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Members of the community celebrated their Hispanic culture with the third annual Festival Hispano Sunday, May 5 at Coffee County Fairgrounds.

Organizer Stacy Morales of the Hispanic Services, an outreach organization located just off the square, said that the event has grown to include over a 1,000 people.

“I started it to have the community more together,” she said.

The inaugural event shared the fairgrounds with a gun show, and feature about 840 participants.

The next year the numbers grew despite being a solo event.

“Today we are closer to having 1,000 people,” Morales said.

“Wanted the community togetherness,” she said.

Morales said her original intent was to hold the event in September for Hispanic Heritage month, but due to the likelihood of foul weather in September, Morales shifted the date to the first Sunday in May. This year it fell on Cino de Mayo.

The event featured live band, a DJ, bounce houses, food vendors and organizations that provide information to the public.

Mexican Independence Day is a different occasion, and is celebrated on Sept. 16.