Hermiston’s Cinco de Mayo celebration has come a long way in a few short years. The event has grown from a small gathering at the 4-acre McKenzie Park just six years ago to a two-day party at the 40-acre Butte Park.
On Saturday, the festivities got under way with a 30-minute parade down much of W. Elm Avenue that featured dignitaries, service organizations, dancing people and horses, a couple of dogs, as well as Grand Marshal Francisco Maass Peña, Mexico’s consul general for Oregon. The parade also features the Cinco de Mayor court made up of Natali Armenta, Daisy Cardenas and Jaleslie Torres.
Jose Fernandez brought his family over from the Tri-Cities to take in the action on Saturday. He said he was surprised at how the city pulls together for the annual celebration.
The city of Hermiston has taken an active role in the Cinco de Mayo celebrations for the past five years. Before that, the event was organized by private groups and held in the afternoon at McKenzie Park. Since the city has become involved, the event has grown each of the past five years.
Saturday’s activities included live music and dancing horses competition followed by a music and dancing for everyone. A fireworks show capped off Satuday’s events. Live music filled the air throughout Sunday with performances by Band Koritas Musical, Conquistadores 5, Inizzio Norten and others.
