Latino festival moves to SCC

It’s not Mexican Independence Day, but May 5 does mark one of the few times Mexico whipped an invading army. In a way, the defeat of Napoleon III’s army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 might have helped save the United States, even if Mexico City fell to the French a year later.

That’s because the Mexican army denied Napoleon a quick rout of the country, which could have given the Confederacy a powerful ally just south of the border early in the Civil War. Looked at in this light, Cinco de Mayo is really a celebration of the enduring bond between Mexico and the United States.

The community is invited to celebrate that relationship today at “La Fiesta – Cinco de Mayo,” from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Spokane Community College’s Lair, 1801 N. Greene St. In the four years since La Fiesta was first held at Greyhound Park in Post Falls, it has grown into the area’s largest Latin cultural festival, according to Troy Gaines, who is the event’s co-organizer and sponsor along with his wife, Maria, editor and publisher of La Prensa Bilingue.

The nonprofit event began as a way to bring cultural diversity and commerce to North Idaho, Troy Gaines said. La Fiesta had a lot of support from the community, including Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

“The event was way beyond our expectations,” Gaines said of the first celebration in 2003.

It quickly became a regional success with people coming from Western Montana, North Idaho and Eastern Washington to enjoy a multicultural celebration that includes soccer, dancing and a jalapeño eating contest.

“We have a nurse on standby for that one,” Gaines said.

This year, La Fiesta will be visited by Enrique Lopez, from the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, and Mayor Hession will deliver a welcoming address. Other speakers include Rodolfo Arevalo, president of Eastern Washington University; Stephanie Vigil, Q6 News anchor; and Maria Rodriguez-Salazar, vice president for the Northwest region of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Despite a heated national debate over immigration, La Fiesta is not about politics, Gaines said. It’s about culture and community. There will be a pre-Colombian art demonstration, folkloric ballet, mariachis from Yakima and foods from every region of Mexico.

The event also takes on an educational theme this year with a college fair and workshops on cultural identity, employment, finances, leadership and mental health. The move to SCC was, in part, to accommodate these seminars, which will run throughout the day.

There will still be plenty of fun and games, Gaines said, including a low-rider car exhibition, salsa dance lesson, a battle of the DJs and piñatas for children.

Not only is this the first year La Fiesta has been held in Spokane, it is the first time the event has actually been on May 5. In the past, the celebration has attracted as many as 5,000 people, Gaines said.

Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children, ages 1 to 17. Younger children enter free. Event parking is free. Proceeds go toward scholarships.