Jose Felinciano with his guitar

He’s been called one of the greatest guitar players in the world and he’s going to perform on the stage at Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres.

Jose Feliciano will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night, April 24 on the giant outside stage at Veterans Park in Lehigh in a concert being sponsored by the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce and several other local sponsors.

Feliciano is one of several musicians and groups to perform at Viva! Lehigh, which begins at 4 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m.

Admission to the concert is free and Chamber Board President Jose Morillo says they expect as many as 7,000 people and upwards.

There is what is called a $3 donation fee to park and volunteers will be on hand to direct motorists to new parking areas opened up especially for this concert. No parking will be allowed on Homestead Rd. No coolers or alcohol will be allowed to be brought into the park.

Jose Feliciano is a part-time resident of Lehigh and will be the main headliner at Viva! Lehigh Acres.

He has been called one of the most talented musical artists of our era.

He has performed all over the world over the past three to four decades and has left many hits that folks will recall.

One of his classics Feliz Navidad has become a popular traditional Christmas song now heard every season and will be for years to come.

His music includes pop, rock, soul, jazz and classical in English, Spanish and Italian making him what a lot of music lovers have called a true renaissance man of music.

Following his performance at 7:30 p.m., he will be followed by the International Salsa Orchestra, Puerto Rican Power. Other artists set to perform at Veterans Park in Viva! Lehigh include Universal Music latino recording artist Valerie Morales, Batey Latin Jazz, Fuego Latino and Danza Azteca Guadalupana.

Chamber officials say this is a way to pay tribute to the Latin community of Lehigh, which is composed of a diverse community.

Some of Feliciano’s concerts can be seen and heard on Youtube.com. His famous Feliz Navidad can be found on the Internet, too. He’s likely to perform it at Viva! Lehigh.

Feliciano was born in Puerto Rico and was blind at birth. The year was 1945 and he was one of 11 boys in a family of humble beginnings, according to his biography.

His love for music began when he was three when he was first he accompanied his uncle on a tin cracker can. When he was five, his family immigrated to New York City. He learned to play the concertina when he was six and used a handful of records as his teacher.

When he was eight, he performed for his classmates and at age nine, he performed at the Puerto Rican Theater in the Bronx.

Venturing beyond the accordion, he taught himself to play the guitar with undaunted determination and again, with nothing but records as his teacher, practicing for as many as 14 hours a day, according to his biography.

Viva! Lehigh visitors will be provided seats in bleachers and chairs. But you may want to bring your own lawn chairs because of the expected large crowds. If it is a cool night, you may want to bring a blanket.

There will be a variety of food, arts and crafts booths as well as a kids corner where children can enjoy a bounce house, petting zoo, rock climbing wall and pony rides.

Money generated from donations for parking will go to lehigh Acres Community Services which helps supply food to people who are struggling. The agency provides not only food, but helps to pay some utility bills.

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO SEE JOSE FELICIANO PERFORM: http:://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMtuVP8Mj4o&translated=1