[00:00:00] Fuzz Martin: I realize this is a podcast, and you could be listening at any time of the year. So if say, You’re listening on a day when it’s cold out. First of all, I’m jealous, but I will tell you that the day that this podcast came out, which is Tuesday, August 27th, 2024, it was like 90 degrees outside and humid and gross.
The worst kind of weather for a big guy like me. Anyway, give me partly sunny and 63 any day. Hello, my fabulous friends, and thank you for listening to Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz. My name is Fuzz Martin, and this is my show about positive things happening in. And around Washington County, Wisconsin. This week, we are talking about Fiesta Latina.
I have two great guests in the studio with me today. Maria Gutierrez Gurrola the executive director of Casa Guadalupe and Jessie Plahmer their community outreach specialist. They joined me to talk about Casa, their newly expanded Fiesta Latina celebration, and many ways that you are going to have such a great time.
And with that, here are Fifteen Minutes on Fiesta Latina with Maria Gutierrez Gurrola and Jessie Plammer, right here, on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
Okay, before I get ahead of myself, Casa Guadalupe was first featured on the show back in Season 2, Episode 75, and now we’re on Season 4, Episode 122. So, can you please give us a brief overview of Casa Guadalupe? and how the organization supports families and individuals in the Washington County area.
[00:01:48] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Yeah, well, thanks for having us. So, we recently expanded our staff, which has allowed us to expand a lot of our programming, which is amazing. And, we focus on serving primarily the Hispanic community in the Washington County area. What we have found over the last year with a whole new staff and a bigger team is that our services are definitely needed.
farther out than Washington County area. So we’ve been seeing an influx of people coming from surrounding counties to come see us. And, I’ll add to that, that we’ve also expanded our services out to the Afghan community and we’ve just kind of branched out and who needs help and let us help you.
Yeah, so our focuses are on education programs, primarily, and, we are a resource center, but our primary focus is youth education, health education, and adult education.
[00:02:36] Fuzz Martin: Very good. And Maria, I checked LinkedIn before we started this podcast, and Just to be sure, and it’s been a year now, right, since you took over as Executive Director?
How’s it been going for you?
[00:02:47] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: It’s been going. As I said, every day we’re pretty busy. So, clients will come in throughout the day, which is beautiful to see that they’re coming in and getting our services. We’re located actually here in West Bend, but since I started, we were able to branch out into Hartford.
So, we have a second location. So, we haven’t fully announced that yet. So, you’re our first announcement of that. So, yeah. So, we’ll notify the community to hopefully come join us out there when we do our launch for that.
[00:03:14] Fuzz Martin: Great. Where will that location be?
[00:03:16] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So, we’re located under Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Okay. So, we’re fortunate to have a little lower level where Help Corner used to be. Sure. So, we rented out the space there. Yeah.
[00:03:25] Fuzz Martin: And Washington County, I mean, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s, uh, A normal sized county, but the, from West Bend to Hartford can be a kind of a hike. It’s a drive. Yeah. Yeah. And especially for individuals who are just maybe getting started in our community, transportation can always be one of the factors that people need help with and going from, you know, getting the services you need in West Bend.
It’s probably a barrier for some, right?
[00:03:51] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Exactly. And we’re trying to break down some of those barriers so to, it just kind of fell into our lap, this whole, building access. So it really was a great piece for us, to add. And we’re excited to be able to break down some of those transportation barriers for our community, that we know exist.
[00:04:07] Fuzz Martin: Perfect. And Jessie, you are the community outreach specialist. Can you tell us, what kinds of things are you responsible for in your role at, at Casa? Yes.
[00:04:17] Jessie Plahmer: Yeah, so thank you for having us. Yes. And so at casa my job is mainly helping out with, partnerships with other organizations. With all their agencies and other companies, to create, awareness of, uh, culture, help with fundraising, help a lot with the events.
