Tippecanoe Latino Festival brings community together: 'We're not alone anymore'
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For over a decade, the Tippecanoe Latino Festival has been a staple fall-time celebration to honor and embrace the multicultural aspect of the area’s Latino population.
Columbian Park was filled Saturday with community members enjoying performances, vendors and foods from Peru, Mexico, Columbia and more.
“The event is a way that we can showcase Latino culture," said Allison Maldonado-Ruiz, president of the Latino Center for Wellness and Education, "as well as living our mission of providing resources and connecting the community. Every year we make sure that we have different non-profits, organizations and businesses out here to provide services to our community."
The Tippecanoe Latino Festival was originally started by the Latino Center for Wellness and Education over a decade ago, as a way to connect the community with Latino culture.
The Latino Center for Wellness and Education was founded in 1999 and is one of the county’s oldest Latino non-profits.
Beyond providing the community with a celebration of Latino culture, the Latino Center for Wellness and Education wanted to use the event as a platform to highlight some of the talented Latino students in the area.
In years prior, the Latino Center had given away several scholarships to Latino students who had graduated from high school and were entering into college. But this year, the Latino Center was able to introduce two new scholarships, specifically to help support current college students or students who have decided to pursue their education through an alternative route like a trade school.
This year the Latino Center gave out seven scholarships to students.
High School Scholarship - $2,000 each:
Emilia Vargas
Naomi Castillo
Isabel Garcia
Cassandra Alvarado
Current College Student - $1,000:
Maritsa Romero
Continuing Education - $1,000 each:
Alma Valle
Kimberline Maldonado-Rodriguez
Spotlight on Latino business owners
To many in the community, the Tippecanoe Latino Festival also serves as an opportunity to showcase the county’s large population of Latino business owners.
Kevin Vargas, owner of Fresh Factory Barbershop in Lafayette, was stationed near the festival entrance. He explained for the last three years, his team of barbers has been offering haircuts to community members as a way to promote his business, support the community, and share stories with his guests.
“This event means a lot. To show your face to the community, because I know this (event) is not just Hispanics, but it also for other people who are interested in Hispanic culture and the community,” he said.
“And if we don’t show our face, people are just going to think that we’re invisible and that we’re not here. So, it means a lot to them and to us, to let the community know that we’re here and that we’re striving.”
Vargas moved to Lafayette when he was 10 years old, and although he wasn’t born here, Vargas sees Lafayette as his hometown.
He reflected on the growth of the area’s Latino/Hispanic population over the past two decades that he’s been residing in Lafayette and how this festival played an important role in showcasing the growth and acceptance of the Latino community.
“When I was 10, there wasn’t much (representation). I felt like we were almost like in the shadows and now, I feel like we’re just out and it’s kind of hard to ignore us now,” he said.
“It’s a good feeling to know that we’re not alone anymore.”
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Tippecanoe Latino Festival 2023 celebrates Lafayette's Latino culture
