STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Los Angeles violinista Mauricio Molino will share personal stories and images of his home town of Cali—the Rumba Capital of the world--during a free presentation Sunday, Oct. 8, at Hailey Town Center West.

Molino will also play his violin during the presentation, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m.

Molino is a professional violinist from Colombia and has a Bachelor of Music from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia.  He plays a wide repertoire of American, Latin and European music and is the founder and director of the MaViChi Group, which features Colombian Pacific music.

Cali, which he will focus on, is the second largest city in Colombia and the third most populous with 2.2 million residents. Located in a valley and bordered by mountains to the west, it sports historic churches, a plaza square and numerous monuments, parks and museums.

It is known as the Capital of the Plastic Surgeries thanks to tourists seeking cheap cosmetic surgery. Its main cultural events include the week-long Summer Salsa Festival and the Sugar Cane Fair, which boasts Salsa singers and dancers, a Salsa Marathon and a parade of more than a thousand Salsa dancers.

“Our good friend Herbert Romero introduced us to Mauricio and we’re delighted to host such a fine musician for this final presentation in our Cultura series,” said Kristin Fletcher, programs and community engagement manager at the Hailey Public Library.   “The series has exceeded our expectations.  Our community has learned about fascinating UNESCO Heritage Sites, enjoyed traditional Oaxaca dance, toured out-of-the-way spots in Peru, and enjoyed Alfajores cookies, all guided by community leaders’ love of their home countries.”

The series was organized by The Library as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. The month sprang from a proclamation issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 recognizing the histories, cultures and contributions of Central and South Americans to the United States.