So like, Yes, the Latina and our fundraiser for scholarship funds, Noche de Vale. So that is my main job. But as you know, with, uh, no profits and being bilingual. We definitely, are busy, so I’m a certified interpreter, and I get to use that quite a bit at Casa Guadalupe, which is something exciting for me.
[00:04:58] Fuzz Martin: Wear a lot of hats, yeah.
[00:04:59] Jessie Plahmer: So I do help a lot in different areas, as needed, but my main role is events and partnerships with, people.
[00:05:06] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: She’s definitely our jack of all trades. I’ll say that. So she actually recently too, took on, getting certified for ordained ministry. So she married one of our clients just yesterday, actually.
Excellent. Yeah. So that was pretty neat to see.
[00:05:22] Fuzz Martin: Oh, very good. That’s really cool. We’re here to talk today about your annual event, Fiesta Latina, which is coming up on Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September, September 21st. And for those who are familiar with Fiesta Latina, when I say those dates plural, that might be a shock, right?
Because this is the first year that you’re having two days. Yeah, that’s amazing. So,
[00:05:44] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: I can’t do that without the staff. I’ll say that out loud here, and I’m very fortunate to be able to bring this, Festival, essentially, uh, West Bend for two days. It’s technically one and a half because Friday’s a shorter day.
We’re trialing it and hoping that we can eventually expand into three day. Oh, excellent. So
[00:06:01] Fuzz Martin: what inspired you to make it a longer event?
[00:06:04] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So, One day just isn’t enough. So one day isn’t enough with these events. And I love our culture. I love the cultural awareness that we’re hoping to bring this year.
And just overall the entertainment. So we actually have also featured coming this year, some of our students in our programs. So they have their own bands, uh, vending, items and things like that. So we’re looking to kind of give back to the community, in a big way. With our educational piece and things like that.
So all funds received will go back to all of our educational programs. So I think having an extra day is going to add more support to us so we can continue those programs.
[00:06:42] Fuzz Martin: Very good.
[00:06:43] Jessie Plahmer: And I will add to it that, so basically bringing Fiesta two days, Friday night is going to be a very, nice time for a couple.
So friends going out, we’re going to have live music, drinks, and some vendors. So it’s kind of more of a. Going out and hanging out kind of scene, but date night
[00:07:04] Fuzz Martin: kind of, yeah, date night,
[00:07:06] Jessie Plahmer: friends night, you know. And then Saturday is going to be a family friendly event where everybody will have fun. So we have a full day packed with entertainment for the kids and also for the adults.
So That is a really good mix so I think adding that extra night for people to go out and enjoy the culture with a little more freedom, you know, that’ll be fun. Yeah,
[00:07:27] Fuzz Martin: very good. Okay, so Friday is more for adult attractions and, uh, correct, and Saturday is more of that family friendly attraction. So can we talk about, some of the specifics on that?
What kind of, Popular attractions are we gonna have this year and how do they, celebrate Latin culture.
[00:07:42] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Yeah, so, Friday is gonna be filled with lots of good bands and then we will also have great food. We have a bunch of food trucks coming in. I think we have six so far. Great. And then beyond that, we also have some good drinks, so that’ll be your Friday, Friday event.
And then Saturday, we’re super excited this year. Something different that we haven’t done in years past is we’re focusing more on the kids zone area, and we actually have a stage set up where there’s entertainment from 12 to 6 all day. Essentially with different forms of entertainment, we’re bringing in a magician, we’re bringing in animals, we’re bringing in different kind of aspects to the park, and then we’ll also have a aerial artist coming in, which is different, and they’ll be dancing to music, of our culture.
So, and then obviously we’ll still have the bounce houses and games, and then, we’ll have a, pepper eating contest, and we’ll have a grito contest, which is something different this year. So that’s a Hispanic, cultural tradition. We typically see that during Hispanic Heritage Month, and it’s just people literally screaming, but in a manner that’s how we do it.
