SOUTH COUNTY — The first-ever International Grandparents Day brought together community members young and old to celebrate their heritage at Central Park in Gonzales on Sept. 10.
Maria Cuevas went to the event with her mother, Juanita Topete, and her daughter. Topete volunteered with the Salvation Army to pass out bags of apples, baked goods and more during the event.
Topete’s family is from a little town in Mexico in the state of Jalisco called Ameca, a city known for producing a lot of tequila.
“It’s a beautiful town, a happy town with happy people,” Topete said. “It’s welcoming and very similar to Gonzales.”
Topete also brought along two visitors from Ameca, daughter Rosie and mother Rosamarie.
Several vendors participated in the event, including a tracing of ancestry, passing out books for little kids, a Gonzales Explorers booth and a booth promoting blood tests to try to match donors to those suffering from leukemia.
Perla Ochoa and Jocelyn Valdez volunteered to run the distribution of books for young children.
“I thought this would be good idea to contribute to our city and put in some hours to help out,” said Ochoa.
Valdez wanted to help the book distribution booth because it was something that would be good for kids who don’t have books for free.
There was also dancing with grandparents and activities for all ages. The event was coordinated by Sister Pauline Thomas.
