Those visiting Queen Street in Hespeler experienced a delightful musical phenomenon this weekend.
The area was bustling Saturday evening with about 25 people dancing to Latin music.
The idea for Latin Music on Queen came to Kira Wilkinson when she saw news of street closure for Hespeler core area.
Herself a resident of that part of the city, she said, she'd taken Latin dancing lessons in Mississauga a few years ago, and wanted to bring the feeling she experienced to others in the city.
"It's fun," said Wilkinson, "because of the music, the people."
She said she was able to get a special events permit from the city so she could bring the music to locals or those visiting from other places.
Every Saturday evening, for the last three weeks, Wilkinson said, she's been coming down to set up her speaker and take on the role of DJ when the clock strikes five.
She said she thought she'd play the music and see if it brings out some dancers.
And it did, and not just locally but all the way from London and Waterloo.
Fernando Benevides, who owns and runs Latin Passion Dance Academy in London, said he saw a Facebook post about Latin Music on Queen on Facebook. The Latin dance community west of Toronto, he said, is pretty small so everybody likes to find ways of getting together whenever they can.
He'd shown up with his wife, Anna Marie and a couple other friends.
Later, Cambridge dance studio owner Yovana Russell also joined the dance party with a few friends. She cheerfully shared some dance steps with those grooving to the tunes.
This weekend, Wilkinson said, was the biggest turnout yet. She's hoping it will only grow from here until she has to pack it in at the end of September.
