By Juan Castillo | Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 12:06 PM – Austin American-Statesman
Austin’s Diez y Seis de Septiembre events keep growing in number and popularity, but a staple endures — Fiestas Patrias of Austin’s annual music festival at Fiesta Gardens.
This year’s event, the 31st annual, will be Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11 and 12 at Fiesta Gardens, 1901 Bergman Drive, on the north shores of Lady Bird Lake. Organizers say it will feature a lineup of Tejano
On Saturday, cooks will compete in a barbecue cook-off, and car lovers will show off their rides in a show featuring best decorated, chromed, painted, and modified vehicles categories. Of course, count on the requisite arts and crafts and food and beverage booths.
Sponsor Fiestas Patrias, a nonprofit group, says it has poured about a half million dollars back into the community — youth programs, scholarships and other projects — since Gilbert Velasquez founded the festival in 1978. Members of community and youth groups form a small army of festival volunteers.
Diez y Seis de Septiembre commemorates the 199th anniversary of Mexico’s fight for independence from the royal crown of Spain. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla shouted the stirring call to arms: “Long live religion! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Long live the Americas, and death to the corrupt government!”
Hidalgo’s cry of “Viva Mexico,” is re-enacted at Diez y Seis celebrations throughout Mexico and the United States.
Fiestas Patrias of Austin has put together a comprehensive Web site on this weekend’s events and on the history and significance of Diez y Seis de Septiembre.
Link to this page
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