Feel like a fiesta? Sonoma County’s got three

Celebrations are planned today in Windsor, Sonoma and Santa Rosa to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, Sept. 16, 1821.

“There is plenty of room for us all,” said George Ortiz of Latinos Unidos del Concado de Sonoma Inc., regarding the three celebrations.

In Windsor, Latinos Unidos presents an Independence Day dinner, dance and queen coronation 2:30-7 p.m. at the Mary Agatha Furth Center, 8400 Old Redwood Hwy. in Windsor.

Six girls are competing to become Queen of Mexican Independence Day, Ortiz said. The winner will represent the organization in the May 2016 Rose Parade in Santa Rosa.

Latino Unidos also will present scholarships to 50 students at the event, and hundreds of parents and relatives are expected to attend, Ortiz said.

“Everybody is invited,” he said. Admission is $20, free for kids 12 and younger.

In Santa Rosa, The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts celebrates both Independence Day and Latino Heritage month with its Fiesta de Independencia 1-6 p.m. at 50 Mark Springs Road. The event typically draws 3,000 people.

It features authentic Mexican food, music, games, a salsa tasting competition, low-rider car show and performances by local and regional artists that may be viewed from a tented area.

The Santa Rosa Symphony’s “Simply Strings” will open the festivities. Fifty students ages 8-17 will perform in the children’s Mariachi Band that recently completed the first-ever Mariachi Camp taught by Jose Soto. The students will perform with Soto’s professional Mariachi Band, Mariachi Barragan.

The event also includes Community Leadership Awards in business, nonprofit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitments to the Latino community through volunteerism, mentorship, education and personal and professional efforts.

Roseland school students will create and showcase exhibits about seven Latin American countries that celebrate their independence n September. The celebration is organized by the Wells Fargo Center’s Latino Advisory Council.

In Sonoma, Nuestra Voz presents its Mexican Independence Day on the Plaza between 2-7 p.m. The ceremonies begin with Aztec dancers followed by Ballet Folklorico dancers. It includes craft booths, traditional Mexican food, beer, wine, dancing and music by Napa-based Valle Verde. A ceremony by a representative of the Consulate of Mexico is scheduled for 4 p.m.