The fifth annual Hispanic Heritage Festival will take place this Saturday in Jamestown.
The free event by CHQ Hispanic Development goes from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, September 19 at Jackson Taylor Park. The community festival, which coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, will celebrate Hispanic culture, highlight local Hispanic entrepreneurs, and bring the community together for an afternoon of food, music, activities, and connection.
Festival organizer and co-founder of CHQ Hispanic Development Solimar Vazquez said while 80% of the Hispanic population in Chautauqua County is Puerto Rican, they wanted to make the theme of this year’s festival “El Barrio,” or “community” to include all people of Hispanic Heritage, “And what we have wanted to do is inspire their organizations to choose a Hispanic country, so they could learn about that country, they could learn about their heritage. They could learn about that community and interest. In fact, their food, and represent that country within their organization. And, that will be that learning piece. So we can all include those communities. So not just one.”
Vazquez said there are 30 vendors who are taking part in this year’s event, including six Hispanic-owned businesses and three Hispanic-owned food vendors.
Buffalo-based band, La Krema, will provide three hours of live, family friendly music starting at 3:00 p.m. Vazquez said attendees will hear a variety of styles of music including salsa, bachata, merengue, and more
The event also will have a raffle with donated prizes to help raise funds for CHQ Hispanic Development, with funds going toward future Hispanic Heritage Festivals.
Vazquez said the first few years of the festival had originally been organized by YWCA Jamestown, “After last year’s Hispanic Festival, we see that it was very successful, and we had a nice heart-to-heart talk with the YWCA. And, it seemed like it was a time for us to to do something for our own community and become an organized group that not just to focus on the festival, but also to focus on other areas within the Hispanic community. And, that’s how CHQ Hispanic Development was born.”
Vazquez said other co-founders include Yanira Castellano and Carmen Perez.
To support CHQ Hispanic Development, visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/hispanic-heritage-festival
To contact CHQ Hispanic Development, email jthispanicheritage@gmail.com
Leave a Reply