Port Chester is famous for its incredible range of ethnic restaurants, a reflection of the village’s immigrant population. Local artists and performers are apparently just as diverse, if not as renowned, as the restaurants. Some will take the stage Sunday for the second annual Port Chester Fest.

Tom Van Buren, who runs the folk arts program at ArtsWestchester, helped locate several performers that reflect the local culture.

Below is Grupo HAGUA, a Guatemalan dance troupe that mixes pre-Columbian and colonial traditions. The photo (courtesy of Van Buren) shows them performing at Kensico Dam last summer.

More local talent comes from Armonia del Peru, a brass band led by Gregorio Salazar and his son Hoover, below. Both are construction workers living in Port Chester, and they play a busy circuit of Peruvian patron-saint festivals in the tri-state area. Sunday will be their first time performing for the general public in Port Chester.

Gregorio is holding the group’s first album, recorded in Lima in 1982. If you look at the cover closely, you’ll see Hoover posing with the band as a toddler, holding a percussion instrument.

Port Chester Fest runs from noon to 8:30 p.m., with performances at the waterfront and in a few local restaurants. A group of poets will perform bilingual readings at the Copa Cabana restaurant.

Port Chester Fest

A free community arts festival on the Port Chester Waterfront, 12:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Live Bands, Dance Performances, Art Workshops, International Food, Art Studio Open Houses, 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Live Music and Poetry Readings in Local Restaurants
12:00—1:00
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Music    ARMONIA DEL PERU: Orquesta Banda – Brass band from Arequipa, Peru performing Huyano and Marinera music. Under the direction of Gregorio Salazar of Port Chester.
Sponsored by ArtsWestchester

12:00-3:00
Workshop    CLAY ART CENTER – Come experience the magic of clay!  Visit the CLAY ART Center’s table to see clay artists at work and have the opportunity to make something of your own!

1:00—1:40
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Dance
Performance    GRUPO HAGUA (Hermanos y Amigos de Guatemala) – Dance group showcasing the colorful costumes and energetic dances of Guatemala. They will dance El Paabanc and El Mico.  A mixture of Pre-Columbian and colonial culture. Sponsored by Ronai & Ronai, LLP

1:00-4:00
Workshop    MAKING INSTRUMENTS – MAKING MUSIC – Percussion, wind and strings for musicians of all ages – Musician/teacher/entertainer Tor Snyder has been working with children for over 25 years.  Since 2000, as a teaching artist in the New York Public Schools, he has become one of the most in-demand performers and educators.

1:45—2:30
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Dance
Performance BALLET ESTAMPAS FOLKLORICAS MEXICANAS was inspired by festivals honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe.  With members in Westchester and the Bronx, the Ballet Estampas (symbols) seeks to spread knowledge and appreciation for the dances of Mexico in the United States. Sponsored by ArtsWestchester

2:00-5:00
Workshop    FACE PAINTING with MIGUEL COSSIO – muralist, maskmaker and face painter from Mexico.

2:45—3:30
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Dance
Performance CAPOEIRA ARIANHA – The Brazilian fight-dance jogo (game) and art demonstration led by Master Ary Lima. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that was developed by slaves in Brazil as a means of self-defense and as a mode of expression through gymnastic movements, dance, percussion, and song.  Sponsored by Ronai & Ronai, LLP

3:00-6:00
Workshop
3 D DOLL CLUB of Mount Vernon – Doll making workshop-Participants will learn to make the “Green Bottle Doll,” using recycled materials (plastic bottles and fabric). This class is enjoyed by children and adults. Materials for the class are provided.
3:30—4:30
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Dance Band THE CANGELOSI CARDS – One of New York’s hardest working bands – The Cards perform Dixie Land, Swing and Blues. Tamar is truly an original singer and has a wonderful stage presence. Professional and talented amateur swing dancers come down and add to the atmosphere greatly! Sponsored by William Owen, LLC

4:00-7:00
Copa Cabana
Restaurant
Poetry & Music ONE WORD / MANY VOICES – Poetry at the Copa Cabana Restaurant
Tara Betts, Walter Dionisio, Professor Arturo, Celia Ressig-Vasile, Kate Gallagher, Carlos Mavila, Brenda Connor-Bey, Angel Ramos, E.J. Antonio, Anahi Rossini, Rich Villar, T. Rasul Murray, plus the three slam poetry winners from Port Chester High School. Music provided by Sin Chicuna, an Andean flute band.           Sponsored by The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center

4:30-6:30

Chavin Restaurant

ELIAS LADINO ENSEMBLE – Sephardic songs of the mediterranean Jewish Diaspora with Daniel Elias and Maurice Sedacca. Sponsored by ArtsWestchester

4:45-6:45
Per Voi Restaurant

CANGELOSI CARDS TRIO -  Continuing their repertoire of Dixie Land, Swing, Blues with lead vocalist Tamar.

4:30—5:30
Showmobile
Dance Band

CARLOS JIMENEZ’ MAMBO/SALSA  ORCHESTRA—LIVE DANCE INSTRUCTION: The music of Puente, Cachao, and many others. Dance the cha cha cha, mambos and more!
5:30—6:30
Showmobile
Hip Hop    REBEL DIAZ RAP TRIO – A political hip hop trio out of the Bronx consisting of RodStarz, G1 and Lah Tere.
6:00-8:00
Remolinos
Restaurant
Music    CAFÉ DORADO: Música Típica Colombiana – Folk music of Colombia with five piece ensemble led by Jaime Herron of Medellin and White Plains.  Cumbias and other forms from the mountains, the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.                                                                                                         Sponsored by ArtsWestchester

6:30-8:30
Chavin
Restaurant
Music
CARLOS JIMÉNEZ – Latin Jazz Flute Trio – Carlos Jiménez, a Puerto Rican Latin Jazz flautist, composer, arranger, and producer born in New York.
6:45-8:45
Per Voi
Restaurant
Music    TITUS ABBOTT COLLECTIVE Jazz Trio has been received enthusiastically wherever they perform. The collective which has an evolving personnel comes out of the vibrant Alt Jazz scene of NYC and Brooklyn presenting creative improvised music that is always searching for a fresh “in the moment” connection.

TROLLEY SCHEDULE – Leaves every half-hour between 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. From the Festival stopping at the Artist Loft Building on Westchester Avenue and then on to the Clay Art Center