A weekend of cultural events began in San Gabriel on Friday evening, May 2, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a Mercado (market), and continued on Saturday, May 3, with a “Thanks USA Healthcare Fair & AAPI Heritage Month Celebration.” Both were held on the Mission Plaza with the backdrop of the Mission Playhouse.
At the Mercado, food and craft vendors lined Mission Street offering traditional food, gifts, and crafts. On the Plaza, there was cultural entertainment including Ballet Folklorico by Ballet de Sally Savedra, live music by the San Miguel Band as well as a “Grito” contest, which was open to anyone. A Grito is a loud yell or call and is believed to originate as an historic call to arms.
A particular highlight was Xipe Totec, an Aztec dancing troop dressed in traditional, indigenous garments called xicolli. Large drums kept the beat for dancers wearing elaborate headdresses from Mexico and Guatemala, as well as bells on their ankles.
Mayor Denise Menchaca, co-founder of the event said, “I’m thrilled that San Gabriel is hosting the 8th Annual Cinco de Mayo Mercado, proudly sponsored by Telemundo 52 Los Angeles. The Mercado continues to grow as we come together to celebrate cultura, historia, y comunidad — culture, history, and community — in our city.”
On Saturday, the Plaza hosted the 11th “Thanks USA Healthcare Fair & AAPI Heritage Month Celebration,” which promotes “community wellness, civic engagement, and cultural celebration. By offering free health screenings and wellness services, we support underserved resident and raise awareness of preventative care,” with booths representing Asian culture and health care services.
The San Gabriel Police and Fire Color Guard Parade opened the event along with the flag raising by Boy Scout Troop 139. Dignitaries from throughout the San Gabriel Valley, there to honor Veterans and First Responders, lined the Mission Playhouse stage.
The event is organized by Hope Lions Club, Asian American Advocacy Alliance (AAAA), I-Chinese American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), Asian Arts Talents Foundation (AATF) and the City of San Gabriel. There were also 43 other organizations and businesses that contributed.
Councilmember Tony Ding founded Thanks USA. Originally, it was just a small event at the Temple City war memorial, honoring veterans. However, a few years later, he moved the event to San Gabriel, and every year it has gotten bigger. This is the first year for the Asian Heritage Celebration, and the fourth year for the Healthcare Fair.
“I had this idea, but I needed support, so I am very grateful for the community leaders and community support,” Ding said. “We want to be recognized as American, not just Chinese American. We are grateful to the United States, which is why we honor veterans, police, and fire fighters all first line heroes.
“As first-generation immigrants we wanted to find a consistent way of helping new immigrants to find education and jobs in a safe environment.”
The health fair, with booths representing a variety of health services, was located outside the Mission Playhouse on the Plaza, while inside the Playhouse there was a continuous stream of entertainment throughout the day. In the morning there were dancers of all ages and cultures including Chinese, Korean, Indian and Mongolian. The afternoon highlighted Asian Drum: “The Sound of Drums,” which included Chinese, Japan and Korean drum troops, the Horizon Choir and a Vietnamese Lantern Dance.
