Issue 6 - InVironments Magazine

Community
DaNIEL WILLIams/LIfEWORks ImagINg:
Bacilisa Silva, left, Rosario Herebia, center and Edna Nava
H i s p a n i c
H e r i t a g e
Festival
By Daniel Williams
Rosario Herebia said she remembers the days when Hispanic youth
had plenty to do in Rochelle. She remembers after school programs,
tutor programs, and plenty of other things to keep her and her
friends on the right path. But those days have come and gone.
The 23-year-old said, over time,
those programs seemed to fade and
with it, the pride and identity of the
Hispanic culture in Rochelle.
So unlike many other people who might
complain, reminisce and then move
on, Rosario and a small group of friends
and acquaintances decided to act.
Rosario and five other women, Edna
Nava, Bacilisa Silva, Rose Huermo,
Shelley Belmonte, and Charlene
Jackson, formed a committee to do
something about it. That action brought
about Rochelle’s first-ever Hispanic
Heritage Festival last September.
Rosario said another group in town
had put a Hispanic Heritage Festival
together in the past but for whatever
reason, it never lasted. She and
the committee she is working with
hopes this event is here to stay.
The committee successfully organized
the first annual festival last year because
they felt there weren’t enough events
specifically for the Hispanic culture.
“We never have anything for us,”
Rosario said. “The Hispanic people in
Rochelle don’t really have a voice.”
So with a little planning and a lot of last
minute help, they sparked what they are
hoping will be a long lasting tradition
just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month,
which starts in the middle of September.
This year’s event, set for September
10, is just around the corner and the
group is trying to put the finishing
touches on all the planning. Rosario
said she’s hoping to be able to expand
on some of the success they had last
year, especially when it comes to
attendance. “We had about 100 people
last year and we’re hoping to have
about 200 people this year,” she said.
12 Rochelle InVironments Magazine • August-September 2011
Where life happens. 13