STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Hailey Public Library will help kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with an open house for all ages on Friday, Sept. 17.

The free event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the library and its outside patio.

National flags will celebrate Hailey’s diverse Hispanic cultures. There will be displays, a book raffle and giveaways. And professional dancer Natalie Gallagos, owner of Boise’s Carpe Danza Studio, will offer a Latin dance demonstration at 7 p.m..

There also will be live entertainment and a free Zumba lesson led by instructor Leonardo Padilla Sacha at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, youngsters from little tykes to teens will have the opportunity to make cat’s eyes and paper mache flowers, and whack a pinata.

Beverages and a free buffet de aperitivo will be available from local Hispanic restaurants. And participants can enjoy “Waiting for Biblioburro/Esperando el Biblioburro,” a bilingual StoryWalk written by Peruvian-American writer Monica Brown.

In addition, the Hailey Public Library will offer outdoor bilingual StoryTimes at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays with special guest readers from the Hispanic community, as well as culturally diverse crafts and activities, through Oct.13.

The open house is being held in partnership with Herbert Romero of PROJECT.O.O.L.S & Partners and the Crisis Hotline.

Hispanic Heritage Month was initiated by President Lyndon Johnson who issued a proclamation recognizing the contributions of Central and South American individuals and cultures to the United States. It runs from Sept. 15 through October 15 each year.