Here at MONfest we are happy to reflect on what it means to have a Heritage Month dedicated to all things Hispanic, Latina/o/e/x or however you like to name your self as part of this dynamic diaspora.

September 15th is the purposeful start of our month which feels a little different to say the least. But... it's in honor of the five Central American countries who reclaimed their Independencía.

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua ¡Presente!

Several other Latin American countries also celebrate their independence near this date - like, did you catch the landmark grito moment from Presidente Claudia Sheinbaum earlier this week?

As you know, the Middle of NOWhere Rural Art & Music Festival is all about bringing our diverse cultures to rural central Iowa - to remind folks that we are NOW Here but also we've been here!

Our Founder Siricasso live and loves rural places, whether that's the Rio Grande Valley area of Texas where his family originated or the various central Iowa places where he has long called home.

Because the mainstream media tends to omit our stories, we don't hear as much about the positive aspects from our communities. We think that's more the reason to celebrate and uplift our Latino, Latina and Latine/x gente this month, and all year long really!

So here's your invitation to dig a little deeper to celebrate the Latina/o/x/e folks in your life who make the art and music you love - be sure to stream, support, and uplift the gente all year long, but especially through October 15th - OUR MONTH!

And, because we're all about art and music experiences in rural, here's a downloadable art print gift from Siricasso himself.

Thank you to our Volunteers

Muchisimas gracias to our dedicated volunteers who came out to celebrate the success of our second MONfest and start looking toward the third!

We appreciate all of you! Peep some of the pics from the gathering at the Cellar Winey in early September 2025 below!

Thanks for reading! Hug a Latinx homie today (with consent of course).

In rural we vibe,

The MONfest Team