Folklore Nicaragua, at 1st-ever Festival Centroamericano today at Westcrest Park. Video by Leda Costa for WSB pic.twitter.com/jPuQdbfFFM — West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 28, 2016

(Video and photos by Leda Costa for WSB)

4:25 PM: You still have time to get to the first-ever Festival Centroamericano, scheduled until 7 pm at Westcrest Park in Highland Park! Photojournalist Leda Costa is covering it for WSB, starting with the video above, from Folklore Nicaragua‘s performance, so we’ll have photos later – but for now, go celebrate Central American culture in person, via music, dance, food, and more. The park’s at 9000 8th SW.

ADDED 11:20 PM: As promised, more photos:

While the dancing was popular, the food was an even-bigger draw, with long lines, and some vendors selling out. This is Lucero Teofilo, whose mother Rosia runs Franci’s Fresh Fruit:

Emceeing the event, Edgardo Armando Franco, known as “El General.” Also onstage were singers including Alfredo Chavez, who, before singing, offered a lesson in the art of the Panamanian Saloma, something like yodeling.

Below, holding the Guatamalan flag, that’s Kirby Fralick at right, posing with his friends from Chapines en Seattle, one of the vendor booths at the festival:

Another booth featured handmade Nicaraguan dolls by Inmaculada Cruz:

More festival scenes:

Mercedes Gonzalez, from Panama:

Organizers say this is not only our area’s first festival celebrating Central American culture, but the first one in our state, and they hope to do it again next year.