The Castaic Regional Sports Complex and Val Verde Community Regional Park commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month with a free celebration funded by the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department, highlighting Hispanic culture and traditions, aiming to honor the communities that shaped the cultural fabric of Los Angeles County.   The Castaic Regional Sports Complex, which is often used by the youth who want to play a variety of sports, was transformed into a cultural celebration with authentic food such as empanadas and esquites, or corn cups, and Latin music performed by a live band on Friday evening.   The foot traffic was light, but those in attendance had the chance to participate in a salsa making class and witness a ballet folklorico and mariachi performance.   “Salsa is actually a food amongst a lot of different Hispanic cultures,” said Brandi Ware, a volunteer with the center. “It has a broad scope, there’s many different variations.”   A band performs Hispanic musical covers during the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration hosted by the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department on Friday at the Castaic Regional Sports Complex. 092724 Katherine Quezada/The Signal When developing the program for the evening celebration, Ashley Lipson, supervisor of the park, wanted to have something that could best represent all the different countries, she said.   The Castaic Regional Sports Complex hosts numerous events throughout the year that are culturally focused and “everybody gets represented throughout the year,” said Ware. “[Guests] get to come and see people who look like them.  They get to learn stuff if they’re not of that culture,” and it serves as an educational experience for people who may not know of all the diverse backgrounds that exist.   “I think that it’s really great for the community to be able to learn about other people’s cultures. It brings us all together,” said Lipson.   At the Val Verde Community Regional Park, a small group of young girls learned the basic steps of salsa dancing.   The small town, which has a total of less than 3,000 residents, had a small turnout for the event but nonetheless attendees were met with arts and crafts, fun, and positive energy from the park staff who also participated in the activities.   Three young girls participate in a Salsa dancing class at the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration hosted by the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department at the Val Verde Community Regional Park on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal The event was held in the small community to make it accessible for the many local children who “don’t really go outside of Val Verde,” said Jeanette Leon, the park’s supervisor. “They stay local, they gravitate towards the park and it’s an easy access. At other parks the children wait for their parents so they can get dropped off, but here I feel like the kids come on their own.”   Darwin Lorenzo, a longtime Val Verde resident and recreation service leader for the park, thinks it’s important to provide these programs for people who have a growing curiosity of learning more from what they were taught in school.   Lorenzo added that as he grew up, living in a historically Black community rich in history, he gained a lot of knowledge through the community’s Black History Month event.   Now, as the area has become more diverse, the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration could help people even from Hispanic backgrounds learn about foods and traditions from other countries that aren’t their own, he added.   The post L.A. County Parks celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.