The second annual ¡Viva! Festival celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Oak Park will feature entertainment, food and activities showcasing various Latin American cultures.
The event will be from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 28 on Oak Park Village Hall’s south lawn at 123 Madison St. National Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. According to a village news release, the month celebrates Americans whose ancestors are from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Anyone is welcome to attend the free event. At the festival, dancers from the Center of Peruvian Arts will perform at noon and then the Trabuco Salsa Band will perform from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Attendees can also expect local food trucks or vendors, face painters and a pinata, according to the release.
Danielle Walker, the village’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, said community members helped to organize the festival in partnership with her team.
“[We’re] really excited to partner with them,” Walker said. “They really were such a wonderful group to work with because of their passion and dedication to … celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Community members are also welcome to volunteer to help with this festival or pitch other events to Walker’s office, she said. Events like this can help the community be responsive to other’s needs and grow in collective cultural awareness, Walker said, and pointed out her office is always open to new ideas.
The ¡Viva! Festival will be similar to last year’s, Walker said, which had great community attendance with more than 400 individuals participating. She said she expects a similar turnout this time around. Vendors were reaching out in the spring about the festival, she said, wanting to be involved.
“When we’re thinking about how are we really living the values of a diverse and equitable and inclusive community, it’s so important to embed ourselves with them and [learn] more about the different cultures that represent and make Oak Park so diverse,” she said. “It’s such a great opportunity to get to witness the meaning that it has for [community] members who identify along the Hispanic, Latinx spectrum.”
The village is, however, still finalizing which food vendors will be participating, but Walker said attendees can expect items like tacos, empanadas and ice cream. The festival is a great time for the community to come together and welcome everyone, Walker said.
“The energy is so uplifting and such a powerful reminder about what we all can do when we come together,” she said. “It’s really, really important for people of all backgrounds to come out, to celebrate, to learn and engage with other diverse community members.”
Oak Park’s village board also read a proclamation celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month during its Sept. 16 meeting.
“The Village of Oak Park is a community with a significant population of Hispanic and Latino descendants who enhance the rich diversity of our community and it is the responsibility of our community to celebrate this historic event to deepen and strengthen our cultural ties,” the proclamation states.
And Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs presented a Hispanic Heritage Month award to Antonio Martinez, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. Martinez received an award for outstanding commitment to community service, according to an Illinois State Treasurer’s Office news release. Frerichs presented awards to eight Latino leaders.