What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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4 WHAT'S UP! OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 6, 2021 COVER STORY makes me feel close to him — fixing the food that he liked and trying to find the cigarettes he liked, which are very hard to find in the United States. I have to order the cigarettes from Texas or somewhere else so I can have them for him. Just that preparation makes me feel like he's going to come. He's going to come, he's going to eat my food, and we're going to hug each other, at least in my dreams." Merino's organization has been hosting a Northwest Arkansas Dia de los Muertos celebration for around eight years now, and, she says, it just keeps getting bigger every year. This year, the altar building by the organization is scheduled to begin on Oct. 31 , from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Shiloh Square in Springdale, with the public invited to bring their offerings — photographs and/or food items in memory of their loved ones — on Nov. 2 from 6-8 p.m. The Procesion del Dia de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead Procession — is scheduled to begin at noon on Nov. 6 at Shiloh Square; once completed, mariachi Joya Azteca and dance company Ballet Folklorico Herencia de Mexico will officially kick off the communitywide celebration. Joining that celebration are partners See DOTD Page 37 DOTD Continued From Page 3 FAQ Dia de los Muertos In Springdale WHEN — Building the ofrenda base, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 31; bring offer- ings for the dead, 6-8 p.m. Nov. 2; Day of the Dead Procession, noon Nov. 6; music, dancing, crafts and food, 1 p.m. Nov. 6 WHERE — Shiloh Square in downtown Springdale COST — Free INFO — latinartarkansas.org Artwork by Isaac Helguera will also be featured in "Dia de Muertos: A Cultural Interpretation of the Times," on show Nov. 6-Dec. 4 at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. The exhibition is a collaboration among the Latin Art Organization of Arkansas, the Shiloh Museum, the Downtown Springdale Alliance and Arts One Presents, the organization formerly known as the Arts Center of the Ozarks. The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and admission is free. For information, call 750-8165. (Courtesy Image/Arts One Presents) "I think that it would be good for everybody to know that what we wear for the Day of the Dead is not a costume, it's culture," says Silvia Merino. "I don't feel offended because sometimes people don't know — it's kind of funny that people say, 'I want to be a Catrina for Halloween' — but I think it's important for people to understand that we don't expect to see people dressed as a Catrina for Halloween." (NWA Democrat-Gazette File Photo/Flip Putthoff) FYI Fayetteville, Bentonville Dia De Los Muertos Fenix Arts' Day of the Dead exhibit opened on Oct. 22, and a celebration and awards ceremony will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 6. A Day of the Dead ofrenda will be set up at Cottage Circle Gazebo directly across from the gallery, and the evening will feature a parade, led by a giant monarch butterfly and traditional Mexican folklorico dancers, from the gallery to the gazebo. Community members are invited to place objects and items on the ofrenda in remembrance of their deceased relatives. The evening will also feature traditional food and "Day of the Dead" art projects created by students at Springdale and Har-Ber high schools. Among participating artists is Isaac Helguera, whose work is pictured here. Fenix Arts is at 150 N. Skyline Drive in Fayetteville. Call 530-6023 for more information. The Museum of Native American History at 202 Southwest O St. in Bentonville, celebrated the Day of the Dead Oct. 30 with art, music, dance and food. The ofrenda will remain on display this week. Call 273-2456 to plan your visit. Admission is free.