April 7 is Belen Day in Barstow

The Barstow City Council issues a proclamation declaring Belen, New Mexico, as its sister city and April 7, 2007, as “Belen Day” in the City of Barstow

Barstow, Calif. (April 5,2007) — The Barstow City Council recently issued a proclamation establishing a sister-city relationship with the City of Belen, New Mexico, and declaring April 7, 2007, “Belen Day” in the City of Barstow. The proclamation will be presented to Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres this Saturday at the Barstow Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual chili cook-off and Fiestas de Belen at Dana Park. “The proclamation formalized a long-standing relationship between our two cities,” said Joe Gomez, Barstow City Council member. “The sister-city relationship honors our shared cultural heritage. And as a descendant of Belen myself, I was very pleased to invite Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres to this weekend’s third annual New Mexico chili cook-off and Fiestas de Belen in celebration of ‘Belen Day’,” added Gomez. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many families from the Belen area moved to Barstow to work either at the Santa Fe Railway or the Marine Corps Logistic Base. Both they and their descendants have made significant contributions to the City of Barstow. An estimated 60 percent of Barstow’s Hispanic citizens are descendants of person who moved here from New Mexico. The Barstow Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual New Mexico chili cook-off and Fiestas de Belen on April 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Dana Park in Barstow. The day will feature presentations to the Belen dignitaries, live entertainment, chili tasting and other festivities. For more information on the event, call 256-2121.