SOUTH GATE : Azalea Festival Date Won’t Be Moved to May
Mariachis won’t be competing with azaleas after all.
The City Council has unanimously decided against moving the 30-year-old Azalea Festival from March to May and making it part of a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
In fact, the council has scrapped plans altogether for a city-sponsored Cinco de Mayo celebration, bowing to concerns it would shortchange other ethnic groups in the city.
“We’re very happy with the council’s decision to keep our festival,” said Mildred Ward, 75, this year’s Azalea queen. “I love mariachis and Spanish stuff, but I don’t think it should rob the city of our traditions.”
The festival--azalea is the city’s official flower--honors women over 60 and includes the selection of a queen and her court.
In July, the council discussed organizing a Cinco de Mayo festival to recognize the city’s predominantly Latino population.
In October, city staff members recommended incorporating the festival into a celebration of Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the anniversary of the Mexican victory over the French in the city of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
Although Cinco de Mayo is hardly celebrated in Mexico, it is an important holiday for Americans of Mexican descent.
The city already holds a carnival on Sept. 16, the Mexican independence day.
The council also agreed to allocate $5,000 toward the Azalea Festival organizing committee.
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