Larger crowds expected at 10th annual Cinco de Mayo event in Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa’s Cinco de Mayo Festival will mark its 10th year Tuesday in a newly expansive setting, with a cleared commercial lot in Roseland offering a broader stage to the colorful array of musical acts, food vendors and banners that will mark the Mexican holiday.

The aroma of grilled corn, the sounds of Mariachi players and the green, red and white of the Mexican flag are expected to transform the blacktop space left behind last fall with the demolition of the old bowling alley and Albertson’s supermarket on Sebastopol Road west of Dutton Avenue.

The family-focused celebration of Mexican culture, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., is expected to lure at least 10,000 people and possibly as many as 15,000 given the anniversary occasion.

Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, who represents the area, said the event has become an “iconic” regional celebration.

“The Cinco de Mayo festival has become a triumph for the Roseland community and is a vivid example of what Roseland has to offer now and into the future,” said Carrillo. “This year, the festival is being held at a site that’s had its own transformation.”

The shuttered businesses were torn down and the contaminated soil was hauled away starting in September, several years after stalled redevelopment plans left the site dormant. The demolition marked a significant step toward the long-imagined development of a mixed-use residential and commercial village, with a plaza as a community hub.

The holiday event was first held in 2006 to curtail unsanctioned and drunken May 5 parties on Sebastopol Road that culminated in a riot in 2005. The event has evolved into a popular, all-ages celebration, drawing big crowds and relatively few problems each year.

“It is a milestone,” event co-director Caroline Bañuelos said.

A minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo in the United States is often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, which is Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 with the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over occupying French forces.

The holiday decades ago began entering American mainstream, co-opted as a drinking holiday, but has since been reclaimed by cities and communities across the country as a day for people in the United States to honor the food, music and culture of Mexico.

“There is a lot of pride connected with it, memories of hometowns and abroad,” said Rene Meza of Windsor, a steering committee member who has been involved since the festival began.

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, a Girl Scout color guard will open the festival with “more pomp and circumstance” than prior years in honor of the anniversary, Bañuelos said. Congressman Mike Thompson will present a certificate of recognition to the festival committee on the main stage.

Organizers raised the nearly $20,000 to hold the event through local business sponsorships, vendor booth sales and with $5,000 contributions each by the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.

In addition to musical acts, the event features a classic car show, awards for a student scholarship program, a martial arts demonstration and other activities. For more information visit http://www.santarosacincodemayo.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.