Denny Cristales
Editorial Intern
A memorial park dedicated in honor of Long Beach’s Jenni Rivera will have its grand opening at 10am on July 2. The park is located at 2001 Walnut Ave.
The event, which will take place at 10am on July 2, will officially open Jenni Rivera Memorial Park, located at 2001 Walnut Ave., with journalist Myrka Dellanos serving as master of ceremonies.
Mayor Robert Garcia called Rivera “a true Long Beach legend.”
“Her music and her many philanthropic contributions touched so many people in our city and around the world,” Garcia said. “Naming this park after Jenni honors the legacy of one of our city’s most inspiring native daughters.”
The Long Beach City Council approved the park’s name last December after a recommendation by the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee, according to city officials.
Councilmembers Dee Andrews, Lena Gonzalez, Suzie Price and Roberto Uranga sponsored the agenda item.
“Jenni was an inspiration to us all,” Andrews said. “Her star on the Poly Walk of Fame reminds us to keep reaching for our dreams no matter what the circumstances or surroundings may be. By honoring Jenni Rivera with a memorial park, the City of Long Beach is paying tribute to a great citizen of our city who was a remarkable entertainer, inspirational leader and an amazing ambassador of Long Beach.”
The opening ceremony will also include the reveal of a mural honoring Rivera, and, for Trinidad Marin, it’s mostly to showcase his love for his mom.
Marin, first-born son of Rivera and shipping manager of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, is working on the mural, collaborating with Sergio Ramirez and Daniel Antelo of Wall Dogs, a mural company that focuses on large-scale advertisements.
Jenni Rivera Enterprises is funding the mural, which will be 125 feet long.
Marin has honored Rivera before through murals during his personal time, but to have “his little piece of Long Beach” associated with his mom, it’s a special feeling, he said.
“From a family perspective, anything we can do to push her legacy is awesome,” he said. “ I love working over here and being able to do something for her in a city that she loved so much. That’s something really special.”
A statement from the Rivera family showed gratitude toward the city for the memorial park.
“We are honored and humbled to have a great community asset named after our mother, daughter and sister in the greatest city in the world,” the statement reads. “Jenni always considered herself a chica from Long Beach with pride, no matter how many millions of albums she sold. She always knew she’d return to her hometown. We are forever grateful.”
Marin described his mother’s influence on him.
“As a mother, as a person, the values she instilled was you work hard and what matters is the family,” he said. “She’s my mom, so there’s so many things, but it’s mostly now, coming into my own as a man, I have to really hustle now and take care of my daughter. I think those are the things that are consistently in my mind when I think about her these days.”
