CINCO DE MAYO Celebration

By John Wease

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF NEWBERRY SPRINGS is hosting a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 6, 2023. The festivities will be at 44560 National Trails Highway in Newberry Springs, adjacent to The Barn. This is the Chamber’s first special event themed Route 66 Swap Meet. The hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will be a number of special activities. A bounce house and face painting will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Piñatas at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. And, while the youngsters are enjoying the youth activities, the adults can enjoy shopping the offerings of the ever-growing Newberry Springs Route 66 Swap Meet. The Chamber of Commerce will have an information booth with free coffee. New this month will be a food court and a DJ providing music. Entry to shop and enjoy is free, as are the 20’ X 20’ vendor spaces. So, come and have some great family fun, or turn your trash into someone else’s treasure and set up to sell. To sell, be there early enough to be set up by 8:00 a.m. You must stay set up until 2:00 p.m. Check in with the Chamber representatives for your space assignment.

Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for the 5th of May, has been celebrated in California since 1863. The annual festivities have become a celebration of Mexican-American cultural pride. Much like everyone seems to be Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day, the celebration has spread worldwide and far beyond those of Mexican heritage. Many confuse the date with Mexico’s Independence Day, but that date is September 16, 1810, when they became independent of Spain.

Mexico had a civil war from 1858 through 1861 which nearly bankrupted the government. President Benito Juarez declared a two-year moratorium on paying their debts to European creditors. France, Spain, and England sent warships to Veracruz to force payment. England and Spain reached an agreement and withdrew their forces. Napoleon III decided, with the U.S. busy with the Civil War, it was a good time to expand their empire.

The French forces conquered Veracruz and marched for Mexico City. When they reached the hilltop fortifications of Puebla, they literally faced an uphill battle. On May 5, 1862, with some 8,000 well-trained and equipped troops, the French were soundly defeated by a much smaller and poorly equipped “rag-tag” army. Their victory was a large morale boost and helped to develop a national unity. Defeating an army that had been undefeated for nearly fifty years was no small accomplishment. But the victory was short lived. The following year, with 30,000 troops, the French conquered all of Mexico. In 1864, Napoleon III installed Emperor Maximillian I as ruler of Mexico.

In 1865, with our Civil War ended, the U.S. began supplying arms to Mexican guerilla resistance forces. The never-ending fighting, U.S. threats to enter the war, and the economic strain, caused France to begin a withdrawal in 1866. Maximilian, not wanting to give up his throne, fought on. He was captured and executed in 1867. Interestingly, Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated very much in Mexico. Here of course, it is fully embraced, and celebrated in many parts of the U.S. I read recently that due to promotion by American beer companies in the 1980’s, beer sales for Cinco de Mayo equal those for Super Bowl Sunday.

Most cities have a Chamber of Commerce. They collect a membership fee from the local business owners to fund the chamber activities that promote business and prosperity for the business owners. Newberry Springs, although an unincorporated rural community, is no exception. Or, maybe it is an exception. Of the sixty or so chamber members, something like one third are not business owners at all. They are individuals. Individuals like myself, swept up by the enthusiastic efforts of the Chamber to better the community as a whole.

Their goal is to develop the community as a village. The swap meet has been going on adjacent to the Barn for many years. In the past, it was a typical small-town place to sell your unwanted items. In February of this year, the Chamber of Commerce decided to begin sponsoring the swap meet as a place where the people of the “village” could gather and make a little money selling their items. A place where beginning, home-based “cottage industry” businesses could promote their products. Or service organizations like our local animal rescue could torture us all with cute puppies in need of forever homes.

In February, with vendor spaces marked for the first time, it looked like a real swap meet. Except, they only had six vendors. We stopped by just to check it out and ended up staying there for four hours. Just hanging out and visiting with the vendors, Chamber members, and our village neighbors.

There were a lot more vendors in March and an incredible twenty-nine in April. With the special themed swap meet May 6, there should be even more. Maybe a lot more. The Chamber also organizes the Pistachio Festival. The infectious enthusiasm that has made the Pistachio Festival a popular regional event is apparent at the Route 66 Swap Meet.

So, come on out and enjoy the Cinco de Mayo celebration. It will be a great familyoriented festival. Come and enjoy the music. Come and try the papusas, tamales, and street tacos. Shop, sell, or just hang out. I think you will enjoy visiting our village.