[00:08:54] Fuzz Martin: Do one of you want to give us a shot?
[00:08:57] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Oh, God.
[00:08:59] Fuzz Martin: I can do
[00:09:00] Jessie Plahmer: it without encouragement. Are you sure your ears are okay for that?
[00:09:06] Fuzz Martin: Um, I mean, maybe. We are, we are at my office and I did not give any of my employees warning. They may
[00:09:14] Jessie Plahmer: They might run in.
They might run in.
[00:09:18] Fuzz Martin: Real quick.
Ready? Yeah,
[00:09:20] Fuzz Martin: ready. Go ahead.
I love it. That’s awesome. That’s awesome. I did turn my headphones, though, just for the
[00:09:31] Jessie Plahmer: record.
[00:09:32] Fuzz Martin: Jesse, that was really cool. Thank you for doing that.
[00:09:35] Jessie Plahmer: Anytime, anytime.
[00:09:37] Fuzz Martin: Wonderful. You guys have different like kinds of dance performances as well, right? I saw like ballet and some stuff on there. Yep.
[00:09:45] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So we’ll have bringing back the Ballet Folklorico Sones Mexicanos.
They actually come from Chicago. So we’re super excited to have them back this year. Beautiful dresses. Just, you know, embracing that Latin culture. And then we also will have dance instruction. So if you want to learn how to dance, we will hopefully have some people there that can teach you.
[00:10:04] Fuzz Martin: Will they be able to do that in one day for me?
[00:10:07] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: We’re going to try. We’re going to try.
[00:10:08] Jessie Plahmer: No worries. Everybody’s included.
[00:10:11] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Everybody can, can
[00:10:12] Jessie Plahmer: get the moves going.
[00:10:13] Fuzz Martin: I mean, a couple cervezas, you know,
[00:10:15] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: right. We could teach you ballet dancing. We have a ballet dancer coming in this year. Yes.
[00:10:20] Jessie Plahmer: So we do have a ballet dancer and her group and they’re coming with, Latin inspired moves and music and they’ll do that.
And to add on to, what we have Friday night, we’ll have two live bands. One of them is going to have some instruments that they’re going to be playing like, drums and such. And, and the other one is going to be, a fun, um, Northern music from Mexico as well. So, yeah. Yeah.
[00:10:44] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: And then one of the cool things we’re bringing this year is we’re going to play a Mexican bingo.
So it’s Loteria, so we’re going to sell cards quick, bingos go really fast, so it’ll be a fun game with the crowd that we’re hopefully going to get enough participation and people want to play. All right. So throughout the event.
[00:11:01] Fuzz Martin: Awesome. Awesome. Very cool. How is Fiesta Latina designed to be a welcoming and inclusive event for all people in our community?
[00:11:11] Jessie Plahmer: Yeah, so, the main purpose of Fiesta Latina is to highlight, the Latin culture, but also embrace it and share it with everybody. So, as a trade, Hispanic people love food and music and dancing and sharing the culture with everybody. So, just right off the bat, we are, you know, opening it to everybody.
We are proud to share that with everybody, all the positive things that the Latin culture brings to the community and it is fun. Who doesn’t love really good, tasty food? Who doesn’t love good music? And it’s a really wonderful connection. Our goal, besides bringing awareness of a culture and our organization.
And all the good things that we do is also to feel, to help people feel like, they belong, right? One another. So, Hispanic community belonging in the Washington County and surrounding areas. And also people who come and experience that, right? It’s very, very important. Traditional, very authentic, and we want to show that.
So that is, we’re opening with food and drinks and music. So right off the bat, it’s just, hey, come join us to the party and come to Fiesta.
[00:12:19] Fuzz Martin: Opening the doors to the heritage and welcoming people in, right?
[00:12:24] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Yep. And there’s something for everyone this year. So we really utilize the space at Regner Park. So every, I believe, inch of it, we have measured and we know it’s going to be used.
