Fiesta on Maple returns for more

Fiesta on Maple returns for another showing Saturday, Oct. 7.

And more is expected this time.

The event, celebrating Hispanic culture, will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the 100 and 200 block of North Maple and the adjacent block of Montgomery Street.

Gabriela Tercero, one of the organizers of the day, said last year’s success of the first event was enough reason and motivation to do it again and find more to add to it.

“We are expecting more variety with vendors,” Tercero said.

One category that will increase is the food.

“We will have more food options and a variety of food,” she said. “We wanted more than just the common Mexican foods.”

Tercero said a person from El Salvador and another from Honduras will provide authentic foods. An example of Mexican food is tamales which can be wrapped in corn leaves or banana leaves and stuffed with a variety of ingredients. The most common are mole, shredded chicken or pork with green or red salsa, pepper with cheese, and yellow corn kernels. Mole is a mixture of dried chilies, tomatoes and spices.

Other vendors include jewelry, accessories, baked goods and clothing.

And after the taste buds have been tantalized, the ears will be full of cultural music.

“We have a mariachi band to open the day and play for a couple hours,” Tercero said.

A DJ will play later with a mixture of music.

“Toward the end of the day we will have a band, Son Peruchos, that speaks Spanish and English and expect to hear both,” she said.

Face painting, barrel train rides for kids, pinata breaking and mechanical bull rides are also part of the day.

Tercero said the events of Fiesta on Maple having a following.

“It was a trial to see response last year and it was so successful,” she said.

Tercero said part of the success may be because of the Hispanic influence in nearby Lenox and Osceola.

“We have a big influx of Hispanic people here for jobs,” she said. “And our event has brought up people who have never been. We hope every year it gets a little bigger.”

Saturday’s weather is expected to be fall-like with daytime high reaching 60. Tercero said “fingers will be crossed” the weather is not a detriment.

According to the Iowa Data Center, Iowa and the United States celebrates Hispanic heritage in October. What started in 1968 when Congress authorized President Lyndon Johnson to proclaim a week as National Hispanic Heritage Week. It expanded in 1988 to a month starting Sept. 15. That day is the anniversary of independence from Spanish colonization in five Latin American countries; Costa Rica, El Salvador Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days Sept. 16.

According to Iowa Data Center in 2022, there are 215,896 people who identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino. That is 6.8% of the state’s population. Iowa has seen a growth in Hispanic population of 161% from 2000 to 2020.