Day of rest

Public Park in Ipatinga

After a busy week of non-stop tours, classes and activities, Saturday was a rest day. Our only group activities were lunch together, then a visit to a beautiful municipal park in Ipatinga. We finished the day at a festival in a neighboring town.

The park was very large and full of people as the weather was perfect. An interesting feature in this park was an area full of playground style equipment for adults for exercise and weight training. Such equipment would be a great addition to one of the parks back home and a great way to encourage more exercise in our community.

Festival in Timoteo

The festival was located in Timoteo (population 80,000), which is home to an UNIPAC campus as well as a large stainless steel manufacturing facility. Timoteo, along with Ipatinga, are two large cities in what is referred to as the Vale do Aco (Steel Valley) because of the dominant steel industry in the metropolitan area. This area is tied to our previously visited towns and regions near Belo Horizonte, where iron ore mining is a huge industry.

The festival in Timoteo was a celebration of St. John the Baptist. There were traditional Brazilian foods, music and dancing, as well as children's games similar to those played in the United States (musical chairs and sack races, for example). Many participants dressed up as farmers, with plaid shirts and straw hats among the most popular attire.