By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
They came for homemade tamales, candy filled pinatas, and stirring Tejano music. They left with a sense of community and cultural pride.
An estimated 160 people gathered for the annual Hispanic Heritage Festival held Saturday at the Wood County Fairgrounds in Bowling Green. That number far outpaced last year’s attendance at the event.
“We’re surprised at the number of people here. That’s like triple the people last year,” Lucia Myers, executive director of La Conexion, said as couples filled the dance floor.
“I think there is a sense of community,” Myers said. “There’s cultural pride, and a lot of support from the general community.”
It’s not that the Latino community feels safe in the present political environment, she stressed. But they are feeling a need to gather and celebrate their heritage.
“We want to celebrate the Latino culture and not be afraid to celebrate together,” Myers said. “We’re using our voices and saying, ‘We’re here and we’re celebrating.’”
The increased push by the Trump administration to detain and deport more brown people in the U.S. has the local Latino community concerned, she said, referencing the shooting by an ICE agent of an immigrant with his 5-year-old child in the car in New York last week.
“It might not be here, but it’s happening,” Myers said. “It’s very troubling and hard to see. It’s a constant worry.”
Support is being felt from the local community, she added.
“There are a lot of people speaking up. There’s a lot of solidarity.”
And for Saturday evening, the focus was on the food, the music, the culture – not the fear that Myers said kept a lot of Latino families home from the festival last year.
Becca Rios, a member of the La Conexion Board who was staffing the merchandise table at the event, said she was pleased with the attendance. The shirts being sold asked for “Immigrant Justice” and stated. “Your struggle is my struggle.”
“I’m really happy to see the community is here,” she said. “People feel welcome and they’re able to celebrate their culture.”
Food for the event was donated by local Mexican restaurants and by Latino families with traditional recipes passed down by generations. A food truck was stationed outside to supplement the buffet inside.
The music was provided by Meche Trejo, playing Tejano music, with a fusion of American and Mexican influences.
During a break between sets, band member Al Baldonado, of Bowling Green, talked about his family’s 60-year tradition of playing Tijuana, Mexican and Merengue music in the region. The spirited songs kept the dance floor full throughout the evening.
“This is great. This is a beautiful thing,” Baldonado said. The crowd was craving the joyous Latin music. “I could definitely feel that tonight.”
Meche Trejo, the lead vocalist with the band, said it feels good to continue her family’s tradition of keeping the music going.
“My family’s been doing this music for generations,” she said. “My great-grandma and grandpa used to gig around here.”
As the band took its break, people mingling outside to cool down talked about why they attended this year’s event.
“My fiancee is Mexican, and she said I needed to come,” Derrik Wise, of Bowling Green, said with a smile.
For brothers Roberto and Miguel Rios, the Hispanic Heritage Festival is a regular event.
Roberto, a grad student adviser to the Latin Student Union at Bowling Green State University, said the festivities offer an opportunity for communities to show solidarity. And to Miguel, of Weston, this was a chance to bring families together.
“I brought my dad and my son, to introduce him to the culture and to see family,” he said. “And the food is always a plus.”
This year, the annual festival on Saturday was preceded by a resource fair on Friday, featuring organizations like the Wood County Community Center Center, the Cocoon, GLCAP, BGO Pride, BG SONG, Refresh Toys, plus Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio. Both days offered family-friendly activities like pinatas for children and a Latino dancing demonstration.
