Henderson County celebrates ‘colors, flavors, rhythms’ of Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 to honor the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans and also celebrates heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.

The celebration began locally Oct. 1 with the Hispanic Heritage Fest at the Cradle of Forestry. At the celebration, bilingual hikes were held, along with outdoor activities and games, dance performances and live music.

TrueRidge Executive Director Melisa Soto-Escobar said the celebration was just one of several planned for Hispanic Heritage Month in Western North Carolina, including Henderson County, whose population (approximately 119,000) is made up of 10.9% of people who are Hispanic or Latino.

“There are a few events scheduled around Hispanic Heritage Month in the county,” Soto-Escobar told the Times-News.

“We also have a Hispanic Heritage Month Event/Health Fair set for Oct. 13 in Henderson County. The initiative from the Cradle of Forestry was to bring the colors, flavors and rhythms from the Hispanic community to Pisgah National Forest. Sponsors, vendors and performers met in the beautiful Pisgah Forest to celebrate, educate and honor the community of about 20 countries in North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.”

TrueRidge, located at 204 Sixth Ave. in Hendersonville, is a nonprofit whose mission, according to its website trueridge.org, is “to provide bilingual and culturally appropriate services, resources and accompaniment for diverse and vulnerable members of our community that need support in their journey towards self-sufficiency, resilience, healing and well-being.”

Soto-Escobar said events are still being planned for the county to continue the month-long celebration.

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Hendersonville Farmers Market was the first to hold an event, as it hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Sept. 17. At this event, TrueRidge staff gave one-on-one Spanish lessons. There was also a cooking demonstration by Tierra Fertil (a local cooperative) using its own produce. Traditional salsa was available for customers, who were also treated to Latin American music throughout the event.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Henderson County events celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month