3 Olympians to Be Honored at Parade

Three Olympians will be honored at the annual Mexican Independence Parade to be held Sunday in East Los Angeles.

Grand marshal for the parade is boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, a 1992 gold medalist, who will cruise along the 2 1/2-mile route in a shiny red Corvette. Joining him in the 39th annual parade will be Paul Gonzalez, a 1984 boxing gold medalist, and Fernando Vargas, a 1996 Olympic boxer from Oxnard.

The theme of the parade is “Olympic Echoes.”

The event will begin at 2 p.m. at Lorena and 1st streets. It will proceed eastbound and end at Mednik Avenue and 1st Street.

“We have more than 120 entries . . . including marching bands, mariachis, folkorico groups, convertibles and floats,” said Irene Wongpec, an event director for the Mexican Civic Patriotic Committee, the nonprofit group organizing the parade.

The organization is also sponsoring “El Grito de Dolores,” a celebration that will take place outside Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 15, the day before Mexican Independence Day.