HomeNews ¡Viva Perry! brings culture, communication — and tons of food and fun By Jim Caufield - August 29, 2015 0 2444 FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp Jesus said, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6 The sights, the sounds, the smells — everything was delicious at the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival in downtown Perry Saturday. 1 of 55 The 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival brought culture, communication - and tons of food and fun to downtown Perry Saturday. Jesus said, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6 Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of Mexico. Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of the United States of America Flags of many nations --and also decorated cars -- brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of El Salvador. Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of El Salvador. Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of Guatemala. Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of Guatemala. Flags of many nations brightened the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival, including the national colors of, from front to back, Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Young ladies waited patiently for the start of the parade. Attention to detail was part of beauty's secret at the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival When angels touch the ground, they like to do so in comfort. The 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival queen was crowned Cinthia Nanjaro, 16, of Perry. Driving Queen Cinthia was Julie Scheib of the Perry-Area Chamber of Commerce. Three of Perry's U.S. Army National Guardpersons, from left, Josh Vanscoyk, Jana Summerson and Franco Morales, broke out the heavy machinery for the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday. Perry Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hinds drove a fire truck in the parade at the start of Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Danza del los Viejitos, a folkloric dance troop from Nebraska that dresses up like elderly dancers, took part in the parade and gave two afternoon performance at the2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. Arthur Winter, left, and Julie Witson of Ames helped set up for the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival and stayed for the festivities. Little queens were also on parade at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Among the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival sponsors was Tyson Fresh Meats. The 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Queen Cinthia Nanjaro, 16, of Perry, waved blandly to her admirers Saturday. Driving Queen Cinthia was Julie Scheib of the Perry-Area Chamber of Commerce. Among the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival sponsors was Hispanics United for Perry (HUP). Among the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival sponsors was Hispanics United for Perry (HUP). Among the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival sponsors was the city of Perry. Among the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival sponsors was the city of Perry. Perry native Scott Heldt, candidate for the Iowa House of Representatives, joined the fun at the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Campaign Manager Ruth Lapointe was on hand to hand out treats. Yandi Barco of Perry and her son, Jaydenn, 3, wore their Salvadoran colors for the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival Saturday in downtown Perry. This little masquerader was a miniature version of her silver, green and black bedecked big sister. Beauty in society is like a masquerade, as this lovely quinceañera demonstrates. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Beautiful girls in beautiful gowns, with handsome lads escorting, filled the quinceañera presentation at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. The ¡Viva Perry! La Reina de la Festival or Queen of the Festival contest will be a highlight of Saturday's festival in downton Perry. A preview of Latino-Americans: 500 Years of History, a Perry Public Library series scheduled for 2016 and funded by a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities, was on display Saturday. Libros gratis! Free books! were available from the Perry Elementary School and arranged by Third Grade Teacher Tara Webb, kneeling, assisted by Perry-Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bob Wilson, right. Ray Harden, left, documented the arrangement while Margaret Harden observed the proceedings. Coloring books were freely available to artistically inclined young people at Saturday's 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Perry High School Junior Emma Olejniczak, 17, helped raise funds for PHS athletics by taking a turn in the dunk tank. Emma Olejniczak did not get much time to dry off before she was on her way down again in the dunk tank. Fr. Cuong Hung Nguyen -- locally known as Father Paul -- of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Perry gave the blessing at the start of festivities Saturday at the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival. Saturday's activities at the 2015 ¡Viva Perry! Latino Festival in Perry might have inspired this little girl with dreams of her own quinceañera in years to come.