Is there a place where you can see art, listen to music and poetry for only $5?

There is, Arte Americas' 2nd annual, "Pena La Rouge" at The Rogue Festival.

Friday night at Arte Americas began with cumbia and salsa music playing in the back, while the "Arte" staff mingled with everyone that came in. Everyone was greeted at the door with a smile.

As soon as people found their seats, they were welcome to purchase refreshments. While some people waited eagerly for the show to start, some were up and wandered away observing paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

The show opened with Ester Perez, who read a poem she wrote while her husband was at war in Iraq. Her poem was called "War in Kuwait," which described the concerns she has when her husband gets deployed.

"That poem touched me, my dad gets deployed all the time, it's just real sad for me," said Crystal Requejo,19, student from Orosi.

Bryan Medina, whose poetry described his life struggles, and his memories of his mother, were intense. He used Cha-Cha-Cha dance moves to describe the way his mother danced.
The audience just laughed and cheered him on.

17-year-old Hoover High School Student, Jose Castillo, enjoyed the poetry, "I'm new to Fresno, I just moved here from Arizona about six months ago. I never seen anything like this, I liked it, this was tight," he said. "I especially enjoyed the poetry, I can relate to a lot of the topics they covered," Castillo said.

Richard Silva, who played mo-town on his saxophone, had everyone bobbing heads and tapping their feet. He was the last to perform before prizes were given away.

Maria Gonzalez, student from Fresno State liked Silva's performance, "I usually don't listen to mo-town, but that boy was good," she said. "I'm going to start downloading this type of music."

As for Arte Americas, more people are finding their shows fun and family friendly, "Next time I'm bringing my little sister, this is a perfect show for all ages." Gonzalez said.