Hispanic band Grupo Reynoso perform during Trunk or Treat Calaveritas on Sunday in downtown Tyler.

On Sunday, downtown Tyler was filled with over 1,000 attendees for the first Trunk or Treat Calaveritas event with a goal to fuse Hispanic and American customs for the East Texas community.

Paulina Pedroza, event organizer, said she wanted to bring together both cultures with a variety of activities and traditions.

“Our main goal was to fuse cultures, the trunk or treat event used in the American culture and Calaveritas that we Latinos have. We had a Selena contest where every girl received a prize, Aztec dancers who did a ritual with a prayer that cleaned the aura of the downtown area,” she said.

More than 40 booths consisting of local Hispanic businesses and East Texas nonprofits participated in the event to give out candy and provide activities for children.

“It was not so much about the candy given, it was the moment of happiness they received. We had things that we Latinos love — music, food, traditions, culture and happiness. Us Latinos give happiness to Tyler,” she said. “A lot of times the plaza in downtown Tyler intimidates people because we feel like it’s only for the American people and it’s right in front of the courthouse so we don’t really feel comfortable, but today’s event really showed that we’re part of the community and we’re willing to blend our cultures together.”

Yackie Renteria, who assisted Pedroza with organizing the event, was excited to see such a great turnout. Her favorite part was seeing the happiness exuding from families in attendance.

“It was very beautiful to see all the girls together for the Selena competition, to see the happiness of the vendors with their booths giving out candy, giving out gifts, conducting games for kids, and raffling objects. We invite everyone to unite. Thank you for everyone that came out, we know people came from different areas,” she said. “I was happy to see a lot of happy faces of children, and overall the unity of vendors, sponsors and event participants during the (inaugural) Calaveritas event.”

Both Pedroza and Renteria mentioned gratitude toward everyone who took part in the event and said without the local businesses and vendors, it wouldn’t have been possible.

“Remember unity is force,” said Renteria as she mentioned how local community members united to make the event come together in just two weeks.

The Democratic Club of Smith County was also at the event, stressing the importance of voting to the Hispanic community. Early voting is currently underway for the General Election set for Tuesday, Nov. 8 where residents will vote for Texas governor and other officials.

Marcos Renteria, Tyler resident, said the Hispanic community often doesn’t see the importance of voting and emphasized the need locally.

“The Hispanic vote is very important, all of them are. We need to unite, and register to vote and vote all the time when there’s elections. Vote has strength, vote has power and voting can change situations; it can make things better. Voting also has consequences which is why we have to get up and be aware of local, statewide and national elections and vote,” he said. “Invite your friends, neighbors, kids and everybody to register and vote. Practice it, it’s a constitutional right …”

Pedroza said as a citizenship class instructor, she knows the importance of voting and wanted that to be emphasized during the event which drew thousands from the local Hispanic community.

“We wanted to let people know about the importance of voting, a lot of my students in my citizenship classes think because they’re naturalized citizens their vote doesn’t matter, but their vote matters the same, whether they were born in the U.S or if they worked hard to become citizens of this country,” she said.

Pedroza said her favorite part of the event was bringing everyone together but overall conducting a family-friendly event that brought joy to children.

As Day of the Dead is around the corner, attendees were also able to witness and honor an altar of a Tatum teenager who died recently. Pedroza mentioned she contacted the family during a Longview Day of the Dead event and knew she had to bring him to Tyler to continue honoring him.

“For us with our Latin culture, an altar means that during the last days of October and the first days of November, the person who left us returns for one day which is the Day of the Dead Nov. 1, to try their favorite food, favorite beverages, favorite hobbies, and that day they get to share it with us. It’s our creation, and they may be with us every day, but the tradition gives us comfort,” she said. “Tyler opened their doors to all Latinos to let them know that all Latinos from all over east Texas are welcomed.”

Local business YardKard Ninjas also celebrated its two-year anniversary, and a business from Longview also contributed by painting skulls for attendees.