GONZALES — Children from Gonzales were honored and celebrated last Sunday at Central Park for the 19th Annual Día del Niño (Children’s Day).
The April 26 event, co-sponsored this year by Grupos Unidos de Gonzales and the City of Gonzales, was a way to bring the community together and to celebrate youth. Día del Niño is celebrated in Mexico and the United States to honor children and recognize how important they are in society.
Local children and their families filled the park and enjoyed the day that included food, music and fun and games.
According to Grupos Unidos de Gonzales spokesperson Robert Camacho, the dark skies on Sunday had a few people worried about a rainy day.
“We saw a 40% chance of rain forecast for Día del Niño, but we were fortunate to have a mostly dry day,” Camacho said. “The dark skies did not keep the nonprofit agencies that came in to provide health and educational information to the families. We are thankful to the agencies that attended and to everyone that donated prizes and money. We were able to give out over 100 prizes to the children in attendance. This is the 19th year we have celebrated here in Gonzales at Central Park. We always conduct the event on the last Sunday of April and next year will be our 20th year on April 25, 2027.”
Children enjoyed a pizza-and-juice lunch and played various games on site and had fun on the bounce houses and slides. Providing a little muscle in setting up and breaking down at the event were members of the Gonzales High School football program.
This year’s donations were provided by the following: Pacheco’s Ice Cream; Lucky Bamboo; Rotary of Gonzales; Rita Salon; Family Gonzales; American Red Cross; Tri-City Disposal and Recycling; Maria Cuevas; Gonzales Dental; IPM Stitches; IPM Specialists; City of Gonzales; and Mujeres en Accion.
Nonprofit agencies that attended Sunday’s event included: Leader4EARTH; Early Learning Program; Tri-City Disposal and Recycling; Valley Health Associates; Catholic Charities Diocese; Gonzales Adult School; Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo; La Gloria Elementary School; and Partners for Peace.
