About 50 people gathered in downtown Flossmoor for the performance by seven members of Mariachi Tradicional Juvenil, a Chicago mariachi band, on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 19. The Village of Flossmoor organized the concert in collaboration with the Flossmoor Public Library for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Mexican Independence Day was on Sept. 16.
Seven years ago, when the band was formed, Mariachi Tradicional Juvenil was composed of a teacher and a group of kids aged 8 to 15. Today, some of those performers are 18 and 20. The band is based in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
“I’ve been performing music since I was 9 or 10 years old,” said 18-year-old Mariachi Tradicional Juvenil member Briana Alvarado. “It’s something I was introduced to at a young age and I’ve just fallen in love with it.”
(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
The audience congregated in front of the Flossmoor Public Library where the performance took place. They sat in the grass or on folding chairs while others watched from locations in downtown Flossmoor.
Saul Mares, a teacher at Parker Junior High in Flossmoor, attended the event with his wife, Dalia Mena Mares, a teacher at Serena Hills Elementary in Chicago Heights. They brought their son, Luna Maries, and another family member, Paola Mares.
“We’re here to celebrate our heritage,” Dalia said. “We’re seeing some familiar faces of our students. It’s nice to connect with them in that way.”
Jorge Perez and his wife Christine Perez traveled to the concert from St. John, Indiana.
“My son-in-law was from Flossmoor. And he told us about this event,” Christine said. “We don’t have the opportunity to travel that much to Mexico and we like the culture.”
While waiting for the band to perform, Esperanza Castellanos, an administrative assistant for the Village of Flossmoor, led audience members in a cumbia dancing routine. Flossmoor Village Clerk Gina LoGalbo set up a speaker playing traditional Latin American music.
When Mariachi Tradicional Juvenil performed, audience members swayed to the rhythm, clapped and sang along. After performing their rendition of “Mexico Lindo Y Quierido,” which translates to “Mexico, Beautiful and Loved,” some audience members yelled out “Viva La Mexico.”
(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
In between songs, band members switched places downstage and took turns being the lead singer.
“People come from other countries. They leave home and something that they miss is their music,” said 20-year-old Diego Lopez, a member of Mariachi Tradicional Juvenil. “We share all these songs and it really brings a connection together.”
“Thank you for coming to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. It means so much to me as a Mexican woman,” Castellanos said in a speech after the musical performance. “We are so honored to have you all here.”