Latin Culutre Celebrated at 2nd International Night; Next Gathering To Honor Jamaica Tuesday, June 6

People clapped, cheered, and sang along for two hours with the band Mariachi Cristal from southeast Michigan. MCKENNA JOHNSON / MACKINAC ISLAND TOWN CRIER

The Mackinac Arts Council hosted its second of three international nights with a Latin Celebration Wednesday, May 24, featuring music by Mariachi Cristal from southeast Michigan and authentic Mexican food from Jose’s Cantina in St. Ignace. The event was a big hit with dozens of Island employees and residents who lined up in Mackinac Island Community Hall waiting to receive a free meal while enjoying the music.

The next international night will celebrate Jamaican culture Tuesday, June 6, in Mackinac Island Community Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Kingston Kitchen will provide the food, with music from One Love Reggae Band from Detroit.

Lisa Barnwell, who has been volunteering with the arts council for 20 years, greeted those who attended Latin night. She enjoys the free-meal events the arts council puts on because it is a great way for Island employees to get to know one another and meet new people.

“A good free meal is a really big deal when you’re just getting here and you haven’t received your first paycheck,” Mrs. Barnwell said. “And so is good music and meeting people that you don’t work with every day.”

One of the leading members of the four-man band, Mariachi Cristal, sang, played, and interacted with the crowd during the Mackinac Arts Council’s Latin Celebration, an international night event.

At the entrance of the community hall, in addition to the typical pamphlets and business cards available, there were Covid-19 tests, health kits, masks, and Narcan spray free for attendees to take. Because so many attended the event, more tables and chairs had to be added so everyone had a place to sit.

Elliott Collins from northern California came to meet new people. It is his first season on the Island working at Mission Point Resort. He helps set up for weddings and banquets and has been loving the Island so far. It was cold the first few weeks, he said, but now he is enjoying the warmer weather.

“Everyone I’ve met on the streets are all friendly,” Mr. Collins said. “It’s been really easy getting used to it.”

For Eric Fadie in his first season on the Island working as an assistant dray driver, the free meal events are more than just free food. They are a reason for him to get out and experience the Island. He has wanted to work on the Island since he was a little kid, and now that he is here, he wants to experience all the Island has to offer.

LEFT: Mariachi Cristal was brought to the Island by the Mackinac Arts Council to play at the Latin Celebration, the second of three international nights sponsored by the council. • RIGHT: Lisa Barnwell, a Mackinac Arts Council volunteer, and Glen Young, a member of the arts council’s board of directors, pack leftover queso and salsa in to-go cups for attendees to take with them as the Latin Celebration came to a close.

“Besides the obvious, the free food, it’s just something to do,” Mr. Fadie said. “Finally, I [get] to work here, which is actually really, really awesome.”

Sitting with him was Brian Hoyt, another employee in his first season working at Fort Mackinac. He also enjoys going to the community events on the Island, agreeing that it gives them something to do. They have already explored most of what is out there to explore within an 8.2-mile radius.

“We’ve been here since early April and we’re like, ‘Okay let’s just go explore,’” Mr. Hoyt said. “But you can only explore so much.”

By the end of the event, people were clapping, cheering, and singing along with Mariachi Cristal, the four-man band that serenaded the large crowd for two hours straight. Mrs. Barnwell and Glen Young, a member of the arts council’s board of directors, ended the night by packing togo cups of queso and salsa in the kitchen for attendees to take with them. When it came time to start cleaning up, many who attended the event joined in to fold tables and put away chairs with the volunteers.

“It’s kind of a big deal,” Mrs. Barnwell said of the night. “Having the inner network connection outside of work, and kind of finding that community.”