On Sept. 18, Project Horizon, a lexington based organization focused on eradicating sexual, and dating violence, organized a Latino Festival at Jordan’s Point in Lexington. The Festival lasted from 10:30 to 5:00, and hosted a variety of delicious food stands, great music, and a soccer tournament. The festival is an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and gives a safe environment for Lexington’s latinx population.

The food stands, which offered traditional dishes, ranged from all over Central and South America including Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala. Dishes like burritos and chicha morada, a fermented purple corn drink local to Peru, could be found along the roadside of the soccer field. Project Horizon also ran a free snow cone stand, with flavors like green apple and blue raspberry. 

Yusuf Aliyev, a sophomore at Rockbridge County High School, could be seen chowing down on some steak and chicken tacos.

“They are good tacos, nine out of ten, would recommend,” said Aliyev.

David Castillo, a junior, was volunteering for a local youth soccer team. He was playing soccer drills with the kids at the festival.

 “I loved watching the soccer game with my friends,” said Castillo. “We didn’t get many children wanting to play, but the experience was great and I felt good about contributing to the community, even if the food hurt my wallet a bit.”

The main event of the festival was the soccer matches. Four teams competed for a grand prize of $500. Second got $300 and third got $100. Arsenal beat Paris Saint-Germain five to two, placing them in first for the cash prize.

Over all, the festival created many bonds in the community and it provided lots of activities and entertainment. Project Horizon plans to have it next year around October. Before that, they are hosting Play for Peace, a golf hole-in-one tournament at the Lexington Golf and Country Club, with grand prizes like tickets to the superbowl or a new car. You can contact them at [email protected] or learn more on their website, https://www.projecthorizon.org.