La Plata Bridge Featured at Book Fair
- Naranjito held its first book fair combining literature and music, drawing regional visitors and cultural groups. - The fair highlights the monumental cable-stayed La Plata bridge that links Naranjito and Toa Alta across the reservoir. - Organizers say the bridge adds tourist appeal and regional connectivity, promoting cross-municipal cultural events (elvocero.com).
Naranjito is turning its main plaza into a book fair on April 26, pairing more than 50 Puerto Rican authors with live music in the town best known for its cable-stayed La Plata bridge. (noticel.com) The event is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Naranjito’s public square. Organizers said it will fold in the first “Encuentro de Autores y Tunas” and bring together writers, artisans and traditional student music groups. (noticel.com) NotiCel reported that the program includes book presentations, poetry readings and talks, along with performances by Alondras, De Chavalas, Vaquera, the Tuna of the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras campus, Magisterio and La 52. The fair is being promoted under the slogan “Letras que inspiran, melodías que unen.” (noticel.com) The bridge in the backdrop is the Jesús Izcoa Moure Bridge, the cable-stayed span on Puerto Rico Highway 5 that links Naranjito and Toa Alta across Río La Plata. Discover Puerto Rico says it opened in 2008 and stretches just over 2,300 feet, making it one of the municipality’s signature landmarks. (discoverpuertorico.com) Naranjito’s municipal website describes the structure as the first cable-stayed bridge in the Caribbean and says it was inaugurated on October 24, 2008. The town markets it as a tourism stop over Lago La Plata as well as a transportation link to neighboring municipalities. (municipiodenaranjito.com) That matters for this fair because Naranjito sits in Puerto Rico’s Central Mountains, between Toa Alta, Bayamón and Corozal, about a 40-minute drive from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Discover Puerto Rico lists the bridge, the lake and the older Plata Bridge among the town’s main visitor draws. (discoverpuertorico.com) Mayor Orlando Ortiz Chevres said the first edition is meant to strengthen the municipality’s cultural profile, while producer and professor José Arnaldo Hernández said organizers want to make the fair a recurring stop on Puerto Rico’s cultural calendar. Those plans fit a broader municipal push to market Naranjito as “la Puerta de la Montaña” and expand event-based tourism. (noticel.com) (municipiodenaranjito.com) If the fair sticks, Naranjito will have added a new annual cultural date to a town itinerary already anchored by its 2008 bridge and mountain-lake views. On April 26, the pitch is simple: cross the span, reach the plaza and spend the day with books, music and crafts. (noticel.com) (discoverpuertorico.com)