[00:12:35] Jessie Plahmer: Yeah.
[00:12:36] Fuzz Martin: Excellent.
[00:12:36] Jessie Plahmer: And I will, I would like to add that, Hispanic Heritage Month is happening in September. So, if people are familiar with Fiesta, but they’re surprised that it’s a different date, it is because we’re trying to honor and make sense, to have some special event during Hispanic Heritage Month.
So that’s what, one of the other reasons why we wanted to bring it to this, this date. Make the change. That’s right.
[00:12:57] Fuzz Martin: It used to be in May, right? May, correct. Okay, that’s right. Okay, I thought, I thought it was earlier in the year. And again, this year it’s September 20th and 21st at Regner Park. In what ways does, Casa Guadalupe engage with the broader community beyond events like Fiesta Latina?
How else do you engage with the community?
[00:13:16] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So, we’ve been really fortunate to have been invited to a lot of organizations and agencies in the community, some of their events, so we love to always collaborate and be together, essentially. And then beyond that, we also offer different kinds of camps for the kiddos over summer, so we have summer Spanish camps, and then, We also have Spanish for adults, so you’re welcome to take those classes.
We do have one starting in September as well. So that’ll be something fun coming up. But for the most part, any chance we get, we’re more in the community as much as possible now.
[00:13:48] Fuzz Martin: Maria was. Smiling when she said that because I was afraid to roll my R’s when
[00:13:53] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: I
[00:13:54] Fuzz Martin: was saying Gutierrez
[00:13:55] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Corolla. Could I say
[00:13:57] Fuzz Martin: it a little bit better?
[00:13:58] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: You’re getting there. I’m getting there.
[00:14:00] Fuzz Martin: I need help that the little owl in Duolingo won’t give me. Right? Um.
Um.
[00:14:08] Fuzz Martin: Um. Fiesta Latina is obviously something that people love around the community, but in what ways, um, or how has the community responded to Fiesta Latina and what are you most excited for with this expanded format this year?
[00:14:22] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So, I’m most excited just to see more people coming to see what we have. I’m excited to see hopefully more younger kids there enjoying all the festivities that we have as well. families coming. Our goal is really to make it more of a family fun day. for people. um by having free admission we’re hoping to break down some of those financial barriers, as well as uhm charging a nominal a very small fee a minimal fee for kids games, so five dollars a kid, you get the games for six hours, we’re hoping that that uh is affordable, for families so . Beyond that, though, I’m just excited to celebrate the culture. And just be a part of the day.
[00:15:02] Fuzz Martin: Jessica, what’s been the most rewarding part of your work so far at Casa Guadalupe, specifically in engaging with the community?
[00:15:11] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Should I leave so she can be honest? No, I’m just kidding. Okay. She’s out.
[00:15:16] Jessie Plahmer: Um, okay. So I was Remember this
[00:15:18] Fuzz Martin: is being recorded. Right.
[00:15:22] Jessie Plahmer: So for me personally, this is a very rewarding job and I will say that because said. My personal experience is a full circle. I am an immigrant. I came from Venezuela, many years ago, went to school. I did not speak the language. So, it was, it’s been a long road, but it’s a very fulfilling road that I am just blessed to, have gone through.
So I understand a lot of people directly what they have gone through and, how you can better yourself when you come to the United States and, belong to these wonderful communities that are very welcoming and welcoming. Work here and just be part of an organization that also helps all the, all of those that are starting out or that they are here but they don’t know where to go, they don’t know resources, , they feel alone sometimes, you know, it’s difficult to leave your family and your homes.
