American Canyon celebrates first Hispanic Heritage Day
With traditional dances, music, food and giant slides, American Canyon celebrated its first Hispanic Heritage Day on Saturday.
The event, which drew an estimated 250 people over six hours at ABC Tree Farms’ pumpkin patch off of Broadway/Highway 29, was organized as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“I’m very happy that we are having our very first Hispanic Heritage celebration,” American Canyon Mayor Pierre Washington said at the event. “It’s not going to be the last,” he added. There will be “many, many more.”
Three friends organized the event to celebrate Hispanic culture and traditions in American Canyon, noting that more than 30 percent of American Canyon residents are Hispanic.
Karina Servente, a longtime American Canyon resident and community volunteer, said the organizers learned a lot on Saturday, which will help them grow the event in the future.
Servente, Vanessa Lara, owner of Tacon Hambre, American Canyon’s first food truck, and Hector Valencia, owner of Custom T-Shirts & Signs, are friends who pulled together the first celebration in a matter of weeks.
“We are very happy with the outcome, though,” Servente said in a text this week.
Napa County Sheriff Oscar Ortiz, a sponsor of the event, stopped by as did Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos, American Canyon Vice Mayor Mark Joseph and American Canyon City Councilman Brando Cruz.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson also came to present certificates to Lara, Valencia and Servente.
Juan Vizcaino, a truck driver, from American Canyon, was among the volunteers who helped with the celebrations. He likes to help, said Vizcaino, who is originally from Tijuana, Mexico.
It is the first Hispanic Heritage Day, Vizcaino noted. “I want to be part of it,” he said. “If everybody would get together, it would be a better world.”
Jose Serrano and Sandra Cabrera helped organize a fashion show that included bridal wear and a quinceañera dress.
Three dancers from Los Diablos de Oaxaca performed dances based on Moorish and Christian traditions, wearing wooden masks.
“For us, it’s more than a religion, it’s a tradition,” said one of the dancers, Alma Guzman, of Antioch, after the performance. “You come in with that tradition in your blood.”
Two 17-year-old friends, Alex Villarimo, 17, and Clyde Sanchez, stopped by to eat tacos and pupusas. “It’s nice,” Villarimo said as they ate a late lunch.
Roberta Gutierrez brought her granddaughters, ages 7 and 10, after they saw the giant slides. Her granddaughters gave their verdict during a break: thumbs up.
