HAMILTON, Ohio — This Hispanic Heritage Month, a group of educators are making history. They’re planning the first ever Hispanic Heritage Festival in one Ohio town.

What You Need To Know

  • This will be the first year that there's ever been a Hispanic heritage festival in Hamilton 

  • A group of educators came up with the idea after seeing a growing Hispanic population in area schools 

  • The festival will be held in Markum Park in Hamilton on Sept. 28

Mitzi Hernandez still remembers how it felt when she came from Mexico City to Ohio for the first time.

"We felt lost," she said. “I moved to the U.S. when I was 13 years old and it was me and a group — a small group of about 10 students.”

More than 20 years later, she calls Hamilton home and works along side Adriana Reyes to help Hispanic students translate and transition to their town.

“We had like a 46% growth in enrollment, new enrollment from new countries like Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and Dominican Republic,” said Reyes. 

She said something was still missing and it was never done here before.

“It just tells us that there's a need and we needed to fulfill that need and this is why we stepped up to make it happen,” said Reyes. 

They stepped up with Jose Contreras, an area diversity educator, to bring Hispanic heritage to the forefront. They’re planning the first-ever Hispanic Heritage Festival in Hamilton.

“We're excited," he said. "It's unfortunate it hasn't happened before, but that's all right — we're going to make it a reality for the future.”

By the end of September, they have a vision for Markum Park. It’ll be turned into a stage, vendors, food trucks and performances.

It's all an effort they hope will help celebrate Hispanic culture and make it feel like home.

“Los Hispanos, be proud. Dress up, bring your flag and let’s have a great time," said Hernandez. 

The one-day Hispanic Heritage Festival will be happening September 28th in Hamilton’s Markum Park. For more details, click here.