart Cake Party. Tickets for this all–ages, noon to midnight event are $15 advance, and will be $20 at the door. Some of the details seem to still be in flux; check out the Facebook page for “Rocktoberfest Savannah.” CS
• Richmond Hill resident Gregg Allman has canceled six weeks of shows in the middle of his Low Country Blues tour, citing doctor’s orders. Apparently, Allman (the recipient of a liver transplant in 2010) has got a nagging respiratory infection. The tour will resume in mid–September; a little bird tells us that Gregg and his band will play the Johnny Mercer Theatre Jan. 21, 2012. Stay tuned.
