April 24, 2002 (Elje “J flortlanò © h serti er Page A7 CBINIW E>i M Â y © Group Presents Latin American Folk Music Grupo Condor is a touring folk music ensemble based in Portland that performs traditional music o f Latin America. Their concerts and school programs focus on the blend of European, African and Native American influences which are the roots of this multicultural music style. The group will be giving a concert at the Old Church on Thursday, April 25, located at 1422 S.W. 11“1 at 8 p.m. Special guests to appear are from Chile, Venezuela and the United States. For more information, call 503-469-8906 or go online to www.grupo-condor.org. Celebration at Waterfront Park Through a collaboration be­ in Mexico where merchants sell tween the sister cities of Port­ their wares and, just as in land and Guadalajara, the an­ M exico, authentic artisans nual Cinco de Mayo festival demonstrate and sell hand­ returns. The event showcases crafted art work. Mexican food, music, dance In addition, there will be a and Latin rhythms featuring family carnival, Saturday night popular L atino artists and Fireworks Spectacular, Natu­ groups. ralization Ceremony and a The fiesta will be held at Mariachi Mass. Waterfront Park, from Thurs­ Kids can find interesting ac­ day, May 2 through Sunday, tivities at the Children’s Plaza May 5. which entertains thousands Gudalajara’s internationally with puppet shows, face paint­ famous folk ballet and the ing, Mexican children’s arts Guadalajara Mariachi will again Adding to the colorfulness o f the and crafts, continuous piñata bring their music and dance Cinco de Mayo festival are the breaking, balloon art magicians from Portland’s sister city. Mariachi dancers from Gudalajara and performing clowns. There are plazas for mer­ For more information about chants and artisans in the expanded “Plaza de the Cinco de Mayo event at W aterfront, call 503-222- Artesanos,” which is reminiscent of a typical town 9807. Members o f the musical group Grupo Condor. ‘Portland/Çuadalajara ’ Sister City Association Puerto Rican Environmentalist Honored (AP) — Beyond narrow roads winding through the mountains o f Puerto Rico’s Cordillera Cen­ tral lies a tropical paradise lush with giant ferns, philodendrons and pockets o f orchids. Less than a decade ago, this nearly became an eyesore of mile­ wide craters dug in a search for copper, silver and gold. But Alexis Massol, a 58-year-old civil engi­ neer, led a community struggle against the government and the mining industry to stop the area becoming an open-pit mining zone. M assol’s 15-year effort to pre­ serve the forests around his na­ tive Adjuntas is being honored Monday with a Goldman Environ­ mental Prize — sometimes called the “Nobel o f environmentalists” presented each year to eight people. “This achievement makes me proud to be Puerto Rican. We have assumed responsibility for our community,” Massol said in a telephone interview from a San F ra n c isc o h o te l w h ere the $125,000 awards are being pre- Environmentalist Alexis Massol was recently honored for his 15-year effort at preserving Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central. sented. In the 1980s and 1990s, the government of this U.S. Carib­ bean territory granted mining per­ mits for 37,000 acres of Puerto Rico’s central mountain range. Experts say the mining would have affected a third o f the island. Aside from a major loss of forests, toxins likely would have polluted the Vivi and Pellejas rivers that supply drinking water to the more than 1 million residents of north­ ern Puerto Rico. Massol reacted in 1980 by cre­ ating Casa Pueblo. “As a community, we united to break dependency on the govern­ ment and determ ine our own mechanisms to deal with prob­ le m s ,” M a sso l said. But many feared opposing the government. Toattract more sup­ porters, Casa Pueblo — or “the People’s House” — evolved into a cultural center. Massol led his group to neighborhoods, small­ town plazas and schools, and held concerts. In 1986 and 1993, Casa Pueblo beat back two attempts to mine the mountain area. Finally, in 1995, Gov. Pedro Rossello signed a law banning open-pit mining. Massol sought more protec­ tion, and the following year the governor designated the area as P uerto R ico forest land and handed control to Casa Pueblo. It was dubbed “The People’s For­ est.” “Itw asa 15-year struggle,” said Massol. “W e took a project of death and turned it into a project oflife.” Opening Day Parade 4> bs S"’ Music & Dance Entertainment at various stages (Main, Plaza. Celebration, and Artisans, Sunday Mariachi Mass Education House Lowrider Showcase Guadalajara Ballet & Mariachi Oregon Tobacco Prevention Community Resource Center H "Playtime" Stage Artisans Plaza Authentic cuisine ' Family Health & Science Fair Art SB Children’s Plaza “ Funtastic” Carnival Rides Naturalization Ceremc And more!!! *40 Friday Night Fireworks Spectacular o < A Admission Adults $6 v Hours Hours Seniors (62+) $3 Kids 10-12 $3.00 Children 9 and under free **rwrum p« Thursday. May 2nd - Saturday May 4th 11 am-11 pm wove » a?pw»i*