Calle Ocho Festival Turns Up The Heat

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Copyright 2007 The Miami Herald All Rights Reserved The Miami Herald March 12 2007 Monday SECTION: A; Pg. 1 LENGTH: 568 words, HEADLINE: Calle Ocho festival turns up the heat; About a million people poured into Little Havana on Sunday for the 29th annual Calle Ocho festival, hailed as the nation's biggest street fest. BYLINE: ALDO NAHED, [email protected] BODY: Nanette Molina, of Pembroke Pines, came to Calle Ocho Sunday on a mission: to join the world's largest aerobics exercise known as Zumba. By 3 p.m., it was hard to tell whether Molina and more than 100 of her fellow Zumba instructors succeeded in signing up the required tens of thousands to break the record in the number of participants in the high-energy aerobics workout. The current record was set in the Philippines on Feb. 16, 2003, when at least 48,000 people simultaneously exercised at Manila Luneta Park. Whether Miami broke that record won't be known for days -- until organizers count the signatures of Calle Ocho Zumba participants. ''Our concern is to win,'' said Molina, 27, a first-time Calle Ocho reveler, who helped collect signatures for the Zumba party from among thousands -- many of them tipsy and lightly dressed. The Zumba was a highlight of this year's Calle Ocho event, billed as the nation's largest street festival. A sea of people danced along 23 blocks of Southwest Eight Street and in front of 24 stages pumping Latin and Caribbean rhythms. Olga Merediz, 82, of Hialeah, embarrassed her niece, Kimberly, 27, as she danced up a storm in front of a stand hawking salsa CDs. ''I can't get her to stop,'' Kimberly said, her arms crossed in mock frustration. Nearby, a Canadian couple from Quebec sat on a bus bench to catch their breath. They were going to drop off a bag of free goodies in their car and then return to the festivities. ''The smell of the food, the Latin culture, it's all so wonderful,'' said Gilles Robert. ''He likes to see the nice young girls,'' added his wife, Ginette Bérubé. He didn't disagree. For Kiwanis of Little Havana, which started the annual party in 1978, the 29th edition was another hit, said Sylvia Vieta, the group's spokeswoman. She estimated Sunday's crowd at about a million people. Participating performers included

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Willy Chirino, Oscar de León, Albita Rodríguez and Frankie Negrón and groups like Conjunto Progresso and Shela y su Chekere. ''It unites the Latino culture,'' said Eddy Leal, a marketing manager for Budweiser, of the performers on his stage. Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who has taken part in the festival for 20 years, hung out at the Miccosukee stage to hear salsa artist Roberto Torres. Later, Sanchez led the crowd in a 10-minute Zumba exercise. ''He's a good performer, he does it well,'' said Sanchez of Torres. ``It's great to see all the people wearing their country's flag and walking around.'' There was no shortage of Latin food: Peruvian ceviche, picarones, empanadas, yuca, tostones and chicharrón, along with traditional carnival food. The sponsors at the event ranged from energy drinks to everyday household products. People lined up to get free samples and fill out forms for a chance to win prizes. At a Sensodyne makeshift spa tent, people got a massage while a dental hygienist talked about their teeth. There were also booths with messages on AIDS awareness and immigration reform. José Lagos, head of Honduran Unity, said he collected 5,000 signatures and gave out 10,000 handouts with information on the possible rewrite of immigration laws. Since 1992, José Nery Garcia, of Cape Coral, brought his family to Calle Ocho. On Sunday he got a nifty Florida Lotto bag for purchasing $20 worth of scratch-off tickets. ''We'll stay until they kick us out,'' he said, cringing at the thought of having to go back to work today. LOAD-DATE: March 12, 2007

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