ROGERS -- The power of a community concert can reach beyond just having a good time, according to Wal-Mart officials.
"If I'm that 5-year-old in the crowd and I can see there's someone up there in the crowd that looks like me, I can be there one day," said Gabriela Caceres, an assistant marketing manager at Wal-Mart.
Mark your calendar
Hispanic Heritage Month spans September 15 to October 15. Local celebrations continue with the Hispanic Heritage Festival on Oct. 1-2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 4618 N. College Ave. in north Fayetteville. The festival is free and includes live music, food, games and actives and a soccer tournament.
Source: Staff report
Thousands swarmed the Walmart AMP on Sunday for the third annual Celebrando La Musica concert. Presented by Wal-Mart as a celebration of the company's sponsorship of the 17th annual Latin Grammy Awards and Hispanic Heritage Month, the event showcased a bevy of local and international Latino performers.
Headlined by El Dasa, a Mexican pop singer, hundreds formed lines around the AMP to wait for autographs from performers like Angel & Khriz and El Proyecto. Youngsters danced through the aisles while teens posed for selfies and parents swayed to the music.
The family-friendly event serves as vehicle to invigorate and involve Northwest Arkansas' Hispanic community, Caceres said. The Bentonville-based company estimates it has more than 100,000 Hispanic associates and Latinos also make up a large part of the consumer base.
"We have the ability to show them that we're not just talking the talk," Caceres said. "(The concert) really backs up our message of diversity and inclusion: All are welcome at Wal-Mart. This is how we give back."
The concert's popularity also has allowed for the rest of Northwest Arkansas to get an intimate look at Hispanic culture, according to Regine Moore, director of multicultural marketing for Wal-Mart.
"It allows us to open the door and for those who aren't Hispanic to experience a piece of their culture they wouldn't normally see," Moore said. "We're all living in the same community so we can all enjoy this."
Benton and Washington counties' population of people tracing their heritage to Spanish-speaking countries climbed by 21,000 between 2007 and 2014, reaching an overall population of around 71,000 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates -- about the equivalent of Springdale's total population at the time.
That growth equals a 42 percent jump, or 15 times as fast a pace the country experienced overall, based on a recent report from the Pew Research Center.
Dianne Cisneros, a 21-year resident of Northwest Arkansas, said she enjoys the annual concerts because it showcases local Hispanic artists.
"It's a really great festival," said Cisneros, who attend with her family.
And Lourdes Wormington was already planning her return trip for next year's event.
"I'd never been but I know I'll be coming back," said Wormington, who praised Wal-Mart's efforts in hiring Hispanics. "Wal-Mart is No. 1."
The concert's popularity has reached a point where now it's expected, Moore said.
"It's one of the those things where we can't not do this," she said.
The positive response from the community is one reason why organizers hope next year's event is just as exciting.
"We always want to up what we did last year and have the excitement growing," Caceres said. "We want this to be something the community expects."
NW News on 09/26/2016