The City of Whiting celebrates Mexican culture through annual Empanada Fest

On Saturday, September 12, The city of Whiting ate, drank, and danced the day away at the Whiting Lakefront Park, celebrating an event that has quickly become a community staple- Empanada Fest.

Local food trucks, businesses, and vendors set up shop throughout the park; dozens of Region merchants got to share their wares and passions with the city. The food trucks served all sorts of Mexican staples, from horchata, to tacos, to, of course, empanadas. Other cuisines were also available, such as the Polish pierogi or the classic American cheeseburger. Picnic tables and folding chairs were filled with dining patrons, who got to experience these cultures through humanity’s greatest common language- food.

Empanada fest is largely about this cultural exchange. Rebeca Michko, the president and founder of the Whiting Hispanic Heritage Organization, started the Empanada fest due, partly, to the lack of Hispanic cultural representation in the city’s events.

“I’ve been a city councilwoman for 20 plus years,” Michko said,  “I’ve been the only Hispanic, and I’ve been wanting to bring a festival to Whiting that displays my heritage – something I’m proud of. So. I worked on it, and the mayor gave me the go-ahead.”

Michko, along with a small group of family and friends, worked tirelessly to get Whiting’s Empanada Fest started. The event, and the team working on it, quickly expanded to meet the city’s demand. Empanada Fest was a hit, and its popularity meant a lot to Michko.

Michko was born and raised in the city of Whiting, and her parents were the first hispanic family to own a home in the city; the generations before them lived in boxcars. By Michko’s time, the city had changed for the better, and was far more welcoming to different cultures. Whiting had always been great to Michko, and her service as a city councilwoman, as well as her efforts spent on Empanada Fest, all stem from the pride she has in her city.

“Whiting was perfect for us,” Michko said, “There are a lot of Hispanics in town now; it’s so welcoming. Growing up here, I didn’t see a lot of that culture, and I’m still learning a lot of it.”

Empanada Fest allows attendees to experience Mexican culture in more ways than just eating empanadas or quesadillas. Live Mexican musicians and performers played on a massive stage set up on the grass, with residents from all backgrounds dancing, watching, and even singing along and enjoying the acts. This side of Empanada Fest has grown the most, bringing better and bigger acts to the stage year after year. It’s a reflection of the event’s increasing popularity within the city.

“This year, we upgraded to some even bigger performances. I’m very proud of that,” said Michko.

The City of Whiting’s Empanada Fest brings the community together through food, music, and cultural exchange. Events like it are emblematic of the entire city- a melting pot, full of different people from different backgrounds, all coming together for a friendly cultural celebration.

For more information on the City of Whiting, visit whitingindiana.com.