VISTA -- A Latino advocacy group is planning a "cultural day" at Wildwood Park on May 1 to coincide with a planned nationwide boycott in which some immigrant groups have vowed to avoid school, work and shopping.

The Wildwood Park event will give anyone participating in the boycott a safe place to congregate, organizers said.

Tina Jillings, cofounder of the Coalition for Justice, Peace and Dignity in Vista, said her group wants the day to highlight the Latino community's cultural pride. She said she expects 200 to 300 people from throughout North County to attend the gathering, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wildwood Park, 651 East Vista Way.

Plans for the national boycott have elicited a mixed response from Latino leaders.

Some have encouraged people to shun work or school on that day to demonstrate the size and power of the immigrant community; others have said the strategy may backfire and there are more effective ways to make immigrant voices heard.

While her organization supports the boycott, Jillings said members aren't pushing it. Everyone's situation is different, she added, and it should be a personal decision if someone decides to skip work.

"We're not saying 'Boycott! Boycott' !," she said. "We're saying, if you want to boycott, come here and enjoy your day."

Jillings said the event will have children's activities, information tables and guest speakers talking about immigration issues.

"We want people to understand that this is a true battle, that we're in a fight," she said. "But we also need to use our heads and be logical."

She said counterprotesters would be welcome "if they want to come in and enjoy the beauty of our heritage."

The event will also feature entertainment, such as ballet folklorico, Aztec dancers, mariachi music, and people from the community who are talented in other areas, like spoken word and rap, she said.

The coalition's goal, she said, is to showcase the vibrant Latino culture and counter the stereotypes drawn by some in the opposition.

"What we want them to understand is that we are people of culture, that we have values," Jillings said.

Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 631-6621 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.