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Consuelo Hernández
brought the professionalism which allowed Toledo’s LatinoFest
to succeed and prosper. She continues to be well-regarded for
all of her contributions to local organizations as well as
individuals in northwest Ohio. With her departure, members of
the leadership team agreed it was time to make a change.
“It was a pleasure to
work with so many good volunteers and people who really care
about the community,” said Ms. Consuelo Hernández,
Co-chair for the first 5 years and Chair for the last 6 years.
“It was also great that we were able to support so many Latino
organizations and causes over the years.” Ms. Hernández
currently works in Milwaukee as the Human Resources Officer for
the public library.
LatinoFest
success is attributed to the great chemistry created with core
group of volunteers. This group included: Olga Jaimez who
lead the children’s area over the years; María and
Katherine Trinidad and Bob Salazar and Jessie
Jaquez who managed the financial aspects; Simon and
Andrea Rodríguez who developed the logo and designed the
marketing materials; George Placensio along with Mateo
Espinoza who would manage logistics on the ground, always
arriving in the early morning to make sure everything was set up
correctly for the vendors; Betty Rios and Alvina
Costilla who skillfully managed the relationships with
vendors, many of them who returned annually from Michigan,
Chicago, Florida and all areas of the Midwest; Freddy
Gutiérrez from WBGU who managed the entertainment along with
José Cárdenas and Jaime Molina.
Recently, María Molina
joined the team and helped with design; website; vendors and
promotion. The Committee also worked hand-on-hand with the
sheriff’s department - most recently, with Jeff Sabo and
previously with Linda De La Peña.
Others that have been
involved over the years included: Celso Rodríguez,
Hector and Flo Flores, Dolores Rodríguez, Robert
Rodríguez, Mary Morales, Lucy Perales, and Theresa
Morris-Ramos. Tony Rios supported the event in
various capacities over the years including serving as MC, DJ
and performer as well as recording the event and presenting it
on Voces Latinas.
Lady Di,
as well as other Latino DJs and media throughout the region
helped to promote LatinoFest for free and at reduced cost. In
addition, the organization required at least 100 volunteers for
the day of the event. Many Latino and non-Latino organizations
and individuals stepped up to fulfill this role.
“We just want to thank
everyone who helped make LatinoFest a huge success. There
were many people over the 11 years who pitched in. It was great
to see so many people from our community willing to come out and
help. From selling tickets at the entrance to serving beer and
pop, it was a great community gathering,” said Ms. Hernández.
LatinoFest began when
CitiFest was still in existence working initially with its
director Jan Aguilar and then establishing a relationship
with Julie Champa, the former director.
“LatinoFest maintained
Julie over the 11 years. Her expertise in event coordination and
planning, her knowledge of the city and county regulations and
her attention to detail, made her an invaluable team member,”
said Ms. Hernández.
LatinoFest prided itself
with keeping the event affordable and family friendly. The
highlight of LatinoFest was Ramón Ayala on June 19, 2010. Other
Emmy award winning artists over the years included Emilio
Navaira, Willie Colón, Jimmy Edward, Joe Bravo, Little Joe y La
Familia, Shelly Lares, Bobby Pulido, Tropa F, David Lee Garza
and many others.
Salsa bands Grupo Fuego,
Noel Quintana, and Sammy De León y Su Orquesta all came to play,
not to mention numerous Tex Mex and Tejano bands from the
region. The music ranged from Tejano to Salsa to Banda to
Country Western to Mariachis to Hip-hop to Peruvian to Reggaeton.
Mexican and Puerto Rican folkloric dance groups as well as
Brazilian and Flamenco dancers graced the stage. Many vendors
followed for 11 years.
LatinoFest volunteers
worked closely with the City and the County to prepare for the
event on the Riverfront. There were many sponsors, but Treu
House of Munch; American Family Insurance; Mercy Health
Partners; PNC Bank; and Paramount Advantage were steadfast
supporters.
In the past 5 years, The
Toledo Blade came on as the primary partner and sponsor
providing a large internet presence and numerous free ads to
promote the event in the paper. LatinoFest was showcased on the
cover of the Peach section for a number of years. The Toledo Zoo
and the Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center worked hand in
hand with Olga Jaimez, children’s area coordinator, to have a
fun and dynamic area for families to play.
In addition to raising
seed money for the following year, the event was able to support
numerous Latino events, initiatives and individuals in the
Latino community, many on an annual basis. These included: the
Diamante Awards, Sofia Quintero Center Entre Amigos and Día de
Los Muertos, Adelante César Chávez, Spanish American
Organization Latino Day at the Mud Hens, Mayores Senior Center,
Red Cross, Latino Youth Summit; MECHA-LSU annual dance; St.
Francis De Sales High School Cinco de Mayo dinner; SS. Peter &
Paul Festival; Viva South Festival; TejanoFest at Centennial
Terrace, and many others.
Prior to LatinoFest, there
was the Mexican American Cultural Association and several
prominent promoters who brought large acts to Toledo. Anita
Serda from the Perrysburg Heights Association has been
successful with the South of the Border event every August.
There are others in the
community who have already expressed an interest in having
similar events. We are very proud of what we accomplished and to
be part of Toledo’s Latino history. We encourage others to
create a new organization and to continue the tradition of
celebrating Latino cultures in northwest Ohio.
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