Telemundo Hartford-Springfield Celebrates 8th Annual La Feria de la Familia
The finals of the Solo Tu Voz singing competition and Telemundo's Gabriel Coronel drew large crowds
Hartford, CT - Telemundo Hartford-Springfield celebrated the 8th annual La Feria de la Familia this past Sunday, October 13 at the Koeppel Community Sports Center in Hartford. Thousands of residents attended the grassroots family event to take advantage of all the free resources, information, activities and entertainment. The event included the participation of area businesses and organizations as well as Telemundo novela star Gabriel Coronel, from the current hit show Marido en Alquiler, who also preformed his new single Desnudo.
This year's event had a special emphasis on the health and wellness of the Hispanic community. Governor Dannel Malloy kicked off the festivities with a message about the importance and strength of the Latino community in Connecticut and the progress made to improve employment opportunities and health resources. Telemundo Hartford-Springfield recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with pink ribbons and decorations to promote awareness, share information and provide greater access to services. Access Health CT provided representatives to help attendees navigate the new Affordable Care Act health exchanges.
There was a variety of entertainment with local musical performances from Jesus Pagan, Raquel Maldonando y su Nuevo Impacto, Grupo SolS, and Alex el Bizcochito. The excitement surrounding the grand finale of Solo Tu Voz, Telemundo Hartford-Springfield's local singing competition sponsored by McDonald's, was intense. The final competition began with a performance by last year's winner Reubben Fontanez. Each of this year's four finalists performed, and a panel of judges including Coronel and local McDonald's owner George Mitchell, selected Becky Canuel, this year's winner with participation from the crowd. Canuel, whose original audition was in Holyoke, Massachusetts, was awarded a recoding demo and will participate in upcoming community events on behalf of the station.
Youth attendees enjoyed the interactive kids' area sponsored by the Connecticut Higher Education Trust.
It had its own entertainment stage and was home to a host of activities and entertainment, including magicians, balloon artists, face painting and children's characters.
Another highlight of the event was Goya's booth and the food samples provided.
"La Feria de la Familia is one of the most anticipated events of the year and is a wonderful celebration of our community. We were pleased to offer such a range activities and exhibits," commented Brenda Mulero, Station Manager, Telemundo Hartford-Springfield. "We truly appreciate the participation of all of our partners and were delighted by the presence of the Governor."
Coverage of the event will air on Telemundo Hartford-Springfield's local show
Tu Zona Saturday at 5:30pm.
To view photos and videos of the event and to see the performances of the
Solo Tu Voz contestants, visit
holaciudad.com
