On a bright Sunday afternoon the spacious gym of the Levy Senior Center buzzed with energy as dozens of families, seniors, and community members gathered for a festive tribute to Hispanic Heritage Month. The event was organized by Latinos en Evanston Northshore (LENS), a nonprofit dedicated to weaving a stronger, more connected Latino community across Evanston and its north-shore neighborhoods. By opening its doors without charge, the center created a welcoming space where older adults could mingle with children, sharing stories, rhythms, and flavors that celebrate a shared cultural legacy.
From the moment the doors opened, the atmosphere was one of celebration. Volunteers from partner groups set up tables laden with traditional snacks, while a stage at one end of the gym came alive with the sounds of guitars, percussion, and enthusiastic applause. The event’s design—free admission, intergenerational activities, and a lineup of local talent—reflected LENS’s mission to foster connections among families, seniors, and the broader community. Attendees described the gathering as a “homecoming” for the neighborhood, a place where everyone felt recognized and included.
Collaboration fuels the celebration
Behind the festive surface lay a network of organizations that pooled resources, expertise, and volunteers to bring the day to life. Alianza de Familias Bilingües y TWIPadres Empoderados and the Farmworker Landscape Advocacy Project contributed staff and outreach support, helping to spread the word across linguistic and cultural lines. The YWCA Evanston/North Shore supplied additional volunteers and helped coordinate safety protocols, while the Evanston Community Foundation offered modest financial backing that covered supplies for kids’ crafts and vendor fees.
Local institutions such as the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center and the Evanston Public Library also played a pivotal role. The library’s outreach team printed bilingual flyers and curated a small book corner featuring works by Latino authors, turning a corner of the gym into a pop-up literacy hub. The community center’s staff managed logistics for equipment, ensuring that sound systems, tables, and seating were arranged efficiently. This web of partnership highlighted how neighborhood groups can jointly celebrate culture while advancing broader goals of inclusion, bilingual education, and community health.
Music, dance, and hands-on fun for every age
Programmers curated a diverse lineup of performances that showcased the richness of Latino artistic expression. Traditional chinelo dancers twirled in bright costumes, their steps echoing the folkloric rhythms of Veracruz, while a local band blended mariachi horns with contemporary Latin pop hits. Children gathered around a drum circle, learning basic percussion patterns from a visiting musician, and later joined a vibrant sing-along that invited elders to share verses from childhood lullabies.
Hands-on activities kept young guests engaged throughout the afternoon. A crafting station, staffed by volunteers from Padres Empoderados allowed children to construct their own mini-piñatas using colorful paper, ribbons, and glue. Nearby, an arts table offered face-painting and papel-picado tutorials, introducing participants to the decorative paper art that adorns many Mexican celebrations. Parents and grandparents often teamed up, guiding youths through each step, creating moments of intergenerational bonding that LENS explicitly aimed to nurture.
Food vendors added flavorful layers to the celebration, offering tacos, tamales, elotes, and chilled aguas frescas. Each stall displayed a sign in both English and Spanish, underscoring the event’s bilingual spirit. Attendees praised the variety, noting that the culinary offerings provided a “tasty tour” of the many regions represented within the local Latino population. The combination of live music, dance, food, and craft turned the gym into a temporary cultural marketplace where heritage was both celebrated and shared.
Beyond the immediate joy, organizers see the celebration as a seed for future programming. By gathering diverse segments of the community in one place, LENS gathered valuable feedback about what families and seniors desire in ongoing events—more language classes, health screenings, and youth mentorship opportunities. The success of the Sunday gathering will inform the planning of upcoming festivals, workshops, and advocacy campaigns, ensuring that the momentum built on that afternoon continues to drive community cohesion.
