CENTRAL AVENUE BETTERMENT ASSOCIATION

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, the Central and South regions of Mexico, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to ask for the wellbeing of and remember friends and family members who have died and help support their spiritual journey. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with October 31, November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the western Christian triduum of "All Hallowtide": All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called "Ofrendas", honoring the deceased using "Calaveras", Aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess "Mictecacihuatl" The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed within other deep traditions for honoring the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for educational purposes) in the nation's schools. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Our event concentrated 19,000 people on Central Avenue.

La Placita, Central Avenue Market at Bethany Park: Ten years ago, CABA, under the direction of Marty Thoennes, was asked by leaders of the community to help Bethany Park become a more friendly and safe place. As a Chair of the Board, Marty and I discussed different ways to support the creation and production of positive initiatives that would bring life to the park. Events at the park was the natural solution. With the partnership and support of the members of CABA's board and other organizations, we cleaned up the park, installed exercise equipment, took old equipment out and promoted the reconstruction of the trail, also we started a series of monthly events that would bring the community to the park under a feel-good atmosphere. The group of initiatives became La Placita, a market-program that has produced an enormous amount of positive activity, has kept negative activity at bay and has helped many members of our community make more than ends meet. We did not do any of these things alone, we had an amazing team of friends and volunteers help us at every point of this journey. We built a community. The 2023 session started on May 5th and as a successful community program, we received approval for producing it every week until the end of its session in the month of September. Nearly 40 local vendors and organizations took advantage of La Placita at Bethany Park. It served over 20,000 residents and visitors to the community, promoting community engagement and the incubation of future businesses for the Central Avenue Commercial Corridor.