Keeping the Culture Alive : Thousands Turn Out for Cinco de Mayo Celebrations of Mexican Heritage

Nine-year-old Brandon Hernandez looked up curiously from his unbitten candy apple to listen closely to his father.

Victor Hernandez, an engineer for the Northrop Corp. who commutes from Oxnard to Los Angeles during the week, spent a minute Sunday reflecting on what Cinco de Mayo means to him and his family.

“It’s the celebration of Mexico,” he said. “It’s good to come out and see your culture’s still alive.”

Young Brandon appreciated the history lesson, but kept his priorities more focused.

“There’s food, games, rides,” he said. “What’s not to like?”

Organizers call the annual Cinco de Mayo event sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Oxnard the largest celebration of Latino culture in Ventura County. For many, most important is the history of the date, when 2,000 or so men held off French troops at the Battle of Puebla more than a century ago.

“It’s a heroic date remembered by all of us, because that’s when we Mexican people were delivered from the Europeans,” said Adriana Marinez of Oxnard, who was enjoying the festival Sunday with her sister, Celia Herrera, and Herrera’s two little girls, Mira, 8, and Marina, 6.

They were among thousands on Sunday who were bustling along a closed-off B Street in Oxnard at the seventh annual festival.

There was no shortage of activity.

Dozens of food booths hawking everything from carne asada tacos to churros lined the street, while a Ferris wheel, carousel and other traditional carnival rides were thrilling those bold enough to take a spin.

An alley just off the street was lined with games of skill and chance, offering opportunities to win stuffed animals and other prizes.

On a nearby stage, a band leader asked the audience to observe a moment of silence for Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers leader who died April 23.

With heads bowed and hands clasped, no one stirred until the ensemble struck up another tune.

“Families get together to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, and cultures are no different,” said Jose Garcia, a festival ambassador for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s just a lot of families together,” he said. “It gives the children a way to understand their roots, and it helps to create goodwill in the community.”

Chamber Vice President Mena Rios said the party gives nonprofit organizations a chance to raise money for special causes.

“It’s one of the best fund-raisers for the community,” she said, surveying the children’s area, where youngsters toyed with free balloons and got their faces painted. “We are very proud of the festival, but it’s primarily for the families.”

Also seeking donations Sunday was the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Volunteers in a booth near the carnival raised money for DMV-sponsored improvements to the California Mexican-American Veterans Memorial at the state Capitol.

“It’s going really good,” said Virginia Ortega, a DMV employee from Goleta who spent part of her weekend monitoring the booth. “We have people buying shirts and making donations of whatever they can afford.”

When completed next year, the memorial will boast a new pedestal honoring Mexican-Americans who died in battle, Ortega said.

The Oxnard festival was not the only Cinco de Mayo observance in the county on Sunday.

In Santa Paula, volunteers from the nonprofit group Casa del Mexicano manned booths and staged a modest but enthusiastic fund-raiser outside their 11th Street facility.

“We do it to remember those days, and the people who fought for a better future and the liberation of the community,” said Raul Cervantes, president of the Santa Paula-based group which raises money for various local causes.

For this year’s festival, Casa del Mexicano raised funds to save Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, which may be closed or merged with another facility because of a shortage of funds.

“This is why we’re concerned,” Cervantes said. “If they’re closed, we have to travel all the way to Ventura or Valencia. Your life depends on minutes in an emergency.”

Casa del Mexicano will donate $5,000 to the hospital fund when it gathers its donations from the Cinco de Mayo celebration and another fund-raiser scheduled over the Fourth of July weekend, Cervantes said.