Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, and welcome back to Our Roots!
This month we’re celebrating local Hispanic businesses and community members. With over 5 million Hispanic people in Florida, everywhere you look there’s a reason to celebrate Hispanic culture.
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Businesses
ClickOrlando.com is using this month to highlight Hispanic-owned businesses in Central Florida. Sisters Natasha and Julisa Lopez run the Calypso Coffee Bar in Apopka. They get their coffee beans from a farm owned by their father in Guatemala.
Executive producer Angel Blazquez and multimedia producer Gabriella Nuñez used their Cuban expertise to create a list of the best Cuban restaurants in the Orlando area. You can read that here!
Events
Central Florida will have several events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The city of Orlando will have a community celebration tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Amway Center with Hispanic food, music and entertainment. They are also hosting an art exhibit that opened Sept. 19 and will run through Nov. 13.
At Leu Gardens, there will be a Día de los Muertos attraction at this year’s Happy Frights and Haunting Nights event. Creative City Project Director Cole Nesmith and his husband Ramon Bermudez will be in charge of the attraction, where visitors will be able to meet La Catrina and view large, colorfully decorated calaveras (skulls). The event kicks off on Friday and runs through Oct. 31.
People
This year, we highlighted Orange County Fire Lt. Claudia Fernandez. Fernandez has been with the department for 23 years and has responded to hundreds of 911 calls that she’s had to speak Spanish in to help victims. Read about her experience here.
We’ve also highlighted Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban American who was the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress.
We’re only halfway through with Hispanic Heritage Month, so keep sending us your great ideas! Email me at bellis@wkmg.com with any questions, comments, or story ideas.