By Dominic Aliano, Mayor of Concord
September was Hispanic Heritage Month and Festival Latino was an event to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage of the Monument and the City of Concord.
The Unity Council, Los Rancheros, El Rancho, and I have been working for the past two years to make Festival Latino a reality. Covid did not make it easy for us, yet we were able to make 2022 the year for the first Festival Latino. We all thought it was important to have Festival Latino for several reasons: help the businesses that struggled during Covid by making this an economic driver, celebrating the Hispanic Heritage of Concord, and just providing a fun family friendly event for the community. The Monument has never had its own celebration/festival and we thought it was time for it.
Festivals like Festival Latino are important events for the community because they have a direct link to the quality of life among our residents and businesses. As the Mayor for the City of Concord, I know first hand how important it is to provide these community activities. Our residents work hard to survive this crazy world and it is not only important for us to pass policies and resolutions that help make their lives a little better, it is also important to provide safe and fun events for the community. Events that give our residents the opportunity to take a moment to relax, laugh, and have fun.
I hope everyone that attended had fun. Festival Latino included music, arts and crafts, educational opportunities about the different Latin Countries, all kinds of food and information from different community organizations.
The Unity Council is a non-profit that provides a Head Start service for families in the Monument and they even partner with me on my turkey giveaways and toy giveaways. Their Head Start program provides free education for several hundred families that might have difficulties finding childhood education programs within a close proximity to their home. I thank them for their commitment to our community.
Los Rancheros and El Rancho are long-standing establishments that have been a part of our community’s fabric for several decades. Los Rancheros was started by the Barragan Family and El Rancho is owned by the Lopez Family. A special thank you to Silvia Barajas, Hector Barragan, and Manuel Lopez for helping organize Festival Latino. They are business owners who genuinely care about the community they serve.
If you are interested to know more about the event or would like to participate next year, then please contact me at dominic@dominicaliano.com.