Milwaukee celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with events and festivities

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off Sunday, Sept. 15, marking a month-long celebration that runs through Oct. 15 to honor Hispanic and Latino culture.

Unlike most nationally recognized heritage months, this observance begins mid-month to commemorate significant dates for many Latinos. Sunday marked the independence anniversaries of seven Latin American countries. Monday, Sept. 16, was Mexico's Independence Day, and Wednesday, Sept. 18, is Chile's.

The celebration originated in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson declared the week of Sept. 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Week. Twenty years later, President Ronald Reagan expanded it to a month-long observance.

Events are taking place nationwide and that includes Milwaukee. Saturday, Sept. 21, a special edition of the Market on the Riverwalk will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The free event, featuring cultural activities, food trucks, live music, Latino vendors and more runs from 1 to 6 p.m. at Schlitz Park.

A networking event to help businesses expand is taking place on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. El Conquistador Newspaper is organizing a way for both Latino markets and general markets to organize under one roof with shared goals: networking while connecting to the buying power of the Latino community.

Also Saturday, the fourth annual Latin Night will be hosted at Linneman's Riverwest Inn from 7 to 11:15 p.m. Every half-hour, a different local Latin musician and artist will perform unique sets of music from across Latin America.

CBS 58 will have more stories highlighting Hispanic Heritage Month, including a special look at some local eateries that are especially worth exploring to honor the month, including traditional Puerto Rican coffee and aguas frescas! That special edition of 58 Hometowns will debut during the CBS 58 news on Thursday, Sept. 19.