The 270 Chronicles tells stories within Bowling Green’s 270 area code, 270 words at a time. Inspired by IndyStar’s 317 Project, the 270 Chronicles features niche events, organizations and people that make up our local community.
Excitement and laughter filled the air as people attended the bi-annual BG Fiestaval celebrating the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15. The Regional Alliance of Students and Professionals held the festival from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15, featuring traditional performances by dancers, singers and authentic Mexican cuisine.
The event coordinator, Anita Parra from Santa Ana, California, said the festival started in 2016 as an idea from R.A.S.P. to celebrate Hispanic culture. She said that the original plan was to keep it within the Hispanic community, but people outside of their community started to show interest.
“We love having people and their families stay here all day,” Parra said. “That’s what we want to emphasize– that it’s a family event, and everyone’s invited.”
Carlos Rodriguez, from Bowling Green, who was helping run a food booth on behalf of La Luz Del Mundo Church, said the festival is a great way to get to know people and all the sub-cultures in the Hispanic community. He said the purpose of the event is to share every aspect of each culture with everyone.
“It’s not just Mexican, it’s Puerto Rican, it’s Salvadorian, it’s Cuban,” Rodriguez said. “It’s all types of Hispanics, and it’s bringing all the cultures together.”
Parra said that because more people started to show interest in the festival, they worked to provide more activities for the event so people can learn about their culture.
“My favorite part about BG Fiestaval is that it’s open to everybody,” Parra said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re Hispanic or not, we want to invite everybody.”