Elgin library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with exhibits, programs

Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with multiple exhibits and programs now through October.

Visitors will discover the influence Elgin's Hispanic community has had on the city's culture through an exhibit recognizing the history and contributions, including music, food, education, religion and family. The exhibit opened Saturday and will be on display through Oct. 15 at the Main Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., in Elgin.

The library will host a traditional Mexican game, Lotería!, on Family Night Sept. 19 at the Main Library. Register for the 7 p.m. event at gailborden.info/register or by calling (847) 429-4597 or in person.

Antonio Ramirez, professor of history at Elgin Community College, will share stories of struggle and triumph in Elgin's Latino community, and how a growing Latino population has reshaped the city and many other suburbs in the last 50 years.

“Voces Latinas: Yes, We Can, How Latinos Remade Elgin and the Region” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Main Library and via Facebook Live at gbpl.info/FBLV. Register at gailborden.info/register or by calling (847) 429-4597.

For the first time, the library also will host an exhibit of a traditional Mexican offering for the Day of the Dead to remember loved ones.

Ofrenda Exhibit for Día de los Muertos: Open Hearts — Our Families will be on display Oct. 26 through Nov. 9, at the Main Library. Community members can participate by emailing a digital photo of a loved one they want remembered by Oct. 12 to pradgbpl@gmail.com and include a name and phone number.

Also, local Latino authors will headline the library's first Hispanic Heritage Month book fair on Oct. 1. There will be music, dances and a storytime for “Hispanic Heritage Month 2022: Open Books, Open Hearts” celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Main Library. Visitors also can participate in a drawing for a chance to win a book basket.

For more information about the library's Hispanic Heritage Month offerings, visit gailborden.info/hhm.

Latinas in law enforcement

Elgin Community College will host the first Latinas in Law Enforcement Scholarship Luncheon on Sept. 22.

Money raised will go to the Elgin Community College Foundation to administer the scholarships to Latina students who enroll in criminal justice courses at ECC.

“We are especially grateful to the Elgin Community College Foundation, the Hispanic Illinois State Law Enforcement Association and the International Association of Women Police, but especially to the Trinidad Aguirre-Armenta Foundation for all their moral and financial support for this important effort,” said Jo Ann Armenta, scholarship fund founder and a retired Illinois State Police sergeant.

Armenta said Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proclaimed September as Latinas in Law Enforcement Month.

The luncheon program will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sponsorship opportunities are available, and tickets are $50 per person.

Iris Y. Martinez, the first Latina elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, will be the keynote speaker. The event will include special video remarks from civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who with Cesar Chavez co-founded the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. Members of the Elgin Police Department also will be in attendance.

For more information or to sponsor the event, email Armenta at LatinasinLawEnforcement@gmail.com or call (847) 826-8020.

For more info on how to help, visit armentafoundation.org.

Bilingual storytime

Miss Illinois USA Angel Reyes will participate in a bilingual children's storytime at 6 p.m. today at the Dundee Library, 555 Barrington Ave. in East Dundee.

Reyes, 25, of Chicago, is only the second Latina to win the state title in the pageant's 70-year history. She will represent Illinois at Miss USA 2022 next month. The Miss USA finals will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.

Reyes will kick off the Fox River Valley Public Library District's Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Today's program includes reading, storytelling, crafts and other activities. To register, visit frvpld.info/storytime-miss-illinois-usa.

Hindu festival

The Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Wheeling will host a Navratri Utsav — a Hindu festival involving nine nights of worship and celebrations — Sept. 26 through Oct. 3.

Worship services will begin from 6 p.m. onward at the temple, located at 397 Northgate Parkway.

Navratri is celebrated differently throughout India's various regions. It is a time of religious reflection and fasting, as well as dancing and feasting. Typically, the festival's nine nights are dedicated to different aspects of the divine feminine principle, or Shakti.

During those nights, women also participate in a traditional garba — a Gujarati folk dance typically celebrated with songs about the nine goddesses being worshipped as part of the festival.

Admission is free. For more information, visit shriji.org.

Mariachi performance

Latin Grammy-nominated Mariachi Herencia de Mexico will perform with Grammy and Latin Grammy nominee Lupita Infante, granddaughter of Mexican icon Pedro Infante, on Oct. 2 at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. on the College of DuPage campus in Glen Ellyn.

They will perform at 3 p.m. on the Belushi Performance Hall Stage as part of the “Herederos” tour in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Chicago-based Mariachi Herencia de Mexico troupe has released four acclaimed studio albums with chart-topping debuts on the Billboard and the iTunes Latin Album charts. The group's “Nuestra Herencia” album scored a Latin Grammy nomination in the “Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album” category.

“La Serenata,” Infante's debut studio album, was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Regional Mexican Music Album.” and her song “Dejaré” was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. Infante has been featured as Billboard's “Latin Artist On The Rise” and performed live from Mexico City as part of the 2022 Latin Grammy Acoustic Sessions in July.

Traditional mariachi music has roots throughout Mexico, especially in the cities of Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Tickets for the show are $42-$55. For more, call (630) 942-4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.

• Share stories, news and happenings from the suburban mosaic at mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com.