LUPEC Ogden Hispanic Festival 2022
Come celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at the sixth annual Ogden Hispanic Festival at Union Station (2501 Wall Avenue) from 2-8 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.
The festival will feature the culture, history, education, music, dance, and gastronomy of the Latino community. Participants can expect food trucks, kids’ activities, live music, and entertainment, and over
40 vendors and information booths. “There will be lots of handmade crafts, different snacks, and drinks,” said Eulogio Alejandre, president of Latinos United Promoting Education and Civic/Cultural Engagement (LUPEC), who is sponsoring the event.
LUPEC is a non-profit whose mission is to empower the Latino community to become more autonomous participating members of society through education. “Education is an important piece of our name. We introduce ourselves to the community with the jobs that we do because we want our young people and children to see that they too can dream to become a teacher, a doctor, a military officer, or whatever they want to do,” said Alejandre.
LUPEC helps provide scholarships or opportunities for students to go after their dreams. “If a student has dreams, we hope to help them to become a reality. For example, we recently helped a young lady who wanted to be a professional boxer go to a tournament in Las Vegas,” Alejandre said.
The headliner for the festival is Lorenzo Mendez, on the main stage from 7-8 p.m. Mendez is a two-time Latin Grammy winner. He is a singer, composer, and entrepreneur. He and his four bandmates play popular regional Mexican music. “He is big. He is well-known both in Mexico and the United States. He is a sensation on TV and on social media,” said Alejandre.
Another band, Grupo Tropical, will play at 3 p.m. on Stage One. “They play tropical music mostly from South America, but they do blend in some Mexican sounds like cumbia and better-known music,” Alejandre said.
At 5 p.m., the Mariachi Aguilas de la Esperanz will play. They are a children’s mariachi band from Esperanza Elementary School in West Valley City, Utah, where Alejandre is the principal of the school.
The mariachi band is led by music director Allen Moreno. “We have 30-40 kids. We have all kinds of instruments and they are really entertaining,” said Alejandre.
On Stage Two, the lineup includes: local dance troupe Grupo Folklorico Nonantzin at 2 p.m.; MOBocracy from 4-4:20 p.m.; Jesse Vega & Thais Ndongo from 4:20-5 p.m.; and ECK at 6 p.m.
Alejandre hopes the Hispanic Festival can help LUPEC continue to be a bridge for Latinos to education and to the community.
