Cinco

The beers were cold and the sombreros were a plenty, as hundreds crowded into the Chronic Cantina at Costa Mesa’s Triangle Square Tuesday to celebrate the latest reason to drink on a weekday afternoon. By 5 p.m. the line outside the taco hot spot on the second level of Triangle Square was beginning to grow. Servers were rushing around with trays of Mexican beers like Corona, Dos Equis and Pacifico, the beverage of the day for everyone celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The national Mexican holiday, commemorating a victory over French forces in 1862, was on the minds of virtually no one inside the Cantina on Tuesday.

Sonora Elementary School is holding a Cinco de Mayo celebration to raise funds for its new music program from noon to 5 p.m. May 2. Organizers hope to raise $15,000 for instruments and technology. The day’s entertainment will include food, games, salsa music and auctions. Community members can contribute by underwriting the various expenses involved in putting on the event or contributing auction items like sports tickets, hotel accommodations or gift certificates.

On this day in 1862, in a town called Puebla, a ragtag Mexican army defeated an invading French army that was better equipped and twice as big. France eventually won the war and went on to rule the country for a few years, but the unlikely defeat at the so-called Battle of Puebla made it into the history books as Cinco de Mayo. It was an underdog victory — no more, no less. U.S. Latinos in the late 1960s would later cite it, if not cling to it, in their fight for equal rights as the movement really put Cinco de Mayo on America’s radar, mostly in the Southwest.

LOLITA HARPER What is Cinco de Mayo really? Sure it literally translates to "the fifth of May" and traditionally transforms mild-mannered Mexicans, and their compadres, into party animals -- or so it would seem. So what is the big deal behind the holiday besides all-you-can-eat nacho bars and two-for-one cervezas at the neighborhood drinking hole? Cinco de Mayo is a celebration commemorating the victory of General Ignacio Zaragoza's Mexican troops, fighting with farm tools as weapons, over the French Army, which had not suffered a defeat in 50 years and was considered to be the premiere army in the world.

Many people mistakenly think that Cinco de Mayo is the holiday that celebrates the Independence of Mexico from Spain. In reality, Mexico gained its Independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1821, so Cinco de Mayo celebrates an event that took place 42 years later! This is an example of how our understanding of history can and does change, and of how we often continue to perpetuate this misinformation. Actually this holiday celebrates a small, but important battle at Puebla in 1862 where the Mexicans defeated the French army as it invaded Mexico.

Stefanie Frith Newport Beach police arrested 32 people Saturday night as a result of Cinco de Mayo festivities, police said. Two injuries were reported. Police received 77 calls Saturday night, 42 percent resulting in arrests, Sgt. Mike McDermott said. Comparatively, he said over the Fourth of July, police arrested about 80 people, and over St. Patrick's Day, about 40 people were taken in. A normal Saturday night only results in about 12 to 15 arrests, he said.

EDUCATION UC Irvine students celebrate Cinco de Mayo Students at UC Irvine celebrated Cinco de Mayo with dances, music and Mexican food. The holiday marks the Mexican army's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Members of the Sigma Pi fraternity at UCI, who were accused last week of racist behavior, met with members of the university's Chicano community on Tuesday to resolve the conflict. The success of the community forum, which was mediated by a university ombudsman, remains to be seen.

Sonora Elementary School's PTA hopes to raise $20,000 for new classroom computers at today's annual Cinco de Mayo fundraiser. The last two years, the PTA used the festival to garner funds for new playground equipment, which the district finally installed last summer. This year, parents want to upgrade the school's computers by purchasing 20 new systems for classrooms. Mette Segerblom, Sonora's PTA president, and fellow parent Katrina Foley, the Cinco de Mayo coordinator and a Costa Mesa city councilwoman, said state-of-the-art computers are essential in part because of Accelerated Reader, an electronic program that enhances reading skills.

"For a lot of these women, it's a way to give a voice to their personal journey. It's a way to enable them to say, 'This is a way I've grown personally, and I want to help others grow.'" -- Kelly Walter Carney, chair of Vanguard University's division of modern languages and literatures, on the college's new women's studies minor that will begin in the spring 2004 semester "How many people have to die here before the city takes action?" -- Andrea Burkhart, a Newport Beach resident, on the S-curve on Irvine Avenue, where many car accidents have taken place "We are Orange County's best kept secret, it seems like."

Bryce Alderton Cinco de Mayo marks the Mexican Army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 and, on Sunday, residents of a section of Newport Coast gathered to celebrate the festive holiday. About 800 residents of the 1,500-home Newport Coast Community Assn. congregated at the clubhouse of the Coastal Canyon Park to savor Mexican fare that included shredded chicken and beef tacos, rice and beans, and chips and salsa. They also participated in games such as "Hot Potato," played with a yellow lizard, had their faces painted and jumped on a trampoline.

