By CJ Vetter © The Port Lavaca Wave
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a cultural holiday held dear by many Mexican-American families, and this year Port Lavaca celebrated the occasion with an event of its own, featuring a 5k run that drew in 110 runners.
Hosted by Total Impact, a local organization focused on creating positive change within the city, the event started at 7 a.m. with a sign-in followed by the start of the race at 8 p.m. According to Total Impact representative Rose Bland-Stewart, who is a runner herself, the event was well attended by the public.
“We had 110 runners that day out of 118 sign-ups, which is great for our first time holding the event,” Bland-Stewart said. “Everyone was positive, and there were even some kids running around in the race.”
Winners of the race were: Men’s Division – First Place: Cristofer Herrera, Second Place: Cristofer Pena and Third Place: Ethan Fontanez. Women’s Division – First Place: Amanda Luna, Second Place: Orianna Cantu and Third Place: Ricci Hernandez.
Following the run, the event’s second half was started with an introduction by Port Lavaca district one councilman Daniel Aguirre, as well as a prayer from Seed of Hope Ministries Pastor Felipe Gonzalez, who told the story of Cinco de Mayo to those present.
“I think that it went really well,” Aguirre said. “But I bet it’ll be even better next year. A lot of people had fun. The music was good, and it went on without any real problems. It was a success.”
Also during the event, Port Lavaca Mayor Jack Whitlow issued a proclamation recognizing May 4 as Cinco de Mayo Celebration Day within the city.
“By celebrating the story of Hispanics in America, we are celebrating the larger story of America. The United States and Mexico are more than just neighbors; we are two societies woven together by friends and families, common interests in commerce and trade and a shared future,” Whitlow said.
In the latter half of the event, visitors were able to shop from several vendors as well as see a performance by Victoria-based group Mariachi Ranchero, and participate in several events such as bingo, cake walks and a pinata breaking. According to Rose-Bland Stewart, the event was successful and Total Impact plans to hold a similar event next year.
“I really think it turned out good, and with a different variety of the things we did, we had a lot of things that made it even better. Most folks said they really enjoyed it, and were glad that we held it, since they wanted something to do but didn’t want to drive all the way to Victoria,” Rose-Bland Stewart. “I think next year, we’d like to bring in a keynote speaker to talk a little bit more about Hispanic culture. I think that it would be great to have more focus on the culture, since it’s so deep and interesting. I’d also like to give a big shout-out to Soul to Sole Run Club, which ran the race and will donate the proceeds to Total Impact. We’d also like to thank our sponsors, Louie Six-Mile, Hydration Hutt, La Estrella and Stinger Supplements.”
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