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On Sunday afternoons, music swept through West End Park, and people in and out of the Marshalltown community strolled through the cultural festival, watching vendors’ wares, and tasting treats from the different food trucks that were available.
This year is the second time the event has been held, and by all indicators it has become an annual staple in the Marshalltown community. Ethnic entertainment drew large crowds throughout the afternoon, with three different local Hispanic bands performing alongside another band from Chicago, in addition to professional salsa and folk dance performances.
The Zamora Fresh Market offered piñatas for kids to take turns opening, and several vendors displayed their products. Four different food trucks surround West End Park, catering to eager event-goers.
Wendy Soltero, one of the event’s three organizers, said this year’s festival, hosted by the Marshall County Arts and Cultural Alliance, is bigger than the 2021 show, with more food and more entertainment. Lots of entertainment that many community members are eager to be involved in.
“When we look at other cities around, like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, places like that, they have less Hispanic populations than us, well, Des Moines is obviously populated, But they’re doing some of their other festivals because it’s Hispanic Heritage Month and we really don’t have anything,” Soltero said. “It really feels like people — our community, are hungry and hungry for something like this.”
Soltero is excited about the growth the event has experienced in just one year, and because of this growth, she hopes to see it continue in the years to come. Soltero said people seemed to be excited about it too, as many reached out to her to see how they could get involved.
“Usually, no matter how much, or how you promote different events, there’s always going to be people like ‘Oh, how did we not know? We haven’t heard of it,’ you know? But, at the same time, this year, I found out more The people, the reason people contact me, even want to be a supplier or something, I think, we’re not ready for this year but maybe next year, we will,” Soltero said. “It’s not the idea of having a supplier, it’s someone reaching out and they’re like ‘OK’, which means the word is out.”
Sponsors of the event — Sponsor Member First Community Credit Union and Supporting Sponsors, La Carreta Mexican Grill, A&A Concrete and Zamora Fresh Market — were able to set the table. There are some vendors selling handicrafts, but the number is limited. Now that suppliers might be interested, Soltero said they might consider scaling up next year.
While the festival has been planned by a small group in past years, this year’s team consisted of only Soltero, Arts and Culture Alliance executive director Amber Danielson and local band member Johnny Corral, Soltero said in the future that as it develops, it may take A committee to plan the event.
Soltero also hopes to open the festival to other cultures in the community to host an all-encompassing event that showcases the proud heritage of the people of Marshalltown.
“My idea is, like I said, let it grow and integrate into a different culture. Not just Hispanic, not just Mexican,” Soltero said. “Ultimately, my dream will be to incorporate other cultures and really make it one culture – like being more diverse and showcasing the rich diversity of our town.”
Soltero believes cultural festivals are important for a number of reasons. Not only does the event open up communication channels among community members to make way for learning and education, but it also gives people from the cultures on display a little taste of home.
“My idea is for people from different backgrounds to experience it, and one of the things I always say is that culture brings everyone together, and events like this allow people to experience other cultures without leaving their hometown,” Soltero said. “Learn and educate, and once you do that, then everyone can see everyone else you know, we are equal. We live in this community, we live together here, so might as well understand each other and learn to appreciate our Difference and something that everyone can contribute. This is how our town will continue to grow and be successful.”
Danielson echoes Soltero’s feelings, and she’s excited to welcome community members and even some out-of-town visitors to the festival.
“We just felt it was really important to celebrate all the diversity in our community. We had this kind of success last year and it continues to grow,” Danielson said. “I’m excited to see people show up, you know, it’s awareness and education. It’s just a whole new experience for some in our community, being able to experience other cultures locally.”
Corral was a member of the local band Los De La Villa, responsible for the festival’s music, and he managed to bring in local bands Junior y su Norteño, Los Aliados, his own band Los De La Villa, and Chicago band Código 47.
Corral played at last year’s event but was happy to help when asked if he could help produce music for this year’s festival.
“I think it’s very important because I see it as an event that’s growing every year, an annual event. Also, I want to be a part of the community,” Coral said. “Last year, we did it, just we performed, I’m from Los de la Villa, but this year we have to make it bigger, we just have to make it bigger, with more music. I think a lot of local should be heard The voice of talent, this is a great opportunity.”
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Please contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or email smeyer@timesrepublican.com.
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