Highlights for Wednesday at the Newport Beach Film Festival : Pilot Picks I Declare War Canadian drama by Jason Lapeyre and Robert Wilson about a "Lord of the Flies"-style conflict between neighborhood kids. 8:15 p.m.; Island Cinema 7. Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago Documentary by Lydia B. Smith about a group of pilgrims who attempt to cross northern Spain on foot. 2:30 p.m.; Island Cinema 7. Geography Club Comedy by Gary Entin about high school students navigating the world of campus cliques.

In Rafa Lara's film "Cinco de Mayo: The Battle," calendar dates are superimposed over the action counting down to May 5 - the day in 1862 when a ragtag Mexican army defeated France in the fight for independence. It may not be the only countdown that takes place in the Regency Lido Theatre when the movie screens Wednesday as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival. Not only is the Mexican holiday a few days away, but Lara's film, which depicts the battle in vivid (and often gruesome)

Leaders in the local business and real estate community will meet under the stars on Thursday to raise funds to benefit the Orange County United Way, according to a press release. The 12th Annual Orange County United Way Real Estate and Building Industry Mixer, "Cinco de Mayo Under the Stars," will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., May 5, at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort in Newport Beach. Proceeds from the event will go to provide food, shelter and basic medical supplies to in-need county children and families.

On this day in 1862, in a town called Puebla, a ragtag Mexican army defeated an invading French army that was better equipped and twice as big. France eventually won the war and went on to rule the country for a few years, but the unlikely defeat at the so-called Battle of Puebla made it into the history books as Cinco de Mayo. It was an underdog victory — no more, no less. U.S. Latinos in the late 1960s would later cite it, if not cling to it, in their fight for equal rights as the movement really put Cinco de Mayo on America’s radar, mostly in the Southwest.

The beers were cold and the sombreros were a plenty, as hundreds crowded into the Chronic Cantina at Costa Mesa’s Triangle Square Tuesday to celebrate the latest reason to drink on a weekday afternoon. By 5 p.m. the line outside the taco hot spot on the second level of Triangle Square was beginning to grow. Servers were rushing around with trays of Mexican beers like Corona, Dos Equis and Pacifico, the beverage of the day for everyone celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The national Mexican holiday, commemorating a victory over French forces in 1862, was on the minds of virtually no one inside the Cantina on Tuesday.

Many people mistakenly think that Cinco de Mayo is the holiday that celebrates the Independence of Mexico from Spain. In reality, Mexico gained its Independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1821, so Cinco de Mayo celebrates an event that took place 42 years later! This is an example of how our understanding of history can and does change, and of how we often continue to perpetuate this misinformation. Actually this holiday celebrates a small, but important battle at Puebla in 1862 where the Mexicans defeated the French army as it invaded Mexico.

Sonora Elementary School is holding a Cinco de Mayo celebration to raise funds for its new music program from noon to 5 p.m. May 2. Organizers hope to raise $15,000 for instruments and technology. The day’s entertainment will include food, games, salsa music and auctions. Community members can contribute by underwriting the various expenses involved in putting on the event or contributing auction items like sports tickets, hotel accommodations or gift certificates.

Sonora Elementary School's PTA hopes to raise $20,000 for new classroom computers at today's annual Cinco de Mayo fundraiser. The last two years, the PTA used the festival to garner funds for new playground equipment, which the district finally installed last summer. This year, parents want to upgrade the school's computers by purchasing 20 new systems for classrooms. Mette Segerblom, Sonora's PTA president, and fellow parent Katrina Foley, the Cinco de Mayo coordinator and a Costa Mesa city councilwoman, said state-of-the-art computers are essential in part because of Accelerated Reader, an electronic program that enhances reading skills.

Marisa O'Neil Teachers are getting their due this month in the form of gifts, food and praise. What started off Teacher Appreciation Week has unofficially turned into teacher appreciation month at Newport-Mesa schools. Some schools, like Harbor View Elementary, got things started Wednesday with special staff luncheons. "This is my thank you for all their hard work and dedication," Principal Mellissia Christensen said as teachers noshed on taco salad in the staff room.

LOLITA HARPER What is Cinco de Mayo really? Sure it literally translates to "the fifth of May" and traditionally transforms mild-mannered Mexicans, and their compadres, into party animals -- or so it would seem. So what is the big deal behind the holiday besides all-you-can-eat nacho bars and two-for-one cervezas at the neighborhood drinking hole? Cinco de Mayo is a celebration commemorating the victory of General Ignacio Zaragoza's Mexican troops, fighting with farm tools as weapons, over the French Army, which had not suffered a defeat in 50 years and was considered to be the premiere army in the world.