by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The City of Mascotte celebrated its second annual Cinco De Mayo festivities on Saturday, May 3rd at the Mascotte Civic Center, 121 North Sunset Street. During a time when the city is celebrating its Centennial birthday all year long, the residents came together under the majestic oak trees on the civic center grounds to enjoy an afternoon filled with food flavors, music, culture, and fun for the entire family.
Mexican style dancing and music was provided by the Flamingo Dancers and Mariachi Nuevo Guadalajara performers while the youngsters enjoyed a kid size – foam safe hatchet throwing competition fit for a youngster, yet fun enough to tempt the adults too. The Kids Corner also provided free pinata fun for the children. Age size opportunities made for a lot of fun for youngsters trying their luck at breaking the candy and treat filled decorations.
Brian Smith of Deeze Nuts snacks was the lucky winner of the Loteria games, a traditional Mexican board game of chance, like bingo, but played with a deck of cards instead of numbered balls. Each card has an image of an everyday object, its name, and a number, although the number is usually ignored. Each player has at least one board with a randomly created grid selected from the image cards. The game was new to many people playing, but it was a great opportunity to share a little cultural lesson among the participants.
Mayor Steven Sheffield was pleased with the community’s attendance at the event. “This is our second year with this family-friendly event, and it will continue to grow as we learn and grow from the experience of each event,” says Mayor Sheffield. The City of Mascotte recently hired a new Parks and Recreation Coordinator, Fred Wellington, to assist in organizing and creating community events. Wellington has an extensive background in youth programs, event coordinating, community outreach, and organizing volunteer activities for non-profit organizations.
The City of Mascotte has several community events planned throughout the year, including an upcoming car show in June to continue celebrating the city’s 100th birthday. Please visit www.CityofMascotte.com for further information.
