Twin Citians will be offered a taste of local Latin food and music at Thursday's Los Lonely Boys concert at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal's Marcos Mendez, who also chairs the community advocacy group Conexiones Latinas, will open at 6:30 p.m. for the Texas band, which won a 2005 Grammy as best Pop Vocal Duo/Group. Mendez plans to perform blues, roots, rock, and some Mariachi tunes "mixed in for good measure."

Oogies Food on Wheels, a mobile restaurant, will serve Mexican-inspired foods from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the center. The food truck was launched last year by Kerry and Felipe Urquizo, with help from their three children, Oskar, Olivia, and Gus. Kerry works at Heartland Community College and Felipe is a cook at a local restaurant.

Beginning this week, Brian, Steve, Nicole, Lindsay, and Susan will be riding the bus with Twin Cities commuters, on behalf of Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal.

Connect Transit: Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System (BNPTS) buses will display five messages aimed at raising awareness of NIOTBN's anti-bigotry/anti-bullying message. Four of the on-board bus ads will feature representatives of local businesses Babbitt's Books, Mitchell Family Chiropractic, That's So Sweet bakery, and North Street Tattoo, each speaking out against racism, hate, bigotry, and prejudice.

The ads, designed in conjunction with NIOT:BN's December relaunch, reflect a similar billboard campaign directed at soliciting NIOT pledges from Twin Cities residents. The McLean County YWCA is cooperating in the campaign.

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