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High alert can't quell celebration
By TERRI D. REEVES It was a weekend for Clearwater's Mexican population to get back in touch with its roots. The Fiesta de Independencia Mexicana, or Mexican independence day festival, was to feature ballet troupes, artisans, and music by mariachi bands, all coming from Mexico. Then the United States went on high condition alert and the 143 Mexican artists and entertainers scheduled to attend celebrations in Florida, Nevada, Texas, Utah and South Carolina were stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border. Forty-five of the individuals were headed for Clearwater. "Because of the size of the group, they weren't allowed in," said Odilon Mezquite, vice president of the Mexican Council of Tampa Bay, the group that organized the event. "They had proper documentation but were refused because of the orange alert." This is the second year in a row in which the plans for the Clearwater celebration have been thwarted by the events of Sept. 11. Last year's festivities were canceled out of respect for the victims of the tragedy. This year, organizers had only a few days to throw together substitute entertainment for the festival, which was scheduled to run Friday through today at Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. "We found out they may not be coming on Sept. 9, so there was much confusion to find and schedule groups of singers and dancers," Mezquite said. No artisans were found but on Friday night, a group of local entertainers, including folk dancers from the Mexican American Club, had stepped up to perform before the crowd of about 1,500. Victor Lopez of Tampa and Rhonda Smith of Clearwater performed a traditional courtship dance dating back to the 1800s, which ended with a stage kiss and drew much applause from the young crowd, mostly 35 and under. Another performer, Julie Del Valle, drew shouts and whistles with her impressions of Selena, a singer tragically shot to death. The 18-year-old, who was involved with theater at Clearwater High School and is now a student at St. Petersburg College, says she felt honored to perform at the event. "We are patriots," she said. "We have to show love for our culture and where we came from." Seventy-year-old singer Melchor Calderon, who sang songs in Spanish, said he couldn't understand why the group was stopped at the border. "Not one Mexican is a terrorist," he said. The celebration dates back to 1821 when Mexicans regained their independence from nearly 300 years of Spanish rule. A large-scale celebration, which attracted about 2,500, was held locally for the first time in September 2000, in recognition of Clearwater's growing Mexican community. "This is our Fourth of July," said Samuel Cervantes wearing a sombrero with the words "Viva Mexico" painted in red and green. He is one of about 10,000 Mexicans in the Clearwater area who come from the Mexican state Hidalgo and compose about 90 percent of Clearwater's Mexican population, said Robin Gomez, auditor for the city of Clearwater and chairman of the city's Hispanic Council. "Since the dancers and artisans were coming from Hidalgo, it was especially disappointing that were not allowed to come," he said. This was the first Independence Day celebration for 5-year-old Melanie Benitez who was wearing a green, full-length ruffled dress with red, white and gold trim, made by her grandmother who still lives in Mexico. "My favorite part was the three ladies (dancers) with candles on their heads," she said. She thought for a moment, looked at her mother and said, "I want to be in the show." Raquel Pedraza, a Clearwater resident for 10 years, said this celebration is important for Mexicans "so they don't forget tradition and culture." She said she would have loved to see the artisans and performers from Mexico, but, "They improvised and it turned out fine."
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Editorial Letters |
