“I wanted the community of Rohnert Park to be engaged with the Latino community. Everyone does their own thing and I wanted to unite them all and be involved,” says Frankie Lemus, the creator of the Latino Festival.
This fall, I attended the 1st Latino Festival in Rohnert Park. I was excited to see the community celebrating the Latino cultures. The festival included different types of classic old cars that the Latin Rollers Car Club was sponsoring by selling T-shirts and other accessories. Around the event, booths were selling flower crowns, dresses, purses, and much more. If you were hungry, there was a whole section of Mexican restaurants and others selling delicious enchiladas, tacos, empanadas, and much more. The Latino 95.5 radio station was helping the festival by showing support and playing music during intermissions.
There was also an area for children to play in. The festival provided a jump house, a face paint booth, and a soccer area. The adults, on the other hand, had the opportunity to spend time together and watch the music and dance performances. One of the performances was from Lambda Theta Nu of SSU. The students executed an amazing step routine, making the crowd cheer throughout.
“I was very honored to have been able to partake in something that will make history not only for the Latino community but also for the city of Rohnert Park. It was something that our sorority was proud to have been able to participate in and we hope to continue that tradition,” says Nathalia Zavala, 2nd-year SSU student.
I watched the performance of Ballet Folklorico Yolotzin with half their faces painted with skeletons representing the Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Throughout the day, many bands performed and there was as an appearance by Ms. Latina Wine Country. There was a booth set up to register to vote in the upcoming elections.
“The festival was a complete success. In the end, I was watching the festival and I had chills all over my body. It was amazing to see everyone together,” Frankie said.
I was amazed by how many people supported the event. It was great to see how culture and diversity are celebrated in Rohnert Park. Frankie Lemus is excited to announce 2020’s festival will be bigger than before as people in the community are already signing up for the upcoming year.