WEST BEND, Wis. — t's National Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Washington County community is celebrating in West Bend with the annual "Fiesta Latina."
The three-day event takes place at Regner Park where organizers said it's all about joy — something they said is needed right now.
"When you have experienced some of that hate, you overcome it by not feeding into that hate, but trying to be the change," Maria Gutierrez Gurrola said. "It's that celebration that we tell our people we're here, we're not going anywhere. I want that empowerment, that advocacy and I will be standing to the day fighting for anyone that needs that support."
Gutierrez Gurrola is the executive director at Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Center, an organization that provides language classes, education and helps support basic needs for the community. She was born and raised in West Bend and loves sharing Hispanic Heritage Month with her community.
Volunteers helped Casa set up Regner Park hours before the music-filled festivities began on Friday.
Watch: Washington County celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with unity during divisive times
"When they start their music here, it's going to be hard to just sit still and not dance!" Deb Anderson said. "We learn so much from each other. The major thing is that we're not all that different. You know? If we can get past the labels and the stereotypes, we find out that we're just people!"
Anderson volunteers with the organization and said more people should open their hearts and learn about cultures different from their own.
Fiesta Latina includes music, food, drinks, bouncy houses and fundraising opportunities for Casa.
"The more the merrier!" Gutierrez Gurrola said. "We would love to see everyone and anyone at the event."
The event is free admission, starts Friday, and runs through Sunday. A total of 2,000 people attended in 2024.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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