BLACKFOOT - Tressa Hall's hair, face, arms and sweatshirt were covered in white paint specks after a long day of work Saturday.

The 12-year-old Blackfoot girl helped pull weeds, pick up litter, clean the Blackfoot Potato Expo, plant flowers and paint windows, facia and a giant potato.

She worked on the service project at the expo with a team of about 40 migrant workers, 50 children and 40 adults as part of Join Hands Day.

The event was intended to bring the community together and to show the community how much Hispanic people value their neighborhoods.

"We thought it could help to bring some more people to Blackfoot to see what Blackfoot's about," Tressa said. "I think it really helped because it really needed to be painted."

Volunteers feasted on beans, a meat dish and rice made by migrant workers.

Tressa's 14-year-old brother, Don Hall, said he learned a lot about Hispanic people by working with them Saturday.

"They're awesome," he said. "I didn't even know that we had people like that."

Their mother, Kathy Hall, an event organizer, said the event helps bridge the gap between cultures and age groups.

John Peck, 73, said, "Doing it with older people and younger people together, that's what it's all about."

As part of Join Hands Day, the Idaho Migrant Council also dedicated a new exhibit at the expo, featuring information about contributions Hispanics made to the Idaho potato industry.

The exhibit explains that in the 1940s, the government didn't have enough people to work Idaho potato fields, so workers were called in from Mexico. They didn't receive interest on their savings and were often cheated of earned income, according to the exhibit.

Also for Join Hands Day, children in Shelley, Aberdeen and Blackfoot hosted Harry Potter related activities.

John O'Connell covers courts, law enforcement and local government for the Journal. He can be reached by calling 239-3128 or by e-mail at joconnell@journalnet.com.