In my experience, I wanted to do it because I wanted to be bilingual and I wanted to experience that. But many other people don’t have that choice. It is something that is a very hard choice to make. And for me, the most rewarding part is just to be able to belong to an organization that helps out and is full circle for me because now I’m on the given end and I can help others and guide them through, you know, for them to know that it’s possible to better yourself, And belong to our community and do good and just, you know, it’s a positive.
experience that everybody can have. It just, takes the right resources and knowledge and information. So I’m happy to be here helping with that. So
[00:16:57] Fuzz Martin: great. Well, we’re glad to have you in the community and appreciate all that you do. Looking ahead, how do you see Casa Guadalupe’s outreach programs growing or evolving past?
I mean, you’re, you’re obviously growing in Hartford now, but how do you see this growing into the future?
[00:17:13] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: So I think that having the bigger staff allows us to provide more programming, and more offering of times and days that we can do the events. But essentially I see the passion that we have in our staff.
And that alone, I think, is going to drive the outreach that we’re going to have within the community, the community at large and just overall. I think too, just from a leader’s perspective, I’m so fortunate to have the staff that we have and all that they’re doing to make everything successful. So for me, I have high hopes for our future and that we’ll be more present in the community and people will know who we are when we say Casa Guadalupe.
Excellent.
[00:17:52] Fuzz Martin: Excellent. Well, if someone wants to get involved or. Participate, volunteer, lend their talents or services, how can they get involved with Casa Guadalupe?
[00:18:01] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Yeah. So they can go to our website, or they can contact any one of us directly. We are on social media, we’re on Facebook more often than anything on Facebook.
So you can go to Casa Guadalupe Education Center page or, for those of us in the community, we have an Amigos Casa Guadalupe page as well. And any of those pages, we’re constantly posting volunteer opportunities for ourselves and other agencies in the area as well. So.
[00:18:26] Jessie Plahmer: And I’ll add to that. We’re always welcoming to have conversations with organizations, businesses, and other agencies that are willing to partner with us and, you know, we can help each other out.
We love that. We have really good partnerships right now, but we’re looking forward to new ones, you know. So, people who are willing to embrace the culture and just see. What the positive things that the Latin community has to bring and has to offer to Washington County in general, so.
[00:18:57] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Excellent. And just to piggyback off of that, volunteer needs right now, we do have Fiesta Latina coming up.
So, two hour shift, you can come in, get a cool shirt. Excellent. And then also, our, our programs are starting in the fall. So, we’re constantly looking for reading, tutors. We’re looking for guest speakers for Dream to Succeed students, which is our college life and career readiness program. And then we have a lot of English classes going on, so we’re always looking for teachers.
So if anybody’s interested, come see us.
[00:19:26] Fuzz Martin: All right. Very good. And, your, what’s your website URL?
[00:19:29] Maria Gutierrez Gurrola: Um, it’s www. casaguadalupeonline. org. Okay. That’s a mouthful, I know.
[00:19:36] Fuzz Martin: Very good. You’ll find it though. Good, good. Yes. Find Casa Guadalupe. Okay, again, Fiesta Latina is Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September 21st.
2024, Regner Park, free admission. And, I wish you guys the best of luck. Thank you for all you do for the community. You’re welcome back anytime. Just, just hollering and thanks for coming in the studio.
[00:19:59] Jessie Plahmer: Thank you for having us. Thank you so much for having us. Yes.
[00:20:02] Fuzz Martin: Thank you again to Maria Gutierrez Gurrola and Jessie Plahmer of Casa Guadalupe for joining me on this week’s episode of Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
Very cool that they’re expanding Fiesta Latina to two weeks this year. I hope you get out and enjoy that on September 20th and 21st. As always, if you have an idea for a guest for this podcast, feel free to let me know. Please do so. Reach out, suggest a guest by going to fuzzmartin. com slash guest. That is fuzzmartin.com slash guest. You can always email me fuzz at fuzzmartin. com. That is fuzzmartin. [email protected]. New episodes come out on Tuesdays, and you can always find all of the episodes on Spotify, apple Podcasts, YouTube, or you know fuzz martin.com. Thank you again for listening, and I will talk to you next week right here on 15 minutes with Fuzz.
