To kick off this year's Hispanic Heritage Month, the annual Plaza de las Americas will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15 in the Arkansas Union Ballroom. The celebration will feature music, dancing, food, friendship and more in a celebration of Latin American culture in Arkansas.

Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, will be the guest of honor and will give the Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation to begin the festivities.

There will be booths to represent the various Latin American countries and provide an educational opportunity to learn about all the cultures south of the border.

Plaza de las Americas has been a staple of the Hispanic community in Northwest Arkansas since 2005, and is only one of many events taking place for more than a month throughout the area. Other events to mark this year's 10th anniversary celebration include:

Wednesday, Sept. 16

• 6 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival starts with kick-off event at 5:30 p.m. Presenting Paraíso (Paradise) at Giffels Auditorium, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Sept. 22

• 6 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival continues. Presenting ¿Quién es Dayani Cristal? (Who is Dayani Cristal?) in the Union Theater, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

• 7 to 8 p.m.: Spotlight lecture with Mari Carmen Rodriguez, leading scholar on Latin American art. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. More information at 479-418-5700 or CrystalBridges.org.

Thursday, Sept. 24

• 7 p.m.: University Programs presents McFarland USA at Union Programs Theater, University of Arkansas. Free and open to university students, staff and faculty.

Tuesday, Sept. 29

• 6 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival continues. Presenting Zona Sur (Southern District) at Union Theater, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, Oct. 1

• 6 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival continues. Presenting Con mi Corazón en Yambo (With my Heart in Yambo) at Giffels Auditorium, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Monday, Oct. 5

• 7 p.m.: University Programs presents award-winning poet, actor, speaker, and writer from New York City: Carlos Andrés Gómez, author of the coming-of-age memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood. Connections Lounge, Arkansas Union at University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

• 6 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival final presentation. Presenting Yvy Maraey, Tierra sin Mal (Ivy Maraey, Land without Evil) at Union Theater, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, Oct. 8

• 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Menchú's Legacy Symposium: Indigenous Women's Activism, Social Justice, and the Mayan Diaspora. Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education Lecture Hall 403, and Ozark Hall Auditorium for keynote lecture, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.

Friday, Oct. 9

• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Because We Matter, Because We Care. 15th Annual Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas Conference. At the Jones Center in Springdale. More information at Facebook.com/1HWOA.

Saturday, Oct. 10

• 1 to 2 p.m.: Art Talk. Community conversations with Ana Pulido Rull, assistant professor of Latin American art at the University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. More information at 479-418-5700 or CrystalBridges.org.

Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11

• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, sponsored by the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and Univision Arkansas. At Mae Farms in North Fayetteville (next to Lokomotion and Lewis & Clark). Free and open to the public. More information about this year's event at NWAHHF.com.

Monday, Oct. 12

• 11 a.m.: Walk of Trail of Tears, Martin Luther King Boulevard Marker in Fayetteville. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Prize recipient from Guatemala, will be present at this commemoration. Free and open to the public.
• 7 p.m.: Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia at Connections Lounge, University of Arkansas. Sponsored by University Programs. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Oct. 13

• 9 a.m.: Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Q&A presentation for university students, faculty, and staff at Mullins Library Reading Room, University of Arkansas. Free and open to the public.
• 7 to 8:30 p.m.: A Night with Rigoberta Menchú, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Lecture. Verizon Ballroom Arkansas Union, University of Arkansas. Free and open to public.

Saturday, Oct. 17

• Noon to 5:30 p.m.: ArkanSalsa, an eclectic art and music festival to raise money for scholarships and to inspire community leaders, sponsored by OneCommunity. There will also be an ArkanSalsa Train Ride from A&M Railroad in Downtown Springdale on Emma Avenue. More information at OneCommunityAr.org.  
• 6 p.m.: 14th Annual LULAC Gala, sponsored by LULAC Council 754. At the Holiday Inn Convention Center, Springdale. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for this scholarship fundraiser with Rey Hernandez at 479-366-1923. More information at LULACNWA754.org.
• 8 to 11:30 p.m.: Salsa Night with DJ Midnite. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. Free when registering at 479-657-2335 or CrystalBridges.org.

Tuesday, Oct. 20

• 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Campus Day. Around 250 Latino students in 11th and 12th grade from the area will interact with current student leaders, faculty and staff from the University of Arkansas. Participants receive ACT prep, tour of the campus and lunch. A collaboration between the Office of Latino Academic Advancement (La Oficina Latina) and the Office of Admissions.