Culture With A New Flavor Salsapalooza Brings Tang Of Latin Music To Sfcc, Adding To The Growing Multicultural Flavor Of Spokane

After waking up early Sunday and driving four hours from British Columbia to Spokane, Cindy Siska couldn’t sit still any longer.

She didn’t care if nobody else was dancing to the Latin jazz beat. Or if the lawn wasn’t packed with blankets and lawn chairs and people. Or if her feet were bare.

“You had a Canadian start your salsa dance floor,” chided fellow Canadian Alexis Porter, Siska’s non-dancing friend.

“It’s groovy,” Siska said. “You just can’t sit still.”

Most people could. They sat on Mexican blankets, striped lawn chairs and beach towels. But they tapped their feet, moved their shoulders and nodded their heads in time to the music at Salsapalooza, Spokane’s first outdoor Latin jazz festival, held at Spokane Falls Community College.

“I think it’s pretty brave of them to stage something like this, considering it’s Spokane - the whitest place on Earth,” said Andrea Tomeo, who escaped the heat by sitting in the shade under a straw hat.

The audience swayed to conga-whiz Poncho Sanchez and his eight-piece band. They also saw bands like Fuego, Desafinado and the Picante Percussion Orchestra, featuring the Jalapeno Horns and Salsalito Singers.

Vanessa Cameron and Brenda Stubbs drank in the music while sunbathing on a pink comforter in bikini tops and shorts.

“They need more of this in Spokane,” Cameron said.

“I swear to God,” Stubbs added.

About 350 people trickled into the 10-hour show, making the roped-off lawn look more like a company picnic than a music festival.

But those who came, stayed.

“I’m just happy to see people are showing up for things like this,” said Dave Wakeley, an SFCC faculty member who directs the Picante Percussion Orchestra. “Spokane is just in its baby years, as far as growing multiculturally.”

It was certainly multicultural at this show. People chatted in English, Spanish, Russian and French. They came in all shapes, colors, ages and sizes.

“It’s such a diverse, energized group of people here,” said Sally Rainey, who sat on a rainbow-striped spread with her husband and daughter. “I’m really excited to be a part of this.”

Her 12-year-old daughter, Mandy, tried picking out the instruments as the bands played.

“I like it,” she said, stuffing a potato chip into her mouth. “It has lots of beats. It’s not the same, over and over. It has lots of different kinds of instruments.”

The food was eclectic as well, from Mexican to Italian to Asian. Booths sold Salsapalooza T-shirts, tie-dyed clothing and jewelry and apparel from Central and South America.

Georgia Luker already had her own Mexican blankets - two striped ones from garage sales and one sporting parrots.

Luker and her family lugged the blankets and a bag of food from their home, 80 miles north of Spokane. They snacked on strawberries, Wheat Thins and cookies as they waited for Poncho.

“You can practically sit on the stage here,” Luker said. “It’s just amazing.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo