The Plano Area Chamber of Commerce canceled this year’s Hispanic Heritage Street Market & Taco Crawl that was supposed to be on Saturday, Sept. 13.

Several Hispanic cultural events tied to Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16 have been canceled or scaled-down across the Chicago area this year, including the El Grito Chicago festival. The reasons include concerns over planned immigration enforcement and troop deployment by the Trump Administration.

Hispanic culture plays a significant role in Plano’s community, making up 37.8% of its population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau.

“We just had a low vendor turnout,” said Tiffany Forristall, executive director of the Plano Area Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t know if it’s related to what’s going on. Last year we had more than 30 vendors, and this year we have only around 15.”

Forristall said while the town-wide event remains canceled, several local businesses are pushing forward with their planned Hispanic cultural celebrations and events.

Cielito Mexican Restaurant and Cielo Tacos in Plano are hosting cultural events to celebrate their community.

“Plano is a unique town because it is rich with a diverse culture, especially our Hispanic culture, with numerous taco places, great restaurants, and home-based businesses,” Forristall said. “You can still support our restaurants, a lot are featuring specials, and a lot of our shops are hosting unique sales.”

You can learn more about the chamber by visiting, planocommerce.org/.