GONZALES — Gonzales residents gathered at Central Park for consecutive Sunday celebrations with Dia del Niño (Day of the Child) followed by Cinco de Mayo (May 5).
Grupos Unidos and the City of Gonzales hosted the 17th annual Day of the Child event on April 28 at the park. The worldwide event symbolizes a sense of community as parents and teachers organize games, activities and provide food and prizes.
Currently, more the 100 countries celebrate Day of the Child, while the actual date of the events varies from one country to another. In Mexico, it is celebrated on April 30, but the 20th of November is accepted as the universal Children’s Day.
Participants registered as they entered the Gonzales event and got tickets for a free lunch, while also receiving school supplies along with raffle tickets for prizes.
“The most fulfilling thing our groups receive from hosting this is seeing all the children excited and happy, hoping to win a prize,” said Grupos Unidos President Roberta Camacho. “This event would not happen without the support of the many sponsors we had and everyone that helped to set up. I want to especially thank the Gonzales Spartans football team for always willing to volunteer. They are always there for the set up to the cleanup.”
This past Sunday, May 5, the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration took place in Gonzales, starting with a parade at noon that began at the Taylor Farms Family Health and Wellness Center and ended at Central Park.
Activities were sponsored by the Pueblo Unido de Tateposco and the City of Gonzales.
After the parade, the music started as the event featured a banda band that rode in the parade, a mariachi group, a musica norteña band, and another banda band. Delicious food was sold by the Pueblo Unido group and Las Guadalupanas of St. Theodores.
Another highlight of the event was the crowning of this year’s Cinco de Mayo queen.
Last year’s queen, Jarlet Amador of Soledad, was present and helped in placing the crown on the new queen, Miranda Politron of Gonzales. Amador attends Soledad High, and Politron is a student at La Gloria Elementary School in Gonzales.
