The H. Louis Lake Senior Center in Garden Grove was a hub of activity Wednesday, May 1, as the center held an early Cinco de Mayo celebration for members who range in age from 50 to 90 years old.
The H. Louis Lake Senior Center in Garden Grove was a hub of activity Wednesday, May 1, as the center held an early Cinco de Mayo celebration for members who range in age from 50 to 90 years old.
The dining room was packed with couples dancing to “The Serenader's” band, which plays for the seniors every Wednesday. It was obvious there was a party going on…
They got an even earlier start with their festivities, as they decorated the dining room with “fiesta” signs, streamers and other Mexican décor. Some of the seniors even wore sombreros.
Activities Coordinator Juan Medina said he expected from 90-to-100 people for lunch, “And we got that many people,” he said. “We sold out for the lunch.”
Medina said for the party, they served authentic Mexican sweet bread, virgin margaritas, chips and salsa and they also decorated each table two weeks in advance to promote the event.
Today at 10 a.m., the center will celebrate Mother's Day for the seniors.
“It's going to be a big event,” H. Louis Lake Senior Center Supervisor Janet Pelayo said, “with a fashion show, shopping and ballroom dancing to the music of The Serenaders, sponsored by Monarch HealthCare Medical Group Inc.”
The H. Louis Lake Senior Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Some history about Cinco de Mayo:
· Cinco de Mayo, which in Spanish means the 5th of May, is celebrated on that day throughout the United States and primarily in the state of Puebla, Mexico.
· In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla or The Day of the Battle of Puebla.
· The day is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage, remembering the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.
· May 5 is in observance of the fact that the Mexican Army wasn’t likely to win a victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
· Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, which is widely believed. Mexico's most important national patriotic holiday is Sept. 16 – its Independence Day.
