In her vestido de escaramuza, a traditional Mexican dress with bright ruffles and flowers, 7-year-old Linda Alvarez stood a little taller on Saturday, Sept. 20.
At the Flossmoor Library’s first Hispanic Heritage Month event, her mother said Linda felt proud to share her culture: “It makes her feel like, ‘Hey, now people can ask me questions and I can help.’”
The library’s Youth Department and School District 161’s Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) held the event from 10 a.m. to noon, welcoming all.
From left: Nyailah Burnette, 9; Aliana Rodriguez, 6; Nevaeh Rodriguez, 7; Linda Alvarez, 7; and Laileahna Burnette, 6, gather in front of the craft table at Flossmoor Library’s Hispanic Heritage Month event. (Nuha Abdessalam/H-F Chronicle)
Upstairs the library turned into a space for crafting piñatas, listening to bilingual stories and playing Lotería.
For Linda, the answer to what she liked best was simple: “All of it.”
From storytime to celebration
The idea began in storytime, where staff noticed more bilingual families attending. When a volunteer offered to read in both English and Spanish, the program plan grew quickly once BPAC joined.
Library Director Jamie Paicely said she was struck by how quickly the community rallied.
“When we first planned it, people were like, ‘That’s great. Can we do anything?’” she said.
‘Our children need to see themselves’
Library’s first Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
(Nuha Abdessalam/H-F Chronicle)
Rosalinda Ledesma, BPAC head volunteer, said the day was about more than crafts and games.
“Even though our Hispanic and Asian families are a smaller group here, they’re still here,” she said. “Our children need to see themselves represented, and other children need to learn that at a young age.”
One moment that stood out to her was watching kids gather for Lotería.
“It’s like a Spanish version of Bingo, but you have to fill the whole card,” she said. “They usually play it with pesos – the kids loved it.”
Ledesma added, “I just want people to be more open-minded and accept other cultures, other people, we are all in this together.”
More than just fun
Kids stopped at the photo booth for family pictures and left with Polaroids to take home. At the craft tables, they used paper, markers and glue to make piñatas.
Library Assistant Carly Halberg said the energy spoke for itself.
“Everybody seems to be having an amazing time,” Halberg said. “I’m appreciative of the people who came in and brought a lot of their culture with them, It’s great to have this community that we can do this with.”
Storyteller Jessica Cheney recalled how quiet the room became during Spanish storytime.
“When they get really quiet when the Spanish part is read, and then they hear the English and say, ‘Oh, okay, I can do it.’ That says a lot.”
Attendee Beth Price, who brought her friend’s children, said these moments help normalize cultural learning.
“Familiarizing kids with different languages and traditions should feel normal,” she said. “These kinds of events go a long way.”
Building partnerships
For Stephanie Wright, community engagement manager for the village of Flossmoor and School District 161, the day showed how much can happen when local institutions work together.
“What I appreciate about working with the library is that they’re willing to get creative and work on events together,” Wright said. “This event feels particularly important right now. Jamie and I are excited about the possibility of expanding, and bringing in BPAC has been such a meaningful addition.”
She added that the collaboration is about more than one program.
“It’s so nice to see the library take risks with new ideas and to be open to working with us; that kind of partnership is what makes events like this possible,” Wright said.
