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Latin Community Center asks council to close downtown block to link festivals on Sept. 12
Summary
Angelina Mojica, president of the Latin Community Center, asked the council to close one block of Arabella on Sept. 12 so the Latin Festival and St. Mary’s Street Fest can function as a continuous event; staff said the block closure is supported but permits still must be signed off by division heads and DORA/liquor rules limit extension of alcohol service.
Angelina Mojica, president of the Latin Community Center, asked the Defiance City Council on March 24 to close a single block of Arabella (between Wayne and Jefferson) on Sept. 12 so the Latin Festival at Triangle Park can join the St. Mary’s Street Fest and provide continuous festival space with additional food trucks.
"We just want to put one additional block to be incorporated into these two festivals," Mojica said, describing turnout last year that included visitors from Michigan, Cincinnati and Cleveland and saying the unified layout would boost hotel and restaurant business downtown.
City staff said they had discussed the request with festival organizers and with the police chief and were agreeable to closing the requested block, but that the permit still requires signatures from division heads. Council clarified the city would not close Jefferson or Wayne through traffic — only the short block of Arabella between those streets — and staff and organizers discussed staging, parking for nearby church services and use of the football field to relieve congestion.
Mojica and staff also discussed alcohol-permit rules: staff said the state and the city’s DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area) rules prevent extending a special-event liquor permit into the additional block outside the festival’s DORA boundary, so alcohol service areas will remain distinct; organizers said they will post signage and manage beverage containment. The council did not vote on the request; staff indicated they would continue permitting and sign‑off processes to finalize closures and permits.
What happens next: staff will process the special-event permit and obtain required division approvals; organizers can proceed with planning subject to permit conditions and state/DORA rules.
