On Saturday afternoon, the bright spring sun shone on hundreds of smiling children in Heber City. And why wouldn’t they smile? It was, after all, a day all about them.
The Wasatch Latino Coalition celebrated Día de Los Niños, or Children’s Day, with a free event at Main Street Park, complete with candy, toys, face painting and bounce houses. The holiday is traditionally celebrated in Latin American countries like Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador and Guatemala to highlight children’s importance to society and promote their well-being. In Heber City, the goal was the same.
Families from across the Wasatch Back gathered in the park, where kids were handed small bags and invited to visit 10 booths set up around the lawn. Part of the coalition’s team of volunteers include the lideresas, a team of mothers who oversee schools and communities throughout Wasatch County, and make events like this happen. At each stop, kids collected prizes while also interacting with local organizations that serve families year-round.
Groups including the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Youth Sports Alliance, Peace House, Live Like Sam Foundation, People’s Health Clinic, Heber City Police Department, Wasatch Immigration Project and Wasatch County Health Department staffed booths, offering both giveaways and information.
The Latino Youth Coalition added an educational component to the day. Volunteers handed each child a card listing a dozen stations. At each booth, kids answered a question — often centered on topics like peer pressure, drug and alcohol awareness — before receiving a stamp and a prize.
“What would you do in a situation if you were asked … ?” or “If you’re under peer pressure, never fall for it, or just walk away,” were examples of some of the prompts.
Student groups from Heber Valley Elementary School, Rocky Mountain Middle School, Timpanogos Middle School and Wasatch High School performed on the stage throughout the afternoon, which also included dances by the Wasatch Back Irish Dancers.
For some attendees, the event demonstrated why many choose to raise their families in Heber City. Parent Levi Jones, who recently moved back to Utah from Indiana, said the difference in community programming was immediately noticeable.
“It’s really important because otherwise I wouldn’t have a place to take my kids on a weekend, right? I just think it’s a good community event, and culturally, it’s good to get everybody together,” Jones said while his kids waited for a Spider-Man face painting. “In other states, they don’t do stuff in the community like this as much. … Utah in general just has a lot more stuff to do. That’s why we came back.”
For organizers and participating groups, the event also served as an opportunity to build trust and visibility within the community. That was especially true for the Police Department, which made a deliberate effort to have a strong presence this year.
Police officer Hector Armendariz said the Wasatch Latino Coalition invited local law enforcement with a clear goal in mind.
“They wanted us for exposure to let (attendees) know that we’re here to protect the community in general, not just certain groups,” he said. “I think it’s important for them to know that we also have officers who are bilingual.”
He added that language barriers and perceptions of law enforcement can prevent people from seeking help when they need it. Armendariz estimates that 40% of crimes go unreported because the Latino community doesn’t know there are Spanish-speaking officers, on top of attitudes toward law enforcement overall.
“We have three of us city officers that are immigrants, so we’re just like them,” Armendariz said. “Personally, that’s why it’s important. As the department, I think it’s important to let them know that we’re here to support anything and everything they want to do as a community, as a group, but also to diversify the stigma.”
Armendariz said the Police Department’s booth was pretty popular with the kids. He and two other officers handed out fake police badge stickers and other goodies like stress balls and fly swatters with the decal “Heber City Police swatting out crime.” While he, having grown up in Heber City, recognized many of the families, Armendariz said there were also a few visitors who’d stumbled on the event.
“I’ve heard some of the parents say, ‘Hey, don’t be afraid. Go say hi. So that’s really cool.’ Again, that was our main focus, to let the kids know that we’re not bad,” he said. “This year, we made it more of a priority to be here representing the booth, swag, and for exposure, and to kind of put a little bit of ease in the community for everything that’s been happening in the nation the last month or year.”
Student organizers said the goal has always been to create a space that blends celebration with awareness. Armileh Aguirre and Abby Navarrete, both involved with the Latino Youth Coalition, helped guide children through the stations and activities.
“Latino Youth Coalition is a community like Latinos In Action, but a community with not just one school, but all schools combined,” Aguirre explained. “What we love to see is everybody coming and getting together.”
For Aguirre, the event is not just about entertainment, but also about helping young people navigate challenges they may face.
“It’s good to get everybody together to have fun, get the kids out, but also at the same time, get the word out there about things going on around the world,” she said. “Because there’s so much more every year, every day.”