Cinco de Mayo Celebrations Are Planned Throughout the Southeast

In commemoration of the military victory by the Mexican army over an invading French force at Puebla, Mexico, in 1862, celebrations will be held in these places:

Downey: The Foley Fling, a fund-raiser for the Foley House program for recovering alcoholic women and their small children, will feature a Mexican dinner, a silent auction, a raffle and entertainment by the Cactus Country Band and the Smoggy Valley Cloggers. The event will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at Foley House, 10511 Mills Ave., Whittier. Tickets are $12. For information, call 944-7983.

Huntington Park: The 13th annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta has been expanded with a five-day festival and carnival at Salt Lake Park. Featured will be a 30-ride carnival, games, food booths and salsa recipe contest. The event opens Thursday and runs through May 7. Salt Lake Park is at 3401 Florence Blvd.

The event will continue with the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Ball and Dinner Show, which features a two-hour folkloric performance by the “Ballet Costumbrista” of Puebla, Mexico. The ball will be held from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday at the Huntington Park Elks Lodge, 3355 Gage Ave. Tickets are $12.50 per person, $25 per couple presale and $15 and $30 at the door. For information, call the Huntington Park Chamber of Commerce, 585-1155.

Long Beach: The Parks and Recreation Department will present a Cinco de Mayo Festival, with daylong events Saturday at Silverado Park.

Starting the celebration will be the opening of an art exhibit featuring the work of emerging Mexican artists from the community, Ramon Sanchez, Alex Castro and Chata Naomi Perez. A reception will be held for the artists from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Silverado Park Gym.

Saturday activities will include rope demonstrations by Charros and traditional dances by Ballet Folklorico de Noberton Magana and Xipe-totec Aztec Dancers. Humberto Luna, from KTNQ Radio, will be master of ceremonies for the opening ceremonies. Headlining will be a performance by jazz musician Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band. Events will begin at 11 a.m. at Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St. For information, call 421-9431.

Montebello: The Downtown Assn. will present its third annual Cinco de Mayo Chili and Menudo Cook-Offs. Up to 40 chefs will compete in each cook-off for prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second, and $100 for third. The contests will be held from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Montebello City Park, 1300 W. Whittier Blvd. For entry information, call the Montebello Downtown Assn., 888-9876.

Norwalk: Cerritos Community College will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a week of activities.

On Tuesday, the public is invited to the main quad, which will be filled with varied food and game booths from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On Thursday, folklorico and mariachi classes will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Student Center. At 7:30 p.m., National Bilingual Teacher of the Year Karla Herrera and Dr. Miguel Dominguez will be guest speakers at a free lecture at the Burnight Center Theatre on campus.

There will be a student dance Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight in the Student Center. Tickets are $4 for general admission or $3 with a student body card.

On Saturday, Cerritos College will present its first Cinco de Mayo 5-K run beginning at 8 a.m., starting and finishing on Falcon Way. Entry fees are $8 for the race and $12 for the race and a T-shirt. Proceeds will benefit the Associated Hispanics of Rising Achievers Scholarship Fund.

Cerritos Community College is at 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk. Information: call 860-2451, Ext. 584.

Paramount: The Adult School will present its second annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration, featuring traditional ballet folklorico dances performed by John Glenn High School students and three mariachi groups. Charles Jimenez, history teacher at the Paramount Adult School, will present an exhibit of more than 500 figures and artifacts depicting the character of the “sleeping Mexican.” The celebration will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Adult Education Center of the Paramount Unified School District, 8535 Contreras St. For information, call 602-6998 or 693-8679.

Pico Rivera: The annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration will feature a 15-ride carnival at Smith Park. There also will be pony rides, clowns and a salsa recipe contest. The carnival will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. on May 6. Smith Park is at 6016 S. Rosemead Blvd.

A double-elimination adult co-ed softball tournament will be played from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Games will be played at Pico Park, 9520 E. Beverly Blvd.; Rio Vista Park, 8751 E. Coffman and Pico Road, and Smith Park. For information, call 942-2000 or 723-3191.

Whittier: The San Gabriel Valley Recreation District will sponsor a two-day music festival featuring popular Latino musicians and bands, such as Los Caminantes, Menudo, Myriam Hernandez, Lalo Rodriguez and Mercedes Castro. The celebration includes a job fair, senior citizens dance, soccer tournament, 3-on-3 basketball contest, 5-K run and walk, kiddie rides, games and food booths. The festival is free and will run from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Amelia Mayberry County Park, 13201 E. Meyer Road in Whittier. For information, call (818) 333-1369.

Rio Hondo Community College will have several events on campus from Tuesday through Friday. The salsa band Charisma will perform Tuesday in the lower quad from noon to 1:15 p.m. There also will be a salsa dip competition and a pinata filled with candy and prizes. The faculty and staff will address Hispanic Cultural Awareness from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, and a Mexican art exhibit will be displayed each day in the Art Building. Events will conclude Friday with a dance in the Campus Inn. For information, call 693-0921, Ext. 391.