LITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock Council of the League of United Latin American Citizens holds its 10th annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on Sunday in the River Market Pavilion and Riverfest Amphitheatre.
Last year's festival, which Chairman Julian Calzada calls the largest in the state, brought in 5,000 people.
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated mostly by Mexican-Americans living in the United States, rather than by Mexicans in Mexico. The day commemorates the 1862 triumph of a small, poorly armed Mexican militia at the Battle of Puebla over the French army, which was marching its way toward Mexico City. Puebla's Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza successfully led his troops in pushing back the more experienced French army. The holiday serves to remember Mexican unity and the fight for independence, but its celebration in Mexico is mostly restricted to the southern state of Puebla.
As usual, vendors at Little Rock's festival will sell homemade Mexican and CentralAmerican foods and crafts.
"We're trying to reach out to all cultures," says Calzada, who is also president of Little Rock's LULAC Council. In recent years, the festival's culinary choices have grown to include Guatemalan and Nicaraguan cuisine, all prepared by people from the community, rather than brought in from restaurants.
Additionally, attendance has evolved to include more non-Hispanics.
"The trend for the last few years has been to be more diversified," Calzada says. "We started out 100 percent Hispanic 10 years ago when we first did it, and now we've got about a 75 percent [Hispanic],25 percent [non-Hispanic] mix.
"We feel like as far as being part of this great country, we need to diversity our culture, that old melting-pot thing. As long as we are out there celebrating our differences, we can all come together."
Latin-music performances begin at 10 a.m. in the amphitheater and continue throughout the day. Acts, all local, include traditional Latin singers and dancers, hip-hop, folkloric ballet, a dance lesson and youth performances. The Raza Unida Band will take the stage at5 p.m. and close the show.
The Senoritas Cinco De Mayo (Miss Cinco de Mayo) will be presented at 4 p.m. and crowned by KATV, Channel 7's Christina Munoz at 4:30 p.m. All festival proceeds support college scholarships for Hispanic students from central Arkansas. LULAC scholarship winners will be presented at 5 p.m.
"We're always looking to have a better budget to give more scholarships every year," Calzada says.
Special guests scheduled to address the crowd are Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas, North Little Rock Police Chief Danny Bradley and Andres Chao, consul general of Little Rock's Mexican Consulate.
LULAC is a 75-year-old national organization with local councils around the country that work to promote the financial condition, educational opportunities, political participation, health and rights of Hispanics in the United States.
LULAC Cinco de Mayo Fiesta 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, River Market pavilion and Riverfest Amphitheatre, Little Rock Tickets: $5; children under 12 are free www.cincodemayo-arkansas.com (501) 831-7938
Weekend, Pages 60 on 05/02/2008