By Pamela Cruz with information from Gerardo Herrera and Enrique Esparza
After being discontinued for years, the North Fair Oaks Festival has once again become a meeting point to celebrate a resilient community that has its sights set on the future and the vitality of a neighborhood that has become home to a large Latino community.
The meeting was at ten in the morning at 2510 Middlefield Road, in front of the North Fair Oaks Library, where the cities of Redwood City, Menlo Park and Atherton come together to accommodate a large Latino community that celebrated its space for five hours once again.
With music, colors and a lot of excitement from the attendees, organizations that provide services in the area took on the task of informing and advising everyone who came to their stands.
This was the case for Family Connections, a non-profit organization that offers programs to support students, involving parents, as well as Star Vista, another participant in the festival.
"We focus on supporting parents who have children from 0 to 5 years old. We offer resources, support groups and activities for parents, because many times they need someone to talk to or a person who can offer them support. We are here for that," said Diana Hernandez of the Star Vista organization.
Isabel González of Family Connectios highlighted the importance of parents in the development of their children.
"We believe that parents can greatly influence the development of their children. And through classes we can offer children how to play with others and also teach parents a little about child development," she said.
In terms of education, the information was varied, as various associations and schools attended the festival, including Cañada College and Casa Circulo Cultural.
The topic of housing could not be left out and the Legal Aid Society provided legal advice to all those interested and who had a problem between tenants and landlords.
“On March 31, protections ended and we have seen an increase in evictions due to lack of rent. People continue to have many problems due to the lack of work caused by the pandemic and we are here to help tenants when they have eviction problems. They can call us and we will help them with their legal paperwork,” said Mary C. from the Legal Aid Society.
Among the most visited booths during the event were those of the Redwood City Police and the Sheriff's Office, which featured all kinds of activities, including lottery, creation of decorative buttons and even the Midway dunker, where some officers were thrown into the water with the aim of the attendees.
"I grew up here in North Fair Oaks, went to public schools here and made my first communion at St. Anthony's Church. I'm from here and we do our job with a lot of heart and we want to give you the best service possible," said Sergeant Salvador Zuno of the Sheriff's Office.
"Many people who come to this country come from countries where their experience with the police is not trustworthy or negative and that is understandable. Here the first thing we try to explain to them is that here we have a very high standard and all people have rights, whether they are citizens or not, it does not matter here. If a person needs our help, for us everyone has rights. We work to spread the message that we are here for you," he added.
The event, which was enlivened by a mariachi band and traditional dance groups, was attended by around 500 people who were able to socialize and enjoy an unforgettable afternoon.
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