Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

This weekend is the second annual Hispanic Heritage Night in Douglas County, celebrating the values, culture and language of Latin American countries. The celebration will be on Saturday starting at 3 p.m. at 2001 W Bertha Avenue in Roseburg. Event Director Julia Masner said giving the Hispanic community a safe place to share their heritage was a need she and her event partners recognized in 2019. The first event was a small occasion in February 2020. “We created this event where we’re exposing Douglas County to ballet folklorico which is a traditional Mexican dance, we have a Mariachi band coming down from Eugence, we have a person who does rope tricks he’s called a Charro,” Masner said. “We’re hoping the community engages and has some fun!” Over 6,500 people in Douglas County have Hispanic or Latino roots, the highest proportion after Caucasians, according to the 2020 Census. Masner is Hispanic and is excited to share the history she inherited with the community. “This time, we have a little bit more, we grew a little bit more," Masner said. “We started seeing this growth in the Hispanic community, it was growing really quickly. Douglas County has never really had an event where they had exposure to the Latino Culture.” There are more Spanish speakers than English speakers in the Americas. Approximately 416 million people speak Spanish between the tip of Alaska to the tip of Chile, compared to 334 million English speakers, according to Babbel. The event is free to the public, family-friendly and dinner will be provided. The first half will be outdoors and the second half will move into the church for music and dancing. It is put on with help from Mano Amiga, Thrive Umpqua, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and The Ford Family Foundation. This event is dominated by Mexican traditions, but it will showcase memorabilia from other parts of Latin America, like pictures, flags, and artwork. "We want to be able to showcase all of Latin America, not just Mexico," Masner said. Masner said the event will likely morph into an international night to celebrate more of the cultures represented in Douglas County in the future. Time: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Place: 2001 W. Bertha Avenue, Roseburg