Venice Celebrates Cinco de Mayo - Olé!

What a gorgeous day for Cinco de Mayo we had this year! The sun was out, the breezes were warm, and people were in the mood to fiesta!

 I didn't get to catch the actual parade that went down Lincoln Boulevard, but I heard (and saw below) that it was fantastic. The car clubs came out with their lowriders and hot rods, there were beautiful, brightly costumed Folklorico and Azteca dancers twirling their skirts, and the Mariachi played all over town - from Oakwood Park to the rooftop of La Cabaña!

Oakwood Park was the epicenter of the fun this year, and it was packed with revelers of all cultures and backgrounds celebrating the Mexican and Chicano history that is so crucial to Venice, and especially this neighborhood (It's also right across the street from the Baptist Church that we sure would like to save as part of the town's equally important history).

There were food booths, arts and crafts you could purchase, performances from the dancers and musicians, and several speakers who educated everyone on the local and national histories behind this holiday (really commemorating the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 over the French, not Mexican Independence Day, as many believe, and also why Mexicans have bolillos ... they learned the baking from the French).

Friends and neighbors pulled up lawn chairs and blankets, settling in to enjoy and to learn. It was a bright, colorful, beautiful, festive day in Venice, for sure. I couldn't stay as long as I'd have liked at the park, as it was also the birthday of my little friend, Mia, and her mother's 19th Anniversary of owning Burro on Abbot Kinney AND my friend Lacey's birthday too! Partying was in order. And was done.

One of the speakers at the wonderful Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park (planned and organized by Darlene Rodriguez and Laura Ceballos) explained how important the Mexican and Chicano history is in Venice, and that the working class of all colors is what made Venice what it is today. They are raising funds for a monument to go in Windward Circle (where nearby the Venice sign is now lit with the red, green, and white of the Mexican flag) so that all may know of the contributions made to our town by our Latino friends and neighbors. "We don't care about the color of your skin in Venice, we care about your heart." Exactly. And on days like this in Venice, you can feel pretty good about the hearts that call it home.

Viva Mexico! Viva Venice!

*Video courtesy of Brad Hennegen

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - Part Two

There was a very special gathering of Venice ladies last night at La Cabaña for International Women's Day, that was touching, inspiring, and an awful lot of fun. Organized by longtime Venice advocate for everyone, Yolanda Miranda (in town visiting from Utah, where she said she is like "A palm tree in Siberia."), I felt honored to be there in the presence of such strong and talented women.

                                                           *Poster created by Greta Cobar

Former Free Venice Beachhead ringleader, Jim Smith, was there to present us all (nearly all Beachhead Alumni) with roses on behalf of the men of Venice. Pitchers of margaritas were already flowing by the time I got there, and the ladies were in the mood to celebrate. We had the back patio pretty much taken over, and other patrons were on notice that it might get loud. And it did. Miranda read Ain't I A Woman by Sojourner Truth to us, and it gave goosebumps ... Just click on the link and read it for yourself. 

I'll wait. (I'd post it here but something is messing up with formatting today. Like below. Sorry.)

Wow.  Then Greta Cobar recited And Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou, which is equally great. Cobar's mother, Natasha, was there as well, and it's always great to see where your friends get their radness from.

Artist and poet, Hillary Kaye, created a beautiful poster, and she and Miranda gifted us all with bookmarks made from the same art as the poster that featured legendary women. I love it. Thank you!  There was a purple bag (the color for International Women's Day, I was told) for each of us, containing a sachet that I'm smelling and loving now, and a card featuring Frida Kahlo. I love that I.W.D. is becoming an actual celebration - complete with gifts! 

Suzy Williams sang such a beautiful rendition of Moon Over Venice that a woman approached me in the bathroom and asked who it was that had such a wonderful voice. That's our Venice Songbird for you.  Beautiful speeches were made, and all were honored. Alice Stek was there - she delivers and saves babies born with AIDS every day. Ivonne Guzman was there - she fights for housing and the homeless every day.

                                                                                 *Photo by Jim Smith
A woman was there who had lost her husband to cancer only a month ago, and you could see her regain strength just being there amid women that understood, and enveloped her with love. It truly was a special feeling ... of what it means to belong to the tribe of Women - women who can -and DO - do anything. The mariachi fellows honored us with their beautiful serenades, and the party was on.

There was even a special cake for the occasion, and it too was fantastic. I hope ladies everywhere felt special yesterday, and that the current groundswell of support for each other only continues to build ... into a tsunami of change and progress that cannot be challenged. 

Viva Las Mujeres! 

Gracias, Yolanda & every woman there. You are forces of nature, All.