Enlarge An altar to Mexican masked wrestler El Santo, by Jose Vazquez and son. Photo by James Willamor.

Posted: November 4th, 2009 James Willamor

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Twirling dresses, stomping boots, and decorative skulls marked the Día
de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead festival at Levine Museum of
the New South, 200 E 7th St., on Nov. 1.

Día de los Muertos is a traditionally Mexican holiday that seeks to honor the dead through celebration. Children decorated sugar skulls and created costumes, and the Latin Heritage Dance Company performed.

A popular tradition of Día de los Muertos is the creation of alters for relatives or loved ones. Alters often feature photos of the deceased, flowers, and ofrendas, or “offerings,” in the form of food and drink. Several alters were on display throughout the Levine museum, and visitors were encouraged to vote for their favorite.

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Posted: November 3rd, 2009 Greg Lacour

Charlotte’s Realtor community used to hold annual housing fairs as an insider thing, among just themselves, to swap advice and keep tabs on trends. Then the housing market collapsed, and the national economy with it.

So last year, the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association decided to organize a free housing fair for the public through its charitable arm, the Housing Opportunity Foundation. It drew about 200 people. The HOF expects even more Saturday, when it’ll host its second Workforce Housing Fair at Little Rock AME Zion Church.

“We realize we’re in such unique times, the community really needs something like this in a much broader capacity,” said Terri Marshall, the foundation’s executive director. “It’s not only about getting ready to purchase a home and what that looks like, but also what it means to stay in a home.”

The fair will run from noon-4 p.m. The church is at the corner of North McDowell and Seventh streets. The three sessions will be in the old Afro-American Cultural Center building.

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