MACON, Ga. — Smiley's Flea Market held a "Hispanic Celebration" Sunday with music, food and fun!
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and the celebration marks the mid-point of the month's festivities.
On the flea market's Facebook page, they say the event kicked off at 10 a.m. Sunday, and they promised to offer fun for the whole family.
"The best part is that we see each other as people," organizer Moises Velez said. "We are one people."
On one stage, a rapper spit verses in Spanish as onlookers watched — and others danced.
The flea market, located at 6717 Hawkinsville Rd., hosted a number of musicians representing different varieties of Hispanic music.
The event included musicians like Latin Fusion, Banda Santa Cecilia, Danny Ozuna, Con Junto Carnoso, Museo de Artes Y Ciencias, Acatecat, Gloone Victor El Realista and Nancy Paola.
Velez says that recognizing Hispanic heritage is incredibly important because it is intertwined with the culture of the U.S.
"It's a celebration of life," Velez said. "It's a celebration of our ethnicity, it's a celebration of our culture and our traditions, and maybe you ask why we need to celebrate this — [it's] is because part of the fiber of the United States is Hispanic and that's why I think we need to celebrate it."
Beyond the music, the event also featured many other offerings like free carousel rides and bumper cars.
The event also had an array of vendors such as Georgia Power, United Way and All-State Insurance. They all offered resources and other information about their services in Spanish.
For Velez, the event is focused on the local community, which was reflected in the selection of musicians — many of whom are from Central Georgia.
"Everything is local," Velez said. "We didn't hire any big bands. This year we just want to give the time and opportunity to the local talent for them to showcase what they can do."
The event runs until 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Get more news and information from 13WMAZ by downloading our 13WMAZ+ app on our Roku and Amazon Fire Stick devices.
This allows you to watch more 13WMAZ on-demand and access your favorite 13WMAZ shows like Central Georgia Focus and our 70th Anniversary Special.