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Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated all over the Berkshires

This is a month where we commemorate all of our friends, family, and Berkshire neighbors," Latino Cultural Show co-organizer Angelica Velasquez told The Edge. "The fabric of Latino culture is based on love and human connection. Love and connection is something that we all have in common."

Berkshire County — Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15, is a celebration of Hispanic Americans’ heritage and their contributions to the country. The observation started in 1968 during President Lyndon Johnson’s administration as Hispanic Heritage Week but was expanded to a month in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 2023, the Hispanic population in the United States was 65.2 million, or 19.5 percent of the U.S. population and the largest racial and ethnic minority. As of 2022, there were approximately 879,296 Hispanic-identifying people in Massachusetts, or 12.6 of the total state population.

The celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month started early with a summer fair at Great Barrington Town Hall on August 10, an event organized by Casa Multicultural. The nonprofit organization focuses on empowering immigrant families in communities through art, music, dance, and education.

Some of the participants in Casa Multicultural’s summer fair on Aug. 10. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
From left: Casa Multicultural coordinator Robert Unda, organization founder Sylvana Proano, and organization members Nancy Sommer and Cassandra Pugh. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

According to Casa Multicultural founder Sylvana Proano, the organization took off in September 2023. “Our goal is to get the community’s immigrant populations together,” Proano told The Berkshire Edge. “We want to bring all of them together, and not just the Spanish-speaking population, in order to learn about American culture and to preserve their own culture. The organization started a year ago with a group of women. This is a beautiful country, and we all want to help families thrive and do better.”

For more information about Casa Multicultural, visit its Facebook page.

A few weeks later, on August 25, The Mount held its second annual Fiesta Latina. The event included multiple vendors and organizations from the Hispanic community, along with a performance by Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra.

Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra performing at The Mount on August 25. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The band played a selection of Latin music for an audience of over 100 people. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
People danced nonstop to the music of Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

Deisy Escobar, community outreach coordinator for The Mount, said that the event was a way for residents to bond over music and Latin culture. “It’s not every day where you get to dance like this, especially at such a big historic landmark like The Mount,” Escobar said. “This is a great initiative, and I hope it becomes a tradition for people where they can come here, enjoy and celebrate their culture.”

The Mount Assistant Director of Programs Jackie Christensen said that there were 12 local organizations and small businesses represented at the event. “It’s important to have an event to welcome the Latin American community to The Mount,” Christensen said. “We also incorporated Spanish quite a bit into our programming this year, including our audio guide for our outdoor sculpture exhibition. We want to make The Mount accessible to the Latin American population.”

Fiesta Latina also included vendors from the Berkshire County Latino community, including Nubia Toloza from Delicias De Mi Tierra. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

For more information about The Mount, visit its website.

And finally, on September 28, Festival Latino of the Berkshires held its annual festival in Great Barrington. The organization, now in its 28th year, was founded by Liliana Ortiz-Bermudez. The nonprofit organization promotes and celebrates Hispanic heritage in Berkshire County and for years has held a celebration in downtown Great Barrington. The event included live music and dancing, both at Giggle Park behind Town Hall and at Saint James Place.

Participants in a parade celebrating Latin American communities during Festival Latino on Sept. 28. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The parade celebrated some of the many Latin American ethnicities of Berkshire County residents, including Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The parade included both young and old, celebrating numerous Latin American ethnicities represented in Berkshire County. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
Over at Saint James Place, music and dancing groups performed as part of a Latino Cultural Show. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The performances included music and dancing. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The dance performances included both traditional and more modern Latin cultural styles. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

“We’re building an incredible heritage within our community,” event co-organizer Angelica Velasquez said. “It’s really important to celebrate what is the fabric of Latino culture. This is a month where we commemorate all of our friends, family, and Berkshire neighbors. The fabric of Latino culture is based on love and human connection. Love and connection is something that we all have in common. In this date and time, we all need some really great human connections. It’s what brings us all together. It keeps us unique and the same at the same time.”

Event attendees dancing to Mariachi Trio Cancioneros playing at the Town Hall Gazebo. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
Mariachi Trio Cancioneros playing at the Town Hall Gazebo. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

At the end of the day, The Villalobos Brothers played at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

The Villalobos Brothers playing at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center to conclude Festival Latino. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
Alberto Villalobos, violinist for the Villalobos Brothers band. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.

The band played both traditional and modern Mexican folk songs during their performance.

For more information about Festival Latino of the Berkshires, visit its website.

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