Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board

By Matt Arado | Daily Herald Staff

Jocelyn Celaya, 5, of Aurora waits for her group to perform at the El Dia los Ninos (Children’s Day) event in Aurora on Saturday. Jocelyn is with the Mexican dance ensemble Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl and just took up dancing three months ago.

Hundreds of families from in and around Aurora gathered under gray skies Saturday to pay tribute to their children.

The ninth annual “El Dia de los Niños,” or Children’s Day, featured food, live music, dancing and plenty of games and activities for the little ones. The Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board hosted the event.

Children’s Day is based on a Latin American holiday designed to uplift and celebrate children and family values.

Diana Torres, chair of the advisory board, said those same goals drive the Aurora event.

“Families are so critical to the Latino culture,” she said. “So we wanted to create something here that would bring parents and children together.”

Though the event is geared toward Aurora’s sizable Hispanic population, it is open to all. Torres said Saturday that she was happy to see more non-Hispanics at the festival than ever before.

“I love seeing that,” she said. “It shows that something like this can become an event for the entire community, not just one part of it.”

One change to the event this year was that mechanical carnival rides were replaced by activities that emphasized fitness: a climbing wall, a jump-rope area, strength games. The board made the change in light of growing concerns about childhood obesity across the country.

Six-year-old Susan Aguilar of Aurora didn’t seem to mind. She was all smiles after a round of jump-rope.

“I can’t wait to do it again,” she said. “I’m going to try to jump even higher.”

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2009
Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Aurora Transportation Center Parking Lot, corner of Spring St. and Lincoln Ave.

In recognition of the cultural importance of children and families, the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board (AHHAB) hosts an annual event known as El Día de los Niños, or Children’s Day. Since 2001, el Día de los Niños has been a very special holiday celebrated throughout Latin America where families, schools and communities come together to value and uplift the children in the community.

This annual AHHAB event will provide activities and entertainment to the Aurora community free of charge. The main stage schedule includes: Aurora Family Focus theater and dance groups (1:20 to 1:50 p.m.), traditional Ballet Folklorico dance troupe (2:00 to 3:00 p.m.), Radio Disney AM 1300 (3:00 to 4:30 p.m.), and the Aurora Rebels Cheerleaders, the 2009 Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games Gold medalists and National Champions (4:30 to 5:00 p.m.). There will also be performances by local Aurora youth in a “Talent Showcase.”

The Children’s Area will include the following activities: Moon Jumps, Clowns, Bookmobile, Windjammer Swing, Giant Slide, Hi-Striker, Wacky Trikes, Climbing Wall, Obstacle courses, and an appearance by McGruff. Organizations will also be available to provide information to the community, including: Aunt Martha’s, Aurora Public Library, Aurora Township, Aurora Fire Department, El Mexicano, Mexican Village, Two Rivers, Aurora Shalom Ministries, Phillips Park, Aurora Family Focus and VNA. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase. 

The City of Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board is a group that is community-based and funded by the City of Aurora. Our mission is to serve as a bridge between the Hispanic community and all other communities in the City of Aurora. The Advisory Board recognizes diversity throughout the City of Aurora and therefore makes a conscious effort to be all-inclusive. Thank you to the following sponsors of the 2010 El Día De Los Niños: Sprint, Harris Bank, Marquette Bank, HOY, Pepsi, and Latinos Income Tax.

 For more information, please contact Diana Torres, Chair of the Board, at: torres.diana@gmail.com or 630-800